Cover Story
Detroit’s top 10 urban planning blunders (and 10 successes)
June 1, 2018 will mark 200 years since the death of the Plan of Detroit, Judge Augustus B. Woodward’s street design that gave us Campus Martius and Grand Circus Park. The Michigan Territory began to auction off vacant land north of Adams Avenue in large parcels on that day in 1818, against Judge Woodward’s impassioned…
Just in time for his birthday: 9 things you didn’t know about Bob Seger
Bob Seger turns 74 years old today, so we took a look back on his life and tried to come up with some facts so obscure that even fans of the Detroit rock godhead might not know them. With a tip of the hat to Bob, we celebrate his birthday looking, as he so often…
Some like it hot — Flatbush Zombies will deliver hellish beats to Royal Oak Music Theatre
After Michigan’s horrific winter, a Vacation in Hell sounds pretty good right about now — and hip-hop bad boys Flatbush Zombies are here to stamp your passport. Composed of Beast Coast rappers Meechy Darko, Zombie Juice, and Eric Arc Elliott, Flatbush Zombies follow-up to 2016’s 3001: A Laced Odyssey is flush with menace, mischief, and low-key…
Let the catchy carnage of Speedy Ortiz delight and disturb at El Club
It might seem off-putting to describe music as being dischordent, but grunge outfit Speedy Ortiz manages to marry unsettling arrangements with sinister sincerity — and it’s all catchy as hell. “I make a frown/ I always wear it upside down/ ’Cause life is carnage/ I once was lost, but now I’m floundered,” sings frontwoman Sadie…
Acclaimed ‘Mystic India’ to bring the magic of Bollywood to the historic Redford Theatre
You don’t need your passport to take in the stunning sights of India, thanks to this dazzling Bollywood dance spectacular. Explore ancient India’s transition into modern India and journey to Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Punjab, and Gujarat through stunning custom-designed costumes and sets, all of which have been handmade by a team of 40 crafters that took…
Two eateries and a bar are planned for Detroit’s Woodbridge neighborhood
Three new businesses will join a previously announced store selling bicycles and coffee in a now-vacant building in Detroit’s Woodbridge neighborhood. Crain’s reports that the new ventures include a Japanese izakaya called Katsu Detroit; a cheesecake bakery called Lucki’s Cheesecakes; and a “rock and roll” bar called Lexington Bar. The businesses are planned for an…
Michigan environmentalist on why a proposed potash mine is bad for the state
Early on a weekday afternoon, the lunch rush is coming to an end at the Remus Tavern in Mecosta County, near the crossroads of M-20 and M-66. About 17 miles west of Mount Pleasant, Remus is an unincorporated village smack in the center of Wheatland Township, and 120 miles northwest of Detroit. Several of the…
Sunflower Bean brings its ‘neo-psychedelia for the digital age’ to the Pike Room
With a name like Sunflower Bean, you might expect to hear a cross between granola folk and a gardening podcast. This is not the case for the New York-based indie rock trio. Fronted by vocalist and model Julia Cumming, along with Nick Kivlen (drums) and Jacob Faber (guitar), Sunflower Bean is fresh off its sophomore…
Queen of burlesque Dita Von Teese will seduce the masses at the Fillmore
They say less is more. Such is also true when it comes to the art of the tease, and no one is as well-versed in stripping down as burlesque vixen Dita Von Teese. The porcelain-skinned, feather-fanning queen (and Michigan native) will team up with some of the best in the biz for a seductive evening…
J. Cole is headed to LCA this fall with Young Thug
Leave it to J. Cole to surprise us by dropping some straight fire last month with his album KOD. And though his allegiance to frenemy and off-the-rails Kanye is seemingly unclear, his upcoming tour with Young Thug is worth waiting for. In support of his chart-topping album, J.Cole announced a 34-city tour that kicks off in…
Yet another small child has been shot in Detroit
A 3-year-old boy is in critical condition after a shooting on Detroit’s east side, police say. The circumstances surrounding the shooting are not yet clear. Police say it happened around 10 a.m. on the 5900 block of Marcus Street, between Mount Elliot Street and Detroit’s border with Hamtramck. The child’s parents brought him to the…
Michigan cops sure are thirsty for social media followers
Against a backdrop of increasingly fraught tensions between law enforcement and some communities in recent years, a number of Michigan agencies appear to be willing to do just about anything to be liked — or faved, or double-tapped, or retweeted. The latest: Officers in Shelby Township are promising to do “Carpool Karaoke” if the department’s…
