Photo by Doug Coombe
NEWS & VIEWS
Feedback
We received a number of responses to Kahn Santori Davison’s cover story last week, titled “Bad Rap,” about why so many Detroit hip-hop shows seem to get canceled.
Real good read. Appreciate the insightful reporting.
—Vincent D McCraw, Facebook
Dope read bro!!!! You had a lot of depth and insight!!!! Great work sir!!! Loved it.
—Jay Hicks, Facebook
Excellent work Sir.
—Anthony E. Thompson II, Facebook
Too much liability within the scene. People don’t come correct.
—Rich Distel, facebok
So many of these idiots’ personas and branding is based on brandishing illegal guns, engaging in threatening or actual gun violence, “beefs” with “opps” and other juvenile garbage. Fights and shootings happen in and outside of their shows. Then they cry about it.
—@robbier0n7, Instagram
They should join forces with Detroit’s electronic music community because the same thing happens there, too. The city makes it so difficult for events to operate. They would rather shut down a community than lift it up.
Angie Linder, Facebook
SPORTS ON OUR BIG SCREENS ALL DAY!
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NEWS & VIEWS
Corporate welfare took $1 billion from Detroit’s schools, city services over past decade
More than $1 billion intended for Detroit’s schools, libraries, and city services has been diverted to pay for real estate projects that benefit wealthy investors over the past decade, according to public records.
The whopping amount of corporate welfare comes at a time when the city and schools are struggling to pay for basic services. Meanwhile, the investments in areas like downtown and Midtown are driving up the costs of living and displacing long-time residents.
The figures were compiled by Detroiters for Tax Justice, an activ-
ist group that obtained the data through Freedom of Information Act requests.
Since 2014, when the city was in the thick of municipal bankruptcy, Detroit has captured $516.8 million in taxes for groups that use the money to drum up economic growth. Those groups include the Detroit Brownfield Development Authority, the Local Development Finance Authority, and the Downtown Development Authority (DDA).
The DDA notoriously spent hundreds of millions of dollars on developments for the billionaire Ilitch
family to build Little Caesars Arena and surrounding neighborhoods that never came to fruition. The DDA will be paying off that money in bonds over at least 2048.
Between 2017 and 2023, the city lost out on more than $500 million in tax abatements that are intended to attract new businesses, encourage expansion of existing businesses, and create jobs. Wealthy developers like Dan Gilbert benefit from those abatements.
Together, the tax captures and abatements cost more than $1 billion.
Russ Bellant, co-organizer for Detroiters for Tax Justice, argues that abatements and tax captures favor wealthy developers at the expense of regular taxpayers.
“The thievery is just incredible,” Bellant tells Metro Times. “When you start undercutting the funding of city, library, and school services, you are bleeding the neighborhood services, and you’re creating conditions that are less and less for people.”
Over the past decade, more than $347 million that was intended to fund Detroit’s public schools was
Olympia Development failed to deliver on its promise to create new neighborhoods surrounding Little Caesars Arena in what was pitched as the “District Detroit.” SHUTTERSTOCK
diverted to development projects or wiped out by tax abatements. The city’s general fund, which pays for services like buses, police protection, affordable housing, parks, and social and senior services, lost out on $237.1 million. Also impacted by the tax handouts were the state education fund ($82.9 million), Detroit’s libraries ($53.9 million), Wayne County Community College District ($39.1 million), Wayne County government ($6.8 million), the underfunded Wayne County jail ($13.3 million), Huron-Clinton MetroParks ($2.5 million), and the Detroit Institute of Arts ($6.9 million).
The Detroit Economic Growth Corporation (DEGC), which handles the tax incentives, defended the use of the money, saying it generated growth and new taxes.
“It’s important to note that many of these tax dollars are earmarked specifically for economic development,” a DEGC spokesperson says in a statement. “Without the DDA, a significant portion of these funds would revert to the State, possibly to be deployed outside of Detroit, rather than being reinvested in our city. It’s crucial to understand that these taxes would have never accrued to their current levels without the DDA’s strategic investments and development initiatives.”
Despite the purported benefits, many Detroiters have opposed using tax dollars to benefit development. A survey in May 2013 found that an overwhelming majority of Detroiters are opposed to tax handouts for wealthy developers and believe incentives should instead benefit neighborhood services, affordable housing, libraries, and recreation centers. The survey of 430 Detroit voters, conducted by the independent pollster American Pulse Research & Polling, found that only 6.1% support prioritizing tax incentives for retail, dining, and entertainment districts. An additional 8.1% of voters support incentives for projects in Midtown and downtown.
Despite the opposition, the Detroit City Council approved more than $615 million in tax breaks in May 2023 for two billionaire developers — the Ilitch family and Stephen Ross — to develop more of District Detroit, the same entertainment district that previously received roughly $400 million a decade ago to build Little Caesars Arena and surrounding neighborhoods.
In its statement, the DEGC notes that Coleman Young, the city’s first Black mayor, created the DDA to capture taxes about 50 years ago.
Young “understood the power of its ability to reinvest in the DDA footprint and attract major development and large-scale employers,” the DEGC said. “Mayor Young’s vision is what has given us tools we have used over decades to bring thousands of jobs into the city and generate income tax revenue that far exceeds — in amount and duration — the more limited property tax revenue realized as a result of the DDA capture.”
But Bellant says the city is in much better shape than it was a half century ago.
“Even if you thought giving money to investors was valid to do 20, 30, or 40 years ago when the city was more abandoned, that time is over,” Bellant says. “It just needs to be stopped.”
Studies have shown that Detroit’s economic development disproportionately favors white, suburban
residents and drives up the costs for long-time residents.
Detroit Future City, a think tank that develops strategies for a more equitable city, found that metro Detroit’s fastest-growing, well-paying jobs are disproportionately going to white workers. About 16% of Black workers in the region are in so-called growth occupations, compared to 26% of white workers.
Opponents of tax handouts say the incentives aren’t stopping because no one is held accountable.
“There is not a system of accountability so that the record of the votes is conveyed to the citizens,” Bellant says.
And tracking the amount of money spent on developments is very difficult. Bellant took more than a year to obtain and compile all of the tax data he received in public
records requests. He says the lack of accessibility is unconstitutional.
“The city should have this information on their websites,” Bellant argues. “The only place you can get all of this in one place is in our reports.”
Detroiters for Tax Justice is holding meetings, called teach-ins, in neighborhoods to educate residents on how their tax dollars are spent on developments.
“Citizens have come to our previous teach-ins, and they have been very affected by it,” Bellant says. “They realize it’s important stuff.”
The system, he says, is inherently unfair.
“Wealthy investors are not paying for the cost of city services that they get,” Bellant says. “They aren’t paying into the libraries and schools, but they are benefiting from them.”
—Steve Neavling
Detroit is one of the most dangerous U.S. cities for pedestrians, study finds
Be safe walking in Detroit. Don’t forget to look both ways when you cross the street.
The Motor City was just named one of the most dangerous U.S. cities for pedestrians, according to a study from The Texas Law Dog, a website for personal injury cases.
The study researched cities’ pedestrian fatality rates, walkability,
accidents involving pedestrians, and percentage of parks and recreational spaces. A final score was calculated to rank the cities.
Memphis took the top spot, followed by Oklahoma City, Charlotte, and Fort Worth.
Detroit came in fifth, with the thirdhighest pedestrian fatality rate of 5.8 per 100,000 people and just 6% of its
area dedicated to parks and recreational spaces. However, Detroit has a higher walkability score than any other city on the list of the 10 worst cities.
The full study reveals that Washington, D.C.; New York City; and San Francisco are the least dangerous U.S. cities for pedestrians.
We could do better.
—Layla McMurtrie
Jack White to reunite with former Hentchmen bandmates at Hamtramck Labor Day Festival
This year’s Hamtramck
Labor Day Festival will culminate with a performance by local rock ’n’ roll heroes the Hentchmen, who will be joined by none other than former bandmate Jack White for a Monday evening headlining set.
That’s according to a press release sent by the festival Thursday evening, which states that the garage rock group’s “onetime and occasional bandmate Jack White will join them on stage for a few songs.”
It’s also in accordance with White’s unorthodox promotional tour for his surprise new album No Name, which has seen him and his new band hit small venues and festivals, sometimes with little advance notice — including his first-ever headlining show at Detroit’s Saint Andrew’s Hall earlier
this month.
Other acts scheduled for the free festival include Detroit rappers Esham, Sada Baby, Bruiser Wolf, and Gmac Cash and Nashville rock band Be Your Own Pet on Saturday; Canadian rock band Sloan on Sunday; and local acts Double Winter, Loose Koozies, and Amino Acids on Monday.
The family-friendly festival also features carnival rides, a parade, International Big Time Pro Wrestling, a pierogi-eating contest, and a “canoe” race, where “representatives from the town’s many local bars compete in homemade three-wheeled vehicles that might generously be said to resemble canoes.”
“We’re so proud that our festival is still around, and free, and volunteerrun” says festival chairman Konrad
Maziarz in a statement. “It’s a lot of work to put on but we can’t imagine any other way to celebrate all the weird and wonderful cultural and artistic achievements of Hamtramck. We’ve got an amazing food scene, so much great art and so many fantastic musicians this year. It’s really a showcase for the creative community here.”
More information is available at hamtownfest.com.
White joined the Hentchmen on bass for their 1998 album Hentch-Forth, cheekily billed as “the Hentchmen with Jack White.” Little did anyone know White would go on to become a major player in rock music with his famously bass-less band the White Stripes. White’s label Third Man Records reissued Hentch-Forth in 2017.
—Lee DeVito
Families demand justice as Wayne County prosecutor refuses to reexamine cases
Family members of Black men who are still behind bars after a disgraced Detroit detective was accused of mishandling their investigations are incensed that Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy has so far declined to review criminal cases.
Detective Barbara Simon was featured in a two-part Metro Times series that showed how she confined young suspects and witnesses to small rooms at police headquarters without a warrant and elicited false confessions and witness statements that were later recanted. Judges and attorneys have condemned the detective’s tactics, which so far have led to four exonerations.
After the series was published last month, Detroit police have offered to help Worthy’s office review the cases from the 1990s and early 2000s, but the longtime prosecutor has balked at reexamining Simon’s tactics to determine if more innocent men are still in prison.
Simon was known as “the closer” because of her knack of gaining confessions and witness statements.
Detroit police commissioners are also calling on a comprehensive review of all of Simon’s cases.
Multiple imprisoned people say they either falsely confessed or were convicted based on witness statements that were obtained by Simon through coercion. Some of them have been in prison for more than 20 years.
In a statement to Metro Times, Worthy said she doesn’t have enough information to proceed.
But the series clearly showed how the tactics that Simon used in the exoneration cases were similar to those used against men still in prison.
Deonte Howard was only 16 years old when he was charged with murdering 19-year-old Tyrone Simpson in front of a convenience store on Tireman Street in April 2010. Two witnesses have since said Howard was not the gunman, and a third said Simon threatened him if he didn’t incriminate Howard.
Howard’s first trial ended in a hung jury before he was convicted following a second trial. Howard alleges Simon coerced witnesses to incriminate him.
Howard’s sister, Tio’sha Martin, says she was devastated when Worthy said she wasn’t reexamining her brother’s case.
“It actually broke my heart,” Martin tells Metro Times. “Nothing is being done about it after 14 years. No one would charge him in today’s world. I feel like it was very unfair. He was 16 years old. He was a very loving boy. Our entire family loves Deonte. What they’re accusing him of is not Deonte at all.”
She adds, “We know he’s innocent, and for them not to review his case, it’s really heartbreaking.”
For 22 years, Terrill Johnson says he’s been in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. He was 17 years old when police apprehended him, his 19-year-old sister, and his mother without a warrant. They were separated and interrogated for hours at the department’s headquarters without access to an attorney, they said.
Even though Johnson was still a juvenile, police refused to let him speak with his mother. Because of Simon’s coercive tactics, he said, he eventually caved in and was “willing to do whatever she wants me to do so she leaves me alone.”
He says he falsely confessed and was sentenced to life in prison.
His mother, Clara Johnson, is frustrated and angry because she’s convinced her son is innocent. She can’t understand why Worthy’s office won’t review her son’s case because it’s so similar to others that have led to exonerations.
“We have been through utter hell,” Johnson says. “We’re fed up, and we’re tired. They do what they want because they have no repercussions.”
Prison has been difficult for her son. He says prison officials ignored him when he had overwhelming back pain. He eventually had to have back surgery. Now he needs medical attention again.
“I’m at my wits end,” she says. “My son is sick. I don’t know what’s wrong with him. He’s bleeding inside. Is it an emergency to them? No.”
Nathan Peterson also found himself face to face with Simon in February 2000, and like the others, he says she threatened him, claimed she had evidence that didn’t exist, and promised to set him free if he confessed.
He was accused of fatally shooting a man.
“I was ready to get out of there, and I was willing to do anything,” he says of the interrogation.
Like Howard, his first trial ended in a hung jury in July 20o1. But he
says police and prosecutors changed the narrative of the shooting during the second trial, and he was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison.
