Please, please, please: Stop ‘saving’ Detroit
Detroit doesn’t need “saving.”
Luc Sante speaks tonight about photography, reads tomorrow from work in progress
Luc Sante is the favorite writer of many writers. I’m super grateful to MOCAD and Cranbrook for bringing him to town, from upstate New York. I spoke with Sante a bit about his work here, with a playlist of what music makes the soundtrack for his different works here. Below, please find an outtake from the article,…
Detroit City Council will consider $2.5 million settlement for wrongful conviction of Walter Swift
Detroit City Council will soon consider a $2.5 million to settlement in the case of Walter Swift, the man prosecutors convicted in 1982 for raping a pregnant teacher inside her Indian Village home. It was a crime he never committed. At the time, the victim falsely identified Swift, then 21-years-old, as her rapist when the…
Naked Cowboy identified, won’t face jail time
The man who shot to internet stardom this week after he was filmed strolling down I-75 near Auburn Hills in a snowstorm wearing only — and we mean only — a cowboy hat has been identified. The Detroit Free Press reports that police have identified the Naked Cowboy as a 53-year-old West Bloomfield man who may…
Cinema Detroit will screen soccer-centric ‘Victory’ and host Q&A with Detroit City FC owners tonight only
If you’re anxiously awaiting the Detroit City Football Club’s upcoming season to begin, this may be of interest: Cinema Detroit, former home of the Burton Theatre, will screen the 1981 WWII-set soccer-centric film “Victory,” starring Sylvester Stallone, Pelé and Michael Caine. On top of that, DCFC’s owners will be on-site for what the indie theater…
Michael Moore defends ‘American Sniper,’ bashes Sarah Palin
Despite criticising the movie, Michael Moore defends American Sniper.
Colored vinyl is for big, spoiled record babies
I’m not at all picking on this band, whose records I’ll never listen to because I’m just not in their demographic. It’s nice that these talented young people are being successful with their musical career. I also just don’t give a shit about them, and have far heavier records already, thanks, by Phill Niblock, Enemymine, Rev.…
Over 70 percent of Detroiters are single, study says
Remember how last year you said that this year was going to be the year to snag that serious significant other; to settle down, to spend less weeknights drunk and less weekends hungover? Well, apparently, you didn’t. This week, the consumer advocacy site NerdWallet released stats suggesting that 73.5 percent of Detroiters over the age…
Watch Big Sean give a tour of his favorite places in Detroit
Big Sean gives a tour of Detroit for Complex’s “Neighborhoods” series.
Here’s a 24 hour time-lapse video of snow piling up on a balcony railing
Good morning, Snow City! By now we hope you’ve been able to dig your way out from your homes, uncover your car, and begin thawing out. (It really wasn’t all that bad, was it?) In case, you feel like reliving some of the snowy magic, here’s a time-lapse video we stumbled upon on reddit by…
61 years ago today the Red Wings played against a team of convicts at Marquette State prison
The Red Wings game on Feb. 2, 1954 was notable for two major distinctions: It was the Wing’s first outdoor game, and it was against a team of inmates at Marquette State prison.
This is how much it snowed last night across metro Detroit
It was as if Mother Nature set out to prove something last night: Metro Detroit awoke this morning to hundreds of school closings and likely thousands of vehicles rendered useless, following last night’s relentless pounding of snow. Most communities received about a foot, with parts of Wayne County seeing as much as 17 inches. Here,…
In defense of snow
Snow isn’t the looming catastrophe the media paints it as …
Detroit man’s 21-mile commute by foot illustrates our insane transit policy
Metro Detroit was introduced this weekend to Detroiter James Robertson, a guy with a grind so remarkable, it makes anyone who complains about their daily commute look like a fool: As described by Bill Laitner of the Detroit Free Press, Robertson wakes up at 6 a.m. every day; walks to a bus stop at Woodward…
Detroit Dog Rescue releases some tips for keeping your dog safe during snowmageddon 2015
Detroit Dog Rescue sent us some tips for keeping your pup safe this snowy season.
