Coming Up: WEDNESDAYS@8pm: Off The Rails Trivia w/ The Pazmaster
2/28 Birds Eye View/Dad Caps/Playground
3/01 4th ANNUAL BARFLY AWARDS
3/07 Cinecyde/Zotz/The Subsets
3/08 DIVAS vs DIVAS (monthly dance party)
3/15 Mic Phelps&djkage/Awesome Dre/ Boog Brown/Lokye/Mac the Realist
3/16 St. Paddy’s Parade Day
3/22 The MATT SMILEY Birthday Show
3/23 MARCHE DU NAIN ROUGE
3/29 Elspeth Tremblay&The Treatment/ Detroit Party Marching Band/Elephant Den
Feedback NEWS & VIEWS
We received comments in response to our annual Lust Issue, and news about the 25th anniversary of the Dirty Show at the Russell Industrial Center.
Dirty Show is always an enjoyable time. Will be going next weekend ��
—Gwyn_Goore313, Bluesky
This is a fun event. Wild, hilarious, silly.
—Bill Shea, Bluesky
Happy 25th @dirtyshowdetroit ! Thank you for so many years of fun! ��
—@roxi_dlite, Instagram
I don’t think that real men are interested in things like this. Mostly for liberal
feminists both male and female.
—@whitewoodent, Instagram
Okay, the dirty show.. now where’s the clean show? ����
—@stephanielynn133, Instagram
I’m [sic] times like these, a Lust issue. Really? How about an imperative issue on how to stay united? Sorry to say it, but Metro Times lacks timely informative, and dependent news reporting at a great loss to all of us (communities). Lust is not an issue. Get with it!
—Vintage Alicia, email
We disagree. We think lust and sex literally brings people together.
—Lee DeVito, Editor-in-Chief
Sound off: letters@metrotimes.com
NEWS & VIEWS
NBC’s Grosse Pointe Garden Society take on class divides in Detroit’s affluent burbs
The first clear image you’ll see in the pilot for Grosse Pointe Garden Society, the glossy, trashy prime-time murder mystery premiering at 10 p.m. Sunday on NBC (Channel 4 in Detroit), is a giant rectangular sign proclaiming “Mack Avenue Garden Center.”
Mack Avenue? On network TV? America, welcome to our little corner of the world.
Grosse Pointe Garden Society, which exploits and expands practically every stereotype most of us assume about our affluent neighbors to the east, was planted and nurtured by the Hollywood creative team of Bill Krebs and Jenna Bans, best known previously for such series as The Family and Good Girls. The duo serve as executive producers, series creators, showrunners, and have been immersed in writing every one of the show’s 13 first-season episodes. (Guess the union prevented them from operating the cameras, too.)
Given the name of Bans’s pro -
duction entity, Minnesota Logging Company, it’s a fair assumption she hails from the Land of 10,000 Lakes. (Ramsey, Minnesota, to be exact.) For Krebs, however, Garden Society — not to be confused with the Grosse Pointe Garden Center in the War Memorial — is a kind of bizarre homage to his hometown.
Krebs was born at Cottage Hospital (now Henry Ford Medical Center — Grosse Pointe Cottage), raised in Grosse Pointe Park, and attended Maire Elementary School before splitting time in Birmingham after his parents’ divorce. But can he ever go home again after this series hits the air?
“I’ve got to admit, I’ve worried about that a little bit,” Krebs says with a laugh during a recent phone conversation, accompanied by Bans. “Will I be a pariah?”
Pointe taken. One network description of the series reads, “In a wealthy suburb where everything appears to be perfect on the surface, four members of the local garden club get
entangled in a scandalous murder.” Holy Shores! Sound like any suburb you know?
At the center of the Garden plot is Alice (AnnaSophia Robb, The Carrie Diaries), who doubles as series narrator, a young high school teacher and aspiring writer trapped in a classroom filled with snotty, entitled students. She likens herself to a geranium, in that “the worst thing you can do to a geranium is to plant one where it doesn’t belong.”
To maintain her wellness (and sanity), Alice volunteers at the local Grosse Pointe Garden Society alongside Catherine (Aja Naomi King, Lessons in Chemistry), a successful real estate agent trapped in a loveless marriage; Brett (Ben Rappaport, Mr. Robot), a divorced father of two struggling to compete with his exwife’s well heeled husband; and Birdie (Melissa Fumero, Brooklyn NineNine), a lavish, pretentious wild child whose liquid diet consists of martinis and who’s only at the garden club to
serve out her sentence of community service. Perhaps the show’s most recognizable face is Nancy Travis as Alice’s grandchild-obsessed mother, her Michigan connection being Tim Allen’s wife on Last Man Standing for nine seasons.
(Side note: how refreshing to see the character of Catherine, a lovely, successful African American woman, depicted as a resident of the Pointes. She must have managed to evade the barricades.)
Oooh, so many questions: Jenna, how did you react when Bill approached you about setting a primetime soap in Grosse Pointe? “I love the Michigan setting because it has that Midwest familiarity for me,” Bans says. “We actually had Good Girls set in Detroit, but we never really said what city it was. I consider myself an honorary Michigander.”
Was NBC equally as accepting when you pitched a Grosse national product? “You know, I think they loved it,” Bans recalls. “We didn’t have a lot
Brett (Ben Rappaport), Catherine (Aja Naomi King), and Alice (AnnaSophia Robb) Grosse Pointe Garden Society on NBC.
STEVE SWISHER/NBC
of pushback. We packaged it as, yes, we’re dealing with class struggles, the aspirational aspects of a wealthy community, but it’s all wrapped into this sort of thriller, twisty-turny, darkly comic murder mystery, and I think they appreciated how all those things will be balanced.”
Adds Krebs, a U-M alum, “The way we designed it, Alice and Brett are the working class, Catherine and Birdie are the upper class. So we really wanted to show the dynamic and tension between these two sets of variables, how each could relate to the other in certain circumstances. That what looks so beautiful and perfect on the surface can be fraught with problems and chaos and destruction and damage. That everyone has their problems, no matter where they are in life.”
Bans adds that NBC’s only request was “keep it sexy.” Mission accomplished: extramarital affairs seem to erupt every few minutes. Tragically, however, although some scenes look like they were shot in the shopping districts on Kercheval, Garden Society is filmed not here but in Atlanta due to a partnership between Universal Television and a studio there. “There’s a place called Druid Hills outside of
Atlanta that looks very much like Grosse Pointe,” Krebs observes. “It’s all old Pewter [homes], manicured lawns, very old money. We would have loved to shoot in Grosse Pointe, if not for the film incentives in Atlanta.”
(Screw you, Snyder.)
The first TV series with the cities’ name in the title since the short-lived WB sitcom Grosse Pointe a quarter century ago, this Grosse Pointe yearns to become the 21st century’s Dallas
Instead of “Who Shot J.R.?” however, Garden Society’s biggest mystery is “Who got shot?” All we see is a corpse tightly wrapped and inconveniently buried underneath the flora and fauna of the garden club. Potential victims are many: Krebs and Bans promise we’ll find out who the dearly departed was before season’s end.
Local views will find several subtle tributes to Michigan and metro Detroit seeded throughout the scripts. In one scene Brett orders “a round of Coneys” for the table at a Grosse Pointe diner. (Possibly because Lafayette was closed.) When Catherine complains that the club vice president wants twice as many tulips planted “because we’re Dutch all of a sudden and living in Holland,” your first thought may be a city, not a nation. But what led to the idea of setting the series at a garden club in the first place?
Bans says they wanted to explore a location that hadn’t been used very often in prime time, but Krebs digs deeper. “In Grosse Pointe I remember they used to have these garden tours where they would go through people’s backyards and everyone from the community would come,” he says. “It didn’t matter where you were from in the Pointes, everyone was part of the same world. We thought it was a great intersection, all these different classes and personalities.”
Krebs hastens to add, however, that Garden Society is not based solely on those tours of his memory. “We researched a lot of garden clubs from across the United States,” he declares. In fact, Grosse Pointe Garden Society has to be the only TV series in history that maintains a full-time, dedicated garden consultant on set.
“First of all, we have to make sure the garden stays alive,” says Bans. “But just like on a medical show you’d have a medical consultant to make sure you’re staying true to science, we have a garden consultant to make sure we’re staying true to horticulture, which always makes us laugh.”
Krebs adds, “He’s always telling us we picked the wrong flower, or this plant couldn’t exist in this season, or this one would die. He loves to send us emails.” —Jim McFarlin
Corewell Health restores gender-affirming care
Corewell Health has reversed course and will restore genderaffirming care for transgender minors after a week of mounting criticism from civil rights organizations, elected officials, and the LGBTQ+ community.
The healthcare system, one of the largest in Michigan, had halted new hormone therapy for minors following a controversial executive order from President Trump that threatened to strip federal funding from hospitals offering such care. That decision made Corewell the first medical system in the state to restrict gender-affirming care for young people, drawing criticism from advocacy groups and public officials, including Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel.
Last Wednesday, Corewell insisted in a statement that its “pause” on gender-affirming care for minors was just temporary.
“We are lifting our pause on new hormone therapies for pediatric patients seeking gender affirming care,” Corewell said in a statement to Metro Times. “Care decisions are best made between physicians and their patients and families.”
The statement added, “We briefly paused beginning these therapies to allow us time to assess the potential impact that recent policy changes might have on our patients and their health. Contrary to some inaccurate reports, we never suspended any gender affirming care for any of our patients.”
Earlier this month, Corewell told the Detroit Free Press that “we are not beginning any new hormone therapy regimens for minor patients seeking gender affirming care. We do not perform gender-affirming surgeries on minors. Our team will continue monitoring federal changes to rules and regulations. We remain committed to providing the highest quality health care to all the patients we serve.”
LGBTQ+ advocates applauded the decision but said damage has already been done.
“We see this decision as one that’s family-centered, equality-centered, and science-centered,” Erin Knott, executive director of Equality Michigan, an LGBTQ+ advocacy group. “The pain and confusion endured by families and young people who had appointments cancelled was tragic and avoidable. The best time to make
the right decision was yesterday, but the next best time to make the right decision was today. So, we extend a thank you to the Corewell leadership team for righting the ship.”
Corewell reversed its policy after Equality Michigan and more than 40 other organizations, including the ACLU of Michigan and the NAACP Michigan State Conference, sent an open letter to hospital leaders urging them to reinstate care.
Ferndale Pride, which hosts one of the state’s largest LGBTQ+ festivals, had also taken action, dropping Corewell Health as a sponsor and returning its $2,500 sponsorship in protest.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel recently issued guidance on the issue, saying that “the availability of funding has no bearing on Michiganers’ right to seek and receive healthcare services without discrimination.”
