The MC5 had a profound influence in three ways: their political stance, and us against them attitude, had a major effect on the activist branch of punk to follow. Groups like The Clash and Rage Against the Machine (and many, many others) got their playbook from them. Their sound had a major effect on the work of other Detroit bands like The Stooges and Alice Cooper (and therefore on all the groups that these ones influenced). Also, they had a free-wheeling, daredevilish quality that inspired many other groups, including Sonic Youth (who got their nickname from Fred "Sonic" Smith) and The New York Dolls, who have (I almost wrote "had") the same rare quality of fun-loving confrontation. And despite all this, they are frequently overlooked. But they won't be forever. As the years go by, it becomes clearer that some groups had artistic success without the commercial kind. The influence of The MC5 can still be heard in the best punk bands of today - Against Me! for example - and it will continue.