[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/MC5.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Brothers, it's time to testify and I want to know, are you ready to testify? I give you a testimonial: THE [=MC5=]! The classic lineup, from left to right: Fred "Sonic" Smith, Dennis Thompson, Rob Tyner, Wayne Kramer, Michael Davis]]

->'''''"KICK OUT THE JAMS, [[PrecisionFStrike MOTHERFUCKERS!]]"'''''
-->-- '''[=MC5=]''', "Kick Out the Jams"

The [=MC5=] were a highly influential rock band from UsefulNotes/{{Detroit}} (their name meaning "Motor City 5"), active between 1964-1972. They're known for being one of the leading {{Protopunk}} bands (alongside the Music/VelvetUnderground and Music/TheStooges--incidentally from Ann Arbor, which isn't far from Detroit--among others) that helped inspire the PunkRock movement.

Oh, and they were also one of the first bands, along with Music/TheFugs, to [[PrecisionFStrike put out a song with the word "fuck" in it uncensored]].

The band's members were:
* Rob Tyner - vocals
* Wayne Kramer - guitar, backing vocals
* Fred "Sonic" Smith - guitar, backing vocals
* Michael Davis - bass
* Dennis Thompson - drums

The band had a short career, releasing only three albums before breaking up. However, these albums proved to be [[TropeMaker enormously influential]]. Boasting Kramer and Smith's furious guitar playing, Tyner's strong vocals, and the solid support of the Davis-Thompson rhythm section, the sheer energy and fury of the band combined with the undoubtedly {{Epic Riff}}s they wrote and their "back-to-basics" rock 'n roll sound became a key influence on PunkRock. While their debut album ''Music/KickOutTheJams'' ([[RunningGag MOTHERFUCKERS]]) is one of the most highly acclaimed live albums ever made, their other albums ''Back in the USA'' and ''High Time'' aren't anything to sneeze at either.

While everybody loves [=MC5=]'s volatile proto-punk sound, nobody is really rushing to emulate their far-left politics and affiliation with radical groups such as The White Panther Party (through their manager John Sinclair). To be fair, even they didn't last more than a year in their extreme political affiliation and had a falling out with Sinclair.

Wayne Kramer died on February 2, 2024, at the age of 75, leaving Dennis Thompson the last surviving member of the [=MC5=].

Discography:
* ''Music/KickOutTheJams'' (1969) - LiveAlbum
* ''Back in the USA'' (1970)
* ''High Time'' (1971)
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!!Tropes:

* AuthorFilibuster: ''Kick Out the Jams'' (MOTHERFUCKERS) opens with a long speech by the band's "spiritual advisor" Brother J.C. Crawford before they kick into the first song.
* TheBandMinusTheFace: Kramer, Thompson, and Davis reunited the band in 2003 and have toured since without Smith or Tyner, who both died.
* CoverVersion: "Ramblin' Rose" by Music/JerryLeeLewis, "Motor City Is Burning" by Al Smith, "I Want You Right Now" by... some guys, "Tutti Frutti" by Music/LittleRichard and "Back in the USA" by Music/ChuckBerry.
** "Kick Out the Jams" (MOTHERFUCKERS) itself has been covered quite a bit. And Music/{{The Damned|Band}} have made their cover of "Looking at You" a concert staple.
* EpicRocking: "Motor City Is Burning", "Starship", "Sister Anne", "Future/Now"
* HighSchoolRocks: "High School"
* ImageSong: "Kick Out the Jams" ([[OverlyLongGag MOTHERFUCKERS]])
* NiceJewishBoy: Brother Wayne's Jewfro had a respectable circumference but Brother Rob's is an all-time great.
* PrecisionFStrike: KICK OUT THE JAMS MOTHERFUCKERS!
* ProtestSong: "Motor City Is Burning", "The Human Being Lawnmower", "The American Ruse", "Future/Now".
* PunkRock: Massive influence.
%%* RatedMForManly
* SubduedSection: "Motor City Is Burning", "Starship", "Future/Now", "Over And Over".
* SurprisinglyGentleSong: You know, for a RatedMForManly balls-out furious proto-punk band, they've got the way-out spacey "Starship", "Let Me Try" and the second part of "Future/Now".
* ThreeChordsAndTheTruth: What else?!
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