Getting over (or not)
Ordinarily a nonfiction book’s dustcover is a low-key affair. Not this one. Even though he’s compiled this collection of commentaries from leading African-Americans, BET personality Tavis Smiley helps himself to the whole back cover. Is this a serious book on a serious issue? Or a star vehicle for Tavis Smiley? Lord knows it’s hard enough…
Misguided guide
Man-woman guidebook is so wrong it’s funny….
Bernie’s back!
Watch out for land for sale by Bernie Schrott….
Beyond blues
Remember saying “sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me”? Well, think again. Words — the right ones — have the power to incite, excite and revolutionize you. That’s why KRS-One, Public Enemy and Rakim reign supreme — because of the words they speak. Kevin Powell, editor of Step into…
All the buzz
Campy vibrators offer fun for all….
Earth to Pete
Pete Waldmeir is confused by Gore/Bush vote count….
Listening party
Sometimes it’s rough out there for underground hip-hop fans in Detroit. Despite all the up-and-coming talent emanating from Michigan, there are too few radio, video and club outlets to hear the newest and freshest independent, non-jiggy artists. And with seemingly everyone and their mother starting a record label and releasing singles, it’s tough to keep…
Slice, dice and shred
The Great Kat’s new mini-opera-porno….
Derelicts and do-gooders
Gov. Engler & Co. are environmental disasters….
Jah funk
Let me confess up front that I’m not exactly the local expert when it comes to reggae music, but I do know great music when I hear it. I don’t care what category a band is placed under; it’s readily apparent if they know what they’re doing or not. But man, these guys are outstanding.…
Ugly truths
It’s a cultural “out of order” sign … sometimes that which isn’t beautiful makes us change our minds about what is.
Blowing it
Listen to the real-life government tapes that inspired Thirteen Days….
Rock soup
In a large mixing bowl, pour half a sloppy cup of garage-rock swagger and add arty D.C. after-rock to taste. Then, what the hell — throw in some mod denim pop for additional sweetness. It’s almost as if the French Kicks researched their latest EP, Young Lawyer, by kickin’ around Detroit’s rock underground for a…
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): The imperial phase of your astrological cycle ends on Feb. 22. I suggest you use the time between now and then to fine-tune and safeguard the masterwork you’ve recently consummated. You don’t want it to turn into a Frankenstein monster when you go off chasing wild geese and mutated rainbows in…
Thanks, Chuck
Gem Theatre benefit helps Wellness House and another fine HIV/AIDS organization….
Shared secrets
Human beings may be connected to poetic experiences by thick jump ropes or silk threads, but we all love, suffer and survive. By virtue of the fact that we exist, we have access to some damn good stories. A recent collaborative project by several local writers probes the connection between life experience and creative material.…
My single Valentine
Q: Oh no, it’s that time again when all of us who are not part of a romantic couple are made to feel like something the cat dragged in — worse, like something no self-respecting cat would drag in. Are those of us who do not have a special someone really out of step with…
Sights among sounds
Art and music dance together at Motor’s Elementdetroit….
Planet of sound
During the past seven years, the magazine Punk Planet has quietly been one of the most intelligent voices in the kingdom of punk and post-punk. Founded by Daniel Sinker at a time when punk had suddenly become recognized by the mainstream, there had developed a “wildly reactionary stance” from the old guard of punksters. Oddly…
Letters to the Editor
Objection sustained Whatever the merits of Jack Lessenberry’s criticisms of courts and judges generally, his bit on the Judicial Tenure Commission in the Chrzanowski matter is off base ("Sleazy judges vs. sex police," MT, Jan. 31-Feb 6). The Commission has not decided she does not deserve any punishment. The hearing officer appointed by the Michigan…
Crying wolf
Please stop the bogus NPR e-mail chain letter!
Haunted pop dreams
“Songs to listen to at night” is how Stars’ Torquil Campbell matter-of-factly describes Nightsongs. And while his band’s aptly titled full-length debut is undoubtedly intended for late-night listening, his is still a somewhat misleading statement. It’s important to mention, for instance, that if your nocturnal proclivities are of the more decadent variety, then you’d best…
Right in the kisser… Continued
From documentaries to dramatic films about the sport, boxing onscreen lands a few hard jabs followed by a roundhouse left.
