Metro Times 10/09/2024

Photo by Charlie Auringer

NEWS & VIEWS

Feedback

We received comments in response to Steve Neavling’s cover story last week, “Detroit police buried evidence, and innocent men paid the price,” the second installment in a series on the illegal purge of files from the Wayne County Proesecutor’s Office.

Keep it up metro times with shining a light on DPD and Duggan’s office when he was prosecutor.

—@lindawardart, Instagram

@lindawardart speaking of. @dananessel worked as an assistant prosecutor for Wayne County under Duggan. Now she’s refusing to investigate the alleged destruction of documents from that office. @metrotimes

needs to ask @gewhitmer about that conflict of interest.

—@folkyeahhh, Instagram

Thank you @metrotimes ! Because this corruption has ran unchecked so long it’s still happening today! I am looking forward to these people being held accountable! Hopefully these series of articles bring in the Dept. of Justice... so the innocent people like my son and many others can finally get the justice they deserve!

#StopWrongfulConvictions

—@jaythelovegangster, Instagram

Nobody breaks the law more than the law.

—@jasonmsanford, Instagram

Have an opinion? Of course you do! Sound off: letters@metrotimes.com

NEWS & VIEWS

Southeast Michigan residents are trapped in Lebanon

Arab American groups are pressing the federal government to take stronger actions to rescue American citizens, including many from southeast Michigan, who are stuck in Lebanon as Israel’s military offensive escalates.

The situation is especially urgent in Wayne County, which has the largest population of Arab Americans and Lebanese Americans in the U.S.

On Thursday, the Dearborn-based Arab-American Civil Rights League filed a federal lawsuit against top officials from the defense and state departments, alleging the government has failed to adequately evacuate U.S. citizens and green card holders stuck in Lebanon.

The class-action lawsuit was filed on behalf of four U.S. citizens and one green card-holding permanent resident currently stranded in Lebanon’s capital of Beirut. They are “under imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury,” the lawsuit states.

One of the plaintiffs withdrew from

the suit after the family successfully secured airline tickets, Mariam E. Charara, executive director of the Arab American Civil Rights League, said Friday.

At least 6,000 Americans stranded in Lebanon have contacted the U.S. embassy for information and help, according to the Department of State. It’s unclear how many of them are from Michigan, but U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib told Metro Times on Friday that at least 148 live in her district, which covers sections of Detroit, Dearborn, western Wayne County, and portions of Oakland County.

Israeli bombs have already claimed the lives of three American citizens from Dearborn, with many others still in danger as the violence intensifies, according to Abed Ayoub, executive director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC).

“American citizens in Lebanon are facing dire circumstances, and the need for an immediate evacuation plan cannot be overstated,” said Ayoub. “The

lives of American citizens are in danger, and our government must act swiftly and decisively, as it has done in the past.”

State Representative Alabas Farhat, D-Dearborn, joined Ayoub and Chris Habiby, government affairs director of ADC, for a meeting Thursday with senior government officials at the White House to urge officials to show more urgency.

“Every moment that passes by without evacuation flights further endangers the lives of Americans,” Farhat said. “The United States has an obligation to protect its citizens and must do everything possible to bring them home. Families in my district are already grieving the loss of loved ones killed by Israeli bombs. This administration must act now.”

Nine days after Israel began its offensive in Lebanon, President Joe Biden’s administration announced on Wednesday that it had contracted its first flight to evacuate U.S. citizens from Beirut to

Istanbul.

But activists say the Biden administration isn’t acting with enough urgency.

“The Biden administration must take immediate steps to protect American citizens and assist the innocent civilians fleeing violence in Lebanon,” Ayoub said. “Failure to act now risks both lives and the integrity of the U.S. response to this crisis.”

Last Tuesday, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called on federal officials to “do more” to rescue U.S. citizens trapped in Lebanon.

“We are already hearing reports of confirmed deaths and fear there will be more,” Whitmer wrote in a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. “We cannot stand by while our constituents and their families are suffering.”

In an emotional video posted recently on Instagram, Tlaib spoke about the families, including a U.S. military veteran, who are stuck in Lebanon.

“For my team and I to break down and yell and scream for our own government to save them is a disgrace,” Tlaib said. “We need to do better. We knew this was coming, and we had no plan to get Americans out.”

—Steve Neavling

Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon.

AG not investigating illegal destruction of Wayne County prosecutor files

Thousands of files belonging to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office were illegally destroyed, but a week after Metro Times reported on the unlawful purge, the Michigan Attorney General’s Office says it is not investigating the case.

The destruction of prosecutor files has made it exceedingly difficult for wrongfully convicted inmates to demonstrate their innocence.

