The article "Insult to Injury" by Ann Mullen (Metro Times, April 24-30) covers an issue that needs to be further addressed and taken seriously. So many times laws are placed that further harm the innocent party. Arronica Warren did not ask to be abused, and she did not ask for her child to be put in harm’s way. How can Arronica provide a stable home for her child with a law in place that may cause her to be constantly on the move due to her abuser?
Arronica, I applaud you and support you in your pursuit for justice. You are not only helping yourself but many others as well. The fight may be long and frustrating at times, but never give up! Good always prevails over evil. It may take time and may be exhausting, but the reward is remarkable. Keep us posted. —Kathy Paul, [email protected], Clarkston
The wrong town?
In "Big bangs" (Metro Times, May 1-7), Brian Smith said that there is an energy in Detroit and that you can "feel it resonate when you simply stand on a sidewalk in the middle of downtown." The truth is that when you are downtown, you ask yourself, "Where is everybody?" He also stated that "The city isn't pretentious like Los Angeles or haughty like New York City, but it has the musical literacy of both places combined." This is a gross exaggeration. Smith also said that "Detroit is a city in which it is OK to be an oddball." This is also not true. Yes, Detroit is a music town (and I wish more people here knew it as the Europeans do), and yes, Detroit is important. But let’s not exaggerate or deny the truth. —Josh Pike, Oak Park
The wrong band?
I was very glad to see Metro Times do a list of this kind, but I think that the MC5 is an absolutely essential part of any such gathering of Detroit-centered discs. Not just for the socioeconomic impact, but also for the music; what the group did with its three albums was a template for the punk rock that wouldn’t emerge, in force, for a decade to come. If there hadn’t been an MC5, their wouldn’t have been a New York Dolls, which took its approach and sound straight from "Kick Out The Jams." Without the Dolls, we would have been without the brief but bright tenure of the Sex Pistols, whose music owes more than an obvious debt to the MC5.
The MC5’s musical legacy is tremendous, and it’s my opinion that the group ought to have been on your list. A stronger case can be made for its placement rather than Alice Cooper. Good as he was, Alice was merely trying to gross the world out, while the MC5 was trying to save it. The honor ought to belong to the late Rob Tyner and company. —Ted Burke, San Diego, Calif.
The missing link?
Just wanted to drop you guys a line and congratulate you on the good job you did with the "Detroit Discs that Shook the World" feature. With the possible exception of Eminem, I thought your choices were right on target. It’s too bad you had to limit yourself to only 10 choices. I would've loved to have seen Negative Approach's first 7-inch get the respect it deserves. I'll admit that outside of the world of hardcore, the name might not register in most people's minds. However, I can think of only a few bands who did more to shape the genre than Negative Approach. Plus it sounds just as fresh as it did 20 years ago. (Has it really been that long?). Could it be that John Brannon is the missing link between Iggy and Jack White? —Stefan Cieply, Oak Park
Leave me alone
According to Jack Lessenberry, Democratic candidate for governor David Bonior wants to increase spending for health care, education, the environment and mass transit ("A couple Dicks & a Dave," Metro Times, May 8-14). I for one am tired of hearing candidates saying how they're going to do this or that. They never do what they say they're going to do. Government never makes anything better; it just makes it more expensive. I want a candidate to tell me how they're going to get government out of my life. —Ed Chmura, [email protected], Clawson
No friend of Bill
I agree with Jack Lessenberry that U.S. Rep. David Bonior is for the little guy, the unborn and trees. But, speaking of dicks, Bonior led a pep rally for the fornicator in chief after Slick Willy’s impeachment. Yep, Bonior is real. A real boner. —Martin Yanosek, St. Clair Shores