“Refusing healthcare services to a class of individuals based on their perceived status, such as withholding the availability of services from transgender individuals based on their gender identity or their diagnosis of gender dysphoria, while offering such services to cisgender individuals, may constitute discrimination under Michigan law,” Nessel wrote.
Studies have shown that access to gender-affirming care significantly reduces depression and the risk of self-harm among transgender youth. According to a University of Washington study, transgender individuals between the ages of 13 and 20 who receive puberty blockers and hormone therapy are 60% less likely to experience moderate to severe depression and 73% less likely to engage in self-harm or suicidal behavior.
Equality Michigan called the Corewell’s decision a step in the right direction.
“We want this display of thoughtful leadership to serve as an example for other healthcare systems in the U.S.,” Knott said. “We also wish that Michigan, as we often do, can send a signal of hope to trans young people and their families across the country today. Michigan is turning the lights back on. For healthcare. For civil rights. And for democracy.”
The fate of Trump’s executive order remains in the hands of the courts. A coalition of civil rights groups has challenged the order in federal court.
—Steve Neavling
Detroit tenants evicted as judges ignore housing code
Tenants at City Club Apartments in Detroit are being evicted for legally withholding rent in escrow while judges are failing to enforce a code meant to protect renters from unsafe living conditions, advocates and tenants say.
The 750 Chene Tenants Association and Detroit Tenants Association are calling on city officials to take immediate action to stop the evictions and enforce Detroit’s housing laws.
The tenants say they began placing their rent in escrow, which is a legal process recommended by the city, after their elusive landlord refused to fix serious maintenance issues, including persistent water damage and mold, heating and plumbing failures, and broken security features such as faulty entryways and poor lighting. Instead of making repairs, the property’s management company, Friedman Management, responded by filing eviction notices, according to both associations.
The high-rise building in Lafayette Park also lacks a certificate of compliance, which verifies the building meets safety standards. Under Detroit’s city code, landlords are prohibited from collecting rent or evicting tenants for nonpayment if the property lacks a certificate of compliance, according to advocates.
Nevertheless, as many as 20 residents, including seniors, are facing possible eviction for withholding rent, says Steven Rimmer, an organizer for the Detroit Tenants Association. Even if the eviction cases are dismissed or ruled in the tenant’s favor, the filing will remain on public court records and tenant screening reports, making it harder for tenants to find future housing.
“It’s a really messy situation,” Rimmer tells Metro Times. “The building hasn’t been compliant for a long time. Some of these people escrowed their rent, and they can’t afford these eviction cases. The city law clearly says if an apartment is not compliant, they can’t collect rent or evict residents.”
Residents who complain about conditions or hold their rent in escrow have been met with retaliation and legal threats, while property falls into repair, tenants say.
Cyle Anderson, 47, has been holding his rent in escrow and is worried about retaliation. He says his apartment has
been so cold that he has slept under the covers with a coat and hoodie on. The security gate outside the building is stuck open, and thieves have been stealing from cars in the parking lot.
According to tenants, the hot water and heat are unreliable, garbage piles up in the building, and the elevator is often out of order. Not long ago, a possum drowned in the apartment’s outdoor swimming pool, and the animal was left there for three days, Anderson says.
Although his apartment lacks sufficient heat, Anderson says his utility bill has hovered around $120 a month.
“Sleeping felt more like camping,” Anderson says.
Tenants like Anderson are dumbfounded that the apartment building still has no certificate of compliance.
“I cannot understand why you can be demonstrably found to be noncompliant and claim to be legitimate,” Anderson says. “That’s the part I can’t get with. They know they don’t have a certificate of compliance. I don’t think I’ll ever get my head around it.”
City officials are aware of the prob-
lem, says John Roach, spokesman for Mayor Mike Duggan, and Detroit’s building department conducted an inspection Friday and issued $1,000 in tickets for violations that include not being registered as a rental and not having a certificate of compliance.
“I’m not trying to get out of rent,” Anderson explains, saying he has a court hearing coming up. “They don’t recognize our right to withhold rent, so they treat you with no paper as delinquent. They’re trying to recoup the money without making the repairs.”
When tenants show up to 36th District Court, judges have allowed evictions to proceed, despite the apartment building’s lack of compliance and the tenants’ exercising their rights to hold money in escrow, tenants and advocates say.
Tenants who withhold rent are also getting charged late fees.
Making matters worse, tenants aren’t even sure who owns the building anymore. According to advocates and tenants, Friedman Management claims the property was placed into
receivership and is no longer owned by Jonathan Holtzman, a Michigan-based real estate developer who has repeatedly missed payments on loans totaling hundreds of millions of dollars, according to Crain’s Detroit
Through his company, Holtzman previously received a 12-year, $1.5 million tax abatement to renovate the 18-story apartment complex at 750 Chene St. It’s unclear whether the city can recover some of that money.
Tenant advocates say the situation at City Club Apartments is part of a larger problem in Detroit’s eviction system, where tenants are punished for exercising their legal rights, and judges are siding with slumlords.
Rimmer says he’s heard that 36th Court judges “feel the city of Detroit doesn’t have adequate staff to do adequate inspections, so they aren’t going to fault the landlords for not being in compliance.”
“We pay tax dollars, and that is what we pay them for,” Rimmer says. “It’s the law.”
—Steve Neavling
Tenants at the City Club Apartments say they are facing evictions for legally withholding rent in escrow.
STEVE NEAVLING
NEWS & VIEWS
Yes, Trump Derangement Syndrome is a real thing
By Joe Lapointe
“Trump Derangement Syndrome” is a valid and logical reaction to the deranged behavior of President Donald J. Trump. He is a dangerous buffoon and his second term in the White House may be worse than his first.
His clown-car cabinet suggests the cast of characters in the 2006 Mike Judge film Idiocracy, with unqualified and biased secretaries like Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Pam Bondi, and Pete Hegseth chosen to do damage to Health and Human Services, the Justice Department, and the Department of Defense.
Already, in the early weeks of his second reign, Trump has attacked medical research, consumer protection, the Department of Education, LGBTQ+ rights, the FBI, birthright citizenship, humanitarian foreign aid, the Gulf of Mexico, paper straws, the media, the Department of Justice, FEMA, and the federal civil service in general.
His blitzkrieg of executive orders came after he pardoned more than 1,500 felonious Trump troopers who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 and tried to overthrow the government of the United States on Trump’s behalf. Some in the mob brought rope and chanted “Hang Mike Pence!”
Now, he has put them all back on the streets. Perhaps they will be joined by New York mayor Eric Adams, who just got a “stay-out-of-jail” card from Trump when Trump’s Justice Department unexpectedly stopped the corruption case against Adams.
But they could resume it at any time. With the mayor beholden now to Trump, what’s the quid pro quo here? Is it only to help Trump deport “illegal aliens” from the nation’s biggest city?
Unlike on Jan. 6, Trump’s putsch this time is not yet violent. But his mood is one of menace and vengeance. Consider his passive-aggressive ploy of withdrawing government protection for former top aides like General Mark Milley, Mike Pompeo, and John Bolton. It sends a message to them and to everyone else: If you cross Trump or even disagree with him, he can make your very existence more dangerous.
Nice lives you’ve got here, fellas. Be a shame if something happened to you. You want bodyguards? Go buy your own, bub.
Trump’s apologists argue he’s just keeping his campaign promises, but Trump never campaigned on appointing the billionaire plutocrat Elon Musk to the unelected position of Deputy President. And now Musk’s minions are bombarding career public servants with ultimatums and harassment, all designed to force them to quit and be replaced by Trump’s hacks.
Nor did Trump campaign on shoving more than two million Palestinians out of Gaza (if the war with Israel ever ends) and turning it into the Atlantic City of the Mideast. Maybe Trump can send those Gazans to Guantanamo with all the “illegal immigrants” he is promising to deport.
His idea is not quite “ethnic cleansing” — at least not yet — because that sometimes includes genocide. Trump is simply treating war-torn Gaza like a rent-controlled New York tenement and he’s the landlord who can make more money by tearing it down and building high-rise condos.
He’s determined to force neighboring nations to take in Palestinians even if neither side wants to do that. And Trump must be the bully at all times, dictating to friend and foe. He didn’t campaign on seizing Greenland from Denmark, taking over the Panama Canal, and conquering Canada by anschluss.
But that’s his foreign policy, thus far. Even if he is only bluffing to negotiate better trade deals with Canada by threatening tariffs, what good does it do Trump or the U.S. to aggravate and humiliate our closest neighbor and ally by threatening to make Canada the 51st state?
Preposterous as many are, Trump’s foreign policy aims are less sinister than some of his domestic goals which include deportation of millions of people (mostly Latin American) by his eager henchmen and the transfer of public education money to private and religious schools.
Leading the effort to break up im-
migrant families and disrupt the flow of labor in low-paid workplaces are top Trump aides Steven Miller and Thomas Homan. Watch them on television, especially on the right-wing propaganda fountains like Fox News Channel and Newsmax.
Their glee at disrupting lives jumps from their hard, mean faces through the hi-def screen. You think kids-incages seemed cruel last time around? Let’s see what these guys come up with this time.
As for “school choice,” it is a false “choice” because parents already have all the “choice” they need. If you will excuse the cliché, “school choice” is a euphemism for a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
You don’t need government money to send your kid to a private school or a religious school. All you need is your own gosh-darn money. Instead, advocates of “school choice” — Trump throws that term around a lot — want money to “follow the child.”
This is similar to the attempt decades ago to save Detroit’s neighborhood Catholic schools with “Parochiaid.”
That campaign failed, but this philosophy is bubbling up again, this time blending into the “evangelical” movement toward White Christian nationalism that Trump has tacitly backed.
Funding private education with public tax money would weaken teachers’ unions and steer more money away from students who need it most. Moreover, it would blend church and state,
in violation of the Constitution.
Unfortunately, the only people who can rule with finality on Constitutional questions like this are the nine justices on Trump’s Supreme Court. And, thanks to Sen. Mitch McConnell, Trump has packed that bench with religious fundamentalists who banned a woman’s right to choose abortion and may inflict further religious doctrine on issues of human sexuality.
Although lower federal courts are beginning to challenge some of the executive orders of Trump and Musk, the kangaroos Trump appointed to the Supreme Court will probably side with him, as they have in Roe, Dobbs, and other questions.
The Republican Congress, quivering in fear of Trump, is neither a check nor a balance against Trump’s executive power. So, what if Trump’s current momentum carries over to the mid-term elections in 2026? What if he threatens war, the way George W. Bush did toward Iraq in the 2002 mid-term campaign?
