biography Archives - Iron Man Records

John Sinclair (1941-2024) Last of the Beatnik Warrior Poets and Cultural Revolutionary has passed away at 82. The work must go on

2 April 2024Mark

“Rock N Roll music is a weapon of cultural revolution. There are not enough musicians around today who are hip to this fact” John Sinclair is best known as the Sixties "marijuana" activist who was sentenced to 10 years in prison for giving two joints to an undercover policewoman. He was eventually freed when John Lennon and Yoko Ono spoke out on his behalf. Less understood is his role as the founder and chairman of the radical anti-war group, The White Panther Party, an offshoot of the Black Panthers. The Black Panther Party was a militant political organization formed after the brutal murders of Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and Robert…

John Sinclair – Renegade Poet, Beatnik and Cultural Revolutionary

2 April 2024Mark

Immortalized by John Lennon’s 1972 song that bears his name, Sinclair is an iconic figure of ‘60s counterculture, famous for, among other things, having co-founded the anti-racist White Panther Party and for managing Detroit’s legendary proto-punk outfit MC5 early in its history. Following a highly publicized two-year stint in prison for marijuana possession (Lennon’s song was a protest against his incarceration), Sinclair has stuck to his guns as an advocate for marijuana reform. “Living Euro to Euro, sleeping on the couches and extra beds of friends, a man without a country and a post office box in New Orleans for a permanent address.” That's how spoken word poet John Sinclair describes…

Prometheus Rising by Robert Anton Wilson. Narrated by Oliver Senton

15 February 2023Mark

Prometheus Rising Written by Robert Anton Wilson Narrated by Oliver Senton Recorded, Edited and Mastered by Simon Reeves at Framework Recording Studios, Birmingham. Co-producers: Mark Sampson at Iron Man Records & Steve “fly agaric 23” Pratt. Executive Producers: Richard Rasa & Christina Pearson at Hilaritas Press “We’ve needed this for a long time “ – Henry Miller, author of Tropic of Cancer “The funniest, most incisive social critic around.” – Riane Eisler, author of The Chalice and the Blade “Erudite, witty and genuinely scary ” – Publishers Weekly Prometheus Rising describes the landscape of human evolution and offers the listener an opportunity to become a conscious participant. In an astoundingly useful road…

John Sinclair Presents Detroit Artists Workshop

1 December 2022Mark

Not many people can say that John Lennon wrote a song about them, but John Sinclair is among that select bunch. Viewed by the powers-that-be as a dangerous revolutionary for his involvement with the White Panther Party, Sinclair was handed a ludicrously harsh sentence – “they gave him ten for two” – for marijuana possession after a police sting. In 1971, Lennon, along with Yoko Ono, Stevie Wonder, Phil Ochs and Archie Shepp played a freedom rally in Michigan and three days later Sinclair was freed. Sinclair is probably best known in the music world for managing riotous proto-punks The MC5 and imbuing them with a radical zeal. But Sinclair is…

50th Anniversary Celebration of the John Sinclair Freedom Rally, Detroit, 10th December, 2021

8 December 2021Mark

Beatnik Youth Ambient by John Sinclair (Detroit, November 20, 2021)—Former Michigan marijuana prisoner John Sinclair, his family and friends will celebrate his release from Jackson Prison 50 years ago with an early evening party at the Ralston Holistic Healing Center at 19730 Ralston Street (near State Fair) from 6:00-10:00 pm on December 10, 2021, exactly 50 years after the John Sinclair Freedom Rally at Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor where John Lennon & Yoko Ono, Stevie Wonder, Bobby Seale, Phil Ochs, Allen Ginsberg, Bob Seger, Commander Cody and a host of others gathered to speak, play and protest the imprisonment of their friend John Sinclair following a sentence in Detroit Recorder’s…

50th Anniversary Celebration of the John Sinclair Freedom Rally to be held at Ralston Center in Detroit on 10th December, 2021

1 December 2021Mark

Beatnik Youth Ambient by John Sinclair (Detroit, November 20, 2021)—Former Michigan marijuana prisoner John Sinclair, his family and friends will celebrate his release from Jackson Prison 50 years ago with an early evening party at the Ralston Holistic Healing Center and Stonehouse Bar at 19730 Ralston Street (near State Fair) from 6:00-10:00 pm on December 10, 2021, exactly 50 years after the John Sinclair Freedom Rally at Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor where John Lennon & Yoko Ono, Stevie Wonder, Bobby Seale, Phil Ochs, Allen Ginsberg, Bob Seger, Commander Cody and a host of others gathered to speak, play and protest the imprisonment of their friend John Sinclair following a sentence…

F23 Podcast E18 featuring Oliver Senton – October 9th, 2020

15 October 2020Mark

The F23 Podcast is a conversation based podcast with interesting, inspiring, inter-dimensional beings of wonder who have chosen a human form for this incarnation. In conversation with Jamie Dodds (Pope Flag-dag the Brave) sharing their experiences, journeys, learning and un-learning from their off the map adventures through the counterculture. F23 is starting to look like some sort of Iron Man Records Patron Broadcasting these days. I can't believe it. It's brilliant. I haven't even started going through all the episodes yet, but I will. I had no idea so much has been going on while I've been working on other things like do these stairs go up? Or which way to…