His cousin Yolanda Garrison, who was raised in the same house as Peterson, has never given up on freeing him. She says he was a sweet kid, and the pair often rode bikes and played basketball together after school.
Peterson had two young children at the time, including one who was born when he was in jail.
“When we heard they were accusing him of this, it was mind-blowing because it’s something he could never do,” Garrison says. “It hurt his mom the most. To see her hurting and see what she was going through, it was tearing us up inside. We told her it was going to be alright and he’s going to be fine and come home. We didn’t think he’d go to jail.”
While in prison, Peterson’s mother, grandmother, uncle, and a couple of aunts died. He wasn’t allowed to go to the funerals.
“It tore him apart,” Garrison says. “Nathan has suffered terribly for being locked up for something he hasn’t done, and he lost so many family members while behind bars.”
His family has struggled financially while hiring attorneys to help him get out of prison.
“We did everything we could,” Garrison says. “It has been a stretch and a struggle.”
Garrison hopes the prosecutor’s office or a judge will review his case and those of others who say they have been victimized by Simon.
In 1999, at the height of a misconduct scandal in the Detroit Homicide Division, Damon Smith found himself in front of Simon for an interrogation. Police alleged that he, his brother, and two friends were looking for revenge and confronted the victim with a gun and baseball bat.
He says Simon threatened to “make me the shooter” if he didn’t tell her who fatally shot a man in Detroit. He denied involvement, he says, and as a result was accused of pulling the trigger.
After the trial, Smith’s brother, Patrick Roberts, who was a prosecution witness, later recanted in a letter, saying Smith was not involved in the shooting. The actual culprits were two friends of one of the other
prosecution witnesses, Roberts said.
Despite the new information and the increasing allegations of misconduct against Simon, courts have denied Smith’s appeals, and prosecutors have fought to keep him in prison.
His niece, Ochga Smith, says she’s “frustrated with the prosecutor’s office.”
“It seems like no one wants to take accountability or responsibility for any of the errors that were made,” she tells Metro Times. “They can’t forget that people’s lives are still at stake. It’s sad.”
But Smith isn’t giving up.
“I don’t think the [Metro Times] article being put out is going to be enough,” she says. “People have to continue to push and push so the actual narrative is understood. You can’t let the story blow over.”
The families credit Mark Craighead with reviving their hopes that their relatives will be freed. Craighead was exonerated of murder in 2022 after it was proven that he falsely confessed while undergoing hours of Simon’s threats and interrogations.
A year earlier, Wayne County Circuit Court Shannon Walker granted Craighead a new trial, saying Simon “has a history of falsifying confessions and lying under oath” and that Craighead’s cases demonstrated “a common scheme of misconduct.”
“Not only has this Court already found statements obtained by Simon not to be credible, but so too has the Michigan Supreme Court,” Walker said.
“This impeachment evidence demonstrates that Simon has repeatedly lied as part of her misconduct, which would allow a jury to evaluate whether to trust her testimony in light of information demonstrating a character of truthfulness,” Walker added.
Despite the judge’s strong rebuke of Simon, others who say they have been victimized by the detective have gotten no help from the prosecutor’s office. But Craighead has helped them navigate the complicated legal system and has become an outspoken advocate for the inmates.
“There are a lot of innocent people still in prison because of Barbara Simon,” Craighead tells Metro Times. “They deserve to be heard.”
—Steve Neavling
NEWS & VIEWS
Lapointe
Do the Tigers really need more luxury boxes?
By Joe Lapointe
Fret not about improving the hitting, pitching, fielding, and payroll of the mediocre Detroit Tigers.
Oh, no.
Instead, the Ilitch ownership is about to give Motor City baseball fans what they really want and need: Luxury seating and a private club around home plate at Comerica Park so fat cats can pay big bucks for better boxes.
“Significant upgrades,” gushed the press release from Ryan Gustafson, president and chief executive officer of Ilitch Sports and Entertainment. “Premium seating … Home Plate Club … Upgraded seating behind home plate … All new loge boxes … Semi-private luxury seating … A privacy wall partially encloses these seats…”
In other words, it will be a gentrified, gated community that further divides fans by wealth. If you must ask the price, bub, you probably can’t afford it. As a great orator once put it: Whoop-de-damn-doo!
I took this thrilling news with me last weekend to watch baseball from less luxurious chairs at Comerica. The Tigers split two excellent and entertaining games with the New York Yankees, losing by 3-0 on Friday night before 36,244 fans but winning by 4-0 Saturday afternoon before 38,110.
While team executives study the blueprints and revenue projections for their new, sweet suites, here is a suggestion
for an inexpensive, quick fix to a real and chronic Comerica problem: Show more replays on the big, new, colorful, busy scoreboard.
For instance: One of the best moments of the weekend was the 44th home run of the season by Aaron Judge, the Yankees’ slugger who is among baseball’s elite players. His Friday-night blast carried more than 410 feet, over the fence and into the shrubs in dead center field, the kind of clout you rarely see.
Many New York fans in the park cheered this and even Tigers’ fans gasped. It was most impressive and certainly worth a second look. No doubt viewers in both cities saw it more than once on video replay on their televisions.
But not the paying customers in Comerica Park. It is apparently a law at Comerica that no scenes of opposition scoring can be replayed on the video screen. Why not? Do they fear spontaneous riots of anguish from the groundlings in the cheap seats? Leaps of despair from the upper deck?
That scoreboard uses plenty of time and space for sight gags of fans’ faces and trivial guessing games and musical singalongs and other extraneous features. It also flashes momentary blasts of statistics that vanish too quickly to be absorbed.
But they refuse to replay many moments a normal fan would naturally want
tors without a scorecard. Benetti juggles their various tempos and temperaments well, but it must be difficult.
On radio, the color commentary comes from Bobby Scales and Andy Dirks. When on radio duty, Dickerson has developed the annoying habit of complaining about pitch calls of umpires before reporting the facts first to his listeners.
For instance: If a 1-1 pitch is on the border of the strike zone, Dickerson might see the call and spout disagreement with “Oh, where was THAT?!?!” Note to Dan: Don’t ask that question to your listeners. You are their eyes. Tell them “that one is called a ball, now it’s a 2-1 count.” After that, whine away.
Local fans must return to radio for some games because they are leaking away from regional TV sports systems like the financially troubled Bally Sports Detroit, which was blacked out for much of the season due to a fee dispute between Bally and Comcast/Xfinity.
Some customers who want Bally back must pay more for it on a premium tier. Even when you pay extra for it, games are being sold off one by one to streaming services, which cost even more money and are often difficult to access.
to see again. At times, both the big board and even the little, auxiliary boards show only exhortations for fans to cheer. In those moments, you can look around Comerica and see absolutely no score on any scoreboard.
But you might see the command to “Get Loud!” or “Make Noise!” or some other unnecessary prompt. It’s kind of — how do you say this? — bush league and beneath the dignity of a bedrock baseball franchise whose fans already know when to cheer.
The live show at the venue should be superior, not inferior, to the telecast. Which is not to say that stay-at-home fans get total satisfaction from the Tigers’ media presentation on TV and radio.
This season’s cast of characters has been a rotating swirl of faces and voices, even before Craig Monroe left following accusations of past improper sexual behavior with an underage girl.
The pivotal person in this mix is firstyear man Jason Benetti, a smooth and witty Chicago wise guy who does play-byplay on most of the telecasts. But he gets replaced by radio voice Dan Dickerson when Benetti has more important gigs for other sports with different networks on the weekends.
Their color analysts on TV include Dan Petry, Kirk Gibson, Carlos Pena, and Todd Jones. You can’t tell the commenta-
Others are sold to established cable companies like ESPN, which carried Sunday’s Tigers-Yankees series finale from the special venue in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, for the Little League Classic. Too bad if you’re a cord-cutter. All this might get worse if Bally’s parent company changes its business model or goes bust.
In the meantime, the product this season shows slight improvement, although the franchise remains in the bottom third of Major League Baseball in most metrics. Among the 30 MLB teams beginning play Sunday, the Tigers were in the bottom third in winning percentage, payroll, home attendance, and franchise value.
But, on the field, hope springs eternal in the return of first baseman Spencer Torkelson from his minor-league exile at Toledo. Has he regained the swing that gave him 31 home runs last season? Also back (from his annual leg injury ) is Riley Greene, the charismatic outfielder who is their best position player.
And what’s not to like about starting pitcher Tarik Skubal, an ace lefty and Cy Young candidate with a record of 14-4? On Sunday night, he got no decision after working six innings and giving up one run on a passed ball. The Tigers won, 3-2, in 10 innings.
Mix in young prospects like second baseman Colt Keith, third baseman Jace Jung, and right fielder Kerry Carpenter and you just might seriously think about renewing your season ticket share for next year, even if you can’t afford the Home Plate Club and must rely on seeing video replays from the cheap seats.
A mediocre franchise prioritizes elite seats. SHUTTERSTOCK
SLOPMONSTER?
Man, life’s a trip, and not always the good kind. I tried to write a book once—too many words, man. Short stories? Nah, couldn’t keep it short enough. Poems? Don’t even get me started. But billboards? Now, that’s something I could wrap my head around. Just a few words, screaming out to the world like,“Hey, I’m still here!”
You see, I’m just an old dude, holding on by a thread, dreaming of something bigger—like a movie, but not your typical Hollywood junk. I’m talkin’ about a flick based on billboard art (aka slop). Yeah, you heard me right. These billboards! They’re more than just signs—they’re a last shot at leaving something behind. Little bursts of art in a crazy, messed-up world. Maybe, just maybe, they’ll end up on the big screen someday. Or maybe not. But hey, at least I tried.
AND DON’T BLAME ME, man! It’s 1967, a day in high school and Andy Kaufman looks right through me, like deep into my soul, and says, “You’re not who you think you are.” I’m just standin’there, dumbfounded, like I’m caught in this cosmic swirl, can’t even breathe. This is the same dude who’d wander around in a toga, just for kicks, y’know? It sounds kinda out there, but Andy moved into my head and is helping me find out who i am. Yeah, blame Andy Kaufman.
PART 24: STILL BOUNCING BACK FROM LEGAL JARGON
Man, I’m still kinda reeling from that lawyer talk. It’s like my brain’s been hit with a legal blitzkrieg, and I’m just trying to get my head straight. All that copyright mumbo-jumbo, it’s a lot to process, you know? Just gotta ride the wave and hope I don’t wipe out.
THE COUNTDOWN!
PART 26 LOVE AND LAMENT, MAN
“Oh my, and boo- hoo”—that’s rough, dude. But hey, Happy Punky Valentine’s Day anyway, right? Gotta keep the love alive, no matter what.
PART 22: GODZILLA’S GOT THE MUNCHIES
Dude, Godzilla’s totally bummed out. He’s stomping around, searching for his roach clip like it’s the Holy Grail. Guess even giant monsters need their chill time, man. Ain’t nobody ready for a grumpy Godzilla.
PART 23: METRO TIME’S SHOUT OUT TO SHUTTERSTOCK
So, Metro Times goes, “Hey, you should try the Shutterstock ai generator.” And bam! The numero uno alternative newspaper AI- generated billboard is born, man! It’s like bop bop alu bop alop bam boo. Totally mind-blowing, right? This is way bigger than rock and roll! The theme? Treachery of Images. It’s not a Billboard or a pipe, yet, wait a minute, hey, I just don’t know? It’s like we’re diving into the deep end of a visual deevolution, man.
PART 26 (oops): TEMPORARILY CLOSED, MAN
So, here’s the deal. The project’s on hold, like, totally temporarily closed. Why? Well, after a little chat with a lawyer, turns out there’s this thing called‘copyright infringement.’ And get this—violating it could mean coughing up $400 for each of the 328,000 views. That’s, like, a lotta dough, man! Even I had to sit back and say, “WHOA.”Ain’t that a bad trip?
PART 21: MIXED-UP CONFUSION
Man, it’s like everything’s all tangled up in this big ball of confusion. I’m lost in the haze, trying to sort out what’s what. It’s like trying to find a needle in a haystack, except the haystack’s made of swirling thoughts, dude. Far out, but seriously disorienting.
PART 20: BILLBOARD BLISS
Man, check this out—got a billboard that’s like, totally riding the wave but still grinning like it’s having the best time ever. It’s so cute, man, like a trippy smiley face stuck in a wild dream. Can’t help but dig the Wavy Gravy vibe!
PART 16: HAPPY B’DAY, BRO
Man, if you’re “looking for a miracle,” just take a deep look into a flower, you know? You’ll see the sun, the moon, and, like, all of eternity in there. Or better yet, just listen to the Grateful Dead. Trust me, miraculous. Oh, and remember that time in Boston, 1971? They had this bizarro opening act... a freakin’ monkey show. Like, seriously?
PART 18: UNFAIR COMPETITION: PART 2
Dude, the playing field’s totally lopsided. It’s like me rocking an aluminum foil hat versus your high-tech surveillance. One side’s all DIY and cosmic, while the other’s got the full-on, high-tech Big Bro. Totally unfair, man. One word; “Howl.” LMAO. I lose.
