Cover Stories
How Mark Pauline critiques corporate power with an army of otherworldly machines
Mark Pauline wanted to be a rebel — so he created his own corporation. “I figured I’d form a company because those are the entities that really got away with anything,” he says. “Basically, I saw that corporations got away with anything, murder and everything on down. So I thought I was going to call…
Michael Moore takes aim at more than just Trump in ‘Fahrenheit 11/9’
Despite the raucous, emotional, and thoroughly engaged crowd at Flint’s Whiting Auditorium, the muckraking master polemicist and hometown hero Michael Moore looks a little tired. He’s tired of being right all the time, of constantly breaking ground and then watching that soil slowly erode beneath him. He’s tired from the endless crusade he’s waged since…
Detroit 2018 fall arts guide
Well, that was quick. Fall is here, which means we Detroiters are getting ready to retreat indoors while we wait for the spring thaw. Fortunately, there’s plenty going on in our art galleries, museums, theaters, and more to keep us occupied and inspired. Detroit Month of Design • Junior League of Detroit Designer’s Show House:…
This Michigan ‘nature playscape’ looks pretty wild
Located two hours north of Detroit, Midland’s Whiting Forest has recently undergone a trippy makeover that includes what is now the nation’s longest forest canopy walk, spanning nearly 1,400 feet across more than 54 acres. The new attraction also includes a 40-foot-high glass-floored observation deck, an outdoor amphitheater, and even otherworldly, pinecone-like pods that look…
Detroit art nomads Armageddon Beachparty settle into new Woodbridge storefront
It’s been a wild ride for Armageddon Beachparty. When we last spoke to Detroit’s self-styled “ambassadors of psychedelia” — married couple Elena (aka “Kozma”) and Aubrey (aka “Motu”) Smyth — a few years ago, they were traveling the music festival circuit, where they would create and sell their distinct brand of surrealist pop art. Since…
New Detroit art gallery opens doors early for Aretha Franklin tribute
Omo Misha says Detroit’s new Irwin House Global Art Center & Gallery wasn’t set to open its doors until next year. The death of soul singer Aretha Franklin on Aug. 16 changed that, however. The gallery is located just blocks away from Franklin’s father’s New Bethel Baptist Church on Linwood Street and the singer’s childhood…
Watch ‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ scored by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra
Long before roly-poly android BB-8 and Adam Driver’s super-square torso, there was Star Wars: A New Hope — the remarkable journey that sparked a worldwide fascination with a galaxy far, far away. The first film in the beloved franchise introduces us to a remarkable cast of characters, all of whom search for meaning as they…
English indie trio Dream Wife serves up patriarchal revenge at El Club
The origin story behind how tight-knit indie trio Dream Wife came to be may or may not have involved Jägerbombs and a disco-dance floor while studying at Brighton University in England. What started as an art project between Rakel Mjöll (vocals), Alice Go (guitar), and Bella Podpadec (bass) in 2014, Dream Wife has since become…
The wonderful and weird world of Satori Circus turns 30 with back-to-back performances
Russell A. Taylor is better known by his moniker Satori Circus — the chalk-faced cabaret performer who, for the better part of three decades, has both seduced and confounded audiences. Taylor is both the creative director and main performer in what can only be described as performance art meets rock opera. By fusing music with…
Career-spanning ‘4U: A Symphonic Celebration of Prince’ pays tribute at the Fox Theatre
The untimely death of icon Prince Rogers Nelson has left a Corvette-sized hole in our collective hearts. The last time Prince performed in Detroit he took to the Fox Theatre stage for a sold-out performance announced just days before as part of his Hit N’ Run Tour. Fittingly, just three years later, the only Prince…
A new Jamaican restaurant is serving jerk chicken and curry goat in Warren
A new Jamaican restaurant is up and running on Nine Mile Road in Warren. According to a press release, Jamaican born and raised owner Delphine Drake was inspired to open her own shop by her mother. The menu offers standard Jamaican dishes with flavor driven by aromatics like ginger, garlic, and scallions with plenty thyme,…
Shuck Yeah! oyster-tasting event comes to Ferndale this Sunday