Between 2001 and 2004, while Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan was prosecutor, most if not all misdemeanor and felony records from 1995 and earlier were removed from an off-site warehouse and destroyed, according to Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy. During that time, Attorney General Dana Nessel worked in the prosecutor’s office.

Duggan adamantly denies he was involved.

In Michigan, prosecutors are required to retain the files of defendants serving life sentences for at least 50 years or until the inmate dies. Violating the law carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison.

It’s not entirely clear why Nessel’s office isn’t investigating, but a spokesman says no complaints have been filed.

“Our department does not have an active investigation into the matter,”

Danny Wimmer, spokesperson for Nessel, told Metro Times in a statement Tuesday. “I am unaware of any criminal

complaint or request to investigate being filed with or referred to our office.”

Wimmer has not yet responded to Metro Times’s follow-up questions.

Any Michigan resident can file a complaint about the destruction of records by filling out this form on the Michigan Attorney General’s website.

Nessel’s office investigated Duggan’s administration in the past but declined to file charges. In October 2019, the Detroit Office of the Inspector General

(OIG) said top officials in Duggan’s administration ordered the deletion of emails related to the nonprofit Make Your Date, which was run by the mayor’s now-wife. But Nessel declined to file charges in April 2021, saying the “facts and evidence in this case simply did not substantiate criminal activity.”

More than two dozen prisoners interviewed by Metro Times say they are innocent, but the destruction of the prosecutor’s files has severely hindered

their ability to get a new trial.

The file purge involved records from a deeply problematic period in Detroit’s Homicide Division when rampant misconduct, coerced confessions, and constitutional violations by police, particularly homicide detectives, were so widespread that the U.S. Department of Justice intervened, pressing for reforms to avoid a costly lawsuit in the early 2000s. This era of misconduct led to a significant number of wrongful convictions and false confessions, evidenced by a surge in exonerations and court settlements.

Legal experts say many innocent people remain incarcerated, but the destruction of the prosecutor’s files has compromised many of their cases, leaving some prisoners without a clear path to proving their innocence.

Eugene McKinney, a 54-year-old Detroiter who has been in prison since he was convicted of arson and first-degree murder in 1997, says he has compelling evidence to prove he’s innocent. But without the prosecutor’s files, he says, he has little recourse.

Someone needs to be held accountable for the file purge, McKinney says.

“They need to be prosecuted because they are withholding some important evidence that could exonerate me,” McKinney says from Gus Harrison Correctional Facility in Adrian.

—Steve Neavling

Michigan State Police troopers accused of racial profiling, mocking Black motorist in false DUI arrest

A motorist is suing Michigan State Police after troopers arrested him on false claims that he was intoxicated when they pulled him over in Benton Harbor shortly after 3 a.m. on April 10.

Dakarai Larriett, who is Black, claims he was racially profiled when troopers pulled over his Cadillac SUV, mocked his name, and suggested he smelled “fruity,” which he interpreted to be a homophobic remark.

At the time, Larriett was wearing pajamas and forced to undergo field sobriety tests in the cold. Trooper George Kanyuh, who Larriett says had a history of making sexist, racist, and homophobic statements on social media, was adamant that Larriett was under the influence.

“I don’t know what he’s on,” Kanyuh told his partner Matthew Okaiye,

according to footage obtained from his body-worn camera. “I’m going to assume it’s weed and alcohol.”

Larriett says the camera footage proves that troopers were trying to plant drugs on him. At 3:25 a.m., Kanyuh can be seen rifling through the trunk of his squad car for two minutes, and the video goes dark. At one point, Okaiye appears to say, “Drugs?”

Kanyuh responds, “I don’t think I have any … I had a stash in here somewhere. I don’t know where it’s at.”

Without any proof that Larriett was under the influence, the troopers handcuffed him and took him to a hospital to be tested for drugs and alcohol. He was then taken to jail, even though his alcohol test turned up negative.

Then an already humiliating encounter with police allegedly turned even more degrading.

While doing a scan of Larriett’s stomach, police claimed they had spotted an “anomaly” and accused him of “trying to smuggle drugs into the jail by way of ingestion of a bag of drugs,” Larriett tells Metro Times in an email.

“An extremely humiliating moment occurred where I was forced to defecate publicly while Trooper Kanyuh yelled at me not to flush,” Larriett recalls.

Kanyuh says he was charged with operating under the influence of a controlled substance, but prosecutors quickly dismissed the case “due to lack of evidence and the unlawful nature of the stop and arrest,” according to a federal complaint filed by Larriett’s attorney Shawndrica N. Simmons.

Five months later, the results of Larriett’s blood tests for drugs and alcohol arrived, and they were negative.

