Detroit Rock City: The Uncensored History of Rock 'n' Roll in America's Loudest City
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- Create Date：2021-04-07 11:56:47
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Steve Miller
- ISBN：030682065X
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Summary
From the Stooges and MC to Grand Funk Railroad and Ted Nugent， to the White Stripes， Eminem， and Kid Rock， and whole casts of other great bands and performers， Detroit has always produced louder， more rumbling， more subversive rock music than any city in the world。
In Detroit Rock City， readers get to hear the stories straight from the participants themselves—the singers， the guitar slingers， the fans， the reporters， the promoters， even the guys who handmade amps to be louder and crunchier than the competition’s。 This is the story， by the people who saw with their own eyes， made with their own hands， and heard with their own ears。
In Detroit Rock City， readers get to hear the stories straight from the participants themselves—the singers， the guitar slingers， the fans， the reporters， the promoters， even the guys who handmade amps to be louder and crunchier than the competition’s。 This is the story， by the people who saw with their own eyes， made with their own hands， and heard with their own ears。
Reviews
Jesse Wiedel
，
This was a fun read。 It is written as a series of quotes from various Detroit music scenesters， some replying to quotes from others。 So it kind of comes off as a giant AA circle chat。 The glaring omission of Funkadelic bothered me， though。
Juan Russo
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Fast reading 3rd person narrative of the rock scene around Detroit。。。 not much detailed info， just what I think are edited comments。
Nicholas Facca
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Great History or Detroit rockIntimate details and stories。 First half is great and second half does off。。。。no fault of the author 。 Detroit music died and never picked back up。
Trey Malone
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I really enjoyed reading this book， though I do feel like there could have been far more content focused on the scene late 20th century。 Instead， a lot of the stories felt like they were mostly an homage to Please Kill Me。 Some extremely talented musicians hit the scene that felt overlooked。 Eminem， Sufjan Stevens， Electric Six， Uncle Kracker， and Xzibjt all immediately come to mind。 Never mind ALL of Motown - or even if you just wanted to talk about old school punk rock， why not cover the band I really enjoyed reading this book， though I do feel like there could have been far more content focused on the scene late 20th century。 Instead， a lot of the stories felt like they were mostly an homage to Please Kill Me。 Some extremely talented musicians hit the scene that felt overlooked。 Eminem， Sufjan Stevens， Electric Six， Uncle Kracker， and Xzibjt all immediately come to mind。 Never mind ALL of Motown - or even if you just wanted to talk about old school punk rock， why not cover the band Death？ Also would have loved to hear more about Glen Frey or Alice Cooper as opposed to just getting more MC5 stories。。。All in all， I do feel like I learned something。 Just wish the net would have been a little more broad。 。。。more
Don Healy
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Couldn't finish it。 Found the first 2/3 a somewhat interesting trip down memory lane， but after that I couldn't relate to the bands， having been preoccupied with family during those years。 Couldn't finish it。 Found the first 2/3 a somewhat interesting trip down memory lane， but after that I couldn't relate to the bands， having been preoccupied with family during those years。 。。。more
Stewart Sternberg
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Imagine a book where an author dumps all his research on you and does nothing to put anything in context or give it any meaningful framework。 Imagine no more。It's like a student gathered a thousand note cards and rather than write the assigned paper， he instead turned in a folder of banded together cards。 Unless you possess intimate knowledge of the Detroit music scene already。 give this a miss。 Imagine a book where an author dumps all his research on you and does nothing to put anything in context or give it any meaningful framework。 Imagine no more。It's like a student gathered a thousand note cards and rather than write the assigned paper， he instead turned in a folder of banded together cards。 Unless you possess intimate knowledge of the Detroit music scene already。 give this a miss。 。。。more
K。
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Great book， much like a Detroit version of Please Kill Me by Legs McNeil。
Carol Dunn
