The Hard Stuff

Dope, Crime, the MC5, and My Life of Impossibilities

By: Wayne Kramer

Narrated by: Wayne Kramer

The first memoir by Wayne Kramer, legendary guitarist and cofounder of quintessential Detroit proto-punk legends The MC5

"Voyeuristically dramatic."

-THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW




In January 1969, before the world heard a note of their music, the MC5 was on the cover of Rolling Stone. Led by legendary guitarist Wayne Kramer, the band was a reflection of the times: exciting, sexy, violent, chaotic, and even out of control. The missing link between free jazz and punk rock, the MC5 toured the country, played alongside music legends, and had a rabid following, their music acting as the soundtrack to the blossoming blue collar youth movement. Kramer wanted to redefine what a rock 'n' roll group was capable of, and though there was power in reaching for that, it was also a recipe for personal and professional disaster. The band recorded three major label albums but, by 1972-it was all over.

Kramer's story is (literally) a revolutionary one, but it's also the deeply personal struggle of an addict and an artist, a rebel with a great tale to tell. From the glory days of Detroit to the junk-sick streets of the East Village, from Key West to Nashville and sunny L.A., in and out of prison and on and off of drugs, Kramer's is the classic journeyman narrative, but with a twist: he's here to remind us that revolution is always an option.

Critic reviews

"Voyeuristically dramatic."—New York Times Book Review

"[This] book comes alive when bringing the reader into the heart of the late-'60s scene, where revolution seemed not just possible but plausible...The Hard Stuff is rarely poetic, but in its brutal honesty Mr. Kramer may succeed in deterring future musicians from contemplating serious drug abuse."—Wall Street Journal

"Kramer has written one of rock's most engaging and readable memoirs."—Rolling Stone

"By the time he turned 30, Kramer had been the lead guitarist in a legendary but star-crossed rock band, a playacting Detroit gangster, and a guest of the American carceral system. All this living is covered in his new memoir The Hard Stuff, along with Kramer's roundabout path to the life he leads today."—NPR Music

"There's nothing like an autobiography when it comes to really digging deep. Kramer's The Hard Stuff does exactly that. It's simultaneously brutally honest, heartbreaking, hilarious, and life-affirming...It's a frankly wonderful read."—Detroit Metro Times

"Often harrowing, sometimes hilarious and always compelling."—Buffalo News

"The 1960s rocker and (sometimes) revolutionary pulls no punches in his autobiography, delivering a detailed look at his life good (leading the rock powerhouse MC5, political activism during the late 1960s and early '70s) and bad (drugs, prison) in a voice as clear as the vocals on MC5's 'Kick Out the Jams.'"—Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

"An honest accounting of everything the title states, from the rapid rise and fall of the MC5 over the course of three albums, the heroin addiction and drug dealing that landed him in prison, and ultimately the defeat of those demons, redemption, and late-in-life fatherhood that he calls 'the most meaningful thing I've ever done.'"—Orange County Register

"The book, while detailing the struggle of an addict and an artist, is layered with the optimism of a man committed to seeing past impossibilities."—South Florida Sun-Sentinel

"For all the hardness of his life, his insights into addiction-drawn from his own, and his absent father's alcoholism-are shot through with an enduring, thoughtful empathy that makes The Hard Stuff such an endearing read."—MOJO

"Kramer writes with a self-lacerating clarity about life in The MC5 and their chaotic slide into drugs, disorder and prison. Every grim inch of the trip from boundary-smashing idealism to dingy realty is here, with a twist of redemption at the end."—Q Magazine

"Relives those energising days of the late '60s, when Detroit's MC5 mixed rock and revolution with free jazz and exceptional hair...An inspiring and redemptive tale."—Uncut

"A book as suited to the sociology section as the music aisle."—The Guardian

What a fantastic book!

If you're a fan of rock + roll, recovery, or redemption (yup, this book as all three), then this book is for YOU!

Of course, MC 5 + punk rock followers will be thrilled with Wayne's tales of the storied, innovative band he co-founded.

But even more thrilling, and incredibly moving, is Wayne's personal tale of rise, fall, and rebirth.

And if that kind of thing is up your alley, I can't recommend this book enough!

Get into the MC5. Do it now.

I missed the Wayne Kramer MC5 back in the day. Never hear them. Never knew the story. The Hard Stuff is a fantastic look at the band and Wayne and the evil that lurked waiting. I'll read this again at least once. It's that good. Thank you Wayne!

Genius

The details he shares about working in his industry are priceless. He brilliantly informs readers about the interpersonal goings on and communications between band mates, managers, corporate and various other insiders including girlfriends/wives, friends and partners in crime. Confessions of debauchery, vice, depravity... are offered generously. What an eye opener. How embarrassing it must be to reveal such things publicly. Thank you, Wayne. I have learned so much from you. And you got it all figured out and straightened up in the end. In one of your online interviews you even advised people not to go into the business, to go to school first and learn everything they can.

Brother Wayne Kramer

This book is a wonderful look into the life of a MAN who struggled, rocked (rocks), spent time in jail and changed my life. Bless the MC5, Jail Guitar Doors, Brother Wayne and FAMILY. Get this book…
JT-

Hard stuff indeed

Great book, very honest and well told. Wayne has lived it all and here to tell his story. A lot of lessons learned along the way and I fell like I learned something as well. Highly recommended.