PART 14: FROM MCLUHAN TO ELECTRIC BLUE
Man, we’re taking it from McLuhan all the way to electric blue, the color of electricity, a pigment of your imagination. Yeah! It’s like updating the whole “Turn on, tune in, drop out” vibe for today. Things have totally changed, and change is speeding up, man. It’s a wild ride into the modern scene.
PART 19: UNFAIR COMPETITION: PART 1
SLOPMONSTER leans back and takes a deep inhale, feeling the vibes. It’s like exhaling, but way better, man. We’re talkin’ unfair competition here—my joint versus your propaganda. It’s a cosmic clash, like the ultimate showdown between pure chill and corporate spin. LMAO. I win.
PART 15: MCLUHAN’S BLESSING
Man, it’s rad that the Marshall McLuhan Estate gave the thumbs up to use “the medium is the message.” Other than Metro Times, no one else stepped in to help, except for the one place that’s, like, totally central to this whole concept. Medium and message totally merge, just like McLuhan would’ve dug, dude. Far out!
PART 17: FIRST TOKE: April 20, 1969
Very merry prankster SLOPMONSTER. I mean April 20, 1969? Before there was a 420? Really? Well, maybe it was me invented it, yeah, April 20, 1969 in Maui at that Wowie Zowie Owsley Orange Sunshine Plantation? All flooding back, 420, oh yeah...............ZZZZZZZZZZZ
PART 13: THANKS TO THE DETROIT
METRO TIMES
Man, none of this would’ve happened without the Metro Times. Their kind vibes and technical skills really made it all come together. So, like, why am I here in The Metro Times? It’s because of The Detroit Metro Times. Well, duh.
SLOPMONSTER? continued...
PART 12: THE ANSWER, MY FRIEND IS A’CHANGIN’
The answer, man, isn’t buried in more tech. It’s not about stacking up gadgets or chasing the latest gizmos. Sometimes, the truth is like Dylan said, blowin’ in the wind—right there for the taking. It’s about finding your own vibe amidst the noise. It’s not about being electric; it’s about being real. Is that still possible?
PART 8: WHAT SIZE?
Where was I?...So, they’re both scratching their heads, wondering, “What size?” Totally cracked me up, man. It’s like the anxiety of a teenager buying their first jockstrap—“What size?” Dad’s answer? “Your waist, dude.” Classic!
PART 10: THE SLOPMONSTER!!!!!!!!!
Whoa, dude, check it out— IT’S THE SLOPMONSTER! The face of the project just popped, like generated, like bam! There’s the SLOPMONSTER, bragging about being the first METRO TIMES advertiser to crank out AI-generated “art”—or, as we like to call it, “slop.” Far out, man, it’s all happening!
BILLBOARDS + ALTERNATIVE NEWSPAPER AI = SLOPMONSTER
PART 6: TRIBUTE TO MOM (FM version)
This one’s for Mom, man. She raised us all on the profits from a tiny candy store. And now, here I am, looking out at the Detroit skyline. I’ve arrived, I’m home, in the here, in the now. Feels cosmic, dude. All thanks to her sweet hustle.
PART 11: WHO DOESN’T LOVE A POP QUIZ?
Man, who doesn’t dig a good pop quiz? It’s like ChatGPT vs. human chatter—testing out who’s got the edge in knowledge and wit. It’s all about comparing notes and seeing how the digital and human vibes stack up, dude. And the winner is...
PART 7: AI’S GOT JOKES?
Man, AI’s got a sense of humor, dude! It’s like stoner math—check it out: the square root of an avocado is guacamole, and E=MC5. We’re talking classic physics meets Detroit rock‘n’roll. Far out, right?
PART 9: FROM HER TO ETERNITY
Man, we’re celebrating 44 years of From Her to Eternity. That’s a seriously epic journey, dude. It’s like marking an eternal groove with memories and vibes that keep on rolling. Here’s to the long haul and the cosmic ride!
PART 5: PRESSURE!!!
Man, the tech pressure these days is intense! Too much electricity buzzing around, and it’s all ready to blow. I can’t keep up with how fast everything’s changing, dude. It’s overwhelming, like the whole system’s about to fry. Run! Nowhere to hide! Help!
Hey, isn’t groovy a fun word?
SLOPMONSTER? continued...
DEPART JOE, PLEASE
Breaking News!!!
When President Biden came to Detroit, he read the Metro Times and thought,“Maybe this Billboard is a sign.”
PART 3: FIRST FULL PAGER!!!
Dude, we just dropped our first full-page ad— electric blue all the way! Tech tightens (get it?) grip, man, and it’s a farout journey from those old stock images. It grabs your eyeballs with a gravitactical force, full of it, and total immersion!
PART 4: WHAT THE HECK?
Dude, what the heck? I’ve got Part 4 all approved and ready to roll, but it never landed! Just vanished into the void, man. No Part 4, like it’s floating around in some parallel universe or something. Totally trippy.
PART 1: SLOPMONSTER, THE MOVIE
Alright, man, SLOPMONSTER! Picture this: a walking antique, cruising through time, suddenly taps into AI-generated art at this perfect, trippy moment. Started all chill, way before the AI explosion, and now, dude, riding that AI wave like a pro. THE SLOW ONE IS NOW FAST!!!
PART 2: HEY, HEY BOB DYLAN I GENERATED A BILLBOARD
On a road less travelled, with stories yet to record.
PART 0: REPETITION COMPULSION
Imagine a scratched record that keeps skipping back to the same spot. That’s what Freud called ‘repetition compulsion’—your mind stuck in a loop, repeating the same patterns.
Now, think about a wave at the beach that knocks you down. Every time you go back, you wade into the same spot, hoping this time it’ll be different. But bam. It happens again. Trauma’s like that, dragging you back to the same dark emotional place, over and over.
Then there’s Pete Seeger’s ‘Big Muddy,’ where the captain leads everyone deeper into the muck, thinking, ‘We’ll make it,’ but they just sink further. That’s what happens with trauma—it pulls you into the same mess, thinking you can fix it.
And the billboard obsession? You think, ‘This one will be different, it’ll make things right,’ but it’s the same trap, the same muddy river. Your mind keeps replaying the past, hoping to set it right, but instead, it just gets stuck again. THE END?
What it was really like inside the University of Michigan’s student protest encampment
By Natalia Holtzman
“I, like everyone else here, believe that … everything possible to liberate Palestine and end the genocide in Gaza must be done,” a senior studying history at the University of Michigan (U-M) told me on April 25, three days after U-M students erected an encampment outside the Hatcher Graduate Library.
The U-M student encampment remained in place from Monday, April 22 until Tuesday, May 21, when officers from U-M’s Division of Public Safety and Security (DPSS) cleared more than 100 tents from the Diag while pepperspraying students. (DPSS has declined to comment on this article, citing an “open and currently active investigation.”)
The student, who asked to be referred to as “R.” to protect his identity, went on to explain the goal of the Tahrir Coalition, the collective of student groups responsible for organizing the encampment: to convince university officials to divest $6 billion of U-M’s total endowment, which was valued at $17.9 billion as of June 20, 2023, according to a factsheet published by U-M.
Those $6 billion, R. says, are “invested either directly in companies or in managed funds that placed that money further into companies that build weapons
of war [and] technology for the apartheid [Israeli state] … that contribute to the genocide in Gaza and the occupation in Palestine at large.”
The Tahrir Coalition has objected specifically to U-M’s investment in companies like Skydio, a manufacturer of military and tactical drones that sent more than 100 drones to Israel as of November 25, 2023; the Israeli spyware firm Oosto; and the Israeli-based surveillance company Attenti, which whom the Michigan Department of Corrections has contracted, among others.
“Making the University of Michigan divest fully those $6 billion from the genocide … would be a huge blow against the apartheid state of Israel and for the liberation of Palestine,” R. said. “That’s why we’re aiming for that.”
The encampment was erected almost five months after the Central Student Government issued two resolutions (13-025 and 13-026) that called on U-M officials to divest. On November 30, U-M leadership canceled votes on those resolutions, and President Santa J. Ono issued a statement indicating that future votes would not be allowed.
“The proposed resolutions have done more to stoke fear, anger and animosity on our campus than they would ever
accomplish as recommendations to the university,” Ono claimed. (The office of President Ono has declined to comment on this article.)
In January, the U-M faculty Senate Assembly passed a resolution condemning the university’s “unwarranted interference in the free expression of opinion, and calls on the University’s leadership to protect and encourage the practice of deliberative democracy within the student community.”
(That resolution passed in a vote of 50-5, with two abstentions.)
By Thursday, April 25, the encampment was humming with activity, and one graduate student described the mood as “positive, very hopeful, [and] optimistic.”
Representatives of the Tahrir Coalition estimate the encampment began with approximately 50 campers; by the first night (April 22), they had reached 90, and by April 27, more than 150 students had joined the protest.
“It’s been a little astonishing — the drive to do everything possible,” R. said.
“People are spending their entire [lives] right now working for divestment,” he continued. “The mood has been committed, but there’s a sense of joy and spiritual strength to that
DOUG COOMBE
commitment, as well. Knowing we’re all in this together, knowing we’re all in solidarity in this struggle, knowing we’re in solidarity with people halfway across the world … there’s joy, there’s commitment, and there’s resolve for divestment from Israel.”
“Palestinians have been oppressed for almost a century now,” said Zainab Hakim, an undergraduate senior studying art history.
“I think it is everybody’s moral imperative to fight for a free Palestine in any way that we can … It is especially, especially our responsibility, as students at University of Michigan, where our endowment is invested in Israel and therefore is also funding the genocide … to make sure that we can stop this.”
“This week, next week, as long as it takes — divestment always; divestment first and foremost,” Hakim said.
At the encampment, one- and twoperson tents surrounded a central hub containing a larger food tent, a station for volunteers, and a small library (the “Liberation Library”), where books, pamphlets, and other forms of media describing the history of Israel and Palestine were made available.
At the food table, donations from local restaurants and other community members were distributed for free, along with bottled water.
“The community has really come together around [the encampment],” Hakim said. “We’re overflowing with donations. We’ve always had more than enough food.”
As a whole, the encampment presented a remarkably organized face, with students designated as media or police liaisons and acting accordingly.
Each day, a detailed schedule was posted both on-site and on social media, with teach-ins, workshops on students’ legal rights and de-escalation tactics, yoga and mindfulness sessions, and film screenings.
On the afternoon of April 27, a discussion leader led a group in a reflection exercise: “What is a moment or an experience from the last 200 days that has been difficult for you?” she asked participants.
“I’ve learned so much over the past four days,” said Ekaterina Olson-Shipyatsky, a graduate student in political science.
“Every single day … is packed with teach-ins and art-making sessions and there’s a library where you can read. Even just being in that space and getting to meet people and hear people’s stories about how and why they’ve ended up spending time at the encampment has also been really powerful, profoundly moving, and really educational.”
“Last night the weather was sub-freezing,” R. said, and added that despite the
cold, “No one left [the encampment].”
(“I think it got down to 27 [degrees],” another student told me. “I just threw some hand warmers in the sleeping bag [to help] me sleep.”)
“We’re here because we’re committed for the liberation of Palestine,” R. said, “and we will not leave until we do everything we possibly can towards that end.”
‘My fear is non-existent
in Ono’s and the Regents’ eyes’
“I walk around with my phone in my hand all the time on campus,” a woman who asked to be referred to as “Huriya” told me.
“I walk around with the [video] camera on … ready to press the red button [in case] anybody comes to intimidate me,” Huriya, who was Muslim and wore her hair covered, added. “I should not have to do that on my own campus — I should not feel so unsafe that my camera is there.”
She continued, “But my fear is nonexistent in Ono’s and the Regents’ eyes. That’s what’s hurting me.”
Huriya referred to herself as “a very non-traditional student.” She’d begun a degree years before but hadn’t finished; instead, she “waited for my children to be grown” before resuming her studies at U-M.
“I heard it was a very liberal, openminded university and I thought, ‘This is going to be a place where I feel safe and I feel comfortable,’” Huriya continued.
But after the events of October 7, 2023, “my life was turned upside down,” she said.
Initially, Huriya added, “mentally and
emotionally, I was distraught … at what was going on over there — but then I became more distraught at the complacency of our Board of Regents.”
“It is our money [the Regents] use to make those investments, so we should have the right to say where that money goes,” Huriya said, “and we don’t want to kill people — we don’t want people murdered and massacred.”
Everything she’d heard about U-M’s reputation, she said, “was a fallacy — it was all a lie.”
Huriya said her son, a freshman at U-M studying biomedical engineering, had not joined the encampment “because his father does not want him involved.”
“My son is an adult and I feel that he needs to make the decisions,” Huriya added. “What I did tell him was, ‘Make the decision that you can live with.’ … Everyone has to do their own thing that they can live with.”
Zainab Hakim, the senior art history major, made a similar plea.
“What you do now — this is who you are as a person,” she said. “This is your moral course.”
The U-M student encampment was erected days before final exams were scheduled to start, and many students could be seen studying and writing papers on laptops as they sat outdoors.
“I think it goes to show that it’s really hard to concentrate on being a student once you realize how complicit your university is in terrible violence committed by Israel,” Hakim said.
