Dennis Thompson was the drummer for the groundbreaking Detroit-based rock group MC5, which helped set the stage for punk, and was its last surviving member.
- Died: May 9, 2024 (Who else died on May 9?)
- Details of death: Died in Taylor, Michigan while recovering from a heart attack at the age of 75.
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Dennis Thompson’s legacy
Detroit-born Dennis Thompson was banging on the drums from the age of 9, preparing early for his eventual nickname, Machine Gun, bestowed on him because of his rapid-fire delivery on the kit. Thompson joined with Wayne Kramer (1948–2024), Fred “Sonic” Smith (1948–1994), Rob Tyner (1944–1991), and Michael Davis (1943– 2012) in 1965 to complete MC5’s classic lineup.
The group were regulars at the Grande Ballroom and were taken under the wing of political writer John Sinclair (1941–2024), who managed the band before being imprisoned for marijuana possession. Kramer and the rest of MC5 were also politically aggressive and in-your-face about it, making it a central part of their music, shows, and reputation.
The band’s 1969 debut, “Kick Out the Jams,” was a confrontational, loud record that proved prominent to what would eventually become punk rock, driven in no small part by Thompson’s powerful drum attack. Because radio often wouldn’t play them, due to their abrasive sound and fierce left-wing politics, MC5 had to build their notoriety through live performances. Facing internal strife, the band broke up in 1972, never having achieved success in mainstream music circles, but their influence loomed large over the then-embryonic punk scene. Decades later, they are still noted as one of the era’s most influential outfits.
Thompson played in a number of other bands following MC5’s split, including The New Order (not to be confused with New Order), New Race, and The Motor City Bad Boys. In 2003, he joined with the surviving members of MC5 to form DKT/MC5, a not-quite-a-reunion group. The band did reunite on and off over the years for special tours, however. Thompson was usually with them at these times, and he will be among the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 39th induction class in October 2024 alongside his fellow original MC5 members, awarded for musical excellence.
On the band’s penchant for destruction:
“John Sinclair used to get so pissed off because he was trying to juggle our bucks, right? The money we were making? And we were breaking [expletive] up faster than we could buy it. That was the biggest complaint. ‘You gotta stop doing this auto-destructive [expletive].’ We said, ‘John, take a look at the [expletive] response from the audience.” We did it creatively.’” — Interview with Ken Shimamoto, 1988, reprinted in The I-94 Bar
Tributes to Dennis Thompson
Full obituary: Detroit Free Press
