THE MUSIC MACHINE

Arguably one of the most legendary of sixties garage punk bands, their striking image was both cool and subversive at the same time. Despite one hit single the legacy of the Music Machine has grown to surpass many of their more chart successful contemporaries. The best introduction to the unwieldy sound of the Music Machine is the reactionary, supersonic blast of the hit single, 'Talk Talk'. Swirling farfisa organ, fuzz guitars, pounding bass, primal beats and evocative vocals created a primitive, raw and loud wall of sound. Sometimes scary some times sweet as candy.

"My songs threw the cement and dirty laundry, in with the orange juice and cookies..." - Sean Bonniwell

The original classic Music Machine line-up included Keith Olsen (bs), Mark Landon (gtr), Ron Edgar (drms), Doug Rhodes (organ) with Sean Bonniwell on vocals. All dyed black mop tops and black clothes - they were cool personified. They released one album in 1966 called 'Turn On'. By the time of the follow up Bonniwell Music Machine (1967), Bonniwell had sacked his original band.

To collect the complete history of the Music Machine you need to grab a hold of the following essential CDs. The debut album 'Turn On', was released as 'the very best of' on Collectables Records in 1999. 'Beyond the Garage' (Sundazed) includes the second album plus a stack of unreleased gems by both MM line ups and the recently released 'Ignition' raids the vaults for more high quality tracks.

It's amazing that the Music Machine only had one hit when you consider the standard of their material. Perhaps they were just too far ahead of their time because even in the year 2000, the Music Machine sound far more uncompromising and intoxicating than many so-called futuristic bands.around today.

Keith Olsen, Ron Edgar and Doug Rhodes would go on to feature in another landmark sixties band working alongside Curt Boettcher in The Millennium and Sagittarius.

Sean Bonniwell has written a huge autobiography that tells the full story behind the Music Machine and very kindly, took the time to delve back in time and answer some questions exclusively for Ready Steady Go!

RSG: Can you remember what inspired you to form a band in the first place?

Sean Bonniwell: "The 1st group I formed was a vocal quartet in high school. "Only You," by the Platters, was the song that captured the longing in my soul to express myself, and since I couldn't play trumpet and sing at the same time, I decided to become a songwriter. Ten years later, at the age of 25, the Music Machine became my creative platform, because the only place I felt at home was on the stage; that's where the poet's lie comes true".

RSG: There was quite a dark side to the sound of the Music Machine at odds with the more innocent sounds of the era. Were you intentionally reactionary?

SB: "I'm not sure I'd characterise the MM as having a 'dark side', except to say that defining social injustice and greed can be interpreted as reactionary. My songs threw the cement and dirty laundry, in with the orange juice and cookies... and the 60s counter culture provided the means for me to express this with no limitations or prefabricated expectations. We weren't imitating a style, we were inventing one".

RSG: Up to the mid-sixties, the most people expected from a band was to be 'entertained'. What do you think the Music Machine offered the listener that other bands couldn't touch?

SB: "I paid my dues in folk music, touring with The Wayfarers, where I learned the discipline of rehearsal and the value of entertaining the audience. When the MM was a trio called the Ragamuffins, it was natural for me bring "message songs" into the group's repertoire by way of my song writing -- ala the folk era, and so I can't say that I consciously offered a different level to listeners that other bands couldn't touch".

RSG: The first introduction to the Music Machine is usually through the hit single 'Talk Talk'. Can you remember when and how that song was written and what it was like to record it?

SB: ""Talk Talk" was written in 1965. I was waiting for my girlfriend to finish primping for our date. The song was composed in about 15 minutes, and we recorded it at RCA (studio C) in L.A., in two takes! There's quite a story behind our 1st hit; the details (profound and humorous), can be found in Beyond The garage (the book)".

RSG: Many people cite 'talk talk' and other similar tracks from 60s Garage bands as a prelude to 70's punk. What do you make of it all?

SB: "In the context of what 60s music contributed to what is heard today, my guess would be that 70s punk imitated us. But just adding glitter and snot doesn't pay tribute to bands of the 60s that were progenitors, musical units that invented a sound and style that continues to resonate in contemporary rock. Each generation discards the fad symbols of the previous generation -- and their rebellion is to the manor born, but when the original is a copy of a copy, it degenerates into mindless noise".

RSG: How would you sum up the musical prowess of the original Machine line-up?

SB: "Almost without peer. Exceptional musicianship focused into a cohesive unit cranking out sonic distortion that killed flying geese: The sound is still being investigated".

RSG: One of the many enduring aspects of the Music Machine was the cool image you portrayed with the dyed hair and black clothes. Did the fact you all looked alike make you stronger as a unit?

"Definitely. The gloved hand represented the group, the gloveless hand the individual".

RSG: What was a typical Music Machine gig like?

SB: "In the beginning we did a few covers, but the bulk of the material was original. We didn't look like any other band, and we didn't sound like any other band. We didn't want to. As for the set list when we toured (which was constantly), the band could read my mind. Early on I constructed three sets, each one anticipating the venue's capacity and limitations. By the time we had toured for a month or so I didn't have to remind them which of the sets to play".

RSG: What are your happiest memories from the Music Machine days?

"When we were recording, touring, without managers or brain dead blood suckers interfering with the joy of creativity. The time before and after performing was just life as usual. That much about the music business hasn't changed".

RSG: Who were you closest friends and rivals in the music business during the Music Machine days?

SB: "We didn't have time to nurture close friends, and as for rivals... well, how do you follow a well placed power punk slam to the brain?"

RSG: Your history is linked very closely to Curt Boettcher and your paths crossed on many occasions. What are you memories of Curt?

SB: "Again, this story is well documented in Beyond The Garage. Briefly, I acquired Ron Edgar (the drummer) from Curt's group the Goldbriars, after they broke up".

RSG: Do you have many regrets looking back on your life? Is there anything you would have done different?

SB: "The answer to this question is too broad to abbreviate. It took me over a decade to write my life's story, and I would refer those readers who are truly curious to Beyond The Garage, it's all there; the truth is spoken, and the truth is heard".

RSG: What do you make of the attention the Music Machine receives from people too young to have heard it in the first place?

SB: "If I'd never heard of the Music Machine, and was listening today, I'd say they were so far behind in laps they appear to be first. The amalgamation of folk rock, power punk, and art rock, is now under the umbrella of alternative rock, but none of these categories existed in the mid 60s, and so the Music Machine may be rediscovered as being among the few to invent a genre heard as the first to be".

RSG: Can you tell us a bit about the book you have written?

SB: "if you're a disciple of 60s culture, garage rock, and/or the Music Machine, then Beyond The Garage will meet and surpass your expectations. Beyond The Garage can be purchased by check or money order payable to Christian Vision, P.O. Box 409, Porterville CA 93258. Mention this Ready Steady Go! interview, and receive the special price of $35.00 + 3.00 S&H ($15.00 overseas). Copies of this limited edition collectible will be numbered, dated, signed and dedicated".

RSG: Finally, Sundazed have just re-issued a new Music Machine retrospective. Can you tell us a bit about the material featured on this latest release?

SB: "Ignition, is the 3rd Music Machine album that was never released. Most of the songs have never been heard, and it's taken three decades for them to be rescued from obscurity. There's 19 tracks in all, including the original Ragamuffin demos, as well as tracks from both Music Machines -- from 1965 to 1969".

www.bonniwellmusicmachine.com

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