Serving up the best of both coasts, Metro Times’ oyster-tasting event Shuck Yeah! returns for its second year with a three-venue takeover at Ferndale’s Woodward Avenue Brewers, the Loving Touch, and the WAB’s attached Port bar. Each ticket includes six drinks and six oysters, two oyster shooters, plus unlimited food samplings from participating restaurants (including…
Michigan inmates donate to cancer research foundation ChadTough, run 5K race
Inmates at Jackson’s G. Robert Correctional Facility are participating in a 5K race to benefit the ChadTough Foundation, and are donating money to the cause. Lamont Heard, an inmate who represents the prison population as the chairman of Cotton’s warden forum committee, says the inmates are giving $2,000 from their prisoner benefit fund. An estimated…
AAA cuts ties with ‘predatory’ Detroit towing company, Breakthrough
AAA has ended its relationship with Breakthrough Towing following a viral video that alleged the company was running a scam at a Detroit McDonald’s that may have resulted in customers getting towed. The auto club says it suspended Breakthrough’s services as a towing provider on Sept. 7, the day the video was posted to YouTube,…
Aretha Franklin ‘Think’ exhibit opens at the Wright Museum
R-E-S-P-E-C-T is still holding strong at the Detroit museum that hosted Aretha Franklin’s public visitations after her death in August. A new exhibit dedicated to the life and legacy of Aretha Franklin opens to the public today at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History. Billed as “Think: A Tribute to the Queen…
GOP-appointed Michigan justice says she was intimidated, shunned for anti-gerrymandering decision
One of the Republican-appointed Michigan Supreme Court justices who voted in favor allowing the anti-gerrymandering Proposal 2 on the Nov. 6 ballot says she was bullied by “outside interests” before her decision and shunned by the GOP afterward. The court was split on a 4-3 vote. Michigan Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth Clement made the revelations…
Artist Nick Jaskey teams ups with Vans for photo tour of Detroit
Detroit’s thriving art scene can seem daunting to the average visitor, but thankfully, Nick Jaskey is here to lead the way. Jaskey, an established Detroit-based photographer and artist, is teaming up with Vans for a walking photo tour throughout the city Saturday, Sept. 29 starting at noon. Attendees naught need to worry about wearing out…
Ferndale’s Double Ee diner plans to relaunch under new ownership
(Ed. Note: A previous version of this story stated that Gino Zoto is Telway founder Earl Owens’ son. He is not. The story has been updated.) Ferndale’s recently closed Double Ee diner will soon reopen under new ownership as Earl’s Diner. The new owner, Gino Zoto, tells Metro Times he plans to keep everything the…
Ford agrees to $10M in community benefits as it seeks $104M from Detroit
Ford has cleared another hurdle in its quest to obtain $238 million in tax incentives to help facilitate its $740 million plan to build a Corktown campus. Last night, a Neighborhood Advisory Council unanimously approved Ford’s response to a series of requests it made of the automaker in exchange for its tapping into $104 million…
Ford plans to turn vacant train station into a haunted house this Halloween season
For more than 30 years, Michigan Central Station sat vacant, eerily standing guard overlooking Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood. When Ford bought the train station this past summer — for the recently disclosed price of $90 million — many Detroiters were excited at the possibility that the building’s beautiful Beaux-Arts architecture would finally see new life. Before…
Class action lawsuit filed against Detroit’s Breakthrough Towing
A Detroit towing company that has come under fire for its aggressive tactics and $400-plus cash-only towing fees is now facing a class action lawsuit that alleges it routinely engages in “illegal, predatory, and rogue practices.” The suit filed Friday by attorneys with the Truth2Power Civil Justice Fund alleges that Breakthrough Towing violated state towing…
Black-owned bank puts $4 million toward boosting Detroit’s minority-owned businesses
Being a black business owner in the U.S. means facing more obstacles, particularly when trying to obtain a business loan. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency, minority business owners face greater disparity than non-minority business owners in regard to access to capital. Detroit is no exception to this. However, we’re…
Bill Schuette says Senate should move forward on Kavanaugh
With Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh facing a second allegation of sexual misconduct – this time from his college years — will Michigan Attorney General and GOP gubernatorial candidate Bill Schuette walk back his support for the Trump pick? The answer is, of course not. Speaking this morning with reporters, Schuette said he felt the…
Michigan outperforms the national average with ‘rainy day’ savings
The State of Michigan has been padding its piggy bank in recent years to build up a sizable “rainy day” fund. According to a fiscal report compiled by Pew Charitable Trusts, Michigan has enough savings to be able to cover an estimated 32 days of governmental operating costs. This 2018 estimation is up from 2017,…
Update: Detroit police officer fired following racist Snapchat
Updated 2:11 p.m.: During a press conference Monday afternoon, Detroit Police Chief James Craig announced that officer Sean Bostwick has been terminated after making a racist comment on his personal Snapchat. Craig confirmed that as of tomorrow, Bostwick will be “off the payroll, no longer a Detroit Police officer.” Originally posted 10:38 a.m.: The Detroit…
High Dive bar takes over former Carbon space in Hamtramck
Hamtramck’s former Carbon bar/nightclub will soon be something decidedly different from its former self. That’s because Los Angeles native and muralist Shark Toof is converting the somewhat aggressive hangout spot into a much more chill bar. It’s the first bar for Shark Toof, who moved to the area after having several gallery shows in town…
Comerica Park employee arraigned after allegedly spitting on pizza in viral video
Some of you may be rethinking your next slice of ‘za after seeing this video of a Comerica Park employee allegedly spitting on pizza. The viral video was uploaded to Facebook on Saturday, a reshare from the video that was originally published on Instagram. The video shows an employee spitting on pizza dough before putting…
Hi-tech TopGolf is coming to Auburn Hills this winter
The latest sensation that’s sweeping the nation is Topgolf, a high-tech driving range. The Dallas-based company plans to open its 51st location in Michigan this winter. The gist of it this: Players whack golf balls embedded with microchips at targets, relaxing in a full-service booth area while a computer keeps score. It’s like playing golf…
Detroit exhibit highlights family’s turmoil after mother’s deportation
In a series of family photos taken over the past year, the Fleury sisters are seen celebrating childhood’s special moments. The three girls squeeze together in floral dresses at eldest Ella’s middle school graduation in June, their father’s arms wrapped around them. Early this month, they posed on the front porch of their Madison Heights…
Michigan medical marijuana licenses go digital
Michigan medical marijuana patients rejoice. As of Oct. 8, individuals will be able to register for a medical marijuana license or renew their existing one online. The news comes from LARA, Michigan’s Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. David Harns, Public Information Officer for LARA, believes that allowing people to go online to register for…
Do you remember the 21st night of September?
Do you remember the 21st night of September? Love was changing the minds of pretenders… while chasing the clouds away. Today is Sept. 21, which obviously means that is time to enjoy Earth, Wind & Fire’s 1978 hit, “September.” The song was co-written by Detroit native Allee Willis, who was then a struggling songwriter in…
Sabato’s Crystal Ball predicts Michigan will go ‘Likely Democratic’ in 2018 gov. race
Of course, it’s not over until it’s over, but those of us fearful of a Bill Schuette governorship should take comfort that things are looking pretty good for Michigan Democratic candidate Gretchen Whitmer. Election forecaster Sabato’s Crystal Ball has shifted its prediction for Michigan’s gubernatorial race from “Toss-Up” to “Likely Democratic.” Sabato’s writes: As soon…
Heidelberg Project announces new headquarters plans
We now know more details about Tyree Guyton’s long-promised “Heidelberg 3.0” phase of his 30-plus year Heidelberg Project. After getting forced out of his Midtown studio last year, Guyton is now moving to a new location closer to his outdoor art installation. The new headquarters will be relocated to a three-story building at 3442 McDougall St., set…
Marble Bar to celebrate three year anniversary Saturday with DāM-FunK
It’s hard to believe that it’s already been three years since Marble Bar opened in the sleepy neighborhood of Northwest Goldberg. But after throwing dozens of parties and patio bangers ranging from soul to funk, electro to techno, it’s easy to see how our memories could be a little blurry. On Saturday, Sept. 22, Marble…