“The bigger thing right now is divestment,” she added. “The fact that so many students are willing to [say], ‘I can sacrifice a grade, I can sacrifice a hangout, or a party, or whatever, for this bigger goal
is really important.”
“We’re putting cracks in the ice. Their hearts are full of ice,” Huriya said — though it wasn’t clear whether she was referring to regents, other university officials, or to the Israeli government.
“We’re making change,” she said. “It’s a very slow process, but nothing nurtures overnight. Plants need time to grow. The mighty oak becomes strong the longer it actually stays there. … We might not be able to make the war stop, but we will affect some change whether it’s in somebody’s heart or whether it’s a policy.”
After I had turned off my recorder, Huriya mentioned one more detail: she had a heart condition, she said, and unless she received a transplant in the near future, she wouldn’t live long. She wanted to use the time she had left to fight for justice, for good.
‘A strong Jewish presence’
“I’ve never felt more at home [than here], surrounded by people who are entirely committed to fighting for justice, even when the narrative is constantly attempting to discredit all of that work,” Alex Sepulveda, a Jewish undergraduate studying political anthropology, told me. When I asked what he meant when he referred to “the narrative,” Sepulveda said, “We have a black and white fallacy which dominates the way in which we conceptualize Palestine. The vast majority of uninformed people see it as a Jewish-Arab or Jewish-Muslim conflict, when in reality it is a Zionist versus anti-Zionist conflict. That black-andwhite narrative is the vehicle by which this university and the United States war
The U-M student encampment remained in place from Monday, April 22 until Tuesday, May 21. DOUG COOMBE
machine propels their agenda.”
“Within the Zionist Jewish community, we are often told that there is a place that belongs to us, and us only,” Sepulveda continued.
The Israeli state “operates by manipulating Jewish identity and Jewish grief to enshrine this narrative that Jewish safety is only possible within a Zionist state … but Zionism is inherently racist,” he said.
“When people think of Zionism, they think of a Jewish-majority state, and many of them go about their day as if there’s nothing wrong with that notion,” Sepulveda said. “But we need to understand what a Jewish-majority state means. A Jewish-majority state expressly implies Jewish supremacy. It means that … Jews must be entitled to something that others are not.”
Meanwhile, he added, “the Palestinian narrative is wholly excluded from public education and the American political discourse.”
Despite widespread claims of antisemitism at student encampments across the country, I found that a significant number of Jewish students had joined the U-M protest.
“We have more Jewish people on this side right now than on that side,” Huriya told me.
“Look at that sign,” she added, indicating a table in the food tent. “It says ‘Kosher.’ We’re trying to take care of our … Jewish brothers and sisters.”
“Nobody wants to kill anybody or murder anybody,” Huriya added. “We just want to have a right to exist, too.”
And while I was assured by several counter-protesters who declined to provide their names that it is possible to be both Jewish and antisemitic, there was no evidence to suggest any incidents of what U-M President Ono referred to in an official statement as “violence or intimidation,” other than by counterprotesters themselves.
“President Santa Ono and the U-M Board of Regents have referred to the ‘Jewish community’ numerous times in public communications. In every instance, they’ve referred to them exclusively as one and the same with the Zionist community,” said Sepulveda.
That conflation of Judaism with Zionism, Sepulveda said, is “not only antisemitic, but a deep manifestation of their cowardice — because they are fully aware that anti-Zionist Jewish people have strong and uncompromising participation within the divestment movement. Yet they refuse to acknowledge their momentum because they know that it would shatter their narrative.”
Ekaterina Olson-Shipyatsky, who cofounded the U-M chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace, said she helped found the group specifically to make it clear that “an active, visible, loud Jewish presence
that’s fighting for Palestinian liberation” was active on-campus.
“The university has done a lot of suppression of the movement on the grounds that it’s suppressing antisemitism or protecting Jewish students,” Olson-Shipyatsky added. “So our presence has been really important in pointing out the hypocrisy in that [claim] and showing what a strong Jewish presence there is in the coalition.”
Olson-Shipyatsky referred to claims that the encampment itself was inherently antisemitic as “preposterous.”
“The encampment is a call for the university to end its complicity in genocide. Ending genocide and fighting genocide and fascism wherever they are is the most Jewish thing I can think of,” she said.
“I think every Jewish person should feel called to oppose genocide with the loudest voice that they possibly can. I think every Jewish person should be fighting to get their university or whatever body they’re a part of to wholly disinvest and oppose the genocide.”
She added, “We have a lot of banners that say ‘Jews Against Apartheid’ or ‘Jews Demand Divestment,’ things like that. We try to hold those up … to make really, really clear to the Zionists that their claims of antisemitism don’t make any sense.”
She added, “I feel called to be here because of my ancestors. I feel called to be here because of the rich tradition of anti-Zionist Jewish organizing … Jews have been fighting Zionism ever since Zionism existed.”
Alex Sepulveda said that “the conflation of Zionism and antisemitism is inherently antisemitic. The notion that Jewish people are a monolith and that all of them support an ethno-nationalist state,” he added, “is a degradation to Jewish culture.”
Asked about tensions between protesters and counter-protesters, who maintained a small presence outside the encampment, many of them holding or wearing Israeli flags, Olson-Shipyatsky said that (as of April 25) she hadn’t “seen any physical violence or physical altercations” between protesters and counterprotesters.
But, she added, “I’ve heard a lot of really, really nasty stuff from Zionists … really heinous stuff.”
Olson-Shipyatsky described a man who, the previous day, had come into the encampment and “was calling us all Nazis, including those of us who are Jews. He told someone that they would be the first in line for the gas chambers.”
“A woman who was with him [said] another Jewish student [was] ‘not a real Jew,’” she said.
Olson-Shipyatsky believed that both the man and the woman were themselves Jewish, but couldn’t confirm this fact.
August 21-27, 2024 | metrotimes.com
In a separate conversation, Alex Sepulveda described other confrontations with counter-protesters.
According to Sepulveda, those confrontations reached a peak at a rally held in support of Israel in the weeks following Oct. 7.
While “hundreds of Zionist parents stood on the [U-M] Diag … dozens of anti-Zionist Jewish students staged a silent counter-protest,” Sepulveda said.
“I’ve been to a lot of protests, I’ve seen people get tear-gassed, I’ve seen people get the shit beaten out of them — I’ve never felt more unsafe in my life than at that protest,” Sepulveda added.
“We endured hours of extreme hate speech,” Sepulveda said, adding that the bulk of the vitriol came from parents of U-M students, and not from students themselves.
“They called us Nazis. They told us that we weren’t real Jews. They threatened us with physical violence and many of them did initiate physical violence against us.”
Sepulveda overheard one parent say, “Your mother’s a whore,” and another say, “You should die in a gas chamber” to anti-Zionist Jewish students.
“None of this is new to us,” said OlsonShipyatsky.
“Visibly Jewish” protesters at anti-war events “hear this kind of stuff all the time” from counter-protesters, OlsonShipyatsky went on. “But it’s always — it’s kind of always scary.”
Zainab Hakim, an undergraduate organizer with the Tahrir Coalition, told me, “Our usual rule for Zionists … is that if you can avoid engaging with them, that is always the best course of action. They’re never coming to have a meaningful conversation, they’re never coming to learn — they’re always just coming to harass people.”
On April 27, I approached a small group of counter-protesters to ask if they wanted to comment on claims like these.
When I said, “Can I ask you a few questions about why you’re out here today?” an older woman with a Hebrew accent responded, “Why are we here? To support the Jewish students who are passing by and feel, maybe, intimidated.”
“I understand that there are quite a few Jewish students inside the encampment,” I said.
“Why wouldn’t you interview them to see why are they there and not here?” she said.
When I told her that I had, in fact, interviewed students from the encampment, she asked, “What did they say?” I told her, “I’m really hoping to hear about your opinion.”
“From which newspaper are you?” she asked, and I told her. “What is it?” she said. “Which kind of newspaper?” Up until now, their group had con-
sisted of two women and two men who appeared to be in their 50s and 60s, as well as a young man who seemed to be a student and stood, silently, with an Israeli flag slung across his back and knotted beneath his chin.
Now, two more young men approached. “Hey, excuse me, guys?” the first one asked, and then mentioned a petition. “We were wondering if we could maybe get a few signatures,” he said.
The woman who had spoken to me asked what their petition was for.
“We’re not totally sure what we’re petitioning for,” the first student said, while the other laughed. “Just, you know, hopefully that these people will leave,” and he indicated the encampment.
The petition, said the second student, “kind of gets the vibe of not being really sure what’s going on. So [we’re] trying to go along with that.”
The woman asked again what the petition was for. “You need to know,” she insisted.
“Just to get these people to leave,” said the first student.
“We’re just a little confused with everything that’s going on,” said the second student.
“You need to write it down,” the woman told them.
“I didn’t really think that through,” said the second student.
“Yeah, we probably should,” said the first.
The woman asked if they were freshmen.
“No, we’re Jewish students,” the first said. “We’re messing with the people at the protest. We’re just, we wanted to—”
Then the woman interrupted them. “You are on tape,” she said, nodding at my phone, which I was using as a recorder. “She tapes you.”
When the first student realized I was a reporter, his tone shifted. He said he found the encampment “a little disruptive, I’m not going to lie.”
The second student said, “I think, personally, everyone has a right to protest in whatever way they want as long as it’s not causing any trouble. I don’t think this is really causing trouble to the point where it should be stopped. I mean, yeah, it’s definitely disruptive, I would say — but it’s allowed within our country—”
“However,” the first student interrupted, “if the protests go to a point where they’re hateful, I do think they should be shut down, and I’m a Jewish student, and I’ll be honest, I haven’t totally felt safe on campus.”
“If you want to go to the graduate library, you have to pass through them,” the woman said, “and the signs … they have there are really uncomfortable — more than uncomfortable — they call for hate.”
I mentioned that multiple students
from the encampment had described incidents of harassment by counterprotesters.
“But you see there were no protesters here,” the woman said, gesturing vaguely.
Then one of the students said, “Having gone to protests for things in support of the Jewish students on campus, there have been hateful things said to me and other people around me that have really hurt us, as well. So I would say that’s definitely a double-sided thing.”
Eventually, the woman asked for my name, and when I told her, she lingered over my surname.
“I’m Jewish, too,” I confirmed.
“Being anti-Zionist is antisemitic,” one of the men said. “You can be Jewish and be antisemitic.”
‘A faceless movement’
With one or two exceptions, aside from Jewish students, none of the students I interviewed consented to having their full name or their real name used, out of fear of reprisal or punitive action by university officials or others in the community.
Various students described incidents by “doxers,” or people who attempted to enter the camp and photograph its inhabitants with the express purpose of exposing their identities. To thwart these attempts, many students wore masks and sunglasses.
The doxing “requires us to take a lot of extra safety measures regarding anonymity,” said Hakim, the undergraduate studying art history, as well as “making sure we know who’s in our community.”
This was confirmed by a graduate student who asked to remain anonymous.
“Part of the whole anonymous thing is for safety concerns, because a lot of the students that started camping here are students of color,” he said.
“The other part,” he continued, “is to really enforce the fact that this movement is a faceless movement.”
He then referred to doxing events from the fall of 2023 in which the identities of various protesters had been publicly revealed.
Those incidents had prompted many in the community — both supporters and opponents — to “put some people’s faces … to that movement, and it’s been a struggle to try to separate those faces from the movement.”
He added, “Even if there are key leadership people,” the encampment itself was “about the community — it’s more about a collection of student organizations,” than about any particular individuals.
Ekaterina Olson-Shipyatsky echoed this idea.
“I really want to emphasize that this is a collective project and it’s really only possible by all of us deciding to be here and all of us deciding to put our bodies on the line … for this cause,” she said.
“I think there’s a lot of narrative about there being leaders who are brainwashing the masses, or college students being indoctrinated, and all of this stuff. I see this in the media all the time,” OlsonShipyatsky added. “I just really want to emphasize that this is a choice that we’re all making. We’ve all been watching a genocide unfold over the last seven months, and this is something that we all feel called to do as a collective.”
When I asked Olson-Shipyatsky if she worried that her involvement with the encampment might endanger her role as a graduate student, she said, “I guess now we’ve seen enough that I know it is a risk. We’ve watched students at Barnard and Columbia get suspended [and] get evicted from student housing.”
She’d witnessed repressive measures at U-M, too, Olson-Shipyatsky said.
“I also have watched, over the last few months, as my peers who are Graduate
Student Instructors here face repression for talking about Palestine in the classroom, for talking about Palestine in the workplace. So repression of speech related to Palestine and retaliation for talking about Palestine is not something that’s new at this university and it’s definitely a risk that I’m aware of and that I carry with me.”
Olson-Shipyatsky added, “I would hate for that to happen,” referring to the risk to her position. “I love being a grad student. I really care about my research. I care about my students. I love my program … But I care about ending genocide more.”
Student protesters also endured several violent encounters with the Michigan State Police and the campus police.
On Friday, May 3, the State Police responded with pepper spray and brute force to a demonstration at the University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA) after protesters witnessed university Regents Jordan B. Acker, Sarah Hubbard, and Paul W. Brown entering the building.