That’s one way to get the voters behind the party in power before the next election. That’s patriotism, and Pete Hegseth will drink to that. Thanks to retirements and term limits, Michigan’s mid-term elections next year will produce a new U.S. Senator, governor, attorney general, and secretary of state.
Currently, all those jobs are filled by Democrats. But that may change in a big way and this mess might get worse before it gets better.
As the old song said, “Everybody look, what’s going down?” SHUTTERSTOCK
rAnking the Best Detroit-style PizzAs
By Steve NeavliNg
Thick, crispy, cheesy, and unmistakably De troit.
The city’s signature square pizza is a true local classic that has earned its place along side New York’s foldable pies and Chicago’s deep-dish slabs. With its pillowy crust, and gooey cheese (typically Wisconsin brick) topped with dollops of savory sauce, Detroit-style pizza is comfort food at its finest.
The style traces its roots back to 1946, when Gus Guerra, an Italian immigrant, created the first square pizza at Buddy’s Rendezvous Pizzeria on the city’s east side. Inspired by Sicilian recipes, Guerra used blue steel pans borrowed from the auto industry to make a pie with a soft interior, a crispy bottom crust, and thick cheese that caramelizes into golden edges.
By the mid-2010s, pizzerias across the country started featuring Detroit-style pizza on their menus. Even Pizza Hut joined in the trend with its version in 2021.
But nothing compares to the real thing, so I set out in search of the best local Detroit-style pizzas. For the past half-year, I tried 25 pies from cozy neighborhood bars, downtown hotspots, hip restaurants, and even a con venience store, scattered across Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties. From old-school staples like Buddy’s and Loui’s to rising stars such as Michigan & Trumbull and Grandma Bob’s, the metro area has no shortage of delicious Detroit-style options.
Ranking something as subjective as pizza was a tricky task, and this is by no means anything more than a list of my favorite pies.
Without further ado, let’s dig in.
#25 AmAr PizzA
12197 Joseph Campau, hamtramCk; amarpizza.Com
Amar Pizza in Hamtramck is known for making one hell of a pie. Praised for creative pizzas featuring Bangladeshi ingredients, Amar was even named one of the best pizzerias in the U.S. by The New York Times last year. But its take on Detroit-style pizza is underwhelming. Other than its rectangular shape, the pizza missed the key elements of Detroit style. It’s cut into 12 pieces, leaving only four corner slices. The dough is more spongy than airy, and the cheese and sauce are sparse and bland. What little there is on this pizza doesn’t have much flavor. That said, Amar’s strength lies in its more unique offerings. If you go, skip the Detroit-style and try some of their
other pizzas — like ghost pepper, dry fish, or Mediterranean — for a more unconventional experience.
#24 Belle Isle PizzA
7869 e. Jefferson, Detroit; belleislepizza.Com
Belle Isle Pizza has been serving pies from a small, no-frills spot near Belle Isle since 2015. Under new ownership since 2023, their Detroit-style pizza is straightforward but falls short of the city’s best. The crust is thinner than most Detroit-style pies, and while the edges have a satisfying crunch, the overall structure lacks heft. The tangy sauce leans acidic, which overpowers the cheese instead of balancing it. The flavor is there, but the execution felt a bit off. Still, it was a decent, satisfying pizza, but in a city with so many good options, this one doesn’t quite measure up.
#23 CrisPelli’s PizzeriA
multiple loCations; Crispellis.Com
Known for its fresh, thin-crust pies, Crispelli’s falls short when it comes to Detroit-style pizza. The
crispy edges and abundance of cheese are satisfying, but there’s a serious lack of sauce. The result is a pie that feels unbalanced, leaving you wanting more flavor.
#22 Detroit PizzA BAr
7316 W. mCniChols, Detroit; etroitpizzabar.Com
This vibrant spot has a menu that includes 17 different pizzas, some with names of local icons, like the Supremes, the Temptations, and the Coleman Young (a seafood-heavy pie with shrimp, crab, lobster, and alfredo sauce). The dough is big, fluffy, and topped with delicious cheese and a sauce that leans sweet, though it lacks much of a crust, and it isn’t as crispy as most of the pizzas I tried. What really stands out here is the atmosphere. The staff is friendly and welcoming, and some of the patrons encouraged me to stay for the Michigan-Michigan State football game. I wish I had taken them up on it, but I’m sure I’ll be back for some of those other pizzas.
#21 PizzAPAPAlis
ultiple loCations; pizzapapalis.Com
Known for its Chicago-style deep dish, PizzaPapalis introduced its take on Detroit-style pizza in 2020. It comes in one size, with eight large slices. Their version sticks to the basics — a thick, rectangular pie with a crispy-edged crust and a classic cheeseand-sauce layering. The dough is surprisingly airy for a deep-dish style, giving each bit a nice contrast between the soft interior and the caramelized edges. The flavor of the cheese and sauce is solid, but the portions are light, leaving some bites feeling dry.
#20 Jet’s PizzA
multiple loCations; Jetspizza.Com
Jet’s may not satisfy purists, but it’s a reliably delicious pizza delivered to your door, and that’s hard to beat. With more than 400 locations across the country, it’s the largest chain serving Detroit-style pizza, and in terms of quality, it blows away the other Michigan-based national franchises like Little Caesars, Dominos, and Hungry Howie’s.
Jet’s takes some liberties, like layering the sauce under the cheese and not using Wisconsin brick cheese. For some, that’s a dealbreaker. For me, it’s still a tasty, convenient pie that is far better than
Elephant & Co.
STEVE NEAVLING
what most other pizza delivery chains offer. And Jet’s is not stingy with its cheese. The blend of mozzarella and Muenster is gooey and caramelized at the edges. The sauce is sweeter and lighter than most. The pepperoni curls into cups, and the crust has a nice balance between moist and crunchy without becoming soggy.
#19 the originAl BusCemi’s
multiple loCations; originalbusCemis.Com
Serving pizza out of party stores for more than 60 years, this local chain is a unique and convenient fixture in metro Detroit. It brought back its original Detroit-style pizza in 2016, and at just $13.99 for an eight-piece pizza, the price is hard to beat. A single slice is only $2.19. The pizza is surprisingly good. The crust is thick, and they absolutely nail the crunch. Both the bottom and edges are perfectly crispy. The cheese is average, and there isn’t much sauce, but the overall experience is solid, especially considering this came from a convenience store.
#18 FrAnk’s FAmily PizzeriA
3144 biDDle ave., WyanDotte; frankspizza1952.Com
A downriver staple since 1952, Frank’s is a quaint, casual spot with a local loyal following. Each pie is baked in a classic blue steel pan that creates beautifully crisp edges. The dough is light and perfectly crispy. The eight-corner pizza is topped with small, crunchy pepperonis and two generous dollops of sauce down the middle. However, the sauce is on the sweeter side and the cheese is a bit sparse and not particularly memorable. Still, the overall structure of the pizza is solid, with great texture and balance. It may not be flashy, but it’s a well-built pizza.
#17 Detroit style PizzA ComPAny
28630 harper ave., st. Clair shores; Detroitstylepizza.Com
Founded in 2012 by World Champion Pizza Maker Shawn Randazzo, who made it his mission to perfect and celebrate Detroit-style pizza, this place even sells steel pans and ships its pizzas across the country. Although Randazzo passed away in 2020, his passion and expertise live on through his significant contribution to the tradition. The pizza is good, but not without flaws. The bread is the highlight, soft and airy on the inside with a nice crisp on the outside. The large dollops of sauce are a nice touch, though the sauce itself is a bit underwhelming, and some parts of the pizza feel over-seasoned. It’s not as thick as other Detroit-style pies, but overall, it’s a solid, well-executed pizza.
A Ferndale icon since the 1960s, Como’s underwent a major transformation when new owners reopened it in 2019 with a fresh look, an updated menu, and a focus on Detroit-style pizza.
The pies are solid and satisfying. Each eight-piece order is two smaller pizzas, so every slice is a coveted corner. The crust is perfectly crispy on the edges, the cheese is decent, and the sauce adds a garlicky punch. Overall, it’s a hearty, well-executed pizza that holds its own.
#15 guiDo’s Premium PizzA
multiple loCations; guiDospizza.Com
Known as “The Savory Sauce Boss,” Guido’s has been serving pies across metro Detroit since 1993. With 11 locations in the area, the chain has built a loyal following. Guido’s version is thinner than most Detroit-style pizzas, from the crust to the cheese and sauce, leaving you wanting more. The crust provides a satisfying crunch despite its thin base. It’s not as hearty as some other Detroit-style pies, but it’s still a solid, satisfying option.
#14 PAlAzzo Di PizzA
1220 e. 11 mile, royal oak; palazzoDipizza.Com Opened in 2019 by World Champion Pizza Maker Shawn Randazzo and his cousin Greg Cummings, Palazzo specializes in classic Detroit-style pies with a focus on quality ingredients and perfectly crisped edges. It’s a solid pie; the crust has great texture, and it’s got a well-balanced ratio of cheese-to-sauce. The sauce, however, didn’t quite hit the mark for me, reminding me more of a spaghetti sauce. Still, the pizza is well-cooked, filling, and satisfying. If you go, don’t miss the gelato. The strawberry cheesecake and pistachio flavors were worth the trip on their own.
#13 shielD’s PizzA
multiple loCations; shielDspizza.Com
Shield’s is one of the original Detroit-style pizza spots, with roots tracing back to 1937, when it first opened as a bar at the corner of Davison and Shields streets in Detroit. Louis Tourtois, a former chef at Buddy’s, later brought Detroit-style pizza to Shield’s.
Unfortunately, the pizza I had at the Midtown location fell short of its reputation. The crust lacked the crispiness of a Detroit-style pie, and the edges were dry. The dough was very soft throughout. Neither the sauce nor the cheese stood out. Despite its shortcomings, it still managed to be a damn good pizza.
#12 Pie sCi PizzA
5163 trumbull, Detroit | 8150 W. nine mile rD., oak park | piesCipizza.Com
Pie Sci has grown from a pop-up location inside Woodbridge Pub in Detroit on Sundays to two full-fledged pizza destinations. The first brick-andmortar opened in 2015 next to Woodbridge Pub in Detroit, and in early 2024, Pie Sci opened a second location in Oak Park. It has developed a cult following for its fresh, imaginative, and unconventional pizzas with weekly specials, like Artichoke Garfunkel: The Sound of Spinach.
