Magic scan
A pocket-sized forget-me-not.
Dated and desparate
One of the distinct pleasures of the original “Rocky and Bullwinkle” — the defiantly crude animated television series with its own loopy charm — was the way creator Jay Ward made the show itself part of his satirical realm. That self-referencing brand of humor has become routine in our cut-and-paste, post-everything, media-saturated world, so when…
A colorful fight
It ain’t easy being green, but it’s a whole lot easier being a talking frog than it’s going to be as presidential nominee …
Sonic tonic
A digital pulse will soon be throbbing at New Med, three doors down from Bittersweet Coffee House.
Dance party fantasy
“Hey there, SpaceCats. Ulala here, comin’ at you from Space Channel 9. Tonight I’m investigating reports that aliens have invaded and are forcing people to dance.” So, like a futuristic hipster, you take control of rising star Ulala in an attempt to save groove-crazed hostages — and the fate of all the space channels on…
Don’t count Sharon out
Why you should vote for Sharon McPhail for Wayne County prosecutor; and why you shouldn’t vote for Mike Duggan.
Lucid flashes
The Church of Today opens a new gallery-bookstore-cafe.
Reflex-ions
Philip Glass has a horde of slavish devotees, but even his fiercest admirers must be at long last tiring of his same old song. Glass’ contemporaries, John Adams and Steve Reich, broke out of the minimalist straitjacket and went on to compose more challenging works. Glass, however, shows little growth as a composer; there is…
Sing along with Julie
You haven’t lived until you’ve been in an old packed-to-the-rafters cinema and heard a choir of boozy British freaks sing along to The Sound of Music.
Love you (not)
The gay community’s love-hate relationship with Eminem.
Info-highway vamps
If you don’t know what simulacral warfare is — or if you’ve ever questioned whether cultural resistance to capitalism is possible in an age of global branding — you need Mute. Forget Fast Company, Wired magazine and their countless imitators. Mute is the accelerated antidote to the belief that resistance is futile. And it’s built…
Adamany, adieu
Bidding adieu to Detroit Public Schools CEO David Adamany.
Done to a turn
Perfectly grilled, smoky ribs fallin’ off the bone … stop by Bert’s at Eastern Market and watch these first-prize slabs being prepared.
Butterfly
For all the complaining indie film lovers do about the drought of substantive movies during the summer and the massive onslaught of plotless action flicks, films such as Butterfly will drive you out of the art house and into the multiplex cinema. It’s painful to say, but true. For all its well-intentioned sensitivity and beautiful…
Beyond the beat
In divided Detroit, the Concert of Colors festival brings all kinds of ethnic groups together to celebrate world music and culture.
Another fine mess I can get myself into
Screamin’ Mitch is back with yet another scene report, this time shoutin’ the praises of Sonic Boom, MT’s upcoming two-day extravaganza showcasing 80 exquisite Detroit musical acts.
Elemental smack-down
Wolfgang Petersen’s cinematic re-creation of “the storm of the century” in the North Atlantic may not cause actual seasickness, but there is the distinct feeling of being trapped in the midst of a watery hell. That no one gives up — from terrified passengers to a cocky Coast Guard rescue squad to the determined but…
Cutting drug prices and saving lives
I often thought my cat Sobo had the best drug coverage available – my wallet. But little did I know how much better off pets are than humans when they need prescription drugs. There is a health crisis sweeping this country – the soaring prices of prescription drugs. Drug prices are rising twice as fast…
Misshapen identity
Recently signed to a Hollywood label, local foursome Elephant Gerald slides between a few old genres into something sexy.
Splintered and spacey
Jesus’ Son, directed by Alison Maclean and adapted from a collection of interrelated short stories by Denis Johnson, has the kind of splintered and spacey narrative one might expect from a character named Fuckhead. As played by Billy Crudup, Fuckhead is a sweetly innocent young man drifting through a blighted early-’70s Midwestern subculture of losers,…
Judge not
Two federal judges based in Michigan didn’t report freebie seminars.
Licensed to ill
An MT Web exclusive: His recent legal troubles have kept him in the headlines … Eminem has our attention, but what’s he going to do with it?
Striking back
Union-bashing News journalist nominated for prestigious position.
Bio ethics
James Dickey, Henry Hart, and the problem with modern biography….
Needing help… Going to jail
Children who need psychiatric care are routinely being funneled into jail cells instead of mental health treatment facilities. Why? Here’s one boy’s story.
Jumpstart hipsters
These three cool cats who met in the summer of 1997 stay true to a slick, traditional rockabilly sound that fares well with strict swing dancers and head-bobbing hipsters alike. The 1950s rock roots formula is the inspiration behind the Lazy Crazies, apparent by their echoey surf/rock/swing sound to their shiny pompadours to their nostalgic…
Post-industrial deluxe
Setting a new architectural standard, the Southwest Detroit Business Association has used industrial scraps for a one-of-a-kind look in its renovated office building.
Roll your own entrée
Thuy Trang offers a long menu of terrific, refreshing Vietnamese food in a strip-mall setting. No one speaks much English and the menu is cryptic at best, but the food is worth it. Especially check out the drinks, from pineapple shakes to a bean curd drink.
Flares, fairs and farewells
Checking out the Freedom Festival fireworks with a bunch of kooky club kids … Ypsilanti’s Cross Street Station forced to close its doors … & more.
For Junior
Deep Detroit is easily one of the best local blues releases to come out this year, and it just might wind up at the top of the heap when all is said and done. It’s not just the rawboned, stripped-down quality of the songs that makes this effort stand out; it’s the feel. At the…
Grand cycles
Finally, an “affordable” BMW.
Electronic smarts
Trance once meant something quite different than it does today. Only a few years ago, “trance” was the “schizophrenia” of electronic music – a word that was used to categorize when variations were considered too case-specific to warrant another name. Trance was the chilled-out, beat-centered electronic music that you listened to while drinking coffee and…
Cereal killer
Play the sports trivia game of champions.
Combo mondo
Yes, it’s chamber music, but with slightly jarring harmonies and an incredibly odd aesthetic, a result rising out of mixing flavors of musical genres and ethnicities. The rudiments of Tin Hat are relatively unspectacular, with Carla Kihlstedt on violin and viola; Mark Orton on guitar, dobro and banjo; and Rob Burger on accordion, piano, harmonica…
Box of smoke
Whether you’re smokin’ or tokin’, you need a stash box.
Da news
Since the release of their debut, 1997’s widely popular “J5 EP,” these six (like their Detroit peers Dirty Dozen, the numbers don’t match the name) LA residents have been in danger of being pigeonholed as an “old-school” group. The way they re-create the early-’80s wild style is admirable, but are they just a hip-hop version…
Deep Freud comics
Alternative psychotherapy for those with visual fixations.
Harrrd
Stoner rock. Is it a real phenomenon or just a figment of some writer’s imagination? This heavy, guitar-driven music can be ponderous, coarse, intense, depressive, aggressive and even violent at times, and the latest generation of stoners all seem to reference the now-defunct Kyuss as pioneers of their particular scene. While that protostoner band is…
