Cover Story
Under Obamacare, Live Healthy or Pay More
The estimated 134,000 folks in the Detroit metropolitan area who will be newly eligible for Medicaid should be prepared to shed extra pounds, throw away their smokes, get overdue vaccinations and quit boozing — or be prepared to pay for their debauchery. While half the states in the nation have expanded their Medicaid programs to…
Country Music in Detroit?
Ask the average person about Detroit music and you’ll likely hear about the soul and R&B of Motown, the rock and roll of Bob Seger, the blues of John Lee Hooker, the proto-punk of the MC5 and the Stooges, or the techno revolution kicked off by such artists as Carl Craig and Derrick May. Mention…
A brief chat with Yo Gabba Gabba!’s Christian Jacobs
If a recent Coachella Festival appearance is anything go by, everybody loves the Nick Jr. TV show Yo Gabba Gabba! It doesn’t matter how old you are, the mere sight of exuberant host Lance Robertson in his furry orange hat getting silly with a tin robot, a furry green thing, a spiky red Cyclops, a…
‘Clock House’ burns at Heidelberg Project, only two of seven structures remain
The “Obstruction of Justice House,” the first installation to be destroyed at Detroit’s Heidelberg Project. Yet another act of arson occurred at the Heidelberg Project in Detroit, destroying a fifth house, known as the “Clock House,” Click on Detroit reports. Since May, five of the seven installations have been completely destroyed by eight different fires.…
The Kills make a stop at the Majestic Theater
Guitar rock duo The Kills will make a stop at the Majestic Theater on Tuesday as part of a very short string of 3 dates surrounding a pair of high-profile gigs opening for Queens of The Stone Age in New York and Boston. The band tacked on dates in Chicago and Toronto in addition to…
Fighting the Road Hogs
As described in a groundbreaking Metro Times story earlier this year, “A Highway Runs Through It,” a plan is moving ahead to spend $3.8 billion expanding sections of I-75 and I-94 in metro Detroit. Of particular interest to Detroiters is the part of the plan that calls for expanding a 6.7-mile stretch of I-94 between I-96…
Michigan could ditch landlines by 2017
Legislation in Michigan has passed the Senate that will set the phasing out of landlines in Michigan into motion, Click On Detroit reports. The bill, which heads to the House next, plans to eliminate landline service in Michigan by 2017. Traditionally, landline service has been subsidized by the government, viewed as an essential service. But…
Jimmy Doolittle’s Detroit Connection
His famous bombing raid on Japan was payback for Pearl Harbor Many American’s are aware of Doolittle’s Raiders and their demoralizing bombing of Japan. The raid has been immortalized in the film, “Thirty Seconds over Tokyo.” It was also one of the turning points of the war. With the approach of December 7 and the…
A brief chat with Pete Tong
English DJ Pete Tong has been a global ambassador for electronic music since the whole thing started in the ’80s. For years, Tong was exposing thousands of people to the best new electronic music on Radio 1, while also touring the world. He lives in LA now; perhaps he crossed the Atlantic to escape the…
More About Michigan House Bill HB 4714
Michigan House Bill HB 4714, signed into law in September 2013, creates the Healthy Michigan program for new Medicaid enrollees. Some provisions of the law are subject to federal approval. Here’s a quick look at the program: It offers coverage for citizens with incomes as high as 133 percent of the federal poverty level. Healthy Michigan…
City Slang: Zombie Jesus, Bailiff and He-Bops at the Lager House
Local indie pop band Trait was supposed to open this show, but a family emergency forced them to cancel. Up steps Zombie Jesus & the Chocolate Sunshine Band, or half of them anyway. This being a last minute show, two of the band members were unable to play, but that didn’t stop front man Jheremie…
Reviewing: Sparky and Me
Detroit sportswriter Dan Ewald pays homage to his old friendGeorge “Sparky” Anderson in this book. Ewald recounts his last visit with Sparky only days before the death of the baseball legend. The two old friends spent most of the three day visit at the kitchen table in Anderson’s Thousand Oaks, Ca. home. There, they took…
More fast-food strikes
Workers at fast-food restaurants across Michigan are again on strike according to ClickOnDetroit, as they continue to seek a $15/hour minimum wage and the right to form a union. This morning, vans dropped workers off outside McDonald’s on Detroit’s East Side, with signs that read, “We’re Worth More.” Rev. Charles Williams II of the Michigan…
12th Man Report: Sparty hopes to play spoiler
When the Michigan State Spartans square off against the Ohio State Buckeyes this Saturday in the Big Ten Championship game, there will be a lot on the line. And I’m not just talking about winning the Big Ten — obviously that’s the first and foremost important part of Saturday’s game. You see, I’m talking about…
City Slang: This weekend at Trinosophes