The Detroit-style pizza is solid. It was cooked perfectly, with a great texture and nice crunch. Of all the pizzas I’ve tried, this one had the most pepperonis, which added some punch. The flavor reminded me a bit of French bread pizza, but more refined and well-cooked. It’s a decent option, especially for its inventive toppings.
#11 green lAntern PizzA
multiple loCations; greenlanternpizza.Com
This local favorite traces its roots back to 1955 in an old farmhouse bar in Madison Heights., its name coming from the green lanterns that were used to signal alcohol sales during Prohibition. Known for its laid-back vibe and longstanding reputation, Green Lantern gained a burst of attention recently when food critic Rashad Mooreman, aka Mr. ChimeTime, declared it the best Detroit-style pizza. But here’s the catch: while its menu includes square pizza, you have to make a special request for Detroit-style. It’s a decent pie, with crispy edges, a soft interior, and thin strips of sauce on top. Plus, it’s filling and satisfying, leaving me full after three slices.
#10 siCily’s PizzeriA
3554 W. vernor hWy., Detroit; siCilysDetroit.Com
This Southwest Detroit fixture has been serving up pies since 1998. Owner Ali Beydoun took over in 1999 and transformed the modest delivery spot into a true destination known for its naturally fermented
Z's Villa. STEVE NEAVLING
sourdough crust. Sicily’s doesn’t use sugar, vegetable oil, commercial yeast, or bleached flour, and as a result, the pizza is light, airy, and full of flavor.
Indeed, the sourdough crust is the standout. It’s perfectly airy with a crispy, golden edge that gives every bite a satisfying crunch. Served in fresh dollops, the sauce is bright and flavorful without being overpowering. The pepperoni curls into crispy, salty cups. While the cheese didn’t blow me away, the crust and sauce made up for it. This is a very good pizza. It’s simple, well-executed, and all about the dough.
#9 Union Assembly
2131 WoodWard ave., detroit; unionassembly.com
What sets this spot apart is its lineup of five different Detroit-style pizzas, including The Coney, a playful twist on the Motor City staple with chopped hot dog, chili, cheese, white onion, and yellow mustard. The pepperoni Detroit-style pizza is also very good and hits the spot. The crust is perfectly caramelized, with crispy, cheesy edges. It’s a bit thinner than most, and while there isn’t quite enough sauce, the flavor still stands out. But be warned: This is a heavy, greasy pizza. But despite the grease, it’s one of the best Detroit-style pizzas I tried.
Tucked in the heart of Greektown, Niki’s has been serving Detroit-style pizza for decades, along with Greek specialties like flaming saganaki. (The restaurant is named after Nikoletta Kefallinos, whose son opened the first location in her honor during one of her visits from Greece.) It’s all about balance here: The dough is light and airy, with a buttery, soft texture that contrasts nicely with the crispy edges. Dollops of tangy sauce add just the right amount of zest, and all the ingredients come together for an evenly layered taste. The pizza is surprisingly light, without grease or heavy ingredients, so you can enjoy it without a dreaded post-pizza coma.
#7 GrAndmA bob’s
2135 michigan ave., detroit; grandmabobs.com
When it comes to Detroit-style pizza, Grandma Bob’s doesn’t overcomplicate things, and it works. The crust strikes an ideal balance with crunch, caramelized edges, and an airy interior. The pie is topped with a thin layer of cheese, dolloped tomato sauce, and small, cupped, perfectly crispy pepperonis. All the ingredients tie everything together for a balanced, tasty pie. It’s simple, well-made, and really freaking good.
#6 z’s VillA
42 piquette st., detroit; zsvilla.com
Housed in a charming 1890s Victorian home in Milwaukee Junction, Z’s Villa has been a neighborhood fixture for years. The environment is cozy and unpretentious, with a lively atmosphere, a patio with games and a volleyball court, and a menu featuring everything from “the world’s best corned beef” to creamy, homemade cole slaw. Their Detroit-style pizza is lighter and thinner than most, with an airy dough that’s crispy on the edges and the bottom. The fresh sauce is perfectly balanced, and there’s just enough of it. The real highlight is the delicious three-cheese blend, which gives the pizza a rich, savory flavor without making it overly heavy. This is the kind of pizza that satisfies you without feeling stuffed. It’s a solid, well-executed pizza that’s worth a visit.
#5 elePhAnt And Co.
456 charlotte st., detroit | 330 e. lincoln ave., royal oak | elephantand.com
Elephant & Co. makes one hell of a Detroit-style pizza. Its self-serve taproom opened its Detroit location in the Cass Corridor in July 2024, expanding from its original spot in Royal Oak. I ordered the pizza on the first day that the Detroit location opened, and they ran out of large pies, so I ate their small version, which is four pieces and perfect for one person. Each pizza is made with Wunderboi bread dough, layered Wisconsin brick cheese, crispy pepperonis, and a red sauce with garlic and herbs. The edges are crunchy, and the sauce is fresh, giving each slice a bold flavor. The crust is thick and satisfying and not as airy as some, but still substantial without being heavy. The Wisconsin brick cheese really stands out, bringing a rich, buttery depth that brings it all together.
#4 bUddy’s PizzA
multiple locations; buddyspizza.com
Considering Buddy’s is the birthplace of Detroit-style pizza, it’s no surprise its pies rank among the best. This pizza is exactly what Detroit-style pizza should be. Each eight-corner pie is loaded with gooey, flavorful cheese that caramelizes into crispy perfection along the edges. The dough is light and airy, providing a perfect base for the dollops of fresh, tangy sauce. If you’re looking for the original Detroit-style experience, Buddy’s is a must. Start with the flagship location at 17125 Conant St. for a true slice of history.
#3 CloVerleAf PizzA:
multiple locations; cloverleaf-pizza.com
Dubbed the “Original Motor City Square,” it was founded by Gus Guerra after he sold Buddy’s in the 1950s and brought his Sicilian-style square pizza to Eastpointe, where his family continues to run the flagship Cloverleaf Bar and Restaurant. Their signature offering is the Clover 8, which is two small, four-piece pizzas served together so every slice is a corner. The sauce is the standout, with a subtle herbal kick that blends perfectly with the gener-
ous, gooey cheese. The sauce-to-cheese ratio is just right, and the edges of the pizza are crispy and caramelized. Even the bottom has a light, satisfying crisp without being greasy.
Don’t skip dessert. Their thick, fluffy cheesecake, made in-house and served with strawberry sauce for just $5, is a sweet surprise.
First opened in early 2020 at its namesake crossroads in Corktown, the small pizzeria moved in 2023 to a renovated industrial building. Known for its creative take on Detroit-style pizza, Michigan & Trumbull’s pies are baked in 8-by-10-inch pans and cut into six square slices. This pizza stands out because of its sauce. And its airy dough. And its crispy, caramelized edges. It’s one of the best pizzas I’ve ever eaten.
#1 loUi’s PizzA
23141 dequindre rd., hazel park; louispizza.store
If there’s one Detroit-style pizza spot that stands above the rest, it’s Loui’s. Opened in 1977 by pizza legend Louis Tourtois, who previously worked at Buddy’s and Shield’s, Loui’s has built a reputation for delivering some of the best pizza anywhere. It has everything you want in a Detroit-style pie — tasty sauce, perfectly crispy caramelized edges, and more cheese than just about any other pizza I tried. The tangy and bold sauce is ladled generously on top, adding a perfect balance with each bite. Unlike some heavier Detroit-style pizzas, Loui’s keeps the proportions just right with a crust that’s thick but not overwhelming and striking a perfect balance of crunch and fluff.
Loui’s also serves its pies in a welcoming, no-frills vibe. When you walk in, you’re surrounded by hanging wine bottles, red-checkered tablecloths, and a cozy, homey atmosphere. It’s no surprise that it’s often considered one of the best pizza joints in the region. For me, it’s the clear winner, one that every Detroit pizza fan needs to experience at least once.
Loui's Pizza. STEVE NEAVLING
new detroit-AreA restAurAnts to Put on your rAdAr
By Metro tiMes staff
While the restaurant industry has been facing especially difficult headwinds in recent years, that hasn’t stopped a number of exciting new establishments from opening in the Detroit area. Here’s a sampling of some of the spots that have opened over the past year or so.
AdelinA
1040 WoodWard ave., detroit; adelinadetroit.com
Opened in March by celebrity chef Fabio Viviani in collaboration with local chefs Gabriel Botezan and Marco Dalla Fontana (of the shuttered Bacco Ristorante in Southfield), this downtown restaurant draws inspiration from Italian and Mediterranean cuisine. It opened in the former Calexico space in One Campus Martius.
AnticA novA
1695 e. Big Beaver rd., troy; anticanova.com
This Italian restaurant opened in late 2024 in the space behind the San Marino Club that was formerly home to Tre Monti. Its name means “new antique,” a nod to the way it blends traditional flavors with modern culinary techniques. The kitchen is led by Anthony Giannola, who learned to cook from his mother and grandfather.
AriA restAurAnt
33210 W. 14 mile rd., West Bloomfield tWp.; ariaBloomfield.com
This high-end restaurant opened its doors in late 2024, blending drawing inspiration from Italian, European, and Mediterranean cuisines.
AurorA ItAliAnA on the lAke
2323 Union lake rd., commerce tWp.; aUroraitaliana.com
After more than 30 years of business, the lakeside fine-dining restaurant It’s A Matter of Taste closed in 2024. In early 2025 Aurora Italiana on the Lake opened in its space, following the upscale Italian restaurant’s original location in West Bloomfield in 2023. Both serve up high-end dishes inspired by Italy’s Amalfi Coast.
AvAlon cAfe And kitchen
224 s main st., ann arBor; avalonBakeryandcafe.com
This beloved local bakery chain closed its East Liberty Street location in late 2024, reopening a smaller location next door to Pretzel Bell.
Bell Bistro
185 n old WoodWard ave., Birmingham; BellBirmingham.com
This modern American eatery opened in late 2024 in the space formerly occupied by Mad Hatter Bistro.
