$36, Some Guitars, and a Federal Investigation (Mike Mitchell of The Kingsmen)

This week we’re dusting off a true gem from the Tone Mob archives!

My 2019 conversation with Mike Mitchell of The Kingsmen. Recorded live in a Portland cigar bar, this one dives into the chaotic birth of garage rock and the most famous three chords in history: Louie Louie.

Mike tells the story of how the band cut the track in a one-hour, $36 recording session — and then somehow wound up under FBI investigation because nobody could understand the freakin' lyrics. (Imagine J. Edgar Hoover, in a suit and sensible heels, spending taxpayer money trying to figure out if a bunch of teenagers were singing about naughty, naughty things. You can’t make this stuff up.)

We also get into the invention of Sunn Amps, how their pants-blowing stage volume influenced Hendrix, The Who, and the Stones, and why some folks consider The Kingsmen the accidental godfathers of punk.

The Kingsmen's FBI story has been making the rounds on the internet lately, and I thought it fitting to have folks hear it from the man himself. It’s a reminder that rock ’n’ roll has always been loud, messy, a little stupid, and that’s exactly why it’s beautiful.

So crank this one up, blow your hair back, and enjoy some history from the loudest living room in America.

RIP Mike Mitchell.

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