This Saturday, December 7, Trinosophes will host the Nakatani Gong Orchestra. The band features Tatsuya Nakatani, Dave Shettler, Marko Novachcoff, Jay Rowe, Joel Peterson, Josh Ferrel, Clara Hardie, James Baljo, Clem Fortuna and others. The venue says, “Every time Tatsuya comes to town it’s an event, but this time the virtuoso percussionist has put together…
City Slang: Home for the Holidaze at the Corktown Tavern
The 11th annual Home for the Holidaze songwriter showcase and charity drive will be held at the Corktown Tavern on December 20. The show starts at 9, and cover is $6, or $5 if you bring a can of food. Performing that night will be Patrick Davy, Don “Doop” Duprie, Alison Lewis, Emily Rose, Matt…
Lunchtime Links
1) Apparently if you somehow strap a camera to the back of a bald eagle it makes for some amazing footage. (Co.Create) 2) What do you do if the wrong number sends you a photo? Here are some of the best responses. (Distractify) 3) Let’s do the Time Warp again: here’s 10 photo mockups of…
Reviewing Scorpion Child
This is interesting. Nuclear Blast usually puts out records by extreme metal bands like Sepultura and Kreator, but this self-titled debut from Austin’s Scorpion Child recalls the proto-metal of Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin, as well as the contemporary psychedelic blues rock of the Black Crowes. The band formed in 2006, so the guys took…
Metro Times readers: We want your letters to Santa!
Dear readers, We know times are tough. A recent study showed 46.2 million U.S. citizens are poor. And that’s after our recession was declared over. That means, as Americans, we’re putting off that new car or home, delaying vacations, spending less time with our families and loved ones and spending more time toiling or looking…
Obamacare v. Typhoon: How Cable Covered Two Big Stories
During the height of two big news stories, one domestic and the other international, an analysis by the Pew Research Center quantified the vast differences in coverage and, by extension, judgment by America’s hypercompetitive cable news outlets. The struggles of the Obamacare launch and the overwhelming destruction caused by the typhoon in the Philippines received…
Not Enough Support for Higher Education
SEVERAL MONTHS AGO, one of my former students came to see me because she was very upset; not with me — she performed brilliantly in my classes and got top grades. But thanks to the current state of media, she couldn’t find a job. She understood that was the nature of the beast and didn’t…
Why Does Bill Schuette Hate Sick People?
The very first time I started reporting for the Higher Ground column in 2009, marijuana activists were outspoken about their opposition to Bill Schuette, then a candidate for state attorney general. Schuette won — and has carried on a vendetta against patients, caregivers and dispensaries operating under the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act. I’ve heard lots…
R.I.P. Bootsey X
We’re sad to report that Bootsey X, whose real name was Robert Mulrooney, died after a long struggle with brain cancer. Best known as the leader of his own band, Bootsey X & the Lovemasters, he also played with the Ramrods, Dark Carnival, Coldcock, the Sillies and Rocket 455, among other bands. Details could not…
Lessenberry… gives Bush credit?
Double-Take Dear Editor: re: “Something Good to Celebrate”; [Politics and Prejudices, Nov. 27-Dec. 3, 2013] As much as I like to criticize Jack Lessenberry in his political columns (since it is usually based on more opinion than fact), I was stunned that he actually gave George Bush (cringe) credit for starting the auto bailouts. This…
Coco Fairfield’s in Berkley
Coco Fairfield’s 2959 W. 12 Mile Rd., Berkley 248-399-2626 cocofairfields.com Handicap accessible Breakfast and lunch: $4-$12 Hours: 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday, closed Monday It’s hard not to have a soft spot for a place like Coco Fairfield’s. The small mom-and-pop diner in downtown Berkley has a lot of heart, from the children’s drawings taped to…
Detroit Food This Week
Back to Pie — As the holiday season approaches, pie begins to feature prominently in our meals. The festive dish insinuates itself into our meals as a dessert — or as a 3 a.m. snack eaten while standing in front of the refrigerator. But the same thing happens with local bakeries, who shift gears to…
Detroit Pleasure Society
Just the use of the word “jazz” will already have some people switching off. What was once a vibrant and exciting art form (often referred to as the “one true American art form”) is now all-too-often viewed as old, tired and basically a sit-down affair. Music to eat spinach dip to. It’s perceived to be…
New Miles Davis Box Set
Miles Davis The Original Mono Recordings / Nine CD Box Set Columbia Legacy You would be hard-pressed to find a jazz fan that believes the music of the great Miles Davis doesn’t deserve a revisit. Thank you, Columbia, because the label has obliged with a nine-disc set of stunning material, much of it rare and…
New Releases by Black Star Riders and Sabaton
