Third Man Records Reissues White Stripes ‘Elephant’ singles
It’s hard to believe that last year was the 10 year anniversary of the White Stripes’ landmark Elephant. Elton John declared it the best rock ‘n’ roll album since Nirvana’s Nevermind, and the Stripes had their first bona fide smash as soon as the instantly iconic bassline for “Seven Nation Army” hit alt radio. Jack…
RIP Gary Grimshaw
We’re saddened to learn that Gary Grimshaw, the poster artist best known for his work during the Grande Ballroom era and White Panther Minister of Arts, died at noon on Monday, January 13, having been in ill health for many years. Grimshaw’s work became synonymous with 1960s Detroit rock ’n’ roll and, in the years…
Detroiters Flock to Mariner Park for Annual Christmas Tree Burn
Dozens of Detroiters flocked to Mariner Park on Saturday for one of the hottest (and we mean this literally) post-Christmas traditions around: The 2014 Detroit Christmas Tree Burn. Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last 30-some years, you know this event takes place every January and offers folks the chance to spread…
This Video of a Toddler at Detroit Metro Airport Is the Most Adorable Thing You’ll Watch All Day
This video of a toddler stranded with his parents at Detroit Metro Airport during last week’s snowstorm will make your heart melt (plus, the tyke’s a straight-up badass for running the wrong day down a moving walkway). Please watch it now, with your sound on.
The Luck You Got: A ‘Shameless’ Season Premiere Recap
On Sunday night (January 12), Shameless returned to Showtime. Now into its fourth season, isn’t it about time people quit with the “The English version is better” diatribes and just allowed themselves to enjoy this show for what it is? Maybe in time we’ll talk about a tired, dreadful Shameless in much the same way…
Rochelle Riley Wrong on Weed
One of the problems with media coverage of the War on Drugs is that a lot of media people are clueless about the very issue they are reporting on. Take yesterday’s editorial from Rochelle Riley, shaming George Cushingberry Jr. for having a car that police said smelled strongly of marijuana. Riley goes on record in the…
Listening to: YUM and Lost Boys
YUM let you know what you’re in for, with those opening 20 seconds of “Shotgun…” Growling, atonal guitars over fitful drum chops, storming into a dragrace-tempo and a beer-gargled guitar riff. Pretty tough sounding stuff. I mean, even that opening jam’s title evokes eruptive (and potentially destructive) nature inherent to this local duo’s particularly harder-bluesier-punkier…
The Beggars Will Bring a New Album This Spring
Well, maybe early summer. But, rest assured local rock fans – one of our most formidable live acts, a collective of showy sultans of exuberant rock n’ roll (…the band that took up the call to bring the “Party To The People”) is finishing up their next album (…tentatively self-titled) for a late May or…
Canton Woman to be Sentenced for Putting Bleach in Husband’s Eye Drops
They say love is blind, but earlier this year one Canton, Mich., woman took that adage to a whole new level when she purposely put bleach in her husband’s eye drops in retaliation for a marital dispute. Today, Kristy Ryan McDermed is being sentenced for a misdemeanor charge of domestic violence. The 35-year-old could face…
Another Detroit solution – hit the lights
Following Michael Jackman’s blog last week lambasting P.J. O’Rourke for his “How to Save Detroit” article, my own mom, visiting from the UK, offered a tip. Driving to a restaurant on Friday night (January 10), mom said, “It’s no wonder Detroit’s in trouble – look how many Christmas lights are still on.” She’s kinda right…
Listening to: Air India
Air India’s debut E.P. is never one thing or the other. It’s not overtly one genre or some other ostentatious experimentation. Secret Machine EP It’s the sound of full collaboration – where each element gets space to shine upon the stage of a song that is balanced in its craft – Nothing outshines anything. You…
Listening to: Doc Illingsworth’s ‘Flakes’
It’s Winter Time. We just survived the Polar Vortex. How did you spend the time, being snowed-in? Doc Illingsworth made another album. Illingsworth usually goes 60–40 on his releases, trading off his rapper/lyricist side for his instrumental-inclined producer-side. (Think: those psychedelic, yet groovy jazz trips that Yesterday’s New Quintet or…
Auto Show Protest Planned For Sunday
As the media whirlwind surrounding the North American International Auto Show gears up in advance of the show next week, the Autoworker Caravan is holding its fifth annual protest in front of COBO Center on Sunday, Jan. 12. From a press release: We choose the day before “media week” because reporters are here from around the…
