In his new memoir, Hound Dog: A Poet’s Memoir of Rock, Revolution, and Redemption, M.L. Liebler chronicles his metamorphosis from an orphaned working-class boy into a prolific, pioneering political poet. Known to many as Professor Liebler, this 40-year faculty member of Wayne State University has also been hailed as “Detroit’s Culture Czar” and a “Workers’ Worker.”
His career has spanned from Motown to Munich – bringing poetic expressionism to the frontlines of communities and classrooms. Hound Dog exemplifies and amplifies how art is a form of activism. Rooted in Detroit, Liebler centers the city as a cultural cornerstone, immersing readers in the sounds and landscapes that shape his vision of the “American Dream.”
M.L. was born in 1953 at Art Center Hospital in Detroit, near Wayne State’s campus, to a teenage mother and a “young troublemaker” father. Ultimately, it was his grandparents who would raise the child. “Grumps” was an assembly line worker for Dodge and one of the first UAW members to participate in the 1937 Dodge Main Strike. “Ma” worked part-time at an ice cream shop on Detroit’s east side.
It was under their roof that M.L. got his first dose of rock ’n’ roll – listening to records of Elvis, Ella Fitzgerald, Sophie Tucker, Pearl Bailey, and The Ink Spots. “There was always music in our house,” he writes. His grandparents’ eclectic musical tastes and liberal perspectives contributed to a budding youth in revolt. This early influence would ignite a fire in his soul for music, poetry, and empowerment. By 1961, Liebler relocated to St. Clair Shores and still lives there today in the childhood home of his wife, Pam.
Liebler’s recollections are a kaleidoscope of memory, music, people, and places. The narrative leaps into a world of Beat poets, grassroots activists, musical icons, historical moments, hilarious hijinks, religious awakenings, artistic endeavors, and heartfelt sentiments. Along the timeline are portraits of childhood, friendship, marriage, fatherhood, and the road to sobriety and self-actualization.
The climate of the ’60s and ’70s fueled the flames of revolution that led to a “hippie” kid from the shores of Lake St. Clair to eventually sharing stages with John Sinclair. There is a litany of counterculture figures featured in the book. The lore includes recording with Country Joe McDonald, touring with Al Kooper, bowling with Ken Kesey, publishing with Edie Parker-Kerouac, and opening for Ray Manzarek.
Imagine driving around Kansas in the late ’80s with Timothy Leary in your backseat and being surrounded by the likes of Allen Ginsberg, Ed Sanders, Marianne Faithfull — and toss in Hüsker Dü there as well. This is just one of the many anecdotal paintings of Liebler’s escapades. These encounters prove poetry is more than just words on a page, but a lived experience.
After a fateful night at the Eastown Theatre, Liebler began an expansive journey of incorporating music with his writing. As a traveling poet prophet, he has charted a unique style of “Perf-Po,” or Performance Poetry. He is a founding member of The Magic Poetry Band and The Coyote Monk Poetry Band. These groups yielded collaborations with eclectic Detroit talent, building a following for what Liebler calls “poetry for dancing” and blurring the lines between literature and live music.
During his teaching career, Liebler has maintained a goal of bringing poetry to working-class kids and adults around the globe. The literary mission of Liebler has encouraged people to use “stories, poems, and creative non-fiction to open doors and help us all explore who we [are] as humans living in this complex and uptight world.” He even inspired a group of students in Jalalabad to dance and rap their poetry over an instrumentation of Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” — creating an artful collision of 8 Mile and Afghanistan.
The community of writers and artists Liebler has cultivated throughout his life is a testament to the power of poetry. Liebler has taken on the yoke of mentorship – guiding generations of everyday folks to a higher power — where poetry can be accessible not just for academics but for everyone.
The role of mentor is not just theoretical; it is personal. Speaking as a former student of Professor Liebler, I can say that his influence on my life has broadened my perception of who a writer is and what a writer does. I thank him for his unyielding support of living an unconventional life and offering me counsel for the last eight years. I am grateful to be in his orbit.
Hound Dog is not just Liebler’s story; it is an American story. It draws the reader into a meditation on the significance of preserving freedom and identity. It challenges the audience to rethink their role in society and serves as a reminder that creativity and community can shape not only our lives but also the lives around us.
M.L. grew up in an America that was, for better or worse, a place people came for the promise of a different life. In Detroit, resilience and self-determination have always driven us forward. Despite the downfalls, Liebler believes “A bad day in Detroit is better than a good day anywhere else in the world.” I believe this statement speaks to the core of our society today, and Detroit’s official motto: We hope for better things; it will rise from the ashes.
The ideals of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness extend beyond our borders. In a time of political divisiveness, Liebler uses his voice to speak out against injustice and promote peace at home and abroad. As the author boldly states: “Together, we can reignite the spirit that once made our nation a symbol of hope and possibility with democracy for all.”
Fresh off the book’s publication, M.L. Liebler will read excerpts from his memoir on Thursday, April 23, at Aretha’s Jazz Cafe in downtown Detroit. The Magic Poetry Band is performing, along with sets from Jackamo and The Plushies. Bring an open mind and some friends. The jam starts at 7 p.m.