VIDEO: Naked cowboy takes a jaunt down I-75 during snowstorm
Youtuber Francis Gojcaj posted this video to the social sharing site yesterday after he spotted a naked man walking down I-75 near Auburn Hills, clad only in a cowboy hat. First of all, can we just say, brr. This guy must have been freezing. Second, it’s not clear from the video what, exactly, the guy was…
Happy Groundhog Day
Good morning and stuff! Hope you don’t have to spend too much time digging your car out of the snow before heading out. Today’s the day they drag that scared, cute little groundhog out of his cage and perform some arcane rituals with him. I hope the little guy is OK, and that they treat…
These women attempted to drink all 130 beers on tap at HopCat
We were bored on a Friday night, so we decided to watch three women try to drink all 130 beers on tap at HopCat.
Inside baseball: Tubby Spencer
Seventy years after his death, some props for Tiger Tubby Spencer.
Dawn of Midi at Trino’s tonight
Dawn of Midi plays at Trinosophes tonight.
A public service announcement about snow
Why is a snowstorm front-page news … in Michigan?
Checker’s hosting Thursday pop-ups on second floor
A Thursday pop-up series at Checker’s downtown promises culinary adventure.
Bob Seger tops Amazon’s Goth & Industrial bestsellers list
Now, here’s some local music news that you can use: Bob Seger has topped Amazon’s Goth & Industrial bestsellers list with a greatest hits CD. Finally! All those leather pants he’s worn, all the remixes he did for Nitzer Ebb and SPK, all the night moves — it’s really paid off. But seriously, I worked at…
This map depicting wage disparities between men and women in Michigan is depressing
Even in 2015, the earning disparities between male and female workers are alarming, with the average gap falling around $10,000. That means that a woman who has the same level of education and experience and is performing the same work-related task as a male counterpart will earn far less, 78 cents to his dollar, specifically.…
Build a parade float, smite the Nain Rouge
Marche du Nain Rouge organizers are asking communities to build floats.
Write your own ‘Detroit is the new Brooklyn’ article!
We get it. You’re excited about the potential and possibilities that lurk behind the fading facades of Detroit. You don’t just want to tell all your friends, you want to scream it from the rooftops. Well now it’s that much easier. All you need to do is follow the cheeky checklist provided by alloveralbany.com entitled,…
State legislator reintroduces bill to ban community benefits ordinance in Detroit
Following the departure of longtime city councilwoman Saunteel Jenkins, Detroit City Council backburnered a proposed ordinance that would require developers to negotiate direct benefits with an impacted community. Some councilmembers are pushing what’s called a “community benefits agreement” (CBA) ordinance, which has been in the works for nearly two years. In a nutshell, CBAs are…
‘Dude, your car!’ — YouTube prankster freaks out Detroit auto show
The results are priceless.
Mitt Romney is not running for president; here’s that video where he professes his love for Michigan’s trees
Update: Romney has apparently thought things through and won’t seek a third bid. “After putting considerable thought into making another run for president, I’ve decided it is best to give other leaders in the Party the opportunity to become our next nominee.” Here’s the full statement. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Ahhh, yes — this is what you want…
In ‘Still Alice,’ Hollywood dwells on the sad mortality of the well-to-do … again
Julianne Moore’s performance is the only thing that makes Still Alice worthy of an award.
BBQ gets rock ‘n’ roll in Ferndale
Zeke’s Rock n’ Roll BBQ has officially opened its doors on Nine Mile in downtown Ferndale.
Two gentle jams for a Friday morning from Detroit guitarist Ted Lucas
Listening to this obscure Detroit musician now, and realizing a buddy has reels of unheard live recordings of him, and thinking that I need to hit him up to talk about producing a reissue of those things, assuming they sound anywhere near as good as this. The coffee isn’t working yet, though, my brain is…
Let’s celebrate Geezer Butler’s continued badassery with this full Black Sabbath concert from 1970 in Paris
We’ve all heard the news by now that longtime, original Black Sabbath bass player Geezer Butler was arrested and spent the night in jail in Death Valley, Calif., after being involved in a brawl in a saloon. The sixty-five year-old, who wrote most of the band’s lyrics, was arrested for battery and released the next…
Metro Times is looking for photographers in Ann Arbor and Macomb County
MT is looking for freelance photographers
Detroit Lions fans are really effin sweary
Research from Proofpoint Nexgate comes to us today via CBS Detroit bearing news that Detroit Lions fans are among the most profane in the nation. To reach this conclusion, the Nexgate geeks pooled social media data from 12 NFL playoff contenders to figure out whose fans are the most, er, vocal. The sweariest NFL playoff team fans…
Gov. Snyder’s consultants on campaign to raise sales tax for road repairs just quit
Rick Snyder’s grand ploy to punt a decision to voters on whether to raise Michigan’s sales tax to fund road repairs — something the governor’s pushed for nearly there years now — just hit a pothole of its own: The entire team of political consultants hired to concoct a campaign to win voter approval hast…
Visit the Detroit Institute of the Arts this weekend
We stumbled across this lovely photo of a frosted DIA, taken by redditer Outofthewild, and are compelled to ask— when was the last time you visited the Detroit Institute of Arts? Be honest. It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Take a peek at the current exhibition lineup right here— its chalk-full of goodies, like the works on…
WTF: Cass Tech girls basketball team clobbers Osborn in 80-0 shutout
Shutouts almost never happen in basketball, yet Cass Tech’s girls basketball team pitched one yesterday.