You know, IT
Up your bum, in your mouth, over your shoulder and around the corner? Yup, and it’s not just porn stars, either. Real people, just like you, are having lots of great sex, and instead of asking Isadora (turn to the back pages of this paper right now, or better yet, roll it up and spank…
Single minded
Are you a Quirkyalone? You are if you believe that coupling with the opposite sex is just so incredibly tedious it often doesn’t seem worth it.
Yum bloody yum
In Ridley Scott’s ironically grim variation on the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale, Beauty (Clarice Starling-Julianne Moore) hunts the Beast (Dr. Hannibal Lecter-Anthony Hopkins). It’s a macabre feast of breathtaking action and horrors.
Fast fish
Superior Fish Company in Royal Oak procures seafood from “all the waters of the world.” An Icelandic halibut or a Lake Victorian Nile perch could be on your plate within 24 hours of being caught.
In the Mood for Love
Set in 1962 Hong Kong, the new film by director Wong Kar-wai (Chungking Express) is the story of two people, each married to someone else, who slowly drift together for a tenuous romance. Wong’s dramatic, eroticized images smolder and roil with emotion — with the exquisite Maggie Cheung.
The Dems: No Valentine yet
Predictions for the next presidential race (George W. Bush, if he continues to let others run things for him), plus guesses as to who might run (and who shouldn’t) in the next mayoral and gubernatorial elections.
Suzhou River
Director Lou Ye’s style is so glib he seems to have almost accidentally made a deeply affecting film, aided by a wonderful performance by Zhou Xun, as both a femme-fatale mermaid and young innocent. Her beguiling presence makes it work as a mystery, a fable and a sad love story.
The Wizard: A hero returns
Prepare yourself for the revolutionary mixmaster … Jeff Mills is coming back to Detroit for a once-in-a-lifetime performance as The Wizard on Thursday, March 1.
Head Over Heels
Mark Waters, who made the flawed but intriguingly creepy House of Yes (featuring Freddie Prinze Jr. prior to his teen-dream days), approaches this material with the dubious philosophy that anything goes. Someone should have warned him before he slid directly to romantic-comedy hell.
Lovin’ wild, swingin’ stands
An erotic poetry fest at Lili’s (with the Impaler and Karen “Queen Bee” Neal) … Everlast chased from the stage by Eminem homies … Local news crew “uncovers” moshing and drug use at concerts (oh my!) … & more.
Junk Monkeys
That slightly sanded and splintered melancholy set to gloriously untidy riffs and upbeat melody … When you hear the Junk Monkeys again, you’ll remember. These guys had a few strolls in the spotlight in the late ’80s — a song on the Freddy’s Dead soundtrack here, a review in Spin there. You can just tell…
Media City 7 International Festival of Experimental Film and Video
From films by habitues of the Berlin underground to artists featured in the Venice Biennale, from the Parisian avant-garde to erotica from Kazakhstan, this festival offers the alternative that adventurous filmgoers have been waiting for — February 14-17 at the Capitol Theatre in Windsor.
Virtual insanity, and salvation
The promise of virtual reality has stirred therapists from their Freudian slumber; they can use the technological dream world as a new therapeutic tool.
Essential elegance
With a menu pared down to 14 entrées, Essence has a spare but lavish approach to dining. Fresh seasonal ingredients are used, and executive chef Mike Trombley prefers to do things “the old way, producing just about everything in-house.” The dining room is simple but nicely appointed with white linens, and a fireplace makes it…
What we need now
Some things in life are so simple they can be staring you dead in the face and you still won’t see them, because you’re looking for something considerably more complex and equally less obvious. It’s small wonder that many of us miss our blessings; we don’t recognize them unless they come wearing the proper attire.…
Reform storm
Instant runoff voting, campaign finance reform, voting rights — the call to “fix democracy” is being heard far and wide.
Rhythm nation
In many African cultures, the drum represents the rhythm of life. Depending on the context, it can symbolize the sound of the heartbeat, the body’s main generator, at work. In simpler terms, it’s the foundation of any musical composition and the sound bed on which messages are laid. Just as African people are known for…
The real rules
Official dating regulations forbid telephone breakups….
Talkin’ about love
Author bell hooks says there’s something amiss in black America … and opens the door for a difficult discussion.
