5. MC5

I was definitely part of the problem, and then I heard the MC5 and I was part of the solution. In Cannock market there was a bloke who sold records and we called him Ken Goodwin because he looked like the comedian. And as part of the Bowie and Iggy thing, I had heard about the MC5. They were this sort of legendary thing that seemingly nooone had ever heard but were meant to be good. And one day I was at Ken Goodwin’s market stall and I’m flicking through the seven inches, and I find ‘Ramblin’ Rose’ on an orange label Elektra for 60 pence. I go, ‘Wow! It’s that group!’ I thought they were mythical. So, I bought it and – this is absolutely true, it’s the only time this ever happened to me – it fuckin’ blew my cock off! It didn’t have all that John Sinclair bullshit at the beginning. It didn’t have all that ‘brothers and sisters’ palaver. And then it just goes [makes riffing sounds]. I was like [makes ecstatic face]. No record has ever hit me like that.