Can undercover cops in Michigan legally have sex with prostitutes?
You might’ve missed this story from last year: Hawaii’s legislature held a lengthy debate on whether cops in the state should legally be allowed to have sex with prostitutes. In one of his stories on the issue, writer Sam Eigling added this line: “It appears that Michigan is the only other state that permits police…
Watch ‘Kickalicious’ do what he does best in new video
What has “Kickalicious” been up to since he got cut from the Detroit Lions?
Hear four songs by classic, forgotten Detroit gospel group Victory Five
Today I spent a bit of time trying to track down information on the Detroit-based gospel group Victory Five, to no avail. I did enjoy listening to their invigorating golden age gospel quartet sounds from the 1950s and ’60s, thanks to YouTube. The only bit of substantial information hails from the group’s appearance on a…
We went and tried Olive Garden’s ‘new’ menu so you don’t have to
They invited us to try the new menu items at Olive Garden. The fools …
Could chicken and waffles be the catalyst for Avenue of Fashion rebirth?
Kuzzo’s Chicken and Waffles officially opened for business yesterday. It will assuredly be a successful establishment – based solely on their amazing menu and the early media buzz surrounding the restaurant – but there is more to the business than what appears at the surface. Kuzzo’s owner, Ron Bartell, is a former NFL player and…
Michigan Republicans can’t explain why they pushed a bill banning college athletes from unionizing
Writing for Vice Sports, Kevin Trahan asks a simple question: Why won’t Michigan Republicans offer an explanation for their bill that bans student athletes from unionizing? The reason, it appears, is because they just don’t have one. Or, perhaps, because it involves the word “union.” Trahan got state Rep. Al Pscholka, a Republican of Stevensville,…
Sister Pie is having a 24-hour dance-athon.
Sister Pie is hosting a danceathon to raise $25,000.
Preview this nifty number from Fred Thomas’ new solo LP for Polyvinyl
It’s hard to imagine a human person busier than Ypsilantian Fred Thomas. We just spoke with him last week abut his band Failed Flowers, during which time Thomas spoke separately of a brand new studio that he’s manning to record himself and others. Dude also has a full-time job and a rad and talented girlfriend (mentioning…
The first phase of the 2015 Movement lineup was just announced
Paxahau announces first phase of 2015 Movement lineup
Carhartt opening retail shop in Midtown Detroit
The Freep’s Tom Walsh reported this morning that Dearborn-based Carhartt will officially return to Detroit this summer, with plans to open a retail store in a three-story building on Cass Avenue in Midtown. The site is just south of I-94 and will include a parking garage with 75 spaces. The 51,000-square-foot building was first constructed…
Is Detroit the new L.A.?
We’ve never heard this before …
STUDY: Here’s how much Michiganders need to make to be in the top one percent
Our pals over at the Economic Policy Institute come to us this week with new data on how much folks need to make annually to be considered the top one percent in their state. In Michigan, it seems, you’d need to pull in $301,000 per year, whereas in Connecticut you’d have to make more than…
More has been revealed: you can now stream Juan Atkins’ new Model 500 album!