Blind owl royAl oAk
511 s main st., royal oak; BlindoWlrestaUrant.com
After nine years in business, The Morrie in Royal Oak closed in late 2024 and was replaced by Blind Owl. The fusion restaurant mixes Latin, Asian, Mediterranean, and American inspirations and follows a flagship location that opened in downtown New Baltimore in 2023.
cleAn eAts
819 W. 14 mile rd., claWson; cleaneatsmi.com
After opening its first location in West Bloomfield, this health-conscious, graband-go spot opened another in Clawson in early 2025. Its menu includes more than 35 ready-to-eat meals all under 450 calories.
dime store rochester hills
6920 n. rochester rd., rochester hills; eatdimestore.com
This Detroit brunch favorite celebrated a decade operating out of downtown’s Chrysler House Building with exciting news — an expansion to the ’burbs. Attached to a Papa Joe’s Gourmet Market, the new location is more than double the size of the original Detroit spot, allowing for an expanded menu including pancakes and former limited-time specials like the General Tso’s Benny. The extra space also means it can accommo-
19-25, 2025 | metrotimes.com
date reservations for parties of up to 12, private events, and catering orders.
dirty shAke
4642 second ave., detroit
While its team comes from upscale spots like Freya, Dragonfly, Chartreuse Kitchen & Cocktails, and The Oakland, this new joint, opened in a long-abandoned building, aims for more of a neighborhood bar vibe. It plans to open in March.
echelon kitchen And BAr
200 s main st., ann arBor; echelonkitchenandBar.com
Opened in early 2025, this spot offers a wood-fired, vegetable-forward, locally sourced menu. It also features a curated selection of Michigan-made craft beverages.
This soul food spot opened in late 2024, the latest in a national chain owned by former NBA All-Star and mayor of Sacramento Kevin Johnson. It serves up soul favorites like fried chicken, oxtails, fried green tomatoes, black-eyed peas, and even a deep-fried take on deviled eggs.
forest BAkery
8140 W. nine mile rd., oak park
This bakery was opened by three friends in 2024 and has already gained a cult following with its phenomenal pastries. It’s only open Thursdays through Saturday from 10 a.m. until it sells out, so be sure to get there early.
hAlA Beruit
3636 caniff st., hamtramck
Opened in late 2024, this Lebanese restaurant is earning praise for its flavorful chicken and low prices.
hiroki-sAn
1265 Washington Blvd., detroit; hirokisandetroit.com
A sister restaurant to chef Hiroki Fujiyama’s Philly restaurant Hiroki, this spot opened in Detroit’s renovated Book Tower in early 2024. Its menu includes
robatayaki yakitori dishes cooked on a charcoal grill and sushi using ingredients imported from Japan, as well as an extensive sake menu.
house of Burek
48850 van dyke ave., shelBy tWp.; hoUseofBUrek.com
This spot is home to all things burek, the savory pies and pastries from Balkan cuisine. It opened in late 2024.
hteA cAfe
2891 W. maple rd., troy; hteacafe.com
This cozy Asian tea cafe opened in late 2024, featuring an extensive tea menu, pizzas, and ornate desserts.
JP mAkes And BAkes
6529 WoodWard ave., detroit; JpmakesandBakes.com
Billed as Detroit’s only Filipino bakery, JP Makes and Bakes opened in late 2024 by Jonathon Peregrino, a first-generation Filipino American who cut his teeth in Detroit restaurants like Oak and Reel and Le Suprême. One menu highlight is the ube brownies, made from a purple yam.
lAdy of the house
4884 grand river ave., detroit; ladyofthehoUsedetroit.com
Chef Kate Williams earned acclaim with Lady of the House, which operated in Corktown from 2017 to 2021 when its building was sold. She reopened L.O.T.H. in the Core City area in late 2024. Its menu blends Irish, French, and Midwest influences with a focus on seasonal, locally sourced ingredients.
leñA
2720 BrUsh st., detroit; lenadetroit.com
Opened in 2024 in Detroit’s Brush Park, the menu of this Spanish-inspired restaurant includes wood-fired main courses along with craft cocktails and wines.
lincoln And little yArd
2159 e lincoln st., Birmingham; eatlincolnyard.com
A new concept by local restaurant group Union Joints, these sister restaurants (one dine-in, one to-go) opened a repurposed school bus garage in Birmingham’s Rail District. Its menu includes sandwiches, wood-fired pizzas, and Union Joints’ famous Union Mac macaroni and cheese, among others.
lunA BAr & Bistro
2910 van alstyne st., Wyandotte; lUnaBarBistro.com
Opened in the former Wine Dotte Bistro in late 2024, this spot serves up locally
sourced meats. It even acquired the recipe for Wine Dotte Bistro’s beloved lamb chops.
This local fast-casual chain includes locations in Detroit, Warren, Bloomfield Hills, and most recently Lathrup Village. The halal menu revolves around shawarma bowls which can be made to order, and it also serves items like Loaded Shawarma Fries topped with marinated grilled chicken, feta cheese, jalapeño, onions, tomatoes, and a spicy dillio sauce.
norm’s diner
8029 agnes st., detroit; normsdiner.com
This old-school breakfast and lunch spot exudes retro charm. It opened in late 2024 in a former Yum Village location with a small menu that includes twists on diner classics, like a turkey club sandwich with “herby mayo” and homemade biscuits with chorizo gravy.
ostreA seAfood
536 shelBy st., detroit
Launched by the folks between Detroit’s long-standing London Chop House and located just around the corner, this new luxury spot has a focus on seafood like oysters, lobster, and caviar.
PArlAy
1260 Washington Blvd., detroit; parlaydetroit.com
This upscale sports bar features elevated American bar fare, craft cocktails, and a cigar lounge. It’s co-owned by former Detroit Lions running back Joique Bell and opened in November 2024, just in time for the big Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson boxing match.
PumA
4725 16th st., detroit; pUmadetroit.com
Billed as a casual sister to chef Javier Bardauil’s nearby upscale Argentineinspired restaurant Barda, Puma’s menu features flavors from different South American cultures as well as house-made cocktails. At night, you can catch music from artists performing in a 360-degree DJ booth.
sugAh PleAse
150 W. Jefferson ave., detroit; sUgahplease.com
After first opening in Novi’s Twelve Oaks Mall, this New Orleans-inspired breakfast and brunch restaurant closed its suburban location and relocated downtown, soft-launching in late 2024 and celebrating its proper grand opening
in January. Its menu features brunch favorites, baked desserts, and cocktails.
tABe
209 s main st., ann arBor
A new high-end fusion restaurant from the team behind 168 Asian Mart in Madison Heights plans to open in Ann Arbor’s former Jim Brady’s space in early 2024.
tAll trees cAfe
817 livernois, ferndale; talltreesferndale.com
After hosting a series of pop-ups serving up gourmet sandwiches, soups, and salads, this spot opened its small brick and mortar in late 2024.
terrA kitchen
260 n old WoodWard ave., Birmingham; dineterra.com
Opened in December, this upscale spot serves up New American cuisine and craft cocktails. Its kitchen is led by executive chef Fernando Mercado, who relocated to Michigan from Tampa and says he draws inspiration from his mother.
the cAnteen At midtown
720 toWn center dr., dearBorn; canteenatmidtoWn.com
Opened in late 2024, The Canteen bills itself as Dearborn’s first-of-its-kind halal food hall and food truck park. Its initial roster includes vendors like Amo Sami’s Shawarma, The Chicken Coupe Chicken + Waffles, Nami Sushi, and Qahwah House coffee, among others.
the döner shAwArmA
27638 ford rd., garden city
After gaining fans as a popular Dearborn-based food truck, this purveyor of Berlin-style döner kebab sandwiches opened its first brick and mortar store in late 2024.
the gAllery
26505 ford rd., dearBorn heights; thegallerymi.com
This spot opened in the former Lava Lounge in late 2024, the brainchild of
Dearborn Heights City Council President Mo Baydoun and two business partners. Its menu features Sicily’s Pizzeria, Kai Sushi, coffee, and a hookah lounge.
the JAckson restAurAnt
184 n. adams rd., rochester hills; theJacksonrestaUrant.com
The theme of this high-end restaurant is inspired by the work of abstract expressionist painter Jackson Pollock (especially the painting “Number One”) and Pablo Picasso. Its seasonal menu includes quirky “cones,” or appetizers like crab dip or caviar served like ice cream cones.
the sAvoy
17131 e. Warren ave., detroit; savoydetroit.com
This fine-dining spot serves up a menu focused on seafood. It also features live jazz music and even a t0p-hatted doorman, making for a fun date night experience.
the vinyl society
1427 randolph st., detroit; thevinylsociety.com
The latest endeavor from entrepreneur Dennis Archer Jr. is a posh club (the dress code calls for “stylish and sophisticated”) that pays homage to Detroit’s former Paradise Valley neighborhood with live music and DJs. Its menu includes cocktails with some bites like lamb chops and charcuterie.
A venture by Detroit-area Yemeni businessmen who were inspired by their travels to Turkey, this restaurant has become popular among diners from Dearborn’s various other Middle Eastern ethnic groups.
vecino
4100 3rd ave., detroit; vecinodetroit.com
Opened in April, this buzzy Midtown spot features modern Mexican cuisine along with curated tequilas and mezcals. It imports corn from Mexico for its tortillas, which vary in pleasing colors and textures.
vive restAurAnt
33080 northWestern hWy., West Bloomfield tWp.; viverestaUrantmi.com
Opened in early 2025, this restaurant serves dishes like pasta, oysters, branzino, lamb chops, and steak frites. Its kitchen is helmed by Jared Bobkin, who competed on Hell’s Kitchen
Lady of the House and its Potato Donuts are back.
JACOB LEWKOW
WHAT’S GOING ON
Select events happening in metro Detroit this week. Be sure to check venue websites before all events for the latest information. Add your event to our online calendar: metrotimes.com/ AddEvent.
MUSIC
Wednesday, Feb. 19
Live/Concert
Magic Bag Presents: Benjamin Booker, Kenny Segal 7 p.m.; Magic Bag, 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; $20.
Matt Larusso Trio and guests 8-11 p.m.; Northern Lights Lounge, 660 W. Baltimore St., Detroit; no cover.
Thursday, Feb. 20
Live/Concert
The Jerome Clark Trio 6-10 p.m.; Bert’s Music Cafe, 2458 Brush St., Detroit; $15.
Justin Timberlake - The Forget Tomorrow World Tour 7:30 p.m.; Little Caesars Arena, 2645 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $55-$275.
Armageddon (Def Leppard tribute), URGENT (Foreigner tribute), Modern Day Cowboys Tesla tribute) 7:30 p.m.; The Token Lounge, 28949 Joy Rd., Westland; $15-$80.
Brian McKee, Sancho, Rory Moon, The Boy Blue 7 p.m.; Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff St., Hamtramck; $12.
Cover Night with Ska’t Ya
Covered, The Warped Tourists, Strike Tyson 6:30 p.m.-1 a.m.; Trixie’s Bar, 2656 Carpenter Avenue, Hamtramck; $10.
Hulvey, nobigdyl 7 p.m.; The Crofoot Ballroom, 1 S. Saginaw, Pontiac; $25-$55. Kxllswxtch, SXMPRA 7 p.m.; The Shelter, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit; $25.