76,000 Detroiters could have driver’s licenses restored early under new program
Detroiters who’ve lost lost their licenses and have yet to restore them due to unpaid Driver Responsibility Fees now have an opportunity to get their licenses back free of charge — but they’ll have to go through some workforce training first. Under a program unveiled today by city officials, Detroit residents can get their licenses…
Divisive chicken fryer Chick-fil-A plans a new metro Detroit restaurant
Chick-fil-A is planing a new location in Allen Park. The Detroit News reports that the chain is proposing a new restaurant that may open in 2019 or 2020. The Allen Park Panning Commission approved the plans last week, though final approval is still needed from the city’s zoning board of appeal. If approved, the store…
Gilda Radner documentary to close out Cinetopia film festival
Tommy Cooper once said that one should “always leave them laughing” — and that’s exactly what fearless comedy legend and Detroit native Gilda Radner did. Directed by Lisa D’Apolito, Love, Gilda offers a rare glimpse into the complicated struggle faced by the woman who brought the likes of Roseanne Roseannadanna to life on the Saturday…
A cup of coffee with Virginia Violet and the Rays
The next few days are going to be busy for Virginia Nastase and Joe Myers. Two years ago, they started their band Virginia Violet and the Rays after a chance meeting at Imperial in Ferndale. Now, after releasing an EP, touring, gigging around Detroit, and writing more music, the band is in the midst of…
Enbridge emerges as Michigan anti-gerrymandering proposal’s latest foe
You can now trace a line from the oil coursing through a precarious pipeline beneath the Straits of Mackinac all the way to an attack on an effort to end gerrymandering in Michigan. In a just-published report, the Detroit Free Press connects the dots between Line 5 owner and operator Enbridge, the Michigan Chamber of…
Nestlé quietly dropped its name from its popsicle line
Here’s something interesting: A close friend passed this photo along to us showing boxes of popsicles on store shelves in Michigan. What’s so interesting about it? It seems to show an update in packaging, from boxes that clearly show the popsicles are a Nestlé product (left) to boxes that do not prominently advertise the product…
More than meets the eye at the upcoming Arab Film Festival
The typical American gets no help understanding the Arab Middle East from the mass media these days. Though the region has many ethnicities, religions, and varying traditions and even cuisines, it is often starkly presented as a monolithic cultural landscape dominated by theocratic conformism that flares into sectarian violence. That’s why we should count ourselves…
Video: Raccoon family invades Michigan home, epic fight to avoid capture ensues
A scene fit for an action movie played out in Sheridan Township this weekend when a family of raccoons fell through the ceiling of a home and the mama raccoon quite literally fought tooth and nail to avoid capture. Luckily, there was a camera rolling to give us a glimpse into the exciting world of…
Detroit auto show organizers consider move to October or June
It’s no secret that Detroit’s North American International Auto Show has lost some of its luster in recent times. This year’s show was scaled down to just 20 product reveals, and some big-name automakers like Jaguar decided to skip the event altogether, with Mercedes-Benz and BMW announcing they will not show up for 2019. Reportedly, organizers…
Man beat up and carjacked for hitting parked car in Detroit
We generally know what to do in the event that someone hits our vehicle. Under normal circumstances, we exchange insurance information with the person or make arrangements for them to pay for the repair. But that logic apparently went out the window Saturday night in Detroit, when a 23-year-old backed into a parked car as…
Video of a Detroit horse cop pulling someone over has gone viral
Technology, tradition, and justice collided in late April, providing an answer to the age-old question: Can horse cops pull people over? The answer is, oh hell yes they can. Officer Brandon Murphy of the Wayne State University Police Department and Detroit Police’s mounted unit was cruising the WSU campus upon his faithful steed Remy when…
The godfathers of hip hop to take the stage at the Wright museum this Friday
A special 50th anniversary performance at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History will feature members of the trailblazing spoken word performance group the Last Poets. Though there are actually several different groups called or known as the Last Poets, they all trace their common heritage to New York in May 1968, where…