Robert Anton Wilson – Cosmic Trigger II – Down to Earth – Audio Book

24 June 2020Mark

Written by Robert Anton Wilson Narrated by Oliver Senton Recorded, Edited and Mastered by Simon Reeves at Framework Studios, Birmingham. (April 2019 – May 2020) Co-producers: Mark Sampson (Iron Man Records) & Steve “fly agaric 23” Pratt Executive Producers: Richard Rasa & Christina Pearson A 21st Century Rennaisance Man . . . funny, wise and optimistic . . . the Lenny Bruce of philosophers. – Denver Post “A Super Genius . . . He has written everything I was afraid to write.” – Dr. John Lilly, writer, neuroscientist and psychonaut “One of the funniest, most incisive social critics around, and with a positive bent, thank Goddess.” – Riane Eisler, author of…

RETROPOPIC 435 – Poet John Sinclair Talks: Freed By A John Lennon Song & Other Life Stories

3 April 2020Mark

Alongside the music of Gil Scott Heron, MC5, John Lennon, Charlie Parker, The Clovers & John's own words set to music, in this 59 minute podcast The Saint of RETROPOPIC RADIO talks with the legendary poet John Sinclair. How does John remember his childhood? Why did he move to Detroit? What was so different about the music of MC5? How did he receive a prison sentence for possessing dope? What were the circumstances that lead to John Lennon campaigning for his freedom? How does he regard the 'John Sinclair' song that appeared on Lennon's album 'Sometime In New York City'? What relationship did he have with Lennon after his release? Why…

Curse of Lono – Tour Dates October 2019

8 October 2019Mark

Curse of Lono RECIPIENTS OF THE BOB HARRIS EMERGING ARTIST AWARD AT THE 2019 UK AMERICANA AWARDS “If dangerous living bothers you, look away now - but for everyone else, Curse Of Lono are a new beacon of darkness.” MOJO “Curse Of Lono have conjured a seductive mise en scene whose charged atmosphere bears parallels to Emylou Harris’s Wrecking Ball and U2’s The Joshua Tree.” 8/10 UNCUT “A masterpiece… A giant atmospheric soundscape of an album.” 4/5 COUNTRY MUSIC PEOPLE “Their songs conjure up epic, vivid soundscapes with a heart of noir.” 8/10 CLASSIC ROCK “Edgy yet lush Americana with harmonies to die for… One of the essential albums of 2018.” 8/10 LOUDER THAN WAR Curse Of…

Cultural Revolution through a Total Assault on the Culture

11 June 2019Mark

Our program is Cultural Revolution through a total assault on the culture, which makes us use every tool, every energy and any media we can get our collective hands on. We take our program with us everywhere we go and use any means necessary to expose people to it. Our culture, our art, the music, newspapers, books, posters, our clothing, our homes, the way we walk and talk, the way our hair grows, the way we smoke dope and fuck and eat and sleep — it is all one message, and the message is FREEDOM! We are the mother country madmen in charge of our own lives and we are taking…

John Sinclair – Kick Out The Jams Limited Edition T-shirt

17 February 2019Mark

This is the first in a series of Limited Edition John Sinclair T-shirts featuring a White Panther design on the FRONT and a quote from John Sinclair on the BACK. Strictly Limited to 50 Shirts including a download code for Beatnik Youth. When these T-shirts are gone, they're gone. The T-shirts are Gildan Extra Tees. A black shirt with a white print on the front and back, with a Green Cannabis Leaf design. The T-shirt is a heavy weight shirt, available in Small, Medium, Large, Extra Large and Extra Extra Large. Also available in Ladies Small. When you buy or pre-order this shirt you also get a download code for John…

John Sinclair – Beatnik Youth (Double CD) 2018

4 February 2018Mark

John Sinclair - “Beatnik Youth" on Double CD Released 2018 by Iron Man Records. All Press enquiries to Sean Newsham Catalogue Number: IMB6032 Release date: 2018 Label: Iron Man Records Distribution: Cargo Disc 1 Testify (9.10) Good Stuff (4.32) Everybody Needs Somebody (7.09) Change My Life (5.14) Ain't Nobody's Business (3.36) My Buddy (5.13) That Old Man (3.53) Disc 2 Brilliant Corners (11.29) Culture Cide (11.38) Red Dress (Ruby My Dear) (6.25) Sitarrtha (6.16) Do It (6.16) War On Drugs (6.18) Read a brilliant review of Beatnik Youth by Gus Ironside for Louder Than War here Saby Reyes-Kulkarni interviewed John Sinclair and Youth and wrote a fantastic piece for Bandcamp here…

The Imagine Nation

16 January 2018Mark

“Under the present system of mass education by classes too much stress is laid on teaching and too little on active learning. The child is not encouraged to discover things on his own account. He learns to rely on outside help, not on his own powers, thus losing intellectual independence and all capacity to judge for himself. The over-taught child is the father of the newspaper - reading, advertisement - believing, propaganda - swallowing, demagogue - led man – the man who makes modern democracy the farce it is.” – Aldous Huxley, Proper Studies (1927) Culture Industry is a term coined by Theodor Adorno (1903–69) and Max Horkheimer (1895–1973), who argued…

Seth Faergolzia of Dufus returns with Multibird in July 2016

3 March 2016Mark

Seth Faergolzia from New York here. I’m excited to announce that my stellar new project, MULTIBIRD, will be touring Europe in July. I’ve been performing in Europe since 2001 when I first toured with Jeffrey Lewis and Cornershop. Ever since then, I’ve come back at least once a year with one of my projects (Dufus, Faergolzia, Heck Yup, solo). I’m just finishing up a project called #100songs, which is a songwriting & recording project which has been released via subscription website. We will be promoting this 4 album set and performing a “best of” from the #100songs project. MULTIBIRD is an ensemble of four (acoustic and electric guitars, bass and drums) who I’ve…