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Sadly， no one in this book ever had a hit， except for Bob Seger。 It is hard to even get on an oldies tour without a hit。 Recommended for fans like me who lived in Detroit during its hayday of Rock。
Kent Hayden
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This pretty much confirmed what I already thought of the Detroit Rock Scene。 They had their heyday in the early 70's and then petered out from there。 After MC5， Nugent and the Stooges there was a climate of expectation with the music scene that Detroit had yet to be discovered like Seattle or Minneapolis but what actually happened were wannabees that thought 3 chords weren't too difficult and the drugs would help。 The drugs is what took over and any hope of a renaisance in Detroit quickly went d This pretty much confirmed what I already thought of the Detroit Rock Scene。 They had their heyday in the early 70's and then petered out from there。 After MC5， Nugent and the Stooges there was a climate of expectation with the music scene that Detroit had yet to be discovered like Seattle or Minneapolis but what actually happened were wannabees that thought 3 chords weren't too difficult and the drugs would help。 The drugs is what took over and any hope of a renaisance in Detroit quickly went down the drain。 。。。more
Dwight Koslowski
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The entire book consisted of one or two paragraph quotes from varying sources， loosely linked by subject。 Most of these sources seemed proud of the fact that they were usually high on drugs， or addicts， so anything that was quoted had to be taken with a grain of salt。 The author contributed almost no original thoughts or ideas。
Melissa Seitz
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The background information was interesting， but ho-hum for the book overall。 No writer perspective。 Waste of money。 Zero rating。
Tom
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I love oral histories， and I love Detroit music。 Many pithy observations here， some funny， but many sad stories too。 Well worth a read
Sarah
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Been Picking away at this since it arrived last Christmas。 It was a fun gossipy read， even though I was not familiar with many in the book。 My main impression was incredible drug use。 Everyone was high all the time。 It seemed that the key to national break through success was to be sober about 30% or more of the time。 Incredibly high number of musicians in this book whine on and on about how they never made it because they never had the right manager， agent， record company， etc -- Nope。 You didn Been Picking away at this since it arrived last Christmas。 It was a fun gossipy read， even though I was not familiar with many in the book。 My main impression was incredible drug use。 Everyone was high all the time。 It seemed that the key to national break through success was to be sober about 30% or more of the time。 Incredibly high number of musicians in this book whine on and on about how they never made it because they never had the right manager， agent， record company， etc -- Nope。 You didn't make it because you weren't able to get out of bed。 Somewhere in their folks point out that Bob Seger and Ted Nugent rarely （if ever） indulged。 Yet they each made it big。 （Not a fan of either， but cannot deny they were/are very successful）。 Really think it was better management or harder work？ 。。。more
Aimee
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I enjoyed the book a lot。 I love learning about rock history and this history was in our own backyard。
Julie
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Detroit-based journalist， Steve Miller interviewed 200 subjects from bonafide rock stars （Ted Nugent， Iggy Pop， Mitch Ryder） to compelling， yet unknown scenesters to create an exhaustive portrait of thirty years of the Detroit music scene。 Solidly kicking off this story with quotes from astute subjects like charismatic former members of the MC5 who adroitly link the relentless Detroit rock sound to the 24/7 reign of Detroit manufacturing， this oral history has the momentum of a well-oiled machin Detroit-based journalist， Steve Miller interviewed 200 subjects from bonafide rock stars （Ted Nugent， Iggy Pop， Mitch Ryder） to compelling， yet unknown scenesters to create an exhaustive portrait of thirty years of the Detroit music scene。 Solidly kicking off this story with quotes from astute subjects like charismatic former members of the MC5 who adroitly link the relentless Detroit rock sound to the 24/7 reign of Detroit manufacturing， this oral history has the momentum of a well-oiled machine， at least for the first 200 pages。 （Interviews of former writers of the luminous Creem magazine are especially fascinating。） Miller's seeming compulsion to leave no stone unturned gets tiresome， however。 How many transient former members of ephemeral indie bands should I be interested in？ 。。。more