This Southwest Detroit taco spot was just named the best in Michigan
After last week’s post about St. Clair Shores’ Travis Coffee Shop, we almost didn’t feel like piggybacking on another Thrillist roundup, especially one that covers all 50 states. But then we saw that it was all about the best taco joints, and once we saw it was Los Altos, we had to share. With so…
Watch Jack White and Stephen Colbert sing extended commercial jingles
Who would have thought that Detroit’s stoic, phone-banning, troubadour was so skilled in the art of playful banter? Abundant proof was in evidence during Jack White’s Friday appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. After a brief chat about White’s latest bizarre AF chart-topping output, Colbert invited the founding White Stripe to flesh out…
Anyway here’s Big Sean giving Snoop Dogg advice about pine cones
This is… adorable. Rapper Snoop Dogg spent the weekend at his friend and Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party co-host Martha Stewart’s farm in Bedford, New York, where he blitzed his Instagram with photos and videos showing off the idyllic scenery — including a souvenir he decided to bring back to California. “I’m a naturistic…
Stormy Daniels will return to Detroit for two performances at Penthouse this month
Nearly a month after porn star-turned-political force Stormy Daniels performed at Detroit’s Truth nightclub, the President Donald Trump’s worst nightmare will return to the Motor City, this time at Penthouse Detroit. According to Penthouse’s Facebook page, Daniels will perform two shows as part of the club’s grand opening on May 14. Her latest tour is in…
Grand Prix coordinators offer consolation prize to Belle Isle goers: Daffodils
The people behind the IndyCar race that turns Belle Isle into a construction site for 20 percent of the year — usually right as the weather starts to break — are trying to make amends with park goers unnerved by the site of concrete barriers and excess fencing. They’ve started construction a week later this…
More than 300,000 metro Detroiters without power due to high winds
Situation normal, folks. This really shouldn’t be news. Every time the winds pick up, the rains fall hard, or the wet stuff freezes on the way down, it seems like ratepayers have to move in at the local Denny’s doesn’t it? This time, it’s been high winds gusting at up to 60 miles per hour.…
Influential design duo Charles and Ray Eames honored with Henry Ford exhibit
Sometime after the airing of the Mad Men, the AMC series centered around 1960s advertising executives, there was a seismic spike in mid-century modern aesthetic. But Don Draper and company could not have seduced us with their sleek style if not for the groundbreaking contributions of married couple Charles and Ray Eames. The Henry Ford Museum will…
Detroit-area summer reading arrives early, from Hunter, Zadoorian, and others
We have received a bunch of Detroit fiction books over the last month that cry out for acknowledgment, if not review. Since all the books’ authors will speak over the next few weeks, we figured now’s as good a time as any to get these books out there where they can do some damage. Michael…
How to celebrate Cinco de Mayo without being an offensive asshat in a Sombrero
Let’s cut the shit. Cinco de Mayo has gone misunderstood for far too long. May 5 is not an excuse to wear your Party City-purchased sombrero and mustache kit while adding an “o” onto the end of words in a crude attempt to sound as if you’re speaking Spanish. While many Americans intend to celebrate…
Detroit residents can pick up free trees this weekend at Rouge Park
Detroit has become a magnet for tree giveaways as environmental officials and groups seek to replace thousands of trees wiped out by disease and invasive species since 1950. Saturday will be the latest opportunity for city residents to nab a free tree, when about 500 potted saplings will be available at Rouge Park. The event…
Report: Lansing Republicans hatching plan to keep pot legalization off the ballot
Republican state senators are reportedly mounting an effort to pass a proposed marijuana legalization initiative through the legislature in a move that would allow lawmakers to easily amend the proposal and keep it off the November ballot, where it’s expected to draw more left-leaning people to the polls. According to a report published today in…
Internationally acclaimed ‘In the Last Days of the City’ to screen in Dearborn with director Q&A
