Overcoming inequity
The Detroit City Council says African-Americans are the city’s “majority underserved population.” In other words, black Detroiters don’t have an economic stake in this city that reflects the fact that they make up 81.6 percent of the population, according to the 2000 Census. To help remedy the imbalance, the council has hired Dr. Claud Anderson,…
A spy thriller for the age of terror.
There’s an unforgettable scene near the end of The Whistle Blower, the 1986 movie starring Michael Caine as a British father searching for the spy who murdered his son. At a funeral set in rural England, Caine weeps with rage and frustration that his efforts to discover the truth will come to nothing. He’s realized…
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Do you ever feel an urge to kiss trees? Do animals sometimes talk to you? Do you have a special fascination with chocolate roosters, statues of pro wrestlers and conspiracy theories? Have you ever fantasized of being a transsexual spy? If you answered yes to two or more of these questions,…
Blunting the wedge
It was a delightfully quirky place to talk about matrimony. Inside Q, Ferndale’s cavernous gay nightspot, the Affirmations Lesbian and Gay Community Center sponsored a discussion of the gay marriage debate. Due to the exceptional turnout, the organizers made a last-minute decision to relocate the talk from their offices to the commodious nightclub. Hundreds gathered…
America’s Sweetheart
(This is pathetic.) Man, she’s looking good these days. There was I, picturing her in my mind’s eye like that infamous shot of Jason Stollsteimer all beaten up and purple-stain bruised, but no. Long, shapely legs enclosed in sheer stockings; firm voluptuous breasts; ruby-red lips; smoldering long-lashed eyes … oh wait. It’s a drawing. (This…
Jawbone’s disease
In the world of Detroit blues-based rock ’n’ roll, where for years bands have done the bump-and-grind with little more than trash-toned guitars and just-the-facts beats, it was bound to come down to something as minimal as Jawbone. He’s one man, one band with one record in his hand, who’s already squawked loud enough to…
Music for abandoned buildings
Hey, you What did I see On a steamy morning after-haze? Hey, me What did you hear As we slowly chipped the ice away it’s clear? So begins the first chorus to the first song on the Brakemen’s first record, with Jon Milan’s ragged questions over an appropriately tattered setting of hard-strummed acoustic…
Twisted
There was a time, not so terribly long ago, when crime thrillers were actually thrilling. Films, such as Basic Instinct, were gripping from start to finish. Apparently, not anymore. Twisted does a reasonable job of building suspense, but then the story collapses into a heap at the end when a killer is revealed, and there’s…
People’s champion
Not to stereotype anyone, but Amery “Big Herk” Dennard looks like he would beat yo’ ass. He’s big, and wide. Somewhere in the range of 200-230 pounds, he stands about 5 feet 10 inches, with dark skin, a gruff beard, and small round eyes. Not to pound similes into the ground, but he looks like…
The Vinyl Monologues
With the steady flow of hype over male DJs that inundates magazines, airwaves, and record store shelves, the women who are the backbone of BPM culture are often overshadowed by the fluff and puff of lesser club chick-type DJs who get gigs just because they’re hot in that mall trash, fake boobie kinda way. But…
My Architect
My Architect is a documentary about a son’s search for meaning in his famous father’s life, a father whose creative bravado and revolutionary impact on the science and art of architecture was matched only by his selfish and manipulative treatment of those nearest to him. Aficionados of architectural history will find this documentary a worthwhile…
Artful play
It’s a rare and somewhat beautiful sight to see people chuckling at an art exhibit. At the Elaine L. Jacob Gallery one might find oneself unwittingly grinning upon discovering a pink doll holding a smaller pink doll dubbed, “My husband is so small people think he’s my baby.” In the touring exhibition of videos, dolls,…
Snapshots
For this year’s Blowout we received more than 400 entries. That’s right, 400. That means that, we’re sad to say, 200 artists and bands couldn’t even get in. And not because they weren’t worthy; rather, there just weren’t enough time slots available. Be that as it may, here are a few snapshots of some of…
Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen
Confessions is the bubbly, pink-hued tale of Lola (Lindsey Lohan) and her depression that her earth-mother mom (Glenn Headly) has decided to move the family to a small town in New Jersey from the New York City apartment she was so in love with. Lola is also madly in love with a rocker and desperately…
Night&Day Center
3 & 4 WED & THU • MUSIC Dub is a Weapon — The Village Voice describes Dub is a Weapon as "Drum and bass coming so hard and dangerous you can see the competition’s bloodstains." Combining the trippy atmospheric sounds of Dub and the roots rhythms of reggae music, this eclectic NYC group’s recent…
Modern medleys
Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. was born in 1869 in Chicago, the son of a German immigrant. Even as a young child, he showed a keen wit, creative promise and a knack for promotions; as a kid he sold his peers tickets to see “invisible fish” which as it turned out, was simply a bowl of water.…
How to Draw a Bunny
Ray Johnson was a collagist, performance artist, enigmatic iconoclast, and this documentary chronicles his bizarre, inscrutable and insanely influential existence as well as his sad yet truly inspired suicide in Sag Harbor, N.Y., in 1995. Johnson produced thousands of collages and humorous and beyond-dada "nothings" (dropping hot dogs out of a helicopter was a famous…
Corktown’s new gallery
In a 100-year-old converted department store on the edge of Corktown, dim lighting reveals a dizzying wonderland. Huge canvases painted in brilliant reds, blues and greens line the walls to the ceiling. A full-sized trampoline sits next to a kiddie pool, filled with water. A makeshift sandbox lies near a desk of shuffled papers. Izzy’s…
Bulldog’s teeth