Magic Bag Presents: 80’s vs. 90s (Mega 80’s vs. Class Of ‘98) 7 p.m.; Magic Bag, 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; $20.
Lit & Fuel: Ignited We Stand Tour 2025 8 p.m.; Caesars Palace Windsor - Augustus Ballroom, 377 E. Riverside Dr., Windsor; $28-$68. Make Them Suffer, Like Moths to Flames, Aviana, Windwaker 6 p.m.; Saint Andrew’s Hall, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit; $25.
Paradise City (Guns N’ Roses tribute), Under Lokken Key 8 p.m.; Emerald Theatre, 31 N. Walnut St., Mount Clemens; $18-$1,000.
Seckond Chaynce, Spyda JC 8 p.m.; Diamondback Music Hall, 49345 S. Interstate 94 Service Dr., Belleville; $20-$35.
SF Jazz Collective 8 p.m.; Max M. Fisher Music Center, 3711 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $19.95+.
Woodbridge Pub Comedy Night with Cliff DeMarco; no cover; Tuesday, 10 p.m.-midnight.
Continuing This Week
Blind Pig Blind Pig Comedy FREE Mondays, 8 p.m.
The Independent Comedy Club at Planet Ant The Sh*t Show Open Mic; $5 suggested donation; Fridays, Saturdays, 11 p.m.-1:30 a.m.
The Independent Comedy Club Heavy Flow: A Night Of Dirty Jokes, hosted by Johanna Medranda; $20; Saturday, 9-10:30 p.m.
DANCE
Dance lessons
Diamondback Music Hall Line
Dancing Lessons with Ashley; $10 advance, $15 at the door; Wednesday, 6:30-10 p.m.
ARTS
Art Exhibition
Cranbrook Art Museum Wainger Workshop: Pop Art Prints (Andy Warhol). On Feb. 20, join us as we explore the vibrant world of Pop Art! Dive into the work of Andy Warhol and other iconic Pop Art masters, whose bold use of color and cultural imagery continues to inspire. Then, channel their creativity to design and create your own silkscreen prints in this hands-on workshop. $25 general, $20 for ArtMembers; Thursday, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Detroit Shipping Company The Art of Donald Calloway. Calloway’s meticulous constructions, intentional brush strokes, and bold use of colors has resulted in a signature style that is known and beloved throughout the city and beyond. No cover; Sunday, noon-7 p.m.
Michigan State University Museum (temporary location) Techno: The Rise of Detroit’s Machine Music. The MSU Museum is excited to announce its latest exhibition, Techno: The Rise of Detroit’s Machine Music, an innovative exploration of Detroit’s role as the birthplace of Techno music and its connection to Afrofuturism. This immersive exhibition will run from Feb. 4, 2025, to April 30, 2025, at the MSU Museum’s temporary location at 311 Abbot in downtown East Lansing. No cover with museum admission Through April 30.
Critics’ Picks
Don
Was and the Pan-Detroit Ensemble
OK, Don Was, we get it. We understand your fulltime day gig as president of Blue Note Records since 2011 keeps you fairly tied to its L.A. headquarters. But between assembling your Detroit All-Star Revue and performing with it at the Concert of Colors every summer for the past 15 years, co-hosting the Don Was Motor City Playlist with Ann Delisi on WDET-FM every Friday night, and saying nice things about Detroit at every opportunity (apologies to Emily Gail), this is still the age of remote employment. If you miss the place so much, why don’t you just move back?
Well, in a sense, he has.
“I just got a place in Detroit,” Don says in a recent Zoom conversation. “Yeah, I’ve been trying to spend more time there, but it’s hard. I was there just a few weeks ago. It was fucking cold, too.”
Things are expected to heat up dramatically when he unveils his new band, Don Was and the Pan-Detroit Ensemble, in live performances Friday and Saturday nights at the Blue LLama Jazz Club and Restaurant in Ann Arbor, first stop on a very abbreviated one-week, six-city Midwest tour.
“It’s tough to get everyone together,” he explains. “But I sure love this band.”
The nine-piece Ensemble features scintillating saxophonist Dave McMurray, Don’s trusted woodwind accomplice even before the ’80s days of Was (Not Was), and the Oscar-winning keyboard genius Luis Resto. Trumpeter John Douglas, trombonist Vincent Chandler, guitarist Wayne Gerard, drummer Jeff Canaday, percussionist Mahindi Masai, and vocalist Stefanie Christi’an round out the nonet, and they all share one thing in common.
They’re Detroiters.
In the press release announcing this tour, Don is quoted as saying, “I’ve been chasing a sound in my head for the past 30 years. It’s jazzy and improvisational, but also glued together with a sinewy R&B groove. It’s not slick or smooth — it’s a very raw, honest, Detroit kind of thing.” And after all these decades of pursuit, he believes he’s finally found the sound with the Pan-Detroit Ensemble.
“There’s a real, tangible, audible Detroit thing we know resonates globally,” the six-time Grammy winner declares, citing hometown influences from John
Lee Hooker, Motown, and Mitch Ryder (for whom he just produced a new album, due out this fall) to George Clinton, Donald Byrd, and The Electrifying Mojo. “We know this because even on Blue Note Records, Detroit has had more musicians on the roster than any other city. There isn’t even a close second.”
While he says he’s played with each member of the band at one point in his All-Star Revues, they came together as the Pan-Detroit Ensemble organically — and out of desperation. “What happened was, my buddy Terence Blanchard is creative director for the Paradise Jazz Series at the DSO, and he asked me if I’d like to do a night. I said sure, but they book these things so far in advance I forgot about it. Then about six months out I thought, ‘Fuck! I don’t have a band! I haven’t had one in decades. What am I going to do?’
“I thought, ‘Don’t try to be Robert Glasper or Wayne Shorter: be you.’ So I got together with some like-minded people, went into Rustbelt Studios, and I just pulled four songs I played on the radio with Ann Delisi that week. And from the first note we played together it was like, ‘This band clicks.’ It felt like we’ve been together all our lives. But we’re all people who grew up listening to The Electrifying Mojo. They’re steeped in the history and sound of the city, and they all live here. You can try and throw folks together, but there’s nothing like having that kind of history. We’re just about done with an album, we’ll be out playing next year, we’re going to tour Asia. I’m planning to stick with this band till I drop.”
The Pan-Detroit Ensemble will perform a mix of new, original tracks, interpretations of songs written by artists like Yusef Lateef, Olu Dara, and Henry Threadgill, and modernized cuts from albums Don recorded with his groups Orquestra Was and Was (Not Was). And hey, Don, speaking of “till I drop:” when you’re not running Blue Note you’re producing albums, composing, playing
with the Ensemble or Bob Weir and the Wolf Brothers, creating documentaries, and hangin’ out on Detroit radio. Do you have more hours in a day than the rest of us?
“I read this interview Frank Sinatra gave in the ’60s that really had an effect on me,” he reflects. “At the time he’d get up at like five, go to a movie set, and after he was done filming he’d go into a studio and try to cut just one song for the next album. Then he’d jump on a plane and fly to Las Vegas to do a midnight show with the Rat Pack. Next day, repeat. They asked him, ‘How do you do it?’ He said, ‘The most important thing is that whatever you’re doing, be 100% present for it. When I’m in the studio I’m not thinking about what I screwed up on the movie or the show coming up in two hours. I’m completely absorbed in that song.’ Which is an interesting way to restate, ‘be here now.’
“So that’s what I try to do. Just be absorbed in whatever you’re doing. Don’t be staring at your phone or regretting what happened earlier. Just do the best you can in the moment.”
And in the future, more of those moments may be spent in Detroit. “I actually think the quality of life is really great in Detroit,” Don says. “The traffic in Los Angeles is crippling, but I get back to Detroit and I can go 10 miles in 12 minutes.
“Also, I think as you get older, you crave home. I get off the plane, I smell the plants. They smell different. The air smells different. It makes me feel at home. I feel relaxed.”
—Jim McFarlin
Don Was and the Pan-Detroit Ensemble perform at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 21 and 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 22 at the Blue Llama Jazz Club; 314 S. Main St., Ann Arbor; bluellamaclub.com. They also perform at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 23 at Grewal Hall at 224; 224 S. Washington Square, Lansing; grewalhall.com.
The Motor City booster is hitting the road with his new band. COURTESY PHOTO
CULTURE
Film Four movies worth checking out for February
By Jared Rasic, Last Word Features
February has been a mellow month for movies so far, with studios front-loading theaters with the mid-size movies they don’t have a ton of faith in gaining box office momentum. This is pretty normal, as the studios usually wait until after the Oscars to start leaning into the films they’re excited about, so February historically brings some stinkers or maybe even a hidden gem or two. Being that I had an entire day free this week, I caught four movies of varying quality and differing genres: three were romantic (it is Valentine’s season after all), but wildly disparate, and one was about emo sheep ranchers. I regret nothing.
First was Companion, a movie so undermined by its own marketing that the filmmaker should sue the entire department. The second trailer gave away so much of the plot (which unfolds with one jaw-dropping twist after another) that I’m genuinely disappointed I didn’t go into it blind. All you need to know is this: a couple (played by the perfectly cast Sophie Thatcher and Jack Quaid) goes on a weekend trip to meet friends at a cabin in the woods and things go poorly. Bloodily so.
The film approaches thematic ideas like consent, toxic masculinity, and the sometimes-transactional nature of relationships with humor and intelligence in
much the same way that The Substance did. But it trades the gratuitously extravagant maximalism for a gently cynical look at romance that plays perfectly as a poison-tipped subversion of cupid’s arrow and the typical Valentine’s Day offerings we’re subjected to as an audience. Fun, smart, perfectly acted, and exciting in equal measures, I really hope Quaid and Thatcher are bonafide movie stars after this.
Next was Love Hurts, the first big leading role from Ke Huy Quan (after his career-defining performance in Everything Everywhere All at Once). He plays Marvin Gable, a real estate agent who used to be a hitman for his brother, Knuckles, an underworld boss. Before retiring, Gable was supposed to kill Rose (Ariana DeBose), but fell in love and let her go instead. Now Knuckles and his henchmen want revenge and the entire movie is basically mild-mannered Marvin learning to kick ass all over again.