In the Last Days of the City, a cinematic portrait of pre-Arab Spring Cairo that has earned international acclaim since its world premiere, will make its Detroit-area debut with a Q&A with Egyptian director Tamer El Said. The screening is set for 7 p.m. on Friday, May 4 at the Arab American National Museum Theater, 13624 Michigan…
Former Bernie Sanders surrogate Nina Turner to speak at Detroit event for progressives
Our Revolution president and former Bernie Sanders surrogate Nina Turner is on her way back to Detroit this weekend for an annual gathering of local progressives known as the Douglass-Debs Dinner. The event, named for African-American abolitionist, author, and orator Frederick Douglass and union leader and former socialist candidate for president Eugene Debs, is the only…
The Weird Homes Tour is in search of weird Detroit homes
The national “Weird Homes Tour” will visit Detroit for the first time this summer, and tour organizers are looking for the Motor City’s quirkiest, most eccentric homes to show off. (We’d say Detroit’s Lion Gate Estate would make a pretty good contender. Or maybe Southwest Detroit’s geodesic dome?) The tour will be held in Detroit on from…
Royce Da 5’9” drops ‘Caterpillar’ featuring Eminem
Detroit rapper Royce Da 5’9″ surprised hip-hop fans on Thursday by dropping the video for the new track “Caterpillar,” which features Eminem. In the stylish black-and-white video, Royce and Em trade verses over a wicked organ-driven beat, with a hook provided by King Green. But Eminem kind of steals the show here, dominating the entire song…
State seeks to stop representing ex-MSP trooper involved in Damon Grimes’ death
Lawyers for the state of Michigan are trying to drop the ex-state police trooper who was behind the wheel of a cruiser when his partner tased a 15-year-old on an ATV in Detroit last summer, causing the boy to crash and die. The state attorney general’s office is representing former trooper Ethan Berger in a…
Portion of downtown Detroit parking deck collapses, swallowing at least one car
Multiple parked cars fell this morning when a portion of the upper deck collapsed in a downtown Detroit parking structure. Aerial footage from WDIV showed a hole as deep as the height of an SUV at the structure on 1400 Woodbridge St., just south of Jefferson Avenue and east of I-375. Multiple vehicles slid down toward the…
Protomartyr team up with the Breeders’ Kelley Deal for new EP and video
Hailed as one of most high-profile recent rock acts in Detroit, post-punk band (and noted nautical fans) Protomartyr have returned to dry ground with a treasure — and it’s kind of a big Deal. Protomartyr released the latest visual today for its upcoming Consolation EP, which was recorded with Kelley Deal of the Breeders and her…
105.1 The Bounce says it won’t play Kanye West songs anymore
Detroit hip-hop station 105.1 The Bounce says it’s pulling Kanye West songs off of its Morning Bounce playlist following a recent string of erratic episodes from the rapper, including West saying he believes slavery was a “choice.” The station made the announcement on its Facebook page on Thursday morning. “We feel like Kanye has gone too far with his…
Stroh’s launches a new Detroit-brewed IPA on May 9
Stroh Brewery Company will launch a new Detroit-brewed IPA called Perseverance on May 9. It’s the first new recipe from the company in recent memory — Bohemian was a reformulation of an old flavor — and brand manager Andy Grujian says it marks a new course for the brewer as it focuses on lines that…
A new Jim Brady’s will open in the Cass Corridor’s former Chung’s
New American eatery Jim Brady’s Detroit will open a location in the former Chung’s space in the Cass Corridor, as well as in downtown Ann Arbor. Owner Tom Brady — who used to visit Chung’s with his dad as a kid — tells Deadline Detroit that he hopes to open by the end of the…
GOP gov hopefuls Schuette and Calley are jockeying for front seat on the Trump train
Donald Trump may be far more unpopular with Michiganders than his predecessors were at this point in their presidencies, but for the state’s leading Republican gubernatorial hopefuls, he’s apparently still worth cozying up to. Republican front runner for governor and Attorney General Bill Schuette on Wednesday released an attack ad accusing opponent Lieutenant Governor Brian…
Detroit FBI spearheads crisis drill scheduled for Wayne State University tomorrow
Wayne State University is the latest campus to implement a crisis training in wake of the recent increase of school shootings. The latest in large-scale training exercises are scheduled to take place Thursday, May 3. The simulation will prepare students and staff for a variety of active shooter and terrorist attack scenarios which will include…
