WAYNE KRAMER
Adult World
(MuscleTone)
The remarkable body of work created by ex-MC5 guitarist Wayne Kramer is a testament to adulthood in rock & roll. His solo albums The Hard Stuff, Dangerous Madness and Citizen Wayne all stand as undeniable proof that the onset of maturity in an artist need have no detrimental effect on his rocking edge. Brains and brawn need not be enemies, contrary the ignorant beliefs of the rock underground that is, ironically, Kramer's most natural audience. You can indeed expand the boundaries of punk. You can stretch the definition by covering subject matter to include the realities faced by adults, or by incorporating other music forms into the three chords, or by simply facing those Fender axes and amps as an adult and not as an overgrown adolescent. Not that there's anything wrong with the latter in rock, but a musician who isn't satisfied with being young at heart shouldn't be pilloried for melding his more worldly view to an eardrum-busting guitar lick.
Nowhere is the convergence of adulthood and rock & roll better done than on Kramer's latest record Adult World. Kramer is a man in his mid-fifties; he's not content to simply wail about the latest woman who's broken his heart. Instead his characters face the fears, joys and sorrows of maturity; they make choices and face consequences. "Brought a Knife to a Gunfight," opens the record with an ode to adult insecurity; over a set of hard but melodic guitar chords, the protagonist faces the real world and realizes though he "walks in with a swagger/All I do is bluff." The singers in "Talkin' Outta School," a collaboration with Sweden's awesome Hellacopters, tries even harder to fake it. Kramer claims that "I've got my intellect to protect me," while 'copters frontman Nick Royale undermines his bravado with lines like "It's a bitter waltz of arrogance/That is filling up my space." The roaring guitars almost break through the protagonist's funk but can't quite do it, despite many air-guitar moments. It's not easy being a grown-up, though the powerhouse sound of this track makes it sound like fun anyway.
Some folks try to run from their responsibilities, as does the couple in the title track. The remarkable spoken-word piece finds Kramer sardonically telling the story of a down-and-out couple that's "a skillful impersonation of success/And living in an adult world" over a roiling funk groove. The song wittily notes the duo's standards of fun: "And they ain't staying in no fleabag either/Three stars or better/Cool clean sheets, room service/Not Jim Thompson/But not Joan Collins either." The problem, as the tune notes, is that "Instant gratification took too long," as it does when you're no longer a teenager. Fear not, however, as Kramer assures us that "all mistakes were made by professionals." The in-the-pocket bassline, gurgling electronic background and snarling wah-wah riffs make the medicine go down easy. The hapless runaway in "What About Laura?," a shimmering pop tune featuring guest vocals from iconoclast singer/songwriter Syd Straw, tries to drown her sorrows in drugs, sex and encounters with the law, but she's still "slipping right through the cracks." While Kramer doesn't suggest she stay with "all her high school friends and her family," he's clearly shaking his head at the character's refusal to deal with her own nature. Adults aren't perfect, but they don't run down a hole of cheap thrills either.
In "Great Big Amp," however, Kramer reminds us that salvation is only three chords away. The soaring rocker extolls the virtues of six strings and volume knobs, bearing one of Kramer's most infectious melodies and tuneful choruses. The singer claims desperately that "With this great big amp/I will rule the world/And I will have the sound/And I will win the girl," but he knows better than to think he can change the world with "a hundred watts of power." But that doesn't mean he can't have a blast cranking the thing to eleven: "With my great big amp/I'll never be alone." Rock & roll may not be the answer, but it can at least point the way.
Lest you think Kramer does nothing but meditate on growing older, however, be assured that he covers more than that. "Love, Fidel" tells the story of the Cuban dictator's secret love affair with an anthemic melody and aggressive guitar riffery. "The Slime That Ate Cleveland" pays tongue-in-cheek tribute to the peculiar influence of the Armpit of the Midwest on rock & roll, namechecking or making reference to Pere Ubu, the Dead Boys, the Pretenders, Devo and, shockingly, Cleveland punk progenitors Rocket From the Tombs. Borrowing the riff from Kramer's MC5 classic "Poison," "The Red Arrow" pays loving homage to Kramer's former cellmate, the great jazz trumpter Red Rodney. Best of all is "Nelson Algren Stopped By," a tour de force spoken word track not unlike those of his mentor John Sinclair. Kramer chronicles a visit with the legendary Chicago writer over frenetic music provided by Chi-town jazz ensemble X-Mars-X. "I asked Nelson Algren if he heard about Mariah's meltdown/She's a ho, he says, and I love ho's/But she's no Simone de Beauvoir," he moans over honking saxophone, sawing cello and rattling cymbals. Kramer's commanding performance here suggests that he has a future in this milieu, should he ever (god forbid) tire of playing guitar.
Cut for cut, this is easily Kramer's most consistent album since his landmark The Hard Stuff, and Kramer's dry self-production keeps the tracks plainspoken and honest. While the guitars may not quite roar as much as one might like, the intimate sound makes up for that; each song sounds as if it's being played right next to you. As with all his work, from the MC5 days to the present, there's a bite to these songs, a hint of almond. No matter how uplifting the chord progression, how rousing the solo, there's always a reminder that these songs take place in the real world, an adult world. But as long as that six-string continues to rage, as long as Kramer fights the good fight in his chosen arena of rock & roll, an Adult World is one worth living in. Michael Toland [buy it]
For fans of: David Baerwald, Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young