It’s a Saturday afternoon in Ferndale and the men of Bulldog are sitting around drinking beer, smoking cigarettes and weed, and adding lively commentary to DVD footage of performances culled from the Old Grey Whistle Test. They’re in the living room of the house owned by pedal steel player Pete Ballard. The band — Ballard,…
Gore for Christians
If you can deal with a dozen white guys speaking in subtitled Afro-Asiatic languages, and a serious dose of violence, this film is tenable. Mel Gibson’s dramatization of the last 12 hours of Christ’s life is seemingly endless brutality with occasional flashbacks. The excessive and graphic violence can’t be characterized as gratuitous, since, after all,…
Dead can sing
To the best of our knowledge, you are now reading the first music-event preview ever to involve contacting the Wayne County Medical Examiner’s office. Or any medical examiner, for that manner. Composer Steve Jones’ Forgotten: The Murder at the Ford Rouge Plant may or may not become a hit, though it’s getting a substantial production…
N&D Center
3 & 4 WED & THU • MUSIC Dub is a Weapon — The Village Voice describes Dub is a Weapon as “Drum and bass coming so hard and dangerous you can see the competition’s bloodstains.” Combining the trippy atmospheric sounds of Dub and the roots rhythms of reggae music, this eclectic NYC group’s recent…
Much ado about “I do”
Q: I know you don’t want to hear this, Dan, but marriage is about babies. By supporting the baby industry — i.e., hetero baby producers — our government keeps the country populated. Gay people can’t reproduce, even if they can raise other hetero people’s kids (adoption) or use other people’s sperm (artificial insemination). But never…
Setting the stage
Katy Monthai likes to get her hands dirty. As a senior scenic design student at Wayne State University, she does everything from painting to sewing, from carpentry to welding. But these days, it’s another talent that’s earning her recognition: artistic sensibility. Last month the United States Institute for Theatre Technology awarded Monthai the W. Oren…
Cleveland rocks!
Hulking, rusting, massive, magical constructions made of iron and steel seduce you as you motor through the center of one of the greatest metal-machine cities the world has ever known. This brooding mass of factories and mills seems almost certain to profoundly affect the humans who interact with it, if only in passing glances from…
Blowout 2004
Robert Gorell The Vinyl Monologues Detroit’s DJ divas tell it like it is, honey. Brian Smith Bulldog’s teeth Seasoned musicians gel into a genuine rock force. Nate Cavalieri Music for abandoned buildings The Brakemen craft songs about fading Americana. Khary Kimani Turner People’s champion Esteemed Motor City rapper Big Herk probes shut-off notices, roaches and…
What are we missing?
Detroiters don’t get modern art. Residents of the metropolis don’t go to museums and galleries, generally speaking. And they certainly don’t buy art, as a general rule. It’s the case across most of America, except in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and a handful of other major cities. Detroiters suffer artistic apathy. At least…
Letters to the Editor
Thanks from the Does Re: “Teacher’s Pets” (Metro Times, Feb. 18). This is “Sally Doe,” Jane Doe’s mother. Thank you for exposing the Roseville School District and that nasty old man for all their inappropriate behaviors and their disregard for the public safety of the children they were to protect and teach. I thank God…
Head Games
Head Games March 6 to April 17 Revolution Art Gallery It can be disturbing to see a 13-year-old girl dressed up like Britney Spears, with tight, low-cut jeans, tight shirts, makeup and jewelry. It’s just sad. Aren’t little girls supposed to be collecting bugs from under rocks, playing sports and sending notes in class to…
Detroit’s state of madness
Once upon a time, the United States of America was in even worse shape, on paper at any rate, than Detroit is today. Unemployment was spiraling out of control; the people were desperate, the housing stock rotting and increasingly abandoned. They called that the Great Depression. Violence and crime were increasing, and there was a…
The Sirens of Vicious, Delicious and Ambitious
The Sirens of Vicious, Delicious and Ambitious March 6 to March 29 CPOP Gallery “What is Lowbrow art?” one might ask. Why, it’s what’s for dinner at CPOP Gallery. Yes, it’s art that’s maligned and sneered at by more refined artists and curators. Yes, Lowbrow is often cuter, sexier and raunchier than “fine art.” It’s…
Dissed & pissed
Some shit hit the fan last Thursday night at Detroit’s South Rademacher Recreation Center. The dustup came during a public hearing convened by Councilman Ken Cockrel Jr., who wanted to shed light on a controversial proposal to turn sewage sludge from the city’s wastewater treatment plant into fertilizer. At this point, there are more questions…
Dressed to kilt
Nothing warms the heart like the sight of a man in a kilt delivering ice in the middle of winter. Who is this man? Why does he wear a kilt? Does he participate in the Highland Games? Kevin Tulppo answers these and other probing questions. MT: Why do you wear a kilt? Tulppo: The…
Closed cop shop
Can the City of Taylor keep the press from accessing documents in an excessive-force lawsuit filed against it and its police officers? So far, the answer is “yes.” In 2002, Tina Hayes sued Taylor and several officers, alleging brutality, false arrest and other illegal acts. Last summer she asked the city to turn over citizen…
Perfect skin
Four months ago, I was prepared, willing and able to go to Europe and spend a week on tour with the Von Bondies, to do a comprehensive, 6,000-word profile of the band.
Watchin’ the money
News Hits has concluded that, when it comes to politics, money is a lot like water. Laws can be created to reduce the corrupting and disproportionate influence those with deep pockets have on the process, but cash still has a way of finding its way into the hands of politicians. It’s like trying to dam…
A long strange trip
The food and drinks are American classics, formulaic but entirely edible. Lots of things are fried, everything is well-prepared, nothing pushes the envelope. Portions are generous.