Finally, Detroit’s RoboCop statue has a home
After seven years, Detroit’s long-ballyhooed RoboCop statue now has a permanent home and should soon be on display to the public. The project’s organizers announced on Wednesday that the bronze statue of the sci-fi Detroit hero will be installed at the Michigan Science Center, though an official unveiling date has still not yet been set. Writing…
Seven southeast Michigan counties violate ozone pollution standards, EPA says
Seven southeast Michigan counties are in violation of national standards for ozone pollution, according to a formal declaration issued by the Environmental Protection Agency. Oakland, Wayne, Macomb, Washtenaw, St. Clair, Monroe, and Livingston counties were cited as being in “non-attainment” in the determination released Tuesday, meaning they had or contributed to ground-level ozone levels that…
Michigan Chamber of Commerce fights anti-gerrymandering proposal, marijuana legalization
A grassroots anti-gerrymandering group seeking to pass a ballot initiative that would allow for a balanced redistricting process that does not favor any one party is facing an attack from the Michigan Chamber of Commerce. The chamber, which has endorsed Republican Attorney General Bill Schuette for governor, is a key backer of a conservative group…
Fear not — badass diva P!NK has rescheduled her Detroit date for spring 2019
What about us, P!NK? The badass, acrobatic diva better known as P!NK has officially rescheduled her Detroit performance at Little Caesars arena. The originally scheduled performance (March 25) was canceled due to that bitch ass flu, proving that not even one of the world’s best-selling musical forces is immune. But at least the girl gave us a reason.…
Review: Sullaf Iraqi restaurant is the last man standing in Detroit’s ‘Chaldean Town’ — and it’s awesome
Sullaf, an Iraqi restaurant on Seven Mile Road just east of Woodward Avenue, is one of those spots at which the experience is nearly as important to the equation as the dishes. The business is one of the few along a stretch of Seven Mile Road that the Chaldean residents who once lived there called…
Race, sexism, and political immaturity
Last month, Dana Nessel, the brilliant and sassy attorney who helped make it legal for same-sex couples to marry and adopt, pulled off one of the most astonishing political upsets in recent history. This really drove the gay-haters and misogynists crazy, as well as those who think what black voters value is symbolic tokenism. More…
In praise of the humble joint
Step into any well-appointed marijuana store or smoke shop and you will find a plethora of cannabis-based products and paraphernalia with which to use those products. Glass bongs of every shape and color adorn the shelves. There are vaporizers ranging from those that look like pens up to the large cone-shaped volcanoes. There are enough…
Talking Trump, #MeToo, free speech, and trigger warnings with Lydia Lunch
Actress, performer, and third-wave feminist Lydia Lunch sounds lively and discursive, practically melting down the phone wires from Brooklyn on a weekday afternoon. In her raspy voice, she tries in vain to wrap up all that has changed since she came stomping straight into the heart of downtown New York’s “no wave” scene at 16…
Michigan native Emily Jane Powers gets vulnerable
Emily Jane Powers has the gift of taking a concept or feeling that seems entirely overwhelming and making it feel more palatable. Her latest release, Restless, fully harnesses this gift, brushing on topics like monotony, motherhood, and monogamy. While the album shows Powers’ maturity, both emotionally and musically, it comforts more than sedates, while still…
Savage Love: Quickies
I wish I had a better question, but this is all I have: My friends and I were discussing the nuances of a straight orgy (a roughly equal number of male and female participants) versus a gang bang (one woman, many men), and we observed that there is no proper name for a one man,…
Horoscopes (May 2-8)
ARIES: March 21 – April 20 Shell-shocked from whatever it is that has knocked the wind out of your sails, you are pulling yourself together enough to realize that there is life after too much of the hard stuff. The idea that there was a reason for all of it is just beginning to dawn…
The Armed have a message of love perfectly suited for the disinformation age
I’m sitting in the arcade above Detroit’s Checker Bar, and there’s someone sitting up at the bar I think I’m supposed to talk with. He’s in sunglasses and a gray hoodie with his hood up, sipping a cocktail and looking at his phone. He hasn’t looked around once. Not in the way people do when…
