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JOHN SINCLAIR: A Counterculture Icon Stops at 'Whites' in Saginaw Before Moving to Amsterdam By Al Hellus John Sinclair This may be John Sinclair's last appearance in Saginaw. Then again, maybe not. The guy gets around. Over the years, apart from appearing solo and with members of his band, The Blues Scholars, he's moved from Detroit to New Orleans and now, on November 20th, he's going to make the big move to Amsterdam, Holland, a Mecca for a variety of America's Bohemians. The 1960s, 1970s icon of the counter culture, manager of the MC5 and founder of The White Panthers, has always been a social and political lion, and he hasn't lost his edge. He calls it like he sees it without reservation. "Deep problems will result from following the course of Bush and his fascist legions. I am very uncomfortable being a resident of the USA. It hurts too much to be directly associated with the crap they're doing now." "Amsterdam," he says, "is a great place. No one is armed, recreational drug use is of no interest to the police, the citizenry is educated, informed and intelligent, unlike most people in the USA today." He'll miss: "My hundreds of friends coast to coast and life in the great city of New Orleans, but I plan to return regularly to the USA as long as Homeland Security permits me to travel here." At this point he doesn't have a place to stay and plans to bunk with friends until he gets established. But performing is no problem. "They speak English almost universally since it's taught in schools K-12. I'll continue to write whatever I can get away with, perform, hustle for a living, as I've been doing for the last 40-plus years." Musically: "I have a guitarist in Rotterdam who has a band we use when the budget permits. I also have bands in London, Paris and Berlin." So, apart from being a counter cultural icon, it would be no great exaggeration to call him an international whirlwind. Right now he's in Oxford, Mississippi basking in a warm southern sun. "I'm doing what I always do - radio interviews, readings at various places, enjoying myself." But he's anxious to get back to Saginaw. The whirlwind blows into town on November 9th at White's Bar, 2609 State Street near Bay. He'll be joined by Saginaw musicians Bruce Crawley, Mike Brush, Matt Besey, Tony Ioppolo, John Rickert, Mike Crampton and Buddy 'Shabazz' Harris. Also performing that evening will be the Brush/Lopez Group and the Plastic Haiku Band. The show begins at 7:00 PM. |
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