THIS weekend, as the city celebrates the music and culture of the last decades of the 20th century, two outlaw icons of the 60s and 70s will share a stage in a spoken word appearance this Friday June 1. American political activist, poet and former manager of MC5 John Sinclair and Howard Marks best-selling author and former international drug trafficker will be together to share “their fascinating and, at times, incredible stories with each other”, according to event promoter, Johnny Keenan.
John Sinclair
John Sinclair was one of the leaders of 60’s activism in America. He campaigned with people like John Lennon and Allen Ginsberg to stop the war in Vietnam. He started The White Panthers in solidarity with The Black Panthers. Probably most famous for the ‘Free John Sinclair Concert’ organised by Bob Seger, Stevie Wonder, Allen Ginsberg and John Lennon, Sinclair a major activist for the legalisation of cannabis was jailed for 10 years for giving 2 joints to an undercover cop.
At the time this outraged liberal America and a concert was organised to free John and highlight the ridiculous drug laws in America at the time. John Lennon wrote a song specifically for the concert and John Sinclair called ‘Breathin’ Air’. People Power prevailed and Sinclair was released from jail three weeks after the concert/rally.
Sinclair was manager in the early days of legendary Detroit punk outfit MC5 (Motor City 5) that led the way for The Ramones and The Sex Pistols. His guidance led the band to get involved in left-wing politics. In their politically provocative stage show, the band would appear onstage toting unloaded rifles, and at the climax of the performance, an unseen sniper would shoot down, lead vocalist Rob Tyner.
Since his prison release and to this present day Sinclair has campaigned peacefully and vigorously as an anti war campaigner, a legalise cannabis advocate and a worldly writer and much respected Poet. These days he spends his time between New Orleans and Amsterdam. He is a radio presenter, DJ, jazz enthusiast and poet.
Howard Marks
Howard Marks’ autobiography ‘Mr Nice’ has sold over 1 million copies worldwide and many of those sales were in Ireland where sales are highest when taken on a per capita basis. His autobiography recounts his time in the 70’s as an international drug smuggler dealing in cannabis and hashish. At the peak of his business he was supposedly smuggling consignments of the drug as large as 30 tons. According to the book, some of his product arrived in the UK from Kabul via Shannon Airport with the assistance of members of the republican movement. Marks was eventually caught and convicted by the DEA (American Drug Enforcement Administration) and received a 25-year sentence though he was released for good behaviour in April 1995 after serving just seven years. A year later he published his memoirs, ‘Mr Nice’. Nowadays Marks is a regular reviewer on restaurants and travel destinations for The Guardian and The Telegraph and continues to campaign vigorously for the legalisation of recreational drugs.
He has just released his first novel “Sympathy For The Devil” and has written the sequel already. Howard Marks was celebrated by close friend Rhys Ifans who starred in the role of Marks in the film adaptation of ‘Mr Nice’.
John and Howard have only met in recent months but a co-headlining tour was always likely as John laughs, “I love Howard, he’s just a nice guy, we see pretty closely eye to eye on most issues, we are both ex-convicts, he likes hash, I like weed.”
Breathin’ Air with Howard Marks and John Sinclair happens in Dolan’s this Friday June 1.