Nat Leach, a student who was present at that protest, described a scene of “sobbing, screaming, [and] crying,” as police rained pepper spray on students and used batons and even bicycles as objects of blunt force.
Almost three weeks later, U-M’s Division of Public Safety and Security (DPSS) cleared the encampment entirely after protesters staged demonstrations at the private homes of several regents, including Sarah Hubbard.
Citing concerns for the safety of “students, faculty, employees, university visitors, and protesters,” President Ono ordered the encampment shut down by DPSS officers who used pepper spray and batons to enforce the order.
Four protesters were arrested and turned over to the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office where, according to one student, they were held in a cell for
approximately five hours without the opportunity to wash the pepper spray from their faces.
On June 3, the Southfield-based Goodman Acker law firm, where U-M Regent Jordan B. Acker serves as a senior partner, was vandalized with graffiti slogans reading “U-M KILLS,” “FUCK YOU ACKER,” and “DIVEST NOW.”
While Acker claimed that “singling out a Jewish board member is antisemitism,” the Tahrir Coalition, which stated on social media that an “autonomous group” was responsible for the graffiti, and not the Coalition itself, “applaud[ed] this action as an appropriate response to political entities and individuals’ enthusiastic support of American imperial complicity with the genocide of Palestinians.”
In a statement, the university said, “Freedom of speech is a bedrock principle of the University of Michigan community and essential to our core educational mission as a university,” adding that it “has long welcomed dissent, advocacy, and the expression of the broadest array of ideas, even those that could be unpopular, upsetting or critical of the university.”
It continued, “At the same time, no one is entitled to disrupt the lawful activities or speech of others.”
The university did not comment on how it would handle the protests if they continue into the new school year.
In the days after the encampment’s closure, students chalked outlines onto the bricks outside the Hatcher Graduate Library where tents and tables had once stood.
“We fed each other here,” one chalk drawing read.
“This is where I celebrated Passover,” read a second.
Another chalk slogan read: “Cops beat and pepper sprayed your classmates here / do not walk through here as if things are normal.”
Despite widespread claims of antisemitism at student protests across the country, a significant number of Jewish students had joined the U-M encampment.
DOUG COOMBE
WHAT’S GOING ON
Select events happening in metro Detroit this week. Be sure to check venue website before events for latest information. Add your event to our online calendar: metrotimes. com/AddEvent.
MUSIC
Wednesday, Aug. 21
Live/Concert
Graham Nash 7 p.m.; Royal Oak Music Theatre, 318 W. Fourth St., Royal Oak; $45-$125.
Kirk Whalum, Alex Bugnon, Justin-Lee Schultz 7:30 p.m.; The Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre, 2600 E. Atwater St., Detroit; $15-$60.
Leanna Firestone, Brye 7:30 p.m.; The Shelter, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit; $25.
Matt Lorusso Trio & Special Guests 8-11 p.m.; Northern Lights Lounge, 660 W. Baltimore St., Detroit; no cover.
NOFX, Codefendants, Crazy & the Brains 6 p.m.; The Fillmore, 2115 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $63-$123.
Omar Apollo, Malcolm Todd 7:30 p.m.; Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill, 14900 Metropolitan Pkwy., Sterling Heights; $29.50-$99.50.
The Avett Brothers, Sammy Rae and The Friends 6:30 p.m.; Detroit Masonic Temple Library, 500 Temple St, Detroit; $29-$300.
Thursday, Aug. 22
Live/Concert
96.3 WDVD Baby Bash featuring Sarah Reeves 7 p.m.; District 142, 142 Maple St., Wyandotte; listen to WDVD to win tickets.
David Morris, Dave Fio 7 p.m.; The Crofoot Ballroom, 1 S. Saginaw, Pontiac; $17.
Deep Purple, YES 6:30 p.m.; Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill, 14900 Metropolitan Pkwy., Sterling Heights; $39.50-$125.
New Rory & MAL Live 9 p.m.; Saint Andrew’s Hall, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit; $48.
Poolside Performance: The Mirrored Glass Harp Trio 6:30-7:30 p.m.; Cranbrook Art Museum, 39221 N. Woodward Ave., Bloomfield Hills; no cover.
DJ/Dance
Sauced Sessions on The Alley
Deck: Johnny Malek, Mr. Postman, Maudi, Da11as, Karmel 7 p.m.; Garden Bowl, 4120 Woodward, Detroit; $10. Karaoke
DARE-U-OKE 9 p.m.-midnight; Northern Lights Lounge, 660 W. Baltimore St., Detroit; no cover.
Drag Queen Karaoke 8 p.m.-2 a.m.; Woodward Avenue Brewers, 22646 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; no cover.
Friday, Aug. 23
Live/Concert
BFB Da Packman 7 p.m.; The Shelter, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit; $25.
Captain Fantastic - Ultimate Tribute to Elton John 7-11 p.m.; Cadieux Café, 4300 Cadieux Rd., Detroit; $20.
G-Eazy, Rick Ross 8 p.m.; Caesars Palace Windsor - Augustus Ballroom, 377 E. Riverside Dr., Windsor; $48-$118.
Headless Mary, Central Dogma, Saving Throw, Living AI 7 p.m.; Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff St., Hamtramck; $10.
Incubus, Coheed and Cambria 7:30 p.m.; Little Caesars Arena, 2645 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $39.50-$169.50.
Joshua Bassett, Thomas Day 7:30 p.m.; Meadow Brook Amphitheatre, 3554 Walton Blvd., Rochester Hills; $35-$79.50.
JT’s Welcome to the Party:
College Welcome Week 9 p.m.; Diamondback Music Hall, 49345 S. Interstate 94 Service Dr., Belleville; $15.
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard (acoustic set) 7:30 p.m.; The Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre, 2600 E. Atwater St., Detroit; $34.50-$54.50.
Down Rodeo (tribute to Rage Against the Machine) 7 p.m.; Magic Bag, 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; $17.
Shagg Nasty with the Nasties, DJ Chadwick 8 p.m.; Bowlero Lanes & Lounge, 4209 Coolidge Hwy., Royal Oak; no cover.
The Santana Project 8:30 p.m.; The Token Lounge, 28949 Joy Rd., Westland; $15-$90.
Welcome to the Party: College Welcome Week 9 p.m.; Diamondback Music Hall, 49345 S. Interstate 94 Service Dr., Belleville; $10.
Yours Truly, Let It Happen, noveltysongs 7 p.m.; The Loving Touch, 22634 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; $15.
34 August 21-27, 2024 | metrotimes.com
DJ/Dance
Freshly Squeezed: Juicy, Versace James, Key Mitch, JMT, Disc Jockey George 9 p.m.; Alley Deck, 4120 Woodward, Detroit; no cover before 10:30 p.m., $15 after.
Saturday, Aug. 24
Live/Concert
Anvil 6 p.m.; Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff St., Hamtramck; $22.
Bronco, the Wercos Band 8 p.m.; Sound Board, 2901 Grand River Ave., Detroit; $82-$152.
Elspeth Tremblay & The Treatment, Rose St. Germaine, DJ Rock City Ray 9 p.m.; Bowlero Lanes & Lounge, 4209 Coolidge Hwy., Royal Oak; no cover.
Black Pistol Fire, Dan Spencer 7 p..m; Magic Bag, 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; $20.
Konrad Lee’s MadHouse Eclective 8:30-11 p.m.; Batch Brewing Company, 1400 Porter St, Detroit, Detroit; $15 in advance and $20 at door.
Live For Tomorrow, PlainView, As We Divide, Parti!, Vena Morris 6 p.m.; The Loving Touch, 22634 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; $15.
O.A.R., Fitz and the Tantrums 6:55 pm; Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill, 14900 Metropolitan Pkwy., Sterling Heights; $30.50-$80.50.
Sunday Aug 25
Live/Concert
Spread Eagle, Turn The Tablez, General 11 6:30 p.m.; The Token Lounge, 28949 Joy Rd., Westland; $17.
The Roots, Digable Planets, Arrested Development 8 p.m.; Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill, 14900 Metropolitan Pkwy., Sterling Heights; $35-$195.
DJ/Dance
BSV’s House Brunch on The Alley Deck 1 pm; Garden Bowl, 4120 Woodward, Detroit; no cover before 3 p.m., $10 after.
Monday, Aug. 26
Live/Concert
Bootblacks, The Bellwether Syndicate, Broken Nails 7 p.m.; Small’s, 10339 Conant St., Hamtramck; $14.
Burnout Syndromes 7 p.m.; The Shelter, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit; $25.
The Dionne Warwick Tribute ft. Love Williams Hosted by Come -
dian Mike Bonner 7-10 p.m.; Aretha’s Jazz Cafe, 350 Madison St., Detroit; $35. DJ/Dance
Adult Skate Night 8:30-11 p.m.; Lexus Velodrome, 601 Mack Ave., Detroit; $5.
Tuesday, Aug. 27 Live/Concert
Christy Costello wsg Norcos Y Horchata + Suede Brain 8 p.m.; Garden Bowl Lounge, 4120 Woodward Avenue, Detroit; no cover.
Global Sunsets, Blackman & Arnold Trio 7-10 p.m.; Northern Lights Lounge, 660 W. Baltimore St., Detroit; no cover.
King Buzzo, JD Pinkus 7 p.m.; The Shelter, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit; $29.50.
Sons of Cream 7 p.m.; Magic Bag, 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; $20. Mitski, Lamp 6:30 p.m.; Detroit Masonic Temple Library, 500 Temple St, Detroit; $49-$242.
New Found Glory, Sincere Engineer 6:30 p.m.; The Fillmore, 2115 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $31.50-$63. DJ/Dance
B.Y.O.R Bring Your Own Records Night 9 p.m.-midnight; The Old Miami, 3930 Cass Ave., Detroit; no cover.
THEATER
Performance
Marygrove Conservancy 4 Daughters Minus One, 2000 A.D.; $15-$27.50; Saturday, 6-9 p.m.
Planet Ant Theatre Cade Willimon’s REAL Ghost Adventures: An Immersive Paranormal Show; $35; Thursday, 6-11:30 p.m.; Friday, 6-11:30 p.m.; and Saturday 6-11:30 p.m.
Musical
COMEDY
Improv
Go Comedy! Improv Theater
Pandemonia The Allstar Showdown; $20; Every other Friday, 8 & 10 p.m.
Stand-up
Mark Ridley’s Comedy Castle Advanced Comedy Class Showcase Tickets: $10 advance, $15 day of show. Special showcase for the graduating Advanced Comedy Class; $10; Tuesday, 7:30-9 p.m.
Blind Pig Blind Pig Comedy FREE Mondays, 8 p.m.
The Independent Comedy Club at Planet Ant Tonight vs Everybody: Open Mic Comedy; $5 suggested donation; Fridays, Saturdays, 11 p.m.-1:30 a.m.
Masonic Temple Immortal Comedy: In the Acacia Room; $5 advance, $10 day of show; Thursday, 8:30-9:45 p.m.
Detroit Shipping Company 313 Comedy Show; no cover; Sundays, 7-8:30 p.m.
FILM
Screening
Planet Ant Theatre Horror Double Feature: Coven of the Black Cube and Busted Babies. Blood Sick Productions presents a double feature premiere screening of two new SOV horror films shot entirely on VHS. Coven of the Black Cube is a queer romance cursed by black magic and the occult followed by Busted Babies, a cinematic tale of breakable proportions, with extra immortal cheeze and girls! Hosted by Blood Sick Productions directors Brewce Longo and Kasper Meltedhair. Doors at 6:30 p.m., show begins promptly at 7 p.m.; $10.
ARTS
Art exhibition opening Art Leaders Gallery Beyond Boundaries group exhibition reception & artist talks. A night filled with creativity and inspiration showcasing the works of six talented Michigan artists breaking free from traditional constraints. Beyond Boundaries will feature the works of Andrew Madvin, Thomas Arvid, Dane Porter, Antonio Molinari, and Robert Madvin. Artist talks will begin at 6:30 p.m. Don’t miss this chance to meet the artists and hear about their process. Each artist will be available for meet and greets after the talks conclude. 100% of the ticket sale proceeds will benefit the Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center. $10; Saturday, 6-9 p.m.
Continuing this week
Cranbrook Art Museum Constellations & Affinities: Selections from the Cranbrook Collection. Sampling from the Cranbrook Collection, this ongoing exhibition gathers a broad and eclectic sampling of objects made by artists, architects, and designers associated with Cranbrook Academy of Art. Arranged like a contemporary curiosity cabinet, the works on view span numerous media and represent a broad range of practices taught at the Academy. Works have been arranged in various constellations to compare and contrast certain affinities in materials, processes, and approaches among the artists while acknowledging the singular artistic
vision of each maker. Museum Admission, no cover on Thursdays Wednesdays-Sundays, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) Thursdays at the Museum: Highlights of the Permanent Collection; no cover Tuesdays-Sundays, 1 p.m., Fridays, 6 p.m. and Saturdays, Sundays, 3 p.m.