Black Star Riders All Hell Breaks Loose Nuclear Blast What we have here is the most recent lineup of Thin Lizzy having what basically amounts to a conscience-call from deep within the deepest crevices of their collective mind. They wanted to go into the studio and record a new album, but realized that it’s one thing…
Film Review: Black Nativity
Black Nativity | C- I try to avoid trailers when possible, so I was as surprised as the next guy that Black Nativity is not a documentary about a Norwegian death metal band, but is in fact an African-American holiday musical. Dancing is mostly confined to gospel choir swaying, but this is basically a…
Lidström and Hanson: Detroit Men
In society, the role of the professional athlete is under constant question. There is a seemingly endless line of second-guessing of their abilities to be both role models and community leaders. It’s not that surprising when you sit down to think about it. After all, the same world that gives us teary-eyed Make-A-Wish stories and…
Film Review: The Armstrong Lie
The Armstrong Lie | C+ World champion cyclist Lance Armstrong cheated. And then he lied. And now he can’t seem to fully admit just how deep his lies went. Worse, he doesn’t seem to have a whole lot of remorse about his dishonesty, which of course makes his very public apologies yet more lies. If…
Lions Play Dirty
You may recall a less-than-stellar nickname earned by the Detroit Pistons team circa late ’80s-early ’90s : the “Bad Boys.” They played hard, ferocious — and pretty dirty — defense. The one who really comes to mind from that era is Bill Laimbeer, who may have been the baddest of the bad. He had no…
Gilbert Gottfried
Controversial, grating, obnoxious, offensive — comedian Gilbert Gottfried has been accused of being all of those things, and justifiably so. It’s all an act, though. Maybe we shouldn’t have been surprised that he was soft-spoken (relatively anyway) and charming in conversation, but he was. Humble too. But don’t expect any of that nice stuff during…
32 pics from Berkley house party featuring Fires in Japan and more
Just caught on the Web Heather Catallo’s story from Friday for WXYZ/Channel 7 about the Ambassador Bridge Co. and its heavy-handed efforts to build a second span. This is, admittedly, a tough story for TV news because it contains so many threads. But Catallo and crew did a good job covering different aspects of the…
The Perfect Ugly Christmas Sweater
Originally the territory of Bill Cosby or Freddy Krueger, the ugly Christmas sweater has now become an ironic icon of holiday kitsch that even the trendiest hipsters are pompously rocking. While that first big wave of mass-produced horrors swept through closets in the mid-1980s, fashion avatars have eagerly embraced the past and made “old” new…
MythBusters tour stops at the Fox
Ever wonder whether dropping a penny from the observation deck of the Empire State Building would penetrate someone’s skull at street level? Is the combination of Pop Rocks and Coke lethally combustible? While uncovering the origins of those and other urban legends skulking about is endless folly, the two men behind the Discovery Channel’s MythBusters…
Slam bam
Q: I’m a bi-woman in my mid-20s and in a great monogamish relationship with my straight boyfriend. We occasionally invite other women into our sex life, which is really enjoyable for both of us since other women don’t threaten him — only other men — which isn’t an issue since I’m not interested in any other…
Rhodes OKs Bankruptcy, Allows Pension Cuts
Photo from Instagram user @kathleenmariedet U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes ruled Tuesday morning that Detroit is in fact eligible for Chapter 9 bankruptcy and that city retirees’ pensions can legally be cut. Speaking for roughly 90 minutes, Rhodes confirmed Detroit was insolvent for a long time, saying “Detroit could have and should have filed bankruptcy…
Reviewing Parmalee’s Feels Like Carolina
Urgghh. I just sicked up in my mouth a little. This album, from North Carolina family band Parmalee, is so bad, so fucking abysmal, that it’s impossible to stomach. This is everything that’s wrong with contemporary country music, the sort of shit that fills up entire radio stations. These saps claim to be influenced by…
12th Man Report: Dombrowski strikes again
First it was first baseman Prince Fielder. Now — starting pitcher Doug Fister. Tigers’ general manager Dave Dombrowski has proven that he’ll continue to wheel and deal until that first World Championship comes home to Detroit. In a rather surprising fashion yesterday, the Tigers dealt Fister to the Washington Nationals for infielder Steve Lombardozzi, relief…
City Slang: B-Movie Brain revisited
Send CDs, vinyl, cassettes, demos and 8-tracks to Brett Callwood, Metro Times, 1200 Woodward Heights, Ferndale MI 48220. Email MP3s and streaming links to bcallwood@metrotimes.com. We literally received nothing new in the mail this week, nothing at all besides some holiday music that we’re saving for a bigger feature, and a CD from a national…