Cadillac Offers Free Escalade Taxi Service During Detroit Auto Show
Need a lift during the Detroit International North American Auto Show next week? There’s an app for that. Cadillac is partnering up with the taxi app Uber to give free rides around town in the 2014 Escalade. According to a press release: To request a ride in a 2014 Cadillac, users should open the Uber smartphone…
Getting Detroit Wrong … Again
Typical view of Manhattan’s undeveloped properties, an eyesore that cries out for radical solutions. It seems everybody knows how to fix Detroit. That’s because everybody knows the facts about Detroit. Except when they don’t. Take this little piece of batshittery by right-wing windbag P.J. O’Rourke. It’s called “How to Save Detroit,” and it appeared in…
Cushingberry Wins at Facebook, Poetry
You’ve got to love Detroit council member George Cushingberry’s (or his handler’s) Facebook response to getting pulled over. Depending on who you ask, Cushingberry was either unfairly profiled or caught driving with an open bottle and marijuana in his car (his passenger uses medicinal marijuana). Still, a Facebook status update like “We never saw…
Drink Me: Ginger and Clementine Hot Toddie
The best way to weather a Polar Vortex, we’re finding out, is with a nice, warm beverage — and preferably a boozy one. Jon Dones, one half of DJ duo Haute to Death, shared this recipe with us for a delicious Ginger and Clementine Hot Toddie which should help pass these cold winter nights. “Combine…
VIDEO: Watch A Guy Snowmobile Down I-94 During the Detroit Blizzard
If you haven’t heard, there was a blizzard in Detroit this week. While the rest of us were bunkered down, binging on Netflix, one young fellow chose to brave the elements and take on I-94 in his snowmobile. Here’s some footage of his chilly jaunt, courtesy of YouTube.
Cushingberry’s Wild Ride
Watching the George Cushingberry traffic stop reverberate through the media and social networking this morning is an illuminating experience. Nothing stirs the pot of Detroit politics like a public official giving traffic cops the business (see also: Christine “Do you know who the fuck I am?” Beatty). According to the Detroit Free Press, Cushingberry, 61, said…
Lunchtime Links: Detroit parking garage transformed into art project, Canada’s former defense minister says aliens exist and more
1) The parking garage featured above is the “The Z,” now unveiled to the public. The efforts of the Library Street Collective, the Z features murals from artists from all around the world like Maya Hayuk, Interesni Kazki, Cyrcle, Sam Friedman, Augustine Kofie and more. Looks pretty snazzy, huh? (Hi Fructose) 2) “While the media seems to…
12th Man Report: The demise of Jim Schwartz
And the Death of a Salesman… Lions head coach Jim Schwartz arrived in Detroit in 2009 following the tumultuous, loss-riddled era of general manager Matt Millen. Schwartz was young and fiery and full of promise, but also inexperienced — he’d never been a NFL head coach. A day after the final game of this disappointing…
City Slang: Second Annual Birthday Party
On Friday, January 17, the New Way Bar in Ferndale will host the Second Annual Birthday Party, with White Shag and Michael Turner on the bill. According to White Shag, “The Birthday Show tradition began in 2013 as a way for White Shag to celebrate their own births, but it was expanded to include everyone…
Iggy Pop Tours the East Village in 1993
Ah, the East Village. I remember it well. I moved there in 1991, to an apartment on Seventh Street between avenues B and C. Back then, the East Village was “edgy,” but Alphabet City was over the edge. Two buildings over, one tenement was a shell. Across the street was a squat where the anarchists…
Leadership Changes at Detroit Metro Times
Jan. 9, 2014, DETROIT — Euclid Media Group, the new owners of Detroit Metro Times, have announced a change in management at the 34-year-old alternative newsweekly. Editor Bryan Gottlieb, who was hired in February 2013, will leave the position, which will be temporarily filled by Interim Editor Vince Grzegorek, who is the editor of Cleveland…
Chembo Corniel at the Jazz Cafe
On Friday, January 31 and Saturday, February 1, the Jazz Café in Detroit will host returning Grammy-nominated Latin percussionist Chembo Corniel, who will be promoting his new album, Afro Blue Monk. A press release states, “This 2012 release features special invited guest 2012 NEA Jazz Master Award recipient Jimmy Owens on trumpet, the vocal stylings…
Dave Pounder’s Book Panned
Upon reading Dave Pounders’ new book, Obscene Thoughts, it made me want to do just that — pound my head against the wall. Although he does make some interesting statements, with easy-to-understand analogies, this book pissed me off. When it comes to objectifying women, Pounder hasn’t just crossed a line, he’s ejaculated all over it.…
