Poet, blues and jazz historian, former manager of the MC5, radio host, and political activist all describe John Sinclair, but the consistent profile is one of a dedicated music enthusiast. Sinclair was born October 2, 1941, in Flint, MI, where he discovered rhythm & blues radio as a grade schooler. Disc jockeys like the Frantic Ernie D possessed the gift of consistently being able to speak in rhyme. His initial exposure to this music and unique banter had a life-altering effect on Sinclair. Upon graduation of high school he attended Albion College, University of Michigan at Flint, and went to graduate school at Wayne State University in Detroit for an M.A. in American Literature -- he did his graduate thesis on William S. Burroughs' Naked Lunch -- before dropping out in 1965. Throughout college Sinclair became enamored with jazz, embracing not only bebop but also the burgeoning avant-garde. Sparked by the love of this music, Sinclair took notice of the surrounding political culture that formed it. He heard Malcolm X speak, sided with the emerging antiwar movement, and had been introduced to a beatnik lifestyle. The combination of influences led to the creation of the Detroit Artists' Workshop, which would gradually morph into Trans Love Energies. Forming a commune with like-minded friends, they brought film, music, painting, and literature to anyone in the community who was interested, presenting art as universally tangible, not an unknown entity wrapped in an academic elitist shield. In the midst of these high-energy surroundings, Sinclair was first introduced to the MC5 and shortly thereafter worked with the band as manager. In the midst of this creativity, the Detroit Riots took place in the summer of 1967