Brian Wilson
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A cool journey through the amazing music history of Detroit （and the surrounding areas）。 This book definitely works better when you are familiar with the music; I loved the first two-thirds， but it slowed down once I got into some of the fairly obscure hard-core and punk history of the mid-80s。 I wish I remembered， for instance， The Gories and the Laughing Hyenas， but I don't。 And it unfortunately makes the text less interesting。 When you hear about the crazed， drug-fueled exploits of Iggy Pop a A cool journey through the amazing music history of Detroit （and the surrounding areas）。 This book definitely works better when you are familiar with the music; I loved the first two-thirds， but it slowed down once I got into some of the fairly obscure hard-core and punk history of the mid-80s。 I wish I remembered， for instance， The Gories and the Laughing Hyenas， but I don't。 And it unfortunately makes the text less interesting。 When you hear about the crazed， drug-fueled exploits of Iggy Pop and the MC5， they feel authentic。 But reading essentially the same stories about bands you don't know seems。。。sort of silly and trivial。 Either way， I would highly recommend logging into Spotify and actually listening as you read。 Much of the music hasn't lost its power: The Stooges， Bob Seger， Brownsville Station， Grand Funk， Sonic's Rendezvous Band， Detroit Cobras， Jack White， The Dirtbombs， etc。 It really is a pretty ridiculous lineage。 。。。more
Drew
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Excellent stuff。 I suck down these sorts of music-history books so frequently that at this point I tend to feel like new books in the genre can't possibly have anything more to offer me。 Thankfully， I get proven wrong a lot， because I keep reading each new one that comes along。 Steve Miller's oral history of the Detroit music scene sticks with things that could probably be considered punk or punk-descended for the most part--there isn't much of anything related to Motown in here， though a lot of Excellent stuff。 I suck down these sorts of music-history books so frequently that at this point I tend to feel like new books in the genre can't possibly have anything more to offer me。 Thankfully， I get proven wrong a lot， because I keep reading each new one that comes along。 Steve Miller's oral history of the Detroit music scene sticks with things that could probably be considered punk or punk-descended for the most part--there isn't much of anything related to Motown in here， though a lot of the Nuggets-type bands， such as Ted Nugent's Amboy Dukes， the Stooges， Grand Funk Railroad， etc。 get plenty of coverage。 I learned a whole lot of new facts and stories about the Detroit scene from this book， and though it depended on the era he was talking about--the basic plotline of the late 60s MC5/Trans-Love era and the early 80s hardcore Negative Approach/Necros scene were all very clear to me in advance， for example--there were always great anecdotes that I've never seen anywhere else， which gave new insights into even the most well-known of major players and made every page entertaining and worth reading。 Plus， I got solid backgrounds on eras of the Detroit scene I'd never heard anything about before， such as the mid-to-late 70s punk era of Destroy All Monsters and Gang War， or the late 80s/early 90s era when Laughing Hyenas and Mule were ruling the roost。 If you're the sort of person who gets excited to read about musical history， you need this book。 It'll make you laugh， it'll teach you things you didn't know， and it'll keep you thoroughly entertained to the point that you will be sorry when it ends。 。。。more
Tobias
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An incredibly well-done oral history -- one of the best I've encountered。 An incredibly well-done oral history -- one of the best I've encountered。 。。。more
Michael
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There's no narrative connective tissue between or within chapters， so the author assumes the reader already knows who all these musicians are。 It can be frustrating if you're trying to figure out why so much time is being spent on someone you've never heard of。 I also couldn't help but feel like some people were left out or not given enough time - Mitch Ryder in particular seems to get short shrift， and there's nothing about the Rationals even though Scott Morgan gets quoted a bunch。 Surely the There's no narrative connective tissue between or within chapters， so the author assumes the reader already knows who all these musicians are。 