Cement Cloud
Bob Holman’s striking reflection on the ongoing World Trade Center disaster.
A hero sandwich
Fearless Jones is equal parts Denzel Washington (stature), Luke Cage (strength) and Shaft (fearlessness). Ladies see and want him upon first glance, but all he wants is justice for all. Hell, even stray dogs become his trained pets as soon as he touches them. I guess they sense confidence in his scent and figure —…
Letters to the Editor
Cross-culture shock In response to Keith A. Owens column ("Beyond our rage," Metro Times, Sept. 19-25), I live in Dearborn and am Mexican-American; my neighbors are all Arabic. From my block, I see homes with American flags proudly displayed, but I also see Muslim women too frightened to sit on their front porch. My children…
Shhh
Supposedly, Sergey Rachmaninoff wrote his magical 1915 “Vespers” entirely at night in order to understand the atmosphere of the all-night Russian Orthodox Church vigil where it was first performed. The seamless, entwined melodic whisper reshaped common folk melodies of prerevolutionary Russia into something mysterious, disorienting and secretive, setting the work far apart from the flamboyant…
Fear and loving
In “Blue: The Life and Work of Bradley Jones” — an unbelievable series of gripping works — we enter a stark and lonely place….
Right now
When I interviewed Maxwell last year, he talked about a vision of his third album striking a balance between the commercial appeal of his first and the experimentation of his second. He was frank in acknowledging that he used his sophomore set to take fans on an eclectic ride, confusing many of them in the…
The liberal dilemma
Peace marchers and other progressives need to face up to the reality that the Taliban, whose rise to power is very largely our fault, would be better off dead.
Unforced virtuosity
Bassist Dave Holland, who first made his mark in one of Miles Davis’ late-’60s fusion groups while still in his early 20s, has established himself as a player and combo leader operating somewhere between jazz’s neoclassical mainstream and its lingering avant-garde. His current quintet (featuring Robin Eubanks, trombone, Chris Potter, alto and tenor sax, Steve…
From the warehouse
As a unique patron of local artists, James F. Duffy Jr.’s collection testifies to an unparalleled Detroit vision.
Low blow
The first two full-lengths by Amsterdam’s Elisabeth Esselink — the “autobiographical fiction” songwriter and sonic portraitist better known as Solex — were pure electro-pop genius. Full of rubber-band beats that skittered hither and thither while Esselink recited hilariously inspired lyrics about kooky characters, the albums were chaotically innovative invitations into the found-sound world of Solex.…
TV lags, Web leads
An open letter to network TV execs, whose coverage of the terrorist attacks didn’t seem to cover everything we wanted (or needed) to know. The World Wide Web filled in the blanks.
Oh, I get it
Yet another Norwegian folk band on Astralwerks, Kings of Convenience are a little louder than some of the label’s other acts. OK, so they stick out like sore thumbs on an artist roster that includes Fatboy Slim and “the Chems.” But these are not your average funk-soul brothers, nor are these overproduced block-rockin’ beats. Quiet…
Icons falling
The healing power of dancing and music cannot be overestimated, and The Necto seized the moment by hosting a benefit with New York-born Kevin Saunderson. PLUS: What’s going down at Motor?
Folk-beat fog
Grant Lee Buffalo was one of those bands that only got better as time went on, but still never managed to release an album that you’d worry about getting back if your friend borrowed it. The group’s final effort, 1998’s Jubilee, was packed with enough affably clever rock songs to attract the participation of guest…
Afghan plea
Khalid Sekander wants Detroit, America and the world to understand his homeland as he does.
Old punk, new ideas
After a slew of sound tracks and two solo CDs, former Clash front man, Joe Strummer, with his new band, The Mescaleros, has apparently reconnected with his muse and broadened his vision, quickly following up last year’s Rock Art and the X-Ray Style with Global a Go-Go. Propelled by numerous well-reviewed performances, the latest release…
Almost normal
How to go on after September 11? We do, even though there’s a shadow we can’t shake.
Bless me deadly
Director Barbet Schroeder has portrayed criminal, violent and more-or-less godless hells in his American films. This, his most intimate movie since Barfly, his most unremittingly violent since Kiss of Death and his most unapologetically human since Before and After, is set in Columbia.
Road to reason
The Big Two-and-a-Half offer support for regional mass-transit system….
The Legend of Rita
Directed by Volker Schlondorff, this ’60s left-radical “terrorist” story is told with an impressive lack of polemical nudging. The film is a testament to a certain kind of madness, saintliness and dreadful waste, one that’s wary of final versions of history.
Divided we fall
Can the city’s next mayor cure the city’s chronic health problems?
Tortilla Soup
Movies that focus on the preparation and consumption of food are more often about the nourishment of the spirit than the body, and this one (based on Ang Lee’s Eat Drink Man Woman) is a textbook recipe. But it’s a spicy meal that’s been carefully toned down to cater to blander tastes.
Endorse, of course
Two of Kilpatrick’s former opponents now endorse his campaign….
Glitter
When a pop star like Mariah Carey makes her movie debut, the question is "Can she act?" The answer is yes and no. And as laughable as Glitter is in its wildly inconsistent portrayal of the music business, its biggest sin is in wasting the talents of a supporting cast loaded with actor-musicians (Da Brat,…
Peace train
Travel to Washington, D.C. to rally against war and racism….
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): In the wake of the tremendous variety of intimate connections that bloomed for me at the Burning Man festival, I’ve resolved to renounce all the boring old words to describe relationships. For evermore, I won’t refer to my companions as “friends,” “soul mates,” “co-workers,” “lovers,” “partners” or “colleagues.” I’ll strive to…
What is it good for?
“Band of Brothers,” HBO’s ode to World War II, hopes to appeal to all generations.
Trying the back door
Q: I have always dreamed of having anal sex with my girlfriend but I am afraid it might hurt her, plus it is not a clean area to have sex. I watched a few adult videos and it seemed to me those women kept their anus so clean. What do they use to keep it…
Glum yum
By viewing each of the newly released DVDs featuring Dr. Hannibal Lecter, film buffs partake of an outstanding, easily digestible meal.
Speaking of the devil
Bestselling novelist Walter Mosley digs deep into a writer’s (and life’s) tough mysteries.
Calloway
With the addition of otherworldly electro-ephemera floating underneath the raps and beats, and the voice of Alison Lewis soaring in her own orbit above, the brothers Calloway take a modernized cruise across the hip-hop universe. New tracks are being readied for a full-length launch; in the meantime, you can say you knew ’em when.
