Control freaks
Few bands sound so gloriously in control of sounding out of control as Chicago’s Puta-pons. On this whiplash crash of a frenetically paced debut, the trio plays a punk-rock ruckus that practically shakes itself apart from sheer velocity alone. Herky-jerky instruments skitter and skid in circles while two vocalists play a tense ’n’ taut game…
Third Place, color
Matthew Taplinger, Berkley…
Different than it ever was
I don’t get it. What’s different? Oh, that’s right, it’s the logo. It’s too bad actually. The old one looked so New Wave-kid-in-the-corner. The latest logo font for the New Art Examiner May-June 2001 issue seems so boring. It spans the top of the cover much like you’d assume all caps block text would. But…
Uncontrollable chills
The four young chums from Coldplay turn up the AC as they headline the State Theatre in their first Detroit appearance.
Deep flow
Undercurrents, the third novel by French fiction sensation Marie Darrieussecq, is a breathtaking performance of withdrawal from the maddening crowd and its dizzying chatter. Without fanfare, without as much as one explanatory thread, the young author abducts her protagonist (a mother and child dyad) from the capital, hubby and the rest of the bourgeois cocoon…
Why Highland Park matters
Sadly, there are people in the suburbs who know next to nothing about Highland Park, the womb of 15 million Model T Fords, and where the city we think of as Detroit was invented.
Labor of love
This isn’t just a commercial enterprise — “It’s a labor of love,” says Stanley Grot, the Polish-American Cultural Center’s president. You can get most of your Polish favorites here, beginning with czarnina (duck) soup, which alternates with flaczki (tripe) every other Friday. Pierogi come in potato, cheese or kraut (five for $5.75). Kielbasa is tasty…
In gratitude
Thanks be to Carl Craig for the DEMF. People believe in Carl Craig like they believe in the dream of techno, and Mayor Archer made it official (read the full text of the proclamation here).
What’s the Worst That Could Happen?
What’s the worst that could happen when cat burglar Martin Lawrence and bankrupt corporate raider Danny DeVito get into a pissing match centering on a tacky ring? A nutty assortment of zany thieves, scorned women, and crooked movers and shakers wind up dumped out into a romantic comedy plot. Too bad it has more absurd…
Techno coup d’etat
What is the DEMF in our future?…
Chuck aid
Fans and friends rally to help death-metal hero Chuck Schuldiner with horrific medical bills…
Looking closer
Don DeLillo’s magnum opuses–Underworld, Mao II–rank as exemplars of modernist derring-do and postmodern retooling. With their photographic depictions and complex but wonderfully controlled narrative arcs, DeLillo’s novels fall firmly within the literary tradition of, say, James Joyce or William Gaddis. But DeLillo’s inclusion of nonfictional characters, his propensity for entangled, plangent plot strains, and his…
Pot plan
How a lifelong Republican took up the mantle of weed….
New blues
Documentay chronicles the people of the Fillmore district, hitting close to home in the process…
Free will astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): You’re often at your most attractive when you’re expressing your warriorlike qualities. Unfortunately, you’ve still got a lot to learn about the art of selecting worthy opponents. So while you may be beautiful when you’re mad, your fights don’t always lead to the kind of intriguing success you can build on.…
Animal husbandry: an interview
An interview with The Animal‘s director, Luke Greenfield, who was challenged to find a tasteful way to portray bestiality.
Never mind
Nature rears its ugly head, postponing Ann Arbor’s “Change Your Mind Day”…
Meet Mr. Bendy
Q: My penis has bent to the left since I was 14. Before this my penis was straight when erect. I do not remember doing anything to cause any damage. Now in my 30s, I am greatly bothered by this problem. I am still a virgin and deeply want to have my first sexual experience…
Ear & eye candy
Jack White kicks off a weeklong White Stripes-a-thon in the Garden Bowl lounge … Cranbrook hosts “Fabulous Friday Nights” with art, music and film … & a few thoughts about the DEMF.
Fair fraud?
The State Attorney General’s office steps in to question the city’s fairgrounds deal…
Local boy gone evil
Bruce Campbell’s rise from Evil Dead to the top of the "B"s….
Kylleen’s case
The Kylleen Hargrave-Thomas case is reopened, and is receiving national attention…
Letters to the Editor
A family’s thanks I am the niece of Kylleen Hargrave-Thomas, and am writing to thank you for your well-thought out and researched article on her case ("Hanging by a nail, MT, April 25-May 1). There have been other articles and promises of other articles and news stories that have been written on this case. None…
Weigh in
Last chance to speak out against toxic waste incinerator to be built in Detroit’s poor, southwest side…
Captured by light
Framing slices of space and time for the 19th annual Metro Times Photo Contest and Exhibition….
Letter of the law
Are the Detroit police withholding requested records? (Say it ain’t so, Benny!)
First Place, black and white
Abdolreza Aminlari, Rochester…
Strapped To A Rocket
Soaking within searing guitar strains and sweating-inside, scratchy security blanket vocals, the sincere lads who make up Lincoln Park’s Strapped to a Rocket know how to take control of a room, whether they’re attacking with a punk wail or enticing with muted emotion. A sincere dedication to quality shines through everything they do, from give-it-your-all…
Second Place, black and white
Kimberly Max, Bloomfield Hills…
Who stole the soul back?
First things first: I used to beat the skins for the above-mentioned outfit. But that was a long time and many diaper changes (on my son, not me, sicko!) ago. Now, whether that gives me the inside track or puts me smack dab in the middle of a conflict of interest, I’ll leave to the…
Third Place, black and white
Larry Carter, Detroit…
Pass the tissue
Collapsing inside the ebb and flow of a Joe Henry composition is validation enough. But we’ll take a moment to humor those who require more backing to proclaim this former Michigander one of the best songwriters working today. Born in 1960, he spent the first five years of his life in North Carolina. His family…
First Place, color
Amy Ronelle Cramer, Rochester Hills…
Keep the day job
For the record, I employ a very basic method when reviewing albums. It’s called a “football season” method, where an artist is likened to a football team. The number of songs on the artist’s CD is the number of games in his or her season. A well-liked song is a game won. If it sucks,…
Second Place, color
Jeffree Paul St. John, Plymouth…