Hoo boy, the entirety of Juan Atkins’ new album as Model 500, Digital Solutions, can be streamed here. It drops really soon, on February 2. This is kind of a big deal. Let us know what you think! We’ve not even had the chance to hear it yet ourselves. Tracklist 1 Hi NRG 2 Electric…
Federal inspector says more oversight is needed on blight funds in Detroit
As part of the federal bailout program created after the 2008-09 financial crisis, the Hardest Hit Fund was created to help keep people in their homes. But in recent years, the U.S. Treasury has opted to allow states to shift hundreds of millions of dollars to remove blight. Michigan was the first state to receive…
How a new sport called ‘fowling’ was born and brought to Detroit
There’s a sports success story brewing on the border of Hamtramck and Detroit, and it’s like nothing you’ve ever seen on television. It’s a sport created by fans of automobile racing, but it has nothing to do with motors. It involves throwing a football, but no player is the receiver. The goal is to knock…
Drink Up
Griffin Claw Brewing Co.: 7.25% ABV | 65 IBU Norm’s Raggedy Ass IPA Griffin Claw Brewing Co.’s brewmaster Dan Rogers has spent years honing his craft. In 1992 he opened Las Vegas’s first brewery, and six years later he won the World Beer Championships Gold Medal for his Big Rock Scotch Ale. By 2011, he…
Vodka Vodka returns
Vodka Vodka, Metro Times’ annual party celebrating the popular liquor and the companies that produce it, is rolling out its sixth chapter Saturday, Feb. 7. This year, there’s a new dimension being added to the event. While there will obviously be boatloads of vodka samples to be had and plenty of food samples to tame…
Four things you should know about Detroit dining this week
Chili, not chilly — Mount Clemens is going to heat up this week with an event that’s part-chili competition, part-pub crawl, and part-art raffle. It’s called the 10th Annual Fire & Ice Chili Cook-Off Pub Crawl Fundraiser. It pits the Clem’s chefs, cooks, and chili mavens in a battle to see who’s best, and it…
DDays: Former NBA player Rony Seikaly is actually a great DJ
Staaaaay with me The first thing you notice at a Sam Smith show is the audience that comes to see him. It is not just the 14-year-old screaming girls, but their moms, and brothers, and boyfriends. Everyone is there. Why? Because he is a pop star with soul. For his sold-out concert at the Masonic…
Currant events: Husband-and-wife team grows a Michigan berry business
The Coons — Jerry, 50, and Julia, 43 — run Coon’s Berry Farm, out in rural Coleman, about two hours north of Detroit. The couple has been married 10 years, but has only been growing gooseberries, black currants, and red currants for three. They don’t produce right away, but once they get going they can…
A chat with David Rudolph, a Detroit PR guy
Chances are you’ve probably heard the phrase “Detroit is a small town in a big city.” It’s an apt description for the provincial way everyone here seems to know everyone else. For a public relations guy, that can make your job a dream or a nightmare. David Rudolph is a local PR guy. He’s the…
Hot Shotz: Meet Wright & Co.’s KaTrell Thomas
KaTrell Thomas has spent more than a decade working in Detroit bars and restaurants. For nine years he worked at Slow’s, then two at Sugar House, and now he’s tending bar at Wright & Co., a restaurant that’s received plenty of accolades since its opening five months ago. While Sugar House and Wright & Co.…
Higher Ground: Detroit dispensary debate
Why regulating the city’s quasi-legal marijuana trade is no simple task.
The Luc Sante soundtrack
Since music is one of Luc Sante’s overarching obsessions, we thought it would be fun to go through his works and discuss what might be the ideal soundtrack for each. Low Life (FSG, 1991) Low Life has obviously got to be (the song) “The Bowery.” And why not throw in “Sidewalks of New York,” since…
Horoscopes (Jan. 28 – Feb. 3)
ARIES (March 21-April 20): You have your hands full trying to figure out how to find your way out of a situation that would have been easier to handle if you were better prepared and had handled it sooner. In spite of everything that has gone awry, the stuff that’s going right is too good…
Writer Luc Sante, master American stylist, is coming to Detroit
Check out our accompanying Luc Sante playlist here. It’s difficult to explain the one-two punch historian and critic Luc Sante’s first two books delivered to readers and writers of cultural history. Low Life: Lures and Snares of Old New York (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1991) and Evidence (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1992) were these coiled,…
Feedback: Detroit Future City sets the record straight
Ken Cockrel on “Springwells Village,” the return of Corktown Casey’s, and the still unsettled dust of the Hudson’s demolition.