It can be frustrating if you're trying to figure out why so much time is being spent on someone you've never heard of。 I also couldn't help but feel like some people were left out or not given enough time - Mitch Ryder in particular seems to get short shrift， and there's nothing about the Rationals even though Scott Morgan gets quoted a bunch。 Surely the two Detroit musicians who first crossbred rock and soul should get more ink than SRC？ I'm also discouraged by what seems to be a typical tact taken by today's rock scene biographers: an emphasis on drugs （lots of them， in this case） and sexual escapades at the expense of talking about the development of the music。 Is the latter too nerdy？ Is it weird to expect a book about a music scene to describe how the music was created？ That said， I did learn a lot。 And kudos for nice coverage of the Laughing Hyenas， the American answer to the Birthday Party （as their chapter makes clear） and a band that doesn't get enough credit。 。。。more
Suzinnebarrett
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Having long been a fan of Iggy and the Stooges and more recently have gotten hip to the under recognized MC5， this book was a natural choice for me。 LOVE oral biography format， and Steve Miller's "Detroit Rock City" ranks among the very best。 This book grabbed me on page one。 Wish the photos were better （they're horribly printed）， and a better job could have been done in identifying the players。 Same mistake has happened in two other oral biographies I've read and enjoyed。 Why not identify each Having long been a fan of Iggy and the Stooges and more recently have gotten hip to the under recognized MC5， this book was a natural choice for me。 LOVE oral biography format， and Steve Miller's "Detroit Rock City" ranks among the very best。 This book grabbed me on page one。 Wish the photos were better （they're horribly printed）， and a better job could have been done in identifying the players。 Same mistake has happened in two other oral biographies I've read and enjoyed。 Why not identify each and every voice， and even better give us a picture， even if it's a small one alongside each contribution？ Not everybody knows who these people are。 Also， if you were a fan of Creem Magazine， this book is a must read。 Would have liked more about Creem and Lester Bangs， but various writers from Creem do contribute， like Dave Marsh and Jann Uhelszki。 Creem， located in Detroit， offered the very best of rock journalism and music reviews and regularly blew its competitor Rolling Stone out of the water。 Rolling Stone kissed a lot of butt， but Creem instead sported an authentic rock and roll attitude and never did。Been a fairly serious music fan but even still was not aware of a good amount of the bands accounted for here。 Much of the music remained central to Detroit and did not cross over to our other cities。 The break out stars of the scene obviously were Alice Cooper， Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels， Iggy and the Stooges， Bob Seger and Ted Nugent。 Alice Cooper received the most airplay with Mitch Ryder not far behind。 Much later on， Bob Seger has his moment in the sun with "Night Moves。" One of the best stories， told by producer Bob Ezrin， recounts his trip to Alice Cooper and company's abandoned building rehearsal studio/hideout which reads as something out of Steven King novel！ Mitch Ryder， Wayne Kramer （of MC5）， Alice Cooper and Iggy and the Stooges tell firsthand of all the craziness。 Now， the next step would be a documentary because the stories in the book BEG for one。 There was so much talent and energy going down in Detroit in the late 60s and also in the 70s - socially， musically and politically， and it's nothing less than a crying shame that bands like the MC5 saw very little glory for their outstanding efforts。 Bad management， cheap and clueless record companies and drug abuse account for these failures。 For the record， the MC5 were one of the greatest live acts ever， although that never directly translated to their records。 Check them out live on youtube to see what I mean。Anyway， a wonderful and much needed look at the Detroit rock scene。 Over the years， so much attention has been given to the Motown phenomenon， leaving the co-existing rock scene in the dark。 This book was seriously overdue。 And， unfortunately， given its former musical majesty， reading this only underscores the tragedy of current day Detroit。 。。。more
Kim
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I was so excited about the book but I was disappointed。 It's focus is really only on the bands from 60s/70s。 I'm wanted more about Kid Rock， Emenem and Jack White。 All and all it was not the History of Rock 'n' Roll in Detroit， its a very limited view of its history。 I was so excited about the book but I was disappointed。 It's focus is really only on the bands from 60s/70s。 I'm wanted more about Kid Rock， Emenem and Jack White。 All and all it was not the History of Rock 'n' Roll in Detroit， its a very limited view of its history。 。。。more
