Worldbuilding Wednesday 3/13/24: States of Confusion (Great Lakes)

The mighty MC5, once managed by Mr. John Sinclair.

You could just as well call these the Upper Midwest states, but I think Great Lakes states is more picturesque, as they do border lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario.

And for a unifying theme I could have gone with ice fishing and mighty forests and Paul Bunyon, or, conversely, big city blue-collar life with Chicago gangsters and Milwaukee breweries (and Harley Davidson headquarters.) But I’m going to go with something better than any of these… rock and roll.

Iggy and the Stooges. The row of stiches in Iggy’s chin came from a stage dive.

Around the late 1960s Michigan was a hotbed for an out-of-control, protopunk sound. Detroit bands like The Amboy Dukes, Iggy and the Stooges and the MC5 took rock to its limits as much as Jimi Hendrix had done a few years prior. The sonic assault they created was both revolution and nihilism, drawing inspiration from the hammering clanks of car assembly lines as well as Bob Dylan.

(I’m well aware of the Motown label’s contributions, but I’m talking strictly rock here.)

In time, the state spawned other musicians: Bob Seger,  Alice Cooper, The White Stripes, Greta Van Fleet. Detroit House, a type of electronica, came about from autoworkers’ children fooling around with 1980s electronic keyboards, their purchase made possible by their parent’s union paychecks. Prince started his revolution in Minneapolis, while Illinois begat The Smashing Pumpkins, Ministry, and The Jets. Ohio contributed Nine Inch Nails, The Breeders, and the Afghan Whigs, and Wisconsin, both Steve Miller and the Violent Femmes.

The Detriot area bands especially were hyped by Creem magazine, a Midwestern counterpart to Rolling Stone. It launched the careers of many rock photographers as well as Lester Bangs and Cameron Crowe.

Some other names for these states.

Alternate Names for the Great Lakes States