Bill Rauhauser named 2014 Kresge Eminent Artist
Bill Rauhauser News comes to us today that the Kresge Arts in Detroit Advisory Council has named the iconic Detroit photographer and educator Bill Rauhauser as this year’s Kresge Eminent Artist. The 95-year-old receives the honor and a $50,000 prize that comes with it. MT readers may recall that Rauhauser was the subject of…
City Slang: Satori Circus celebrates silver anniversary
Detroit’s favorite clown outside of ICP, Satori Circus, will celebrate his 25th anniversary on Friday, January 24 with a performance art piece called “63 Mins (Of Random Balance)” at the Detroit Institute of Arts. “‘63 Mins (of Random Balance)’ is an entirely new performance piece, with all original words and music. Unlike SATORI CIRCUS’ performances…
Craig Fahle Discuss Zines With MT
MT’s Michael Jackman was on the Craig Fahle Show to discuss this week’s cover story on zines and an art exhibit dedicated to them, titled In Print. In Print opens 6-9 p.m. Friday, Jan. 10, at Work: Detroit, 3663 Woodward Ave., Detroit. The exhibit appears until Feb. 28. Listen to the segment below.
City Slang: ICP vs. FBI
The Insane Clown Posse has filed a lawsuit, alongside the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan, against the FBI in response to that organization classifying the groups fans, or Juggalos, a “loosely organized hybrid gang.” The announcement was made during a press conference at the ACLU in Detroit on Wednesday morning. In attendance at the…
City Slang: This weekend at Trinosophes
On Friday, January 10, Trinosophes hosts the Kenn Thomas Quartet with Skeeter Shelton, Kurt Prisbe and Joel Peterson. Doors are at 7. Suggested cover is $10, but $20 gets you dinner too. They say, “Pianist Kenn Thomas did an early stint in Detroit’s legendary Griot Galaxy and then largely disappeared from the scene for years-…
On Tour: Jay-Z
Musician or businessman? Emcee Jay-Z or Mr. Beyoncé Knowles? It’s probably fair to say that he’s all of the above — and more. To some, Jay-Z is about as interesting as a Lions game when there’s no hope of the playoffs, but his success is undeniable; some publications even rank him as one of the…
Film Review: Lone Survivor
Lone Survivor | C+ The fetishizing of warriors is nothing new in American cinema. We like our heroes super-sized, bursting with uncommon bravery and patriotic pride. Movies like Saving Private Ryan, The Kingdom, the GI Joe franchise and Pearl Harbor (which made $200 million) feed our reductive need for super-humanism and unambiguous heroism. Gone is…
Film Review: Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones
Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones | D+ Can we finally ditch the “found footage” genre? What was novel 15 years ago with The Blair Witch Project and then revived by the surprise mega-success of the low-budget, high-grossing Paranormal Activity in 2007 has now become an immediate visual shorthand for dopey, low-rent scare tactics. You know…
Considerable Snowfall Makes Considerate Neighbors
I looked out my window a lot the day after New Year’s as snow fell throughout the day. My daughter figured it was a waste of a good snow day, as school was closed for the holidays. Undeterred, she and her friends ventured out to see a movie that afternoon. I was trying to wait…
The Artwork Of Helen Gotlib
Helen Gotlib’s recent large-scale drawings are something of a Rorschach test. Their swirling, two-tone shapes might call any number of things to mind: One person might see a cabbage while another might see a brain. Someone else might see a topographical map. Turns out you really are just looking at a cabbage, though. “I’ve been…
Slow Cooker Starter Kit
Food Thought The Great American Slow Cooker Book: 500 Easy Recipes for Every Day and Every Size Machine Paperback by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough Clarkson Potter, $35 Slow cookers are having a moment right now, and it makes sense. The countertop electric cooker safely simmers soups and stews all day long, taking cheaper cuts of…
Maccabees at Midtown
Maccabees at Midtown 5057 Woodward Ave., Detroit 313-831-9311 maccabeesdetroit.com Handicap accessible; Sandwiches: $8.50-$14 Mains: $13-$23 Hours 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday (brunch all day), 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Wednesday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Thursday, 11 a.m.-midnight Friday-Saturday. Never known for razor-sharp decisiveness, I had an exceptionally hard time making up my mind at Maccabees, because every item on…
What The Hell Is A Polar Vortex?
