26 years ago in Metro Times: Herb Boyd remembers the Prince of Soul, Marvin Gaye, who was shot on the first of the month by his father in his Los Angeles home. Gaye had been living off the grid in Hawaii and Belgium, but at the time had just come back into the limelight with a new hit single, "Sexual Healing," just before his murder. "Rather than seek the cause of his death," Boyd wrote in the tribute, "it is probably more rewarding to know the cause of his life, and that can easily be found in his music." What was happening: The Band at Second Chance, Berlin and Wang Chung at the Royal Oak Music Theatre, and David Grisman at the Michigan Union Ballroom.
11 years ago in Metro Times: A cover story by Ann Mullen investigates Detroit's MCA Financial Corp., at the time the largest landlord in the city (next to only the city itself). MCA's debts exceeded $90 million, and left Detroit's Police and Fireman's Retirement Systems out in the cold, as they had provided MCA with $60 million in unsecured loans. In 1994, Housing and Urban Development (HUD) also issued a report accusing MCA affiliates of charging for repairs that were never made and funneling money from nonprofit to for-profit affiliates. What was happening: Slayer at Harpo's, Joshua Redman at the Ark, and Sparklehorse at Alvin's. (Sparklehorse singer songwriter Mark Linkous took his own life a few weeks ago.)
Three years ago in Metro Times: Brian Smith and photographer Doug Coombe venture to Southfield's Plaza Hotel for some audiophile jollies at the Audiokarma Fest. "Each of the 31 hotel rooms used is stripped of its bed and equipped with shimmering components that sit on racks, tables, floors; loudspeakers are aligned to best offset wretched room acoustics. And in each room there's a 'sweet spot' where someone can sit to hear the sound integrated perfectly." Mike Vallely, from Almas Hi-Fi in Royal Oak, tells Smith. "Some people buy their gear and wear it like a badge, and try to convince everyone their sound is the right sound. It's not. It's what works for you." What was happening: Comedian Stephen Lynch at the State Theater, Iggy & the Stooges reunited at the Fox Theatre. (The Stooges were finally inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last week.)