This is one of those movies that exists as a vehicle for a very specific kind of actor: one that can play an everyman, but also be badass at the same time. In the 1980s this would have been a Stallone movie, ’90s would be Jackie Chan, ’00s would be Jason Statham, ’10s would be Liam Neeson, ’20s Keanu Reeves, and so on. In fact, Love Hurts is from 87North,
the same production company that puts out the John Wick movies. So the emphasis is on the action scenes (most of which are just fine), but the problem is that the heart of the movie is supposed to be the romance between Quan and DeBose, neither of whom have even a twinkle of chemistry with the other. DeBose, after winning an Oscar for West Side Story, has followed that up with Argylle, Kraven the Hunter, and now this, which makes me think she needs a new agent, immediately. Love Hurts is quick and entertaining at points, but the dialogue, script, and direction are so slapdash that it’s not remotely worthy of the work put in by Quan and DeBose.
Next came Heart Eyes, a Valentine’s Day-themed slasher movie that manages to walk the line between romantic comedy and horror pretty perfectly — until it becomes enthralled with its own lore, focusing on ridiculous exposition dumps and ignoring what made the first twothirds of the movie a low-key charmer. The central couple (played by the magnetic coupling of Olivia Holt and Mason Gooding) has charisma and chemistry to burn, genuinely making the audience care about their new romance and hoping that they survive the Heart Eyes Killer, who only targets couples leading up to Valentine’s Day. It’s a perfect date
movie (especially for teenagers), and if you’re not hung up on the ridiculous plotting, a perfectly diverting 90 minutes of bloody entertaining horror. It’s very dumb, but somehow that’s not a total dealbreaker.
Finally, we have Bring Them Down, a revenge thriller starring Christopher Abbott and Barry Keoghan as neighboring sheep farmers feuding over a pair of stolen rams. Debut feature filmmaker Christopher Andrews crafts such an intense and mesmerizing look at warring families in the hills of Ireland that I felt like a fly on the wall, watching the inescapable disintegration of broken people breaking things. Keoghan brings the innate shiftiness that he brings to everything I’ve seen him play and deploys it perfectly, while Abbott once again weaponizes that stillness he contains, creating a character that feels as real as a member of any family.
Bring Them Down is Irish Shepherd Neo-Noir, which I’m pretty sure is an entirely new genre, so good for Andrews and team for creating a world unlike anything I’ve seen before. The film ratchets up tension so quietly that you don’t realize you’ve been death-gripping the arm rests until your hands start aching.
The highlight for me was easily Bring Them Down, but each film has a little something to offer depending on what you want from a movie. I can’t say Love Hurtsis a good movie, but if you want a villain that murders people with a damn boba straw, then it won’t hurt to love it. Companion has the twists and turns; Heart Eyeshas the goofy, glossy horror; and Bring Them Down might give you some anxiety. Choose your own adventure.
Barry Keoghan and Christopher Abbott star in Bring Them Down MUBI
WEED
The Straight Dope
Opinion: Whitmer’s plan to hike cannabis taxes would wreck Michigan’s industry
By Steve Neavling?
Welcome to The Straight Dope, a weekly series that explores the cannabis industry in Michigan.
While Michigan’s legal cannabis industry continues to struggle with plummeting prices and business closures, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is proposing to more than triple the state’s recreational marijuana excise tax as a solution to help fix the state’s crumbling roads.
But by increasing the excise tax from 10% to 32%, Whitmer’s plan risks wrecking the state’s cannabis industry and fueling the black market, dispensary owners and cultivators tell me. That tax is on top of a 6% sales tax that Michigan consumers already pay.
Of the 24 states where recreational cannabis is legal, Michigan’s increased tax rate would be the second highest, trailing only Washington state.
Let’s say you are used to buying $25 for an eighth of cannabis at a dispensary. Today, the state sales and excise taxes would cost you an additional $4. But under Whitmer’s proposal, you would pay a $9.5o tax on the same eighth, raising the price to $34.50.
Raising taxes would only make things worse for struggling cannabis businesses
in Michigan, pushing more consumers to the illicit market, where prices are lower and state regulations — like testing for dangerous banned substances — aren’t required. Legal weed is supposed to stamp out illegal sales, not drive customers back to them.
“The margins are incredibly tight in this industry, and companies are literally going out of business left and right,” says Stuart Carter, owner of Utopia Gardens, a dispensary in Detroit. “This would drive people to the black market.”
To justify her aggressive tax increase, Whitmer’s administration falsely claims that the rate hike would merely “close a loophole” that allowed the cannabis industry to dodge higher taxes. Whitmer insists marijuana should be taxed at the same rate as cigarettes, which kill 460,000 Americans a year and remain the leading cause of preventable death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
When Michigan voters legalized recreational marijuana in 2018, they explicitly agreed to a 10% excise tax. Whitmer’s proposal flies in the face of voters’ intentions.
Also, equating cannabis with tobacco is disingenuous. Cannabis is far less
fewer legal options and making it easier for the illicit market to thrive.
Other states with high taxes rates on cannabis, like Washington and Colorado, are also feeling the pain.
These cautionary tales show precisely why Michigan voters only imposed a 10% excise tax.
So why would Whitmer risk derailing Michigan’s cannabis industry and threaten the jobs of more than 46,700 workers? Unfortunately, Whitmer’s office declined to respond to my multiple inquiries.
Despite an oversaturated market that’s pulling prices down, Michigan’s marijuana industry hit a record $3.3 billion in sales in 2024, up 9.9% from 2023.
The heavy competition has resulted in record-low prices for recreational marijuana — about $69 an ounce of flower. Although many in the cannabis industry say the low prices aren’t sustainable in the long-term, they are a big reason many consumers aren’t using the black market. Imposing a combined 38% on products would change that.
The low prices are the primary reason Michigan ranks second in the nation for legal marijuana sales per resident, trailing only Alaska, where tourism boosted sales.
harmful, and unlike tobacco, offers proven health benefits.
Incredibly, Whitmer is ignoring the lessons from other states that imposed exorbitant tax rates. In California, its high tax rates have forced thousands of legal businesses to shut down and gave new life to the unregulated market. Recreational marijuana sales are subject to state, local, and county taxes, which significantly drive up the retail price. In addition to a 15% state excise tax and a 7.25% state sales tax, cannabis businesses are also subject to local taxes. In Los Angeles, Oakland, and San Jose, for example, cannabis customers are required to pay an additional 10% local tax.
It’s no wonder about two out of every three cannabis purchases are made in the illicit market, according to Tiffany DeVitt, a board member of the California Cannabis Industry Association and the head of regulatory affairs for CannaCraft.
Despite all of this, California’s combined tax rates are still lower than what Whitmer is proposing in Michigan. Oregon is facing similar challenges. An oversupply of cannabis and steep taxes pushed growers and retailers out of business, leaving customers with
Whitmer claims the increase in the excise tax will raise an additional $470 million in taxes, but her administration’s estimate fails to accept the reality that her proposal would chase consumers from the legal market. In California, tax revenue from cannabis sales has fallen from $361.4 million in 2021 to $263.1 million last year as the black market continues to grow.
Cannabis business owners say Whitmer’s plan, which still needs approval from the Republican-led Legislature, is a fast way to upend an industry already in trouble.
“The industry is struggling, businesses are closing, and the black market is thriving,” Jerry Millen, owner of the Greenhouse of Walled Lake, the first licensed dispensary in Oakland County, says. “Higher taxes will only make things worse. Unlike alcohol and cigarettes, cannabis helps people, so why punish those who rely on it? Politicians need to stop seeing this as just another cash grab and start prioritizing the well-being of patients.”
Luckily, Whitmer can’t singlehandedly impose the tax. Whether she can convince the anti-tax Republican Legislature to go along with her plan is far from certain.
If you want us to sample your cannabis products, send us an email at steve@ metrotimes.com.
Consumers will pay more and marijuana businesses will shut down if taxes increase, industry insiders say. STEVE NEAVLING
CULTURE
Savage Love
Team Fantasize
By Dan Savage
Dear Readers: I haven’t felt so good since visiting a rustic pluck-your-own chicken place for dinner last week and — doctor’s orders — I’m not allowed to operate my advice column until I’m feeling better. Please enjoy this column from Feb. 17, 2017 and look for a brand-new column in this space next week. —Dan
: Q I am a straight married man. My wife and I have a 4-year-old and a 3-month-old. We’ve just started having intercourse again. For Valentine’s Day, we spent the night in a B&B while grandma watched the kids. We had edibles, drank sparkling wine, and then fucked. It was amazing. After we came and while we were still stoned and drunk, my wife mentioned she was open to inviting others into our sex life. I asked about getting a professional sex worker. She said no. But maybe if we were in a bar (we’re never in bars) and met someone (a unicorn), she might be into it. Anal came up. She’s always said she’s up for trying anything once. I have a desire to experiment with anal. (Not just me entering her, but her pegging me as well.) I asked if she would use the vibrator we brought on me, just to experiment. She said she was too high to do anything. I felt let down. I feel she unknowingly teased me with fantasies I have, not knowing I actually have them. We have a good sex life, and I’m willing to write off the fantasies we discussed while high and drunk. It’s the teasing that drove me crazy.
—Having And Realizing Desires P.S. I’m in no hurry. We just had a baby, and I don’t want to pressure my wife right now. My fear is that she may only like the idea of exploring our sexuality together and not the reality of it.
A: Some people think about, talk about, and masturbate about certain fantasies without ever wanting to realize them. Let’s call them Team Fantasize. Some people think about, etc., certain fantasies and would very much like to realize them. Let’s call them Team Realize. There’s nothing wrong with either team. But when someone on Team Fantasize is married to someone on Team Realize, well, that can be a problem. Knowing your spouse is turned on by fantasies you share but rules out realizing them — or
sets impossible conditions for realizing them — can be extremely frustrating. And sometimes a frustrated Team Realize spouse will say something like this to their Team Fantasize mate: “Talking about these fantasies together — this kind of dirty talk — it gets my hopes up about actually doing it. If it’s never going to happen, we have to stop talking about it, because it’s frustrating.”
The problem with that approach? Swingers clubs, BDSM parties, and the strap-on-dildo sections of your finer sex-positive sex-toy stores everywhere are filled with couples who used to be on opposite teams — one from Team Fantasize, the other from Team Realize — but they’re both on Team Realize now. And what got them on the same team? Continuing to discuss and share fantasies, even at the risk of frustrating the Team Realize spouse.
So, if you ever want to have that threesome or experiment with anal, HARD, you need to keep talking with your wife about these fantasies — and you need to tell her your fantasies too! Tell her you’re not pressuring her, of course, but let her know these are things you would actually like to do, and the more you talk about them, the more you want to do them. If she keeps talking with you about them, that’s a sign. Not a sign that she’s a cruel tease, HARD, but a sign that she’s inching closer toward pulling on a Team Realize jersey.