What the hell is a polar vortex? First off, it certainly isn’t something one would find in hell — unless you’re talking about Hell, Mich., during the first week of January 2014. After getting slammed by more than a foot of snow over the last couple of days, a blast of brutally cold air —…
Detroit City Council Elects New President
The new Detroit City Council elected Councilwoman Brenda Jones its next president Monday by a squeaker after Jones unseated former president Saunteel Jenkins for its top spot by a 5-4 vote. With a majority of council taking their seats for the first time, the vote was never a shoe-in and Jones, who has been one…
Is Government Supposed To Make Life Better?
Once upon a time, a lot of us thought politics — and government — could be used to make life better for people. That’s what Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Dealers thought when they pushed through programs that probably saved capitalism and democracy, programs we’re still using today: Try imagining our country without Social…
The Counter Elites
When the Counter Elites took to the stage at the Rust Belt Market last May, on the opening day of the first-ever Ferndale leg of our Blowout festival, few people knew what to expect. Paul Clos from the band All the Wild Children told this writer that the show was worth sticking around for: They…
City Slang: DSO to pay tribute to Led Zeppelin
On Friday, January 17 and Saturday, January 18, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra will pay tribute to British hard rock legends Led Zeppelin. Brent Havens will be the conductor and Randy Jackson the vocalist. We’re guessing that’s not the Randy Jackson of the Jacksons, or even of America Idol. They say, “The rock. The sound. The…
12th Man Report: SEC finally falls
In last night’s BCS Championship game — the culmination of the NCAA football season between the top-two teams in college football — Florida State took on Auburn. And the final game in the crazy, BCS era didn’t fail to disappoint. It was everything you’d want in a big game: multiple lead changes, trick plays, game-changing…
Letters About ‘Liberal Idiots,’ Richie Havens And More
Oh, the Drama Dear Editor: One only has to observe the psychological manipulation of mudslinging, race-baiting, inciting class warfare and the liberal vs. conservative paradigms to realize that watching all this drama is like watching a soap opera. While this has always — and probably will always be — part and parcel of…
City Slang: Weekly music review roundup
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. Virgil Shepp’s Hey Nah! album arrived at the office in a very homemade CD paper case, stapled together and emblazoned with a wax “V” seal. You’ve got to love that.…
Terra Nullius show opening at BBAC this Friday
An art show is opening this Friday, Jan. 10 at the BBAC. Terra Nullius (Land That Belongs to No One), features work of Janie Paul, Robert Platt, Endi Poskovic, Nancy Thayer and Russell Thayer from the faculty of the University of Michigan Stamps School of Art & Design of Ann Arbor. From a press release: Birmingham,…
Movies For A Polar Vortex
Oh, the weather outside is frightful. But Netflix and Amazon Prime streaming is so delightful. Trapped inside as the cold winter winds whistle by your window? Why not watch some movies where well-coiffed Hollywood stars are nearly as cold as you are… and in a lot worse circumstances. After all, doesn’t it warm your the…
