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HOT ROCKS

It’s getting weird kiddies! Everybody’s tight; tight like a precision machine. But who wants to hear a machine make music? It doesn’t matter what comes out of a Marshall amp; what counts is what comes forth from the human plugged, into the amp.

March 1, 1969
George Todt

The CREEM Archive presents the magazine as originally created. Digital text has been scanned from its original print format and may contain formatting quirks and inconsistencies.

HOT ROCKS

It’s getting weird kiddies! Everybody’s tight; tight like a precision machine. But who wants to hear a machine make music? It doesn’t matter what comes out of a Marshall amp; what counts is what comes forth from the human plugged, into the amp. Manual dexterity, technique, power: all that is is manual dexterity, technique and power, and that’s ALL it is. When you’re traveling, the car is important, but getting where you want to go is the important thing. Same principle applies in playing music.

Look, music is communication. It’s a language different from all other languages, but it’s stone media; it CONVEYS, just like any other media.

Some dudes just rap down on you with their music; some dudes just want to get you going, play a lot of stupid games, rythm games, beat games, mind games, money games; some music brings its own ego trip (dig what I can do); some music brings peace, tells you to feel good, tells you to be free; some music is actually psychedelic! But most music that gets crammed into our audios is stone DEAD.

Sure, the bands are tight; $10,000 worth of equipment, everybody’s on time, lightning fast little 17 year old Jeff Beck J imi Hendrex amaxing astounding ect but DEAD. I heard all that great drum stuff when J saw the Gene Krupa Story. If loud nose blows your mind, you can save bread by buying cherry bombs instead of records. I dig loud music, but that’s not all there is.

The MC—5 used to operate with three lone Super-Beatles and knock the hell out of the Grande Ballroom. They sent out highenergyelectricintenseconscioussnessstonepower first, super loud noise only brought it to you (and they stood there naked and bleeding, they say).

DON’T BE MISLED CHILDREN! The best music (ahem, grunt grunt belch) THE BEST MUSIC IS the Song within yourself(s). Tap that holy underground stream; don’t listen to music: MAKE music. These silver pants? dudes don’t haw anything you haven’t got.

Rythm? dig your heart, your pulse, your breath, your brain waves! You have it all within yourself so turn on to it. But when you have to listen, use your own facilities, not the jive dude’s you hang around with. Learn to dig yourself and then dig what the music does for YOU.

“Knockout grass, eh? Did you dig this new record? Far out! Psychedelic!” I’ve heard it all. It’s all horse—! You’re not getting turned on that way, you’re getting turned OFF. You’re the one you have to get together with; don’t listen to all this jive about groups. Be free, think for yourself. Look for music that blows your mind; music that helps you up, not down. Don’t listen to music that raps down on you; listen to music that makes you feel good, music that clears your head. It might be hard Rock, R&B, Hillbilly, Classical; it’s all the same, it’s all holy.

It’s what’s coming through the music, not what the musics coming through you! If you can’t hear the Song for the music, break the record, kick out the band, kick out the jams! Be Free.

George Todt

DOGS