Artist gives potholes a mosaic makeover at Eastern Market
Some people have taken measures into their own hands to remedy Michigan’s crumbling infrastructure. Starting as far back as 2015, Hamtramck residents made news when they began planting flowers in the cities many crater-sized potholes. Just this year, a young man filled a local pothole with Lucky Charms cereal and proceeded to eat out of…
Detroit rapper Munch globe-trots on ‘The World Around Me’
Whether you like it or not, it’s become clear in the last few years that Detroit has become an incubator for aspiring artists, musicians, and entrepreneurs. Maher Hachem, who goes by Munch, could easily pass for all three. Hachem, who is the first-generation son of Lebanese and German parents, says he moved to Detroit from…
Kwame Kilpatrick highlighted in second season of ‘Crimetown’ podcast
The well-known podcast for covering crime and corruption, “Crimetown,” is putting an emphasis on Detroit – and much of Kwame Kilpatrick’s mayoral tenure in the city – for its second season. Detroit will be the follow-up to the first season which focused on crime in Providence, Rhode Island. The show was co-created and co-hosted by Marc Smerling…
Today marks the 100th birthday of Dr. Charles Howard Wright
“My legacy was my job,” Dr. Charles Howard Wright once remarked. “Everything I did was what I supposed to do.” On what would have been Dr. Wright’s 100th birthday today, the legacy of Wright’s vision and contributions, have left an indelible mark on the city of Detroit. Wright was born in Dothan, Alabama on September 20,…
Some Republicans are supporting Whitmer over Schuette
Lately, it’s been tough for Republican nominee for governor Bill Schuette. As Michigan’s attorney general, it must have been humiliating for Schuette when the state’s largest police organization threw its support behind his gubernatorial rival, Democrat Gretchen Whitmer. Even Republican Gov. Rick Snyder has notably avoided endorsing him. And to make matters worse, earlier this month his…
Michigan’s Founders Brewing Co. quits Grand Rapids chamber over Schuette endorsement
Founders Brewing Company is the latest — and largest — business to leave the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce after its endorsement of Republican gubernatorial candidate and attorney general Bill Schuette. In a tweet posted yesterday announcing the termination of its membership with the chamber, Founders said “We stand with our LGBT Community and ask…
U-M prof refused to write letter for student to study in Israel, receives death threats
University of Michigan associate professor John Cheney-Lippold received death threats after he declined to write a recommendation letter for a student to study in Israel due to a personal boycott on behalf of Palestinian rights. Club Z, a student Zionist organization, posted a screenshot of the email exchange on Facebook on Sept. 16. The post…
Additional 33 Detroit schools found to have elevated lead, copper in water
Just three weeks after test results revealed elevated lead and copper levels at 16 Detroit Public Schools Community District schools, a new round of testing shows tainted water at an additional 33 schools. This brings the number of contaminated schools within the district to 57 of 86 schools tested. The results from the first round…
Michigan women are more likely to be murdered by men they know, study finds
Women in the Great Lakes states are more likely to be murdered by a man they know, and most commonly with a gun, according to a study released today by the Violence Policy Center, a nonprofit educational group that promotes gun control. Nationally, 1.2 women are killed by men for every 100,000 women. Of the six…
Customer refuses to pay for tacos he disliked, M Cantina calls the police
A disagreement over whether a customer should have to pay for chicken tinga tacos that he didn’t like led to the Dearborn Police Department being called to settle the dispute. The bill for the three tacos, from which the diner had taken one bite on Tuesday evening, totaled $9.54. A Facebook live video posted by…
Here’s the menu for Metro Times’ second annual Shuck Yeah! oyster-tasting event
It’s almost time for Shuck Yeah!, Metro Times’ ode to all things oysters. Our second annual event will be held this year from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 30 at Woodward Avenue Brewers and the Loving Touch in Ferndale. Just announced is that the morning’s entertainment will be provided by the Post…
Fast-casual Greek street food restaurant planned for Warren