Habatat Galleries 52nd Annual
International Glass Show (GLASS52).The oldest and largest art gallery dedicated to contemporary glass, presents Glass52, The International Glass Exhibition that is the largest exhibition of contemporary art glass in the world. This breathtaking exhibition, featuring 400 examples of stunning studio glass art, is the highlight of the year for Habatat.The public is invited to see the exhibition for free Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Through Aug. 30.
Plymouth Arts and Recreation Complex (PARC) Windows into PARC
The Windows into PARC exhibit is about the experiences at the Plymouth Arts & Recreation Complex. This unique insideout art exhibition runs through August to October 8. Select works from this two-month indoor exhibit will be chosen for outdoor display. The public is invited to our Meet the Artists reception on August 28 from 5pm to 7 pm. Enjoy FREE live music, sips, nosh and nibbles and talk to the artists. The artworks selected for the outdoor murals will be announced. The exhibit features the work of 25 artists and over 45 pieces. No cover; through Oct. 7, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.
MISC.
Food
Chutney Festival Join us for the 2nd Annual Chutney Festival on Friday, August 23, from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. at the Royal Oak Farmers Market! This South Asian and West Indian street food festival features over 10 food vendors showcasing a variety of delicious cuisines. Enjoy yoga, meditation sessions, and live DJs, with an exciting after-party to cap off the night. Perfect for food lovers and families alike. Purchase your tickets in advance and don’t miss out on this unique cultural experience! Tickets available at Eventbrite. Friday, 4-11 p.m.; Royal Oak Farmers Market, 316 E. Eleven Mile Rd., Royal Oak; $3 online; 248-495-7274; instagram. com/chutneyfestival.tour while exploring this amazing city. $22; Saturday, 2-5 p.m.
SPORTS
Baseball
Comerica Park Detroit Tigers vs. Los Angeles Angels; Tuesday; 6:40 p.m.
Detroit Historical Museum opens new Lions exhibit
The football season is just around the corner, and this upcoming art exhibit at the Detroit Historical Museum promises to get Detroit Lions fans even more excited.
On Saturday, Aug. 24, the same day as the first Lions home game of the 2024-25 season, the museum will debut Detroit Lions: Gridiron Heroes, an exhibit celebrating the Lions’ championship seasons of the 1930s and 1950s, as well as memorable moments from recent years.
“We couldn’t be prouder than to have the Lions’ team history highlighted at the Detroit Historical Museum as we launch the 2024-2025 season,” Emily Griffin, Senior Vice President, Marketing & Brand for the Detroit Lions, said in a press release. “There’s something remarkable to uncover in every era and it was a lot of fun to pour through our archives looking for artifacts to share. We hope the fans will have just as much fun discovering them as we did.”
The museum’s new permanent exhibition space, the City of Champions Gallery, will be filled with Lions memorabilia, thanks to a partnership between the Detroit Historical Society, the Detroit Lions, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Among the artifacts on display are trophies from the 1930s and 1950s, historic uniforms, a showcase of every Lions Hall of Fame
player, and rare items from the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Lions’ archives.
The exhibit also features the Lions’ 2024-2025 Game Day Uniforms.
In Legends Plaza, visitors can measure their hands against the handprints of Lions greats Barry Sanders and Lomas Brown. Plus, a special pop-up display highlights the 2024 NFL Draft held in Detroit, with artifacts including a large “DET” sign signed by thousands of locals and visitors from the recordbreaking crowd.
This part of the exhibit was made possible through the Gilbert Family Foundation and Visit Detroit.
“The Draft was a moment of pride for the whole city of Detroit,” Chris Moyer, Senior Director, Communications and Public Affairs for Visit Detroit, said. “Visit Detroit was pleased to play a part in bringing it back to life in a small way at the Detroit Historical Museum.”
The public opening of the exhibit on Aug. 24 will feature familyfriendly activities including NFL Draft coloring pages, a selection of unique vintage Detroit Lions merchandise, and more.
More information is available at detroithistorical.org.
—Layla McMurtrie
The Detroit Historical Museum is located at 5401 Woodward Ave., Detroit; detroithistorical.org; 313833-1805.
The Detroit Historical Museum. FACEBOOK, DETROIT HISTORICAL MUSEUM
MUSIC
Chill out Double Winter makes it last with new album Hourglass
By Jeff Milo
Steve Barcus says he isn’t used to being called “chill.” He says this while slightly reclined in what appears to be a cozy, thrifted linen kaftan robe, one barefooted leg crossed over the other, with a cat in his lap. He says this even as he’s accompanied by three of his bandmates in the Detroit-based post-punk five piece known as Double Winter, each of whom have already enthusiastically embraced the descriptor of “chill.”
We’re in the high-ceilinged living room that Barcus shares with his partner Morgan McPeak, the drummer and co-founding member of this band which started 10 years ago. Holly Johnson is also there, she’s the bassist, singer, and other co-founder of the arguably chill outfit known as Double Winter, and seated to her left is her longtime musical collaborator Vittorio Vettraino, who joined the group almost immediately after it “started.”
And maybe it’s that Barcus, who officially joined just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, just isn’t used to being in a “chill” band. “But it’s easily the most amicable band I’ve ever played in,” he says, adding, “we legitimately just wanna hang out.”
Their conversation flows easily, punctuated by charismatically self-deprecating quips that trigger warm, eruptive laughter; it’s a shared history that’s thick enough to be considered familial by now. And when we suggest that Double Winter may be contenders for “chillest band in the city,” it’s McPeak, Johnson, and Vettraino who immediately agree.
“I’d love to embrace the moniker,” Barcus cautions, “but I also recognize the irony. I think claiming to be the ‘-est’ of anything is, in itself, NOT chill.”
And just then, his partner and now bandmate, McPeak immediately pipes up to, at least, claim the title of “chillest drummer,” stirring more laughs. But
Barcus continues, “If any other band wants to have it out with us to demonstrate that they’re actually the chillest, that’s fine — I’m also all about handing over the victory to someone who bests us.” Vettraino then counters that that insouciant submission would only further illustrate their prevailing “chill.” And Barcus smiles.
Pressure
Double Winter wasn’t always chill, though. Even if it all sprung out of a sense of veritable whimsy with lowcommitment basement jams, named for the formidable “polar vortex” that Michigan endured a decade prior, the group legitimately locked in to some serious momentum throughout the latter half of the 2010s, rigorously practicing and hopping onto a show every weekend here in town before then heading out on several self-booked tours. During these bustling years, the band had McPeak,
Johnson, and Vettraino as its core, with original founding member Augusta Morrison on violin. And it all felt like it was building to a natural culmination: a full length album!
“And then we joked that our first album was actually cursed,” McPeak says, her laugh sliding into a sigh. They had the worst luck: working with a couple of particularly flaky engineers at first, and then hitting a series of “roadblocks” that wound up tacking on a nearly two-year delay to its eventual completion. Finally, with light at the end of the tunnel, they scheduled a release party for their debut, It’s About Our Hearts: for mid-March, 2020. Which was, obviously, canceled. All that stress and hustle, building up to a significant let down.
McPeak says that in those few months, pre-pandemic, the band was “starting to be pressured to hire a PR person and spend a bunch of money to start promoting [It’s About Our Hearts].”
Detroit indie rock band Double Winter has expanded to a five-piece, adding a sax to the mix.
CHRIS ADAMS
Adding that “things were getting really expensive. The business side of [music], in general, is just too stressful. This was always supposed to be fun — that’s why we were doing it in the first place. But then [Morrison] left the band, and then everything shut down, and we just took this big step backward. We just… stopped.”
Patience
It’s at this sensitive time in the band’s existence when Barcus officially joined; he and McPeak had already been married for several years, and together even before the band formed. “And if anyone knows our songs,” says Johnson, “if anyone’s been to every Double Winter show, and even heard every rehearsal, it was [Barcus].”
Thus began the era of chill. There were no live shows or tours to worry about in 2020 — so why not just jam? The four of them formed a circle in a cleared-out bedroom on the second story of McPeak and Barcus’s cozy, creaky historic home on the east side, jamming all day long with the windows open and even attracting a small crowd out on the sidewalks below. Barcus, who had already intended to join the band in late 2019, replacing Morrison’s violin with his guitar parts, came in cautiously with his past of “being
in other bands that fought a lot,” but says, “it wound up working out great, with such a great chemistry all around — I just wasn’t used to a band being so chill.”
“We’ve all been playing music for so long that we’re pretty realistic about it by now,” Vettraino says. “So our egos never really battle.” Along with that, though, McPeak says they’ve let go of any prior self-applied pressure. “And that,” Vettraino adds, “makes it more enjoyable.” They’ve embraced a very chill “que sera, sera” vibe. If their new record, titled Hourglass, happens to take off — great! If it doesn’t, fine — ‘cause they can still stay in their room together working on more new music. And that’s what matters.
It’s then that Barcus references a theory of contemporary philosopher ByungChul Han, about how “...we’re living in a digital panopticon — whereas before, we might have competed ‘with the Joneses,’ we’re now spending so much time on our phones that we’re all competing with ourselves and thus driven to narcissism. It’s so easy to become consumed with ‘becoming your best self,’ …why not just live with your most fun self? That’s what this band allows me to do.”
Johnson says, “[We] have this new ongoing bit where we say we’re ‘a groove band’ now.” Vettraino adds, “It started as
a joke, but I think we’ve been willing it into existence.” Johnson legitimizes this, saying, “we’ll actually catch ourselves in these serious grooves! Especially with the new album.”
Make it last
When you can lock into the disco rhythms of a song like “Jelly Donut,” or shimmy to the nervy-cool new-wave dance-hooks in “Make It Last,” then you’ll believe that this chill band is now certifiably a “groove band.” But most ears will likely still hear their distinct post-punk sensibilities shining through on their new album, Hourglass, which comes out this week, capped off by a show Friday night at UFO Bar. The recording process was inherently chill, of course, because they worked with the maestro of mellow, producer Chris Koltay, here in Corktown.
Vettraino reiterates the vital “chill” factor that Koltay can bring to the recording atmosphere, but he further compliments the producer for his willingness to prolong the process. Because, on a whim, back in December, they decided to add a fifth member: Brian Polsgrove, on saxophone. Polsgrove had already been a longtime mutual friend of each member “and was already hanging out at our house a lot anyway,”
McPeak says. “So,” Vettraino adds, “we thought, let’s add sax and see how this sounds! But, it was also important to us for at least some of this new album to reflect how we would sound live, so we convinced Koltay to just get [Polsgrove’s] sax on at least two new tracks!”
Barcus expresses gratitude for the opportunity he had to contribute songs and ideas to the record, while also complimenting Johnson’s creative lyricism. “She has a propensity for word play and double entendres, particularly when it comes to song titles,” he says. “One new song is called ‘Our Glass,’ and so we said, let’s call the album ‘Hourglass,’ …the timekeeper as opposed to the possessive. We realized the deeper meaning [of the album title] later, which I feel doesn’t take away from the significance of it. It’s that [this band] can be a timepiece that is continually restarting itself.”
As Johnson sings on a new song from Hourglass: “It takes time to grow / we want to move fast / oh I know / [But] sit down / ….Relax.”
“Flip the hourglass over,” Johnson says. “We’re the ever expanding band, just continuing to evolve.”
With CC Nobody and Mutual Heaven; 8 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 23; UFO Bar; 2110 Trumbull, Detroit; $10.
MUSIC
The Mersiless One
One of Detroit’s most important emcees talks about his career and staying the course
By Kahn Santori Davison
It’s 5:30 p.m. and there’s a quiet hush inside Detroit’s Vinyl Society bar and lounge. The late-evening patrons haven’t trinkled in yet and the emcee known as Mersiless Amir is the only customer inside. As he finishes a glass of Grand Marnier, the waitress asks him if he wants another but he politely declines. Amir’s demeanor is leaning on the reticent side and his all-black outfit is blending in with the hued colored walls of the bar.
Mersiless Amir (also spelled Merciless Ameer) is one of Detroit’s most important emcees. He’s a veteran of Detroit’s first wave of hip-hop who’s leery of being called a “veteran” because he still has skin in the game. He grew up on Detroit’s west side, graduated from Southfield Lathrup in the 1980s, and remembers a time when hip-hop was still trying to find its place.
“I was a DJ. I did school parties, played football, and ran track,” he says. “It was when they first started playing Eric B. & Rakim, that gave us an identity.”
Amir took pen to pad early and by the time he was out of high school he befriended fellow hip-hop artists Kaos & Mystro and shared a friendly rivalry with emcee Motsi Ski of Detroit’s Most Wanted. “Motsi was my mans before our records came out,” Amir says. “We met when we were both working on our records.”
This was the same era that birthed Awesome Dré & the Hardcore Committee, Champtown, Nikki D, and A.W.O.L. Amir found early success early with his single, “A Day Without a Rhyme,” but the story behind it is complicated.
“Mystro called me one day and was scratching on the record,” he says. “I
asked him how did he get it because it wasn’t out. He was like, ‘I just bought the record from Buy-Rite.’”