Raise the Bar: Rockefellers Oyster Bar & Grill
Rockefellers hasn’t been open for more than six months, but you’d never guess that walking in. The Grosse Pointe Park bar and restaurant has an old-school vibe that’s hard to manufacture. It is strikingly authentic in its attempt to capture its chosen aesthetic. In fact, when we told the person sitting next to us that…
Richie Wohlfeil’s Lo & Behold! hits like a ton of bricks
Record stores can be as important a part of the glue that holds a music scene together as the best clubs and labels. They’re also where so many musicians, DJs, and producers get started — whether meeting future collaborators or figuring out where they’re headed. They can even be seen as breathing archives, filled with…
The ABCs of almond boneless chicken
They say that the foods you enjoy as a child stay with you for a lifetime. I know that to be true from my own personal experience. I still enjoy the foods prepared by my parents in my youth: Mom’s foods, especially mostaccioli with sausage, and Dad’s limited repertoire, which included home-fried potato chips and…
Slits guitarist’s memoir is a punk book in every sense of the word
When I first heard them as a teenager, the Slits changed my life. They sounded like no other band — like some wild girl gang obsessed with reggae who’d concocted their very own, wiry guitar sound. It all sounded like it could come crashing down at any moment, which was part of the fun. I…
Five O’Clock Somewhere: States pave the way for alcohol home delivery
One for the road — It might seem like a no-brainer, but alcohol delivery services are not as common as you might think. After all, when a party is really going, and the hosts are as likely as their guests to be blitzed, chances are somebody will have to go on a liquor run. But…
Politics and Prejudices: President Snyder?
Could Rick Snyder enter the fray of 2016 GOP hopefuls? Or is Michigan’s governor better suited to a cabinet position in a new Republican administration?
Go all out at Top of the Pontch
So many new restaurants are getting so much splash — why not Top of the Pontch? Is it because of its hotel location, which is usually not a good sign? Its high prices? The fact that it’s not serving small plates? There was buzz before the place opened in September 2014, but almost none afterward.…
Savage Love: Coming clean
Savage on extramarital affairs, psychotic ladyfriends, Canadian threesomes, and the proper use of a dildo.
Danny Kroha’s blues-punk odyssey comes full circle
Danny Kroha looks like nothing so much as a giant bird. He’s got the fast-paced strut down, the angular features, the compact and wiry frame, the particular way he holds his head to one side while listening. And it doesn’t hurt that he preens so well. On a brisk Friday afternoon in January, Kroha’s sporting…
A selection of restaurants, taverns, and bars for all your Super Bowl needs
Bogart’z 17441 Mack Ave., Detroit; 313-885-3995: Owner Jason VanBiervliet tells us he’s ready to unload a year’s worth of swag from the beer and liquor companies, with giveaways including T-shirts, beer koozies, key chains, maybe even a gift certificate. Expect $3 Jack Fires, $3 select craft beers, $4 Bacardi Oak Heart drinks, $2.50 Bud Lights…
‘Mr. Turner’ is a master stroke
Mr. Turner: A- Timothy Spall is in good company. Along with Tom Hardy (Locke), Ralph Fiennes (The Grand Budapest Hotel), David Oyelowo (Selma), and Jake Gyllenhaal (Nightcrawler), he rounds out the list of five actors who should have been nominated for an Oscar this year but were overlooked. While the official nominees all turned in…
Détroit is the New Black is our latest city pride T-shirt
Hand-painted signs with the name “Ima” and an arrow guide shoppers around the corner from the G.R. N’Namdi Gallery to this new store, which properly opened a couple weeks ago. Named after gallery owner George N’Namdi’s mother, the store functions both as a gift shop and a high-end fashion boutique. Anchoring the space is clothing…
All Dolled Up: Roslyn Karamoko breaks down her ‘classic meets street’ style
Roslyn Karamoko describes her style as “if Chanel was black in 2015” — a bit androgynous, a bit street, and a bit classic, with an emphasis on black and white. “That’s my aesthetic, classic meets contemporary, or classic meets street,” she says, mixing and matching high and low to make outfits that work in real…
‘Street Art Throwdown’ attempts to take graffiti culture to the masses
Let’s get this out of the way up front — graffiti culture long ago made the leap from the streets and into the mainstream. Today, it’s commonplace for art galleries to feature street art-inspired exhibitions, figures like Shepard Fairey and Banksy have gone from being regarded as vandals to being fine artists, and, somewhere, you…
Ask a Juggalo: Have Juggalos ever been involved in raising funds for charity?
Q: Have Juggalos ever been involved in raising funds for charity? A: Oh yeah, by all means. Way back. The clowns have always been really good about giving. ICP has always had different collections and giving a certain amount of soup, a canned item, to food drives. They’ve always had all kinds of different events…