P.S. If your wife doesn’t know you have these fantasies — and is consequently teasing you “unknowingly” — that’s your fault, HARD, not hers.
: Q I wanted to tell you about something that happened to my friend. (Really!) She was going to bang this dude from OkCupid but wasn’t getting a great feeling, so she went to bed and let him crash on the couch. She woke up the next day to find her underwear drawer empty on the floor and all of her underwear wrapped around this dude’s feet. She stealthily removed all the panties from his perv hooves and put her shit away. When the morning actualized itself, they parted amicably with no mention of the underwear slippers.
—Men In Alaska
A: Ask yourself, MIA, which is the likelier scenario:
Scenario One: Perv Hooves stumbled around your friend’s dark apartment in the middle of the night, managed to find her underwear drawer, pulled it out and set it on the floor, made himself a pair of pantie-booties, had himself a wank, and fell back to sleep. All without waking your friend. Then your friend got up in
the morning, saw her panties wrapped around his hooves, peeled them off one by one, and returned her panties to their drawer. All without waking Perv Hooves up Scenario 2: Your friend got a little pervy with this guy — a thing for feet and/or panties isn’t that pervy — wanted to tell you about this guy’s kink, but was too embarrassed to admit that she’d gone along and possibly got into it.
While Scenario One is entirely plausible — it could’ve unfolded that way — my money is on Scenario Two because I’ve heard so many variations of song over the years: “I met this pervert who did these perverted things in front of me while I was asleep, and I wasn’t in any way involved and I wasn’t harmed. Isn’t that pervert crazy?” In most cases it only took a little drilling down — a little pointed questioning — to learn that the person relaying the story played an active role in the evening’s perversions but edited the story to make themselves look like a passive bystander, not a willing participant.
—Why Husband Is Prudish
A: Have you told him what you want? If you haven’t — if you’re as vague in your conversations with him as you were in your letter to me — you’re essentially asking your husband to guess at your undisclosed interests or kinks. Your husband is rightly terrified of guessing wrong. He doesn’t know what to do, he doesn’t know what to say, but he’s told you he’s fine with whatever you wanna do. So, stop asking him what he wants to do to you, WHIP, and start doing (or telling him to do) whatever it is you wanna do. Take the initiative! Be the change/switch you want to see in the sack! Lean in! Or bend over! Or whatever!
From your sign-off, WHIP, I’m guessing you’re interested in some type of BDSM play, most likely with you in the sub role. So, lay that kink card on the table… but maybe offer to dominate him first. A lot of subs do some topping, i.e., a little doing unto others as subs would have done unto them, and some subs become tops exclusively. Gently topping your husband — baby steps — is a good way to show him what you want since you’re finding it hard to talk about it.
P.S. Doing things you haven’t discussed isn’t ideal. So, emphasizing again the importance of taking the tiniest of baby steps here. You wanna give him a small taste of what it is you want, WHIP, not shove the whole roast down his throat. And insist on talking after.
Got problems? Yes, you do! Email your question for the column to mailbox@savage.love! Or record your question for the Savage Lovecast at savage.love/askdan! Podcasts, columns, merch, and more at Savage.Love!
: Q I’m a 30-year-old straight woman who has been with the same guy (highschool sweetheart!) for the last 13 years. We love each other deeply, best friends, etc. The problem isn’t that the sex isn’t good — he’s very good at making me come. But the sex is vanilla and routine, and I would like us to go beyond that. Nothing extreme, I just want to switch things up a bit. Talking about sex makes my husband REALLY uncomfortable. If I ask him what he’d like me to do to him while we’re having sex, he shuts down. He’ll say, “Everything you do is good,” and leave it there. In the very few conversations we’ve had about this stuff, he’s said that he feels intimidated and doesn’t know what to say. This is incredibly frustrating for me. How do I get him to loosen up and feel more comfortable about talking to me so that we can eventually progress to some new experiences?
CULTURE Free Will Astrology
By Rob Brezsny
ARIES: March 21 – April 19
The Hindu holiday of Maha Shivaratri is dedicated to overcoming ignorance and darkness in celebrants’ own lives and in the world. This year it falls on Feb. 26. Even if you’re not Hindu, I recommend you observe your own personal version of it. To do so would be in accordance with astrological omens. They suggest that the coming weeks will be an excellent time for you to be introspective, study your life and history, and initiate changes that will dispel any emotional or spiritual blindness you might be suffering from. P.S: Remember that not all darkness is bad! But some is unhealthy and demoralizing, and that’s the kind you should banish and transmute.
TAURUS: April 20 – May 20
The blue whale is the most massive animal that has ever lived. You could swim through its arteries. Its heart is five feet high and weighs 400 pounds. And yet, when diving, its pulse slows to
four to eight times per minute. I propose we choose the blue whale to be your spirit creature in the coming weeks. May this magnificent beast inspire you to cultivate slow, potent rhythms that serve you better than hyperactivity. Let’s assume you will accomplish all you need by maintaining a steady, measured pace — by focusing on projects that require depth and diligence rather than speed. Your natural persistence will enable you to tackle tasks that might overwhelm those who lack your patience.
GEMINI: May 21 – June 20
VIRGO: August 23 – Sept. 22
independence, take time to adjust. If you honor both halves of each whole, you will generate fertile harmonies.
SAGITTARIUS: Nov. 22 – Dec. 21
The ancient stands of cedar trees on Japan’s Yakushima Island have a special power. They create weather patterns for themselves, generating rain clouds from the water vapor they release through their leaves. This ingenious stroke of self-nurturing provides them with the exact rainfall they require. I propose that we make these cedar trees your power symbol in the coming weeks. It’s an excellent time for you to dream up and implement more of the conditions you need to flourish.
CAPRICORN: Dec. 22 – Jan. 19
As far as Food and Drink are concerned, we have plenty of Drink, not so much in the Food department. However, you’re more than welcome to bring food into our fair establishment, if you find our menu of nuts and chips lacking. Cheers! OPEN 3PM-2AM EVERY DAY
Over 10,000 years ago, someone walked for a mile through what’s now White Sands National Park in New Mexico. We know they did because they left footprints that were fossilized. Scientists believe it was probably a woman who mostly carried a child and sometimes let the child walk under its own power. Like those ancient footprints, your actions in the coming weeks may carry lasting significance — more than may be immediately apparent. I encourage you to proceed as if you are making a more substantial impact and having a bigger influence than you imagine.
CANCER: June 21 – July 22
What’s the oldest known recipe? What ancient food product did our ancestors write down instructions about how to make? It was beer! The 4,000-year-old Sumerian text included a hymn to Ninkasi, the goddess of beer. It tells how to use the right ingredients and employ careful fermentation to concoct a beverage that lowers inhibitions and brings people together in convivial celebration. In that spirit, Cancerian, I encourage you to meditate on the elements you can call on to create merrymaking and connection. Now is a good time to approach this holy task with extra focus and purposefulness.
LEO: July 23 – August 22
In November 1963, the captain of a sardine boat sailing near Iceland noticed a column of dark smoke rising out of the water. Was it another boat on fire? No, it was the beginning of a volcanic eruption. A few days later, steady explosions had created a new island, Surtsey, which still exists today. I suspect you will have a metaphorically comparable power in the coming weeks, Leo: an ability to generate a new creation out of fervent energies rising out of the hot depths. Be alert! And be ready to harness and make constructive use of the primal force.
Harald “Bluetooth” Gormsson was a 10th-century Danish king. He united the tribes of Denmark into a single kingdom. His nickname originated in the fact that he had a prominent dead tooth that turned bluish-gray. More than 10 centuries later, engineers who created a new short-range wireless technology decided to call their invention “bluetooth.” Why? Because they imagined it would serve a variety of electronic devices, just as the king once blended the many tribes. In the spirit of these bluetooth phenomena, I’m urging you Virgos to be a uniter in the coming weeks and months. You will have an enhanced capacity to bridge different worlds and link disparate groups. P.S.: An aspect that could be construed as an imperfection, like Harald’s tooth, could conceal or signify a strength.
LIBRA: Sept. 23 – Oct. 22
Libran author Ursula K. Le Guin wrote, “Freedom is a heavy load, a great and strange burden for the spirit to undertake.” I know from experience there’s truth in that idea. But I’m happy to tell you that in 2025, freedom will be less heavy and less burdensome than maybe ever before in your life. In fact, I suspect liberation will be relatively smooth and straightforward for you. It won’t be rife with complications and demands, but will be mostly fun and pleasurable. Having said that, I do foresee a brief phase when working on freedom will be a bit more arduous: the next few weeks. The good news is that your emancipatory efforts will set the stage for more ease during the rest of 2025.
SCORPIO: Oct. 23 – Nov. 21: Always and forever, the world is a delicate balance of seemingly opposing forces that are in fact interwoven and complementary: light and shadow, determination and surrender, ascent and descent, fullness and emptiness, progress and integration, yes and no. The apparent polarities need and feed each other. In the coming weeks, I invite you to meditate on these themes. Are there areas of your life where you have been overly focused on one side of the scale while neglecting the other? If so, consider the possibility of recalibrating. Whether you are balancing emotion with logic, rest with work, or connection with
Tardigrades are tiny, eight-legged animals colloquially known as water bears or moss piglets. Their resilience is legendary. They can thrive anywhere, from mountaintops to the deep sea, from Antarctica to tropical rainforests. They can withstand extreme temperatures, live a long time without water, and even survive in outer space. I propose we make the tardigrade your power creature for the coming weeks, dear Capricorn. Your flexibility and fluidity will be at a peak. You will be hardy, supple, and durable. It will be a favorable time to leave your comfort zone and test your mettle in new environments. Seemingly improbable challenges may be well within your range of adaptability.
AQUARIUS: Jan. 20 – Feb. 18
In the coming days, playing games could be good practice for life. Breezy exchanges and fun activities could stimulate clues and insights that will be useful in making important decisions. What appears to be ordinary entertainment or social engagement may provide you with profound lessons about strategy and timing. How you manage cooperation and competition in those lighter moments could yield useful guidance about more serious matters.
PISCES: Feb.19 – March 20
Have you been struggling to summon the motivation to start anew in some area of your life? I predict that sometime in the coming weeks, you will find all the motivation you need. Have you been wishing you could shed the weight of the past and glide into a fresh project with unburdened mind and heart? I believe that destiny will soon conspire to assist you in this noble hope. Are you finally ready to exorcise a pesky ghost and dash jubilantly toward the horizon, eager to embrace your future? I think you are.
Homework: If you like my writing here, you might like my other offerings: linktr.ee/robbrezsny
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