“A Day Without a Rhyme” was one of a plethora of songs Amir was recording for an album that never came out. It was the perfect combo of Amir’s razor-sharp rhyme style, a mesmerizing hook, and sampled Rakim adlibs. The song was Detroit’s first viral hip-hop record and received airplay across Detroit’s radio waves during a time when Detroit hiphop artists were starting to resent the lack of support from radio.
Despite the notoriety, Amir wasn’t able to financially capitalize off the song due to an ongoing dispute with his business partner. “He and I were trying to figure out our contract and agreement. We couldn’t really figure it out, you know? We discussed one thing but then people
got in his ear,” Amir says.
The song also cemented his place in Detroit hip-hop where future stars like Big Proof called him the “God of Detroit Rap” and others compared him to Rakim. The contractual arrangement between Amir and his business partner never got resolved and Amir moved on to managers Greedy Greg and Doc Brown. From there he flew to California where he recorded a demo tape with DJ Quick affiliate T.K.O. and then moved to New York shortly after. Amir’s goals were clear: He wanted to make music and he wanted to find the right business partnership that would help his music reach broader spectrums.
“Trying to get a deal was different back then. You could just walk into an office, to the desk and say, ‘Let me see an A&R guy,’” he says with a laugh.
Amir garnered a lot of interest. He met
Mersiless Amir is a veteran of Detroit’s first wave of hip-hop.
KAHN SANTORI DAVISON
with Def Jam, RCA, EMI, Warner, A&M, and Interscope (when Interscope was in its beginning stages). Ultimately Ameer chose to sign with Polygram records in 1996.
“When I signed with Polygram, they were like the biggest label in the world. They got absorbed by MCA like five years later,” he says.
Amir got to work on his upcoming album but the producer was juggling projects from other acts for the label. He never felt like his album was a priority. “People got a lot of money when we signed that deal,” Amir says. “The producer who got the deal for us, the manager, they didn’t really care if it didn’t come out.”
As time went by and deadlines kept being missed the label decided to shelve the album (even though it did get completed). “I think it was because it just took too long to finish the album. They moved on. The energy just went somewhere else,” he adds.
Once out of his contract with Polygram, Amir relocated to California. By now he had become an exceptional producer and efficient drum programmer. His weapon of choice was a MPC2000 customized by legendary electronics engineer Bruce Forat. He found work for all-star songwriter Diane Warren doing
the drum programming for hit songs including “Breathe Again” (Toni Braxton, 1993) and “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” (Aerosmith, 1998). He also worked with famed music director Rickey Minor and contributed to various TV productions. Amir compares the work to being a session drummer for Motown.
“I did music for the Comedy Central awards, NAACP awards. I was good with the right people and they were always connecting me with other people,” he says.
On the hip-hop side Amir began releasing a series of albums under the moniker “Eddy Rebel.” “I was inspired by Wu-Tang,” he says through a laugh. “You know how they have different aliases and names.”
The Eddy Rebel albums were full of Amir’s patten swift lyrical flow over laidback west coast beats. Songs like “Ride a Wave” and “Time 2 Roll” are still Los Angeles mainstays. In an awkward twist of fate, Eddy Rebel even blew up in Japan.
“The distributor I worked with bootlegged my shit. They bootlegged my shit in Japan and Oakland,” Amir says. The bootleged CDs had a mixtape-like effect as Amir was able to establish a strong fanbase in other markets. “I had Japanese DJs reaching out to me. I had a couple cases of CDs and they bought all of them.”
Seven years in California had been good to Amir. His income was solid, he continued with his Eddy Rebel releases, and had gotten married. He still had not quite achieved the national breakout success his talent deserved but was still working toward it. In 2005, Amir made another pivot as he decided it was time to move back to Detroit for family reasons. It didn’t take long for Amir to get back into the studio. In 2007 he released Legends Ball. The project featured heavyweights Big Herk, Stretch Money, and Proof, but failed to make a commercial impact. “We spent like $20,000 dollars recording it then we didn’t have any money left to market and promote it,” he says with a shrug.
After another hiatus, he dropped a triple album True Legend with 30 tracks in total in 2022. The album powered by the nostalgic single “So Far Away” that featured L.A. native Young Trey.
“I think I just had a lot to get off my chest. I finished a song and then another and I’m like, ‘I like all of these,’” he says.
On August 20, Amir dropped Legendhood featuring contributions from former Death Row bassist Tony Green. “It’s dope, it’s something that I want to be another timeless vibe,” he says. “It’s aggressive, lyrical, message-oriented. It’s major, it’s not what you would expect.”
Although Amir has shown he’s only gotten better with time, his hip-hop legacy will forever be tied to “A Day Without a Rhyme.” In 2022 Eminem mentioned Amir’s name along with 100 others to show gratitude to the emcees that have influenced him. Prior to that, Amir says that “A Day Without a Rhyme” is the only known song Eminem has covered.
“[He’s] a fan, it’s an honor,” Amir says. “The first time we met was backstage at the first BET Awards in Vegas. He came offstage after performing with Dr. Dre, and I said, ‘Eminem, I’m your homeboy Mersiless Amir,’ his jaw dropped like he saw a ghost and he started singing, ‘A Day Without a Rhyme.’”
Amir still has lofty goals but acknowledges that he’s had a full life. He’s worked with and broke bread with some of the biggest names in hip-hop and entertainment. While he finds technology has made the process of making music easier, fighting through the noise of the internet is taxing. He plans on to keep finding new and innovative ways to make music
“I’m just taking it a day at a time,” he says. “I always have creativity on my mind. I’m always thinking about the next song. You stay evolving, you evolve with the times. I wanted to assert that I’m from the D, and I do this kind of music.”
FOOD
Bites
Japanese-inspired cocktail bar opens in Detroit’s Book Tower
The Aladdin Sane, a new cocktail bar in Detroit’s recently renovated Book Tower, offers an interesting blend of inspirations — Japan and David Bowie.
With only nine bar seats and 23 lounge seats, it looks like a perfect hidden spot for an intimate experience. The bar’s name pays homage to Bowie’s 1973 album, Aladdin Sane, featuring signature cocktails inspired by its classic tracks like “Watch That Man” and “Panic in Detroit.”
Designed by Stokes Architecture + Design, the space mirrors traditional Japanese cocktail bars in Tokyo, featuring bars and tables of the same height. The bar top is a “striking live edge, singlepiece mahogany slab, and the bar die wall is adorned with custom hand-tooled leather.”
A mural by Reverend Michael Allen on the end wall enhances the venue’s unique, upscale aesthetic.
The Aladdin Sane offers house creations as well as innovative takes on familiar classics, with a large collection of whiskies. Notable selections include the extremely rare Yamazaki 18 100th Anniversary Edition and the only bottle of Glenfiddich 29 Year Grand Yozakura available in a Michigan bar.
The spot joins a collection of other new bars and eateries that have opened in the recently renovated Book Tower at 1265 Washington Blvd., in downtown Detroit. Others include French-inspired restaurant Le Supreme, Japanese dining concept Hiroki-San, European wine bar and cafe Bar Rotunda, modern Japanese pub Sarazuki, and rooftop lounge Kamper’s.
The Aladdin Sane is now open Tuesday through Thursday from 5-11 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m.midnight.
—Layla McMurtrie
Former UFO Factory, renamed UFO Bar, is now open
Popular Corktown bar and music venue UFO Factory closed in June, but it made a comeback over the weekend as UFO Bar — with new ownership and, hopefully, a similar vibe.
The OG owners announced a few months ago that they were moving on to new projects, and many in the community were sad to hear the news. Fortunately, Roula David, owner of another popular local venue, Spot Lite, purchased the building. Since UFO Factory’s last day on June 15, the new team has been preparing to reopen with most of the same lovable essence and some minor changes.
Opened in 2014, UFO Factory quickly became a local staple for underground rock, punk shows, and queer-focused DJ nights. It was also known for its quirky and colorfully painted gender-neutral bathrooms, which became a favorite selfie spot.
UFO Bar will keep most of the original staff and continue many familiar events, but will include the addition of a new late-night menu. Fans of Laika Dog, the vegan hot dog spot inside UFO Factory, may be sad that it’s gone. However, the bar will still offer gourmet vegan hot dogs from Spot Lite’s resident food truck, Gladys Nite.
The new team also plans to revitalize UFO Factory’s iconic “cloud deck” and maintain the record store inside, expanding its selection to include new genres beyond just rock.
Let’s hope UFO Bar is just as loved as its predecessor.
For more information and updates, you can follow @ufobardetroit on Instagram.
—Layla McMurtrie
NBA’s Kevin Johnson ready to open Fixins Soul Kitchen
Former NBA All-Star and 55th mayor of Sacramento Kevin Johnson is ready to bring his Fixins Soul Kitchen restaurant chain to Detroit. Announced last year, the restaurant will be located at 1435 Randolph St., Detroit, in a space formerly occupied by Detroit Seafood Market in the Har-
monie Park neighborhood.
A grand opening celebration has been announced for 11 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 23, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony featuring Johnson and a number of Detroit dignitaries.
The chain also has locations in Sacramento, Los Angeles, and Tulsa, but
Sheetz announces more Detroit-area stores
Pennsylvania-based convenience store chain
Sheetz is continuing its expansion into Michigan, announcing four more stores set to open in the Detroit area in the coming months.
The new locations include 8200 Telegraph Rd. and 20623 Eureka Rd. in Taylor, 45011 Garfield Rd. in Macomb, and 31925 Van Dyke Ave. in Warren.
That’s in addition to its first Detroit-area location, set to open at 33380 Wick Rd., Romulus, later this summer.
The company also previously announced other locations at Middlebelt Road and Interstate 94 in Romulus and 23 Mile Road and I-94 in Chesterfield.
According to the company, it’s the first time it has expanded into a new state in nearly 20 years.
The chain has developed something of a cult following thanks to its 24/7 coffee and food, with Business Insider declaring its Made-To-Order Espresso bar “actually comparable to Starbucks, but with half the price,” and USA Today readers naming the company the Best Regional Fast Food Chain.
Its food menu includes “Appz,” “Sidez,” “Burgerz,” “Dogz,” “Saladz,” and “Shnack Wrapz,” and its sweet and spicy “Boom Boom” sauce is so popular that other restaurants, like Detroit’s Anchor Bar, have offered their own versions.
The family-owned and -operated chain started as a dairy store in Pennsylvania in 1952. It has since become one of the fastest-growing chains in the U.S. and a highly rated place to work for its supervisor wages that start at $15.50 per hour with benefits, 12 weeks paid maternity leave, and other perks including a College Tuition Reimbursement program.
Detroit’s is reportedly its largest. According to a press release, “The Fixins menu is inspired by Kevin’s search for the best soul food restaurants in cities that he used to play basketball in and by his grandmother’s family recipes.”
—Lee DeVito
The company is also touted for its community engagement, and it says it plans to donate $10,000 to the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southeast Michigan.
More information is available at sheetz.com.
—Lee DeVito
What happens when you mix Japanese culture and David Bowie. MATTHEW WILLIAMS
CULTURE
Savage Love
Quickies
By Dan Savage
: Q Straight, monogamous, cisgender couple here. Six years together, two years married. My husband loves board games, problem solving, and anything that gets his brain going. But like many straight white cis dudes, he’s not particularly aware of what motivates him. He’s also not straightforward with exactly what turns him on. But one thing he likes is initiating sex at the most inconvenient moment. He’ll try to get things going when I’m cooking or when we have to get dressed and get somewhere. The more I rebuff his advances, the more motivated my husband is to have sex. I think my rebuffs feel like a game for him — a fun problem to solve — but I find the whole thing pretty fucking annoying. I’ve tried asking him what turns him on, and I’ve been straightforward about his advances not feeling sexy when I’m concentrating on not burning dinner or getting dressed and out the door because we’re meeting friends somewhere or have a reservation. But it just keeps happening. Even worse, we’ve been busy lately and talked about making time for sex, so I’ve been trying to initiate more. But when I initiate at a good time, he turns me down. Meanwhile, he continues to initiate at the worst times. So, now I’m angry that he can’t seem to have a productive conversation about what he wants and that I always have to start the hard conversations. I have two questions for you:
1. How can I get him to have a real conversation with me about what turns him on? If I’m right about the rebuffs feeling like a game to him, I want to figure out ways to turn this into an actual game that feels sexy for me too. If that doesn’t work…
2. How do I get him to stop?
—Jokey Unaware Man’s Actions Not Juicy Ideal
P.S. When I’m not being annoyed by the above, I find him incredibly sexy, the sex we have is great and sometimes amazing, and we have a lovely and fun life together.
A: 1. Does it have to be a conversation?
You have a pretty read on what your husband is doing, JUMANJI, so instead of initiating an open-ended conversation in the hope your husband has an epiphany and knocks this shit off, you could just tell him what’s he doing and order him to knock it off. If he disagrees — if he doesn’t think he’s initiating sex at the worst
possible times because overcoming your resistance turns him on and/or affirms his irresistibility and/or seems like a fun game to him — then you can challenge him to come up with a better explanation. If he can’t, he’ll have to accept yours.
That said, JUMANJI, I think there’s a bigger issue here than your husband’s legitimately annoying inability to articulate what he’s doing and why and when.
