WAYNE KRAMER Profile Ep71 pt2 KASR VIDEO

Henry Rollins interviews guitarist Wayne Kramer and talks about his cd: The Hard Stuff.
Kasrvnotebook: Kramer came to prominence in the late 1960s as a co-founder of the Detroit rock group MC5 (Motor City 5), a group known for their powerful live performances and radical left-wing political stance. The MC5 broke up amidst drug abuse and personal problems, leading to several fallow years for Kramer, who battled drug addiction before returning to an active recording and performing schedule in the '90s.
The MC5 played at Detroit's famous Grande Ballroom often and was managed by John Sinclair, a radical left-wing writer and co-founder of the White Panther Party, until 1970 when Jon Landau took over creative management of the group. After MC5's demise, Kramer spent several years committing crimes and battling drug addictions.
In 1975, he was caught selling cocaine to undercover federal agents and went to prison for over two years at the Lexington Federal Prison in Lexington, Kentucky. While incarcerated he met Red Rodney, the American jazz trumpeter who had played with Charlie Parker's quintet. They played together in the institution's Sunday chapel.
Upon his release from prison, he moved to New York City and briefly teamed up with Johnny Thunders. They formed the band Gang War. He also spent a large amount of the 1980s out of the music business. In 1994, he began a solo career and released numerous records, including 1995's The Hard Stuff, which was produced by Don Was, a former acquaintance from the late 1960s Detroit rock scene. Claw Hammer served as Kramer's backing band on The Hard Stuff. Kramer, along with the other surviving members of MC5, reformed in 1991 in a memorial concert for former lead singer Robin Tyner, who passed away from a heart attack. This sparked a reunion tour which spanned several years and included dates in Europe and America. They also recorded and played some shows with GG Allin. Wayne Kramer was also temporarily in the grunge band Mudhoney. He was recently interviewed for the VH1 show 'The Drug Years'.
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"Don't expect a lot from this show." Was the unofficial motto of KASR VIDEO, which made a pleasant surprise when we actually knocked out a great show! The program was a weekly 2 hour public access offshoot of the Arizona State University's original alternative radio station that aired in Phoenix. The music video show featured rarely seen videos and "new" music not in the "main stream." Along with non-conventional interviews it became a decent way to nurse a hangover with the midnight party crowd. These clips are edited as a sort of best of; minus the music videos.