Estia Greek Street Food’s third location opens on Oct. 1 in Warren. The fast-casual restaurant specializes in handmade pita, customizable gyros, bowls, and Greek salads. The 3,000-square-foot, 90-seat space at 5753 Twelve Mile Road will also hold a 24-seat patio, be built with with reclaimed materials from southeast Michigan, and have an open floor plan. “[We] grew up…
Third annual bike drive hopes to get bicycles into the hands of Detroit kids
Do you have an old bicycle that’s been sitting in your garage that could use a little extra love? If so, it might be worth considering donating your gently used bike to help benefit Detroit kids. This year, Farmington Hills-based men’s clothing store The Shirt Box is teaming up with Back Alley Bikes for its…
Memories as microfiction in Kat Gardiner’s ‘Little Wonder’
Follow your heart and your dreams will come true is a cutesy Hallmark sentiment. Follow your heart and your dreams will probably come crashing into a heap around you is the more realistic version, one that is achingly depicted in Detroit-based author Kat Gardiner’s debut collection of short fiction, Little Wonder. Out Oct. 5 on…
Matthew Dear shares new song featuring Tegan and Sara ahead of new album
Good news for Matthew Dear fans: the DJ, composer, shapeshifter, and Ghostly Ann Arborite is gearing up for his first release since 2002’s Beams. On Tuesday, Dear premiered the first proper taste from his forthcoming record Bunny (Oct. 12) via Billboard and his third collaboration with indie sisters Tegan and Sara. “Horses” finds Dear returning…
Detroit opera impresario David DiChiera dead at 83
The Michigan Opera Theatre announced its founder David DiChiera died on Tuesday night at his Detroit home following a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 83. The opera impresario was known for founding the MOT in 1971 and later spearheading a multimillion-dollar transformation of the dilapidated Capitol Theater to create the Detroit Opera House in 1996…
Michigan’s medical marijuana gray area gets grayer
The state Medical Marihuana Licensing Board could not have handled setting up and rolling out the medical marijuana facility licensing system in a more ham-fisted manner. It seems as though the whole thing was set up by people who fear marijuana and don’t want it to work. Yet again, the MMLB has had to move…
Prolific songwriter Fred Thomas returns with ‘Aftering’
It should be noted that Fred Thomas is fine, actually. The 42-year-old songwriter and producer is not crying for help on Aftering — Thomas’ third record in an unofficial trilogy of sprawling observational musings in which he explores the spectrum between malaise and mania. From post-election despair, alcohol poisoning, and the isolation of stumbling around…
Savage Love: ‘Should I be satisfied with the mind-blowing sex I’m having, even if it means I don’t orgasm?’
I am newly divorced and have started a relationship with a man I’ve known and deeply cared about for decades. The sex is amazing — from start to finish, I feel better than I ever did even in the best moments with my ex. And in the most intense moments? He makes me see stars.…
Horoscopes (Sept. 19-25)
ARIES: March 21 – April 20 You are keeping your head above water in the midst of experiences that have you torn between the past and the future. As older patterns call you to wrestle with demons that have been chasing you around forever, new developments are ready to light you up. This new stuff…
How Tracy Morgan became ‘the last O.G.’ standing
Tracy Morgan may be The Last O.G., the title character of his hit sitcom on TBS, but this month he’s a man on the G.O. In addition to wrapping season two of his series — which co-stars, among others, Tiffany Haddish and Cedric the Entertainer — he embarked on a 21-city standup concert tour that…
Review: Windsor’s Ukrainian Restaurant is still going strong after 50 years
It happens every year. On one of the first days that really feel like fall, there’s something in the air that triggers your cravings for a good, hearty meal. And with our Michigan September’s heralding of the imminent miserable weather, the shift of one’s appetite isn’t so gradual. Much like a Tiger’s opening day heralds…
Bilingual indie group the Marías blurs the lines between fantasy and reality
L.A.-based psych-pop band the Marías seems to live life inside of an old Hollywood movie — everything about the band’s story seems like it could have been perfectly orchestrated by a cinematic mastermined for an A Star Is Born-esque blockbuster hit. But for lead singer and guitarist María, who just goes by her first name,…