Michael
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While many of the stories from the movers and shakers of Detroit's music scene over the past fifty years are priceless， I feel like the editing was a bit shoddy。 The book also assumes you already know the bands discussed， the music played， and the people involved to some degree。 If you are unfamiliar with many of these bands， you'll end up still being pretty ignorant of the bands mentioned and their impact on music today。 This isn't so much of an uncensored history as a bunch of unedited anecdot While many of the stories from the movers and shakers of Detroit's music scene over the past fifty years are priceless， I feel like the editing was a bit shoddy。 The book also assumes you already know the bands discussed， the music played， and the people involved to some degree。 If you are unfamiliar with many of these bands， you'll end up still being pretty ignorant of the bands mentioned and their impact on music today。 This isn't so much of an uncensored history as a bunch of unedited anecdotes strung together in a semi-logical format。 That being said， it's quite refreshing to see a bunch of musicians being honest about the fact that money is the main motivator for making music。 I have grown very tired of the old clice， "It's all about the music， maaaaan，" and， almost to a man （and woman！）， the luminaries in this book all talk frankly about money being just as， if not more， important than the music they created。 。。。more
Meg Geddes
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Lots of stuff left out。 I was there。
JAMES MORAN
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3 of the bands in the picture section I saw at the Gallery in the 90's。 3 of the bands in the picture section I saw at the Gallery in the 90's。 。。。more
Elwood D Pennypacker
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There was a band called Blanche。 They were from Detroit。 They made a record called If We Can't Trust the Doctors。 It is not mentioned even once in this book。So how good can this book be？ There was a band called Blanche。 They were from Detroit。 They made a record called If We Can't Trust the Doctors。 It is not mentioned even once in this book。So how good can this book be？ 。。。more
Brooke
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Very interesting。 I particularly enjoyed reading about Bob Seger and Jack White but found the entire span of Detroit rock intriguing and educational。
Don
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The book has a problem in that if Detroit is going to make the claim of being a great rock and roll town， it shouldn't then have books that are just about the white people。 Motown and Aretha make Detroit on par with Memphis or Nashville or Austin--whereas I can come up with several dozen cities who have done better than produce Alice Cooper and Iggy Pop。 That aside， this is a book of anecdotes and there are quite a few funny ones。 The book has a problem in that if Detroit is going to make the claim of being a great rock and roll town， it shouldn't then have books that are just about the white people。 Motown and Aretha make Detroit on par with Memphis or Nashville or Austin--whereas I can come up with several dozen cities who have done better than produce Alice Cooper and Iggy Pop。 That aside， this is a book of anecdotes and there are quite a few funny ones。 。。。more
Joe Natoli
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A little thin and repetitive in spots， but overall a great book。 I judge music books by their ability to make me want to put down the book and go check out the music I'm reading about， and I definitely got that in SPADES here！！ A little thin and repetitive in spots， but overall a great book。 I judge music books by their ability to make me want to put down the book and go check out the music I'm reading about， and I definitely got that in SPADES here！！ 。。。more
Pamela Montano
，
A book filled with interviews from the men and women who created the Detroit rock scene。 A lot of the history of the city is also woven in to the story。 It's funny to learn that Ted Nugent was a jerk even in the beginning。 One guy had this to say， "How could I trust him， he wouldn't even smoke a joint with me。" A book filled with interviews from the men and women who created the Detroit rock scene。 A lot of the history of the city is also woven in to the story。 It's funny to learn that Ted Nugent was a jerk even in the beginning。 One guy had this to say， "How could I trust him， he wouldn't even smoke a joint with me。" 。。。more
Tacey
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