Your husband sounds like one of those people who wants sex to feel spontaneous — a wild and uncontrollable force that overtakes you both — while you sound like someone who wants sex to feel controlled and contained. (I imagine sex wouldn’t be inconvenient at those times when you initiate, which may be why he passes.) Finding a workable compromise that allows for sex to be (or feel) spontaneous for him without sex always being a hugely inconvenient pain the ass for you will require you both to give a little. So, it’s not an epiphany on his part that will resolve this conflict, JUMANJI, but a pay-the-price-admission compromise on both your parts. He’s gonna need to demonstrate — he’s gonna need to telegraph — more consideration for your feelings about the where and when of sex and you’re gonna need to demonstrate to him that you’re willing to be (or willing to fake being) reasonably spontaneous.
2. Do you want him to stop?
You say the sex you have with your husband — when you have it — runs from great to amazing. Seeing as your husband shoots you down when you initiate (something he needs to work on), JUMANJI, all this great-to-amazing sex must be happening when you’re trying to get dinner on the table or out the door. If he can learn to read you better and take no for an answer when the answer is a firm no — if he can learn not to push when there’s something on the stove that really can’t wait — maybe the answer can be yes when the meal you’re preparing or the friends you’re meeting can wait.
P.S. Your husband isn’t the only one who can play games. You can lie to your husband about having dinner reservations for 7 p.m. when they’re actually for 8 p.m. and let him think he’s getting away with something when he initiates sex at 6:45 p.m.
P.P.S. If you really wanna make it a puzzle and keep him out of the kitchen, JUMANJI, get your husband a cock cage and hide clues for the combination lock in other parts of the house. If he can solve the puzzle and free his cock before dinner, you will turn down the heat and have a quickie on the kitchen counter. But he’s not allowed in the kitchen — he not even allowed to talk to you — until his cock is free or his dinner is served, whichever comes first.
: Q Yo, Danny! My girlfriend is very sweet and super affectionate in private, but it totally disappears in public. She doesn’t just avoid PDA in the sense of “no tongue kissing” and “no groping,” she adopts this ice-cold persona when we go anywhere. She barely smiles at me and rejects any public display of affection greater than holding hands. It kind of makes me anxious when we go from very cuddly and touchy at home to her literally jumping away if I try to give her a peck on the cheek in public. Is she being unreasonable or am I just an anxious little bitch?
—Publicly Displayed Aversion
A: Your girlfriend could be unreasonable, PDA, and you could be an anxious little bitch — it doesn’t have to be one or the other. But unreasonable or not, PDA, your girlfriend doesn’t like public displays of affection. If it hurts your feelings when she pulls away when you try to kiss her in public, stop trying to kiss her in public. That fact that she’s willing to hold your hand is proof she isn’t embarrassed to be seen with you, PDA, and proof she doesn’t loathe you the way Melania loathes Donald. But if you try to stick your tongue in her mouth every time she so much as smiles at you in public if you keep doing shit to your girlfriend that she hates (kissing her, grabbing more than her hand) — she’s not only gonna keep glaring, she’s gonna come to hate you every bit as much as Melania hates Donald, PDA, and then you’re gonna get dumped.
P.S. If your girlfriend doesn’t enjoy being kissed in public and you know it, PDA, you’re not kissing her in public to please her, you’re kissing her in public to show something to other people —namely, that she’s yours. That’s not kissing, PDA, that’s asserting a claim, and it’s a shit reason to kiss someone in public. Unless the person you’re kissing enjoys feeling “claimed,” which your girlfriend clearly doesn’t. Knock it off.
P.P.S. Only my mom called me Danny, PDA. I already gave you grief in my response, and I’m not here in this post-postscript to give you more. I actually wanna thank you, as your letter made me think of my mom just now. So, thanks.
: Q An odd situation: I’m a 41-year-old cisgender man who can only perform sexually if a certain song is playing. As bizarre as it sounds, no matter how attracted I may be to a new partner, I literally cannot maintain an erection unless I’m listening to this one specific song (ideally on repeat) for the duration of the act. Obviously, this has made for some awkward moments and conversations with casual partners when I try to explain. It is ruining my love life. It’s such an unusual issue to have that even my therapist hasn’t encountered it. It’s not a song I particularly like, but it was a song my late wife loved and listened to all the time and even chose for our first dance at our
wedding. My wife died six years ago and I’m obviously unable to let go. I’ve tried ED pills, but they don’t help because the root cause is psychological, not physical. Have you ever heard of anything like this? I made the mistake of posting this on Reddit a few weeks ago, and while some people responded with kindness and constructive suggestions like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), others mocked me or thought I was joking. I’m not joking. Any insight would be appreciated. —Totally Unfathomable Need Endangering Situationships
P.S. I’m not including the name of the song because it’s irrelevant in a way. Just know it’s a mellow pop song from a while back.
A: I haven’t heard of this, TUNES, but back in my twenties — gonna take a long stroll down memory lane here — I used to hook up with a guy who wanted to be spanked while he listened to Doris Day’s Greatest Hits. He never offered an in-depth explanation, TUNES, and I didn’t want one. I had always been an unapologetic/unironic fan of Doris Day… and I was a new fan of this boy’s ass… so, I was more than happy to spank him while we listened to Doris Day. But if he’d told me Doris Day was his dead husband’s favorite artist… or that he was forced to listen to Doris Day while he was abused by nuns… I probably wouldn’t have enjoyed spanking him during “Que Sera, Sera” as much as I did.
Anyway, TUNES, if you can’t do anything about this — if your therapist can’t help and CBT doesn’t make a difference — I think you should present your need for this particular pop song the same way that boy presented his need for Doris Day’s Greatest Hits: as a quirk, TUNES, an inexplicable one. On the theory that it’s better to harmlessly confuse a sex partner (gotta hear this song) than it is to disappoint one (can’t get hard) — and on the theory that casual sex partners don’t need or want to know everything — I think we can justify omitting this song’s association with your late wife. (Sorry for your loss.) Because no one you’re casually fucking wants to lay there thinking about your dead wife, TUNES, any more than they wanna lay there thinking about you thinking about your dead wife.
If you wind up getting serious about someone, TUNES, you might have to come clean eventually or not. My husband and I have a song that’s “ours,” but I couldn’t tell you what song was important to him and his ex. But even as you’re keeping things casual for now, you should do what you can to wean yourself from this song. Listening to it at progressively lower volumes...
Full column at savage.love. 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, and more at Savage.Love.
CULTURE Free Will Astrology
By Rob Brezsny
ARIES: March 21 – April 19
Some centenarians testify they have lived more than a century because they smoked many cigarettes, drank a lot of booze, and ate a steady diet of junk food. Should the rest of us adapt their habits? Of course not. The likelihood of remaining healthy while following such an unsound regimen is infinitesimal. Just because a few lucky people miraculously thrived like that is not a sound argument for imitating them. I bring this to your attention, Aries, because the coming weeks will be an excellent time to upgrade your commitment to healthy habits. If you’ve been waiting for the right time to love your body better, this is it.
TAURUS: April 20 – May 20
Taurus stage magician Doug Henning had lavish ambitions. They served him well as he became a star performer in theater and on TV. “If I produce a 450-pound Bengal tiger,” he
said, “it’s going to create a lot more wonder than if I produce a rabbit.” That’s the spirit I invite you to embrace in the coming weeks, Taurus. The cosmos is authorizing you to expand your understanding of what you can accomplish — and then accomplish it. Dream bigger dreams than you have previously dared.
GEMINI: May 21 – June 20
VIRGO: August 23 – Sept. 22
CAPRICORN: Dec. 22 – Jan. 19
I bet we get fewer requests to put the convention on the boob tube than the Sports Draft…This one should be good theater my friends. THE WORLDWHOLE IS
WATCHING, MAN.
The color of planet Earth is predominantly blue with green, brown, and white mixed in. And for people all over the world, blue is more often their favorite color than any other. Why? In part because blue typically evokes peace, tranquility, security, and stability. It’s often used in therapeutic environments, since it makes us feel more at ease about expressing our feelings. I bring these thoughts to your attention, Gemini, because you are entering a blue phase of your cycle. It will be a favorable time to harvest the benefits of relaxing and slowing down. You are more likely to feel at home with yourself and accept yourself just as you are.
CANCER: June 21 – July 22
Harvard Business School professor Gerald Zaltman, born under the sign of Cancer, says that 95% of our buying choices originate in our subconscious minds. Behavioral psychologist Susan Weinschenk believes 90% of all our decision-making is unconscious. But I propose that in the coming weeks, you increase the amount of conscious awareness you bring to sorting out your options. Cosmic energies will conspire in your favor if you do. You will receive unexpected boosts and generate creative enhancements if you resolve to rouse more lucid analysis and careful thoughtfulness.
LEO: July 23 – August 22
A wealthy hedge fund manager named Raj Rajaratnam paid Leo singer Kenny Rogers $4 million to perform at his epic birthday party. But the night turned nightmarish for Rogers when Rajaratnam insisted that he sing his hit song “The Gambler” over and over again. Finally, after 12 repetitions, Rogers refused to do more. I wonder if you, too, might soon have to deal with a situation that’s too much of a good thing. My advice: Make sure all agreements between you and others are clear and firm. Get a guarantee that you will receive exactly what you want, and don’t do more than you have promised.
Now and then, zoologists decide that their classifications of species need to be revised and refined. For example, three subspecies of soft-furred, teardrop-shaped hedgehogs in Southeast Asia were recently elevated to distinct species of their own. They are no longer considered to be subspecies of Hylomys suillusbut, but are now named H. dorsalis, H. maxi, and H. peguensis. I bring this to your attention, Virgo, because I suspect that you, too, are ready for an upgrade to a new category all your own. It’s time for you to claim greater sovereignty. You will be wise to define how distinctive and unique you are, to distinguish yourself from influences that are superficially like you.
LIBRA: Sept. 23 – Oct. 22
When mega-famous artist Pablo Picasso was asked how he felt about NASA landing people on the moon in 1969, he said, “It means nothing to me. I have no opinion about it, and I don’t care.” I invite you to use his statement as one of your power mottoes in the coming weeks. Now is an excellent time to identify the experiences, influences, events, and people about which you have absolutely zero interest. Once you do that, I predict you will have a rush of clear revelations about the most interesting experiences, influences, events, and people you want in your future.
SCORPIO: Oct. 23 – Nov. 21:
The ancient Chinese philosopher Lao-Tzu made an observation that could serve as your watchword in the coming months. “Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,” he wrote, “while loving someone deeply gives you courage.” In my astrological opinion, Scorpio, you are now primed to embody and express these states with unique intensity. If you embrace the inspiring challenge of loving deeply and being loved deeply, you will reach new heights of strength and courage.
SAGITTARIUS: Nov. 22 – Dec. 21
Many musical instruments must be constantly adjusted to ensure they stay in tune. This usually means that the note A above middle C vibrates at 440 cycles per second — with all other notes tuned in relation to it. Having sung in bands for years, I have seen how guitarists, bass players, violinists, and even drummers have to continually attend to their tuning during performances. Imagine the diligent finesse it takes to keep an entire orchestra of many instruments in tune with each other. I suspect that one of your jobs in the coming weeks, Sagittarius, will have similarities to this kind of management and coordination.
Dancing is always good for you, but it will be extra healthy and energizing in the next four weeks. I hope you will be inspired to dance as often as possible, even if you just do it alone in your kitchen or bedroom while listening to music that moves you. Do you need rational explanations for why this is a good idea? OK, here are the hard facts: Dancing reduces stress, raises serotonin levels, enhances well-being, and is excellent physical exercise. Here’s another motivational reason: Dancing literally makes you smarter. Scientific research clearly says so (tinyurl.com/ SmartDancing). Furthermore: In the near future, you will be in a playful, sexy, exuberant phase of your astrological cycle.
AQUARIUS: Jan. 20 – Feb. 18
“Quo signo nata es?” is the Latin expression for “What›s your sign?” Did anyone in ancient Rome ever say that? Probably not, since it’s a modern idiom. However, astrology was very popular in that society and era. According to scholar Rhianna Padman in her essay “Astrology in Ancient Rome,” Romans “believed that the specific positions of celestial bodies at the moment of a person’s birth could greatly impact their life and character.” Back then, Thrasyllus of Mendes was a prominent astrologer who became a key advisor to Emperor Tiberius. Anyway, Aquarius, I bring “Quo signo nata es?” to your attention so as to inspire the following assignment: Update all your old favorite things. Put new spins on symbols and ideas that have served you for a long time. Take the best parts of your traditions and transplant them into the future.
PISCES: Feb.19 – March 20
The coming weeks will be an excellent time to declare amnesty about all matters affecting your close alliances. Dissolve grudges, please. Tussle less, play more. Relax your demands and expectations — and nicely ask your companions to relax their demands and expectations. If possible, forgive others and yourself for everything; failing that, forgive as much of everything as feels right. You might even convene a ritual in which you and your intimate collaborators chant the following affirmation: “We are gleefully free to reimagine and reinvent the ways we fit together!”
Homework: What ideas are you allergic to? What feelings make you sick? Can you immunize yourself against them?
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