“The actions of the Michigan State

Police officers were part of a pattern and practice of racially discriminatory policing,” Simmons wrote in the demand for a jury trial.

After his arrest, Larriett found an X account, @GKanyuh, that he says belonged to Kanyuh before it was recently deleted. The tweets contained racist, homophobic, and misogynistic language and imagery.

In one retweet, a photo of a Black woman is captioned, “Met the biggest beauty of a crackhead last night.”

Larriett tells Metro Times he’s still struggling to come to terms with the traffic stop and arrest.

“It’s horrible,” he says. “I’m still shaking when I see that video.”

State police did not immediately return a request for comment from Metro Times —Steve Neavling

The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office.

STEVE NEAVLING

The Black Canon preserves Detroiter’s lifelong collection of history

A century’s worth of Black film, art, literature, music, and cultural history tucked away in a warehouse just outside of Detroit will soon be shared with the public.

Collected by late Detroiter James E. Wheeler, the extensive archive of over 40,000 artifacts from the 1910s and beyond includes books, vintage posters, lobby cards, vinyl records, photographs, magazines, and more.

After his passing in 2022, Wheeler’s children Alima Wheeler Trapp and Ali J. Wheeler have stepped up with dreams of making their father’s archives accessible to the world.

“We talk about this as a responsibility and a privilege,” Alima says. “Our father committed his life to building this work, and it was very important to him. We want to continue that vision. My brother and I both have sons and the goal is that this is generational. This is a legacy that started with him that we can maximize.”

Alima and Ali founded The Black Canon in 2019, inspired by the definition of canon — a body of influential works in music, literature, or art. Through their parent company and its newer nonprofit arm The Black Canon Collection, they are working to preserve and share their father’s collection.

According to the family, The James E. Wheeler Collection “represents one of the largest Black film and memorabilia collections in the world.”

On October 13, the siblings will host Art of the Ages, a curated exhibition from the collection and inaugural fundraiser featuring brunch, cocktails, a panel discussion, and more. The event will be held at Taylor’d Garden in Livonia, in collaboration with local artists and organizations.

“This, we do feel, is one of the greatest collections never heard of,” Alima says. “I think we have something very special and I think that it should be important to the community … I just feel like this should be a gem of the city.”

While Ali and Alima grew up in Detroit,

their father’s love for Black films began in Arkansas, where their grandparents ran a juke joint — an informal bar centered in Black culture and entertainment.

“At the time, you had Hollywood films, and then you had some African Americans and Black people that were making their own films. They had to selfdistribute these films,” Ali says, adding, “These films were showing Black people in professional roles as doctors and lawyers, the same type of things you would see in the mainstream movies, but with us in it.”

James’s fascination with Black media started at a young age, a passion which only grew after he and his family moved to Detroit during the Great Migration. By the time he passed away, James had filled three storage units, his basement, and various other spaces with his collection.

“My father had collected all these items, but they really weren’t organized in a manner that allows you to utilize it to its fullest potential,” Ali says. “We consolidated it into this warehouse right now, and now we’re going through the overwhelming process of archiving to understand what we have.”

Over the years, The James E. Wheeler Collection has been shown at institutions like The Chicago Museum of Science and Industry, The University of Texas, Harvard University, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

Now, his children hope to expand its reach, making the collection accessible for public education, exhibitions, and research. Their goal is to partner with educators, students, filmmakers, libraries, and anyone else interested in preserving and promoting Black cultural history.

The siblings hope to share their father’s collection with the world through exhibitions at major museums, traveling displays, and digital platforms.

Detroit is just the starting point for The Black Canon’s vision.

The upcoming Art of the Ages event will feature The Black Canon’s first selfcurated exhibit of artifacts from the 1910s

through the 1990s, illustrating how Black media representation has evolved across decades and artistic mediums.

“We thought it was interesting, when you look at some of the album covers from decades ago, the Black artists weren’t even used in the photography or in the artwork,” Alima says. “They weren’t allowed to be on their own cover. They didn’t think it would be marketable if they were on the cover of the album.”

In addition to the exhibition, attendees can also enjoy silent auctions, brunch, a DJ, and a panel discussion featuring emerging Black artists across literature, film, and music. Motor City Cinema will also screen select films from the collection.

Following the event, Alima and Ali hope to expand the exhibit to larger spaces or even showcase it digitally.

“We’re really looking for the first domino to fall. We’re very flexible,” Alima says. “We’ll continue to build as the archive grows.”

The significance of The Black Canon Collection extends beyond the Wheeler family, however, representing an important contribution to Black cultural history.

In 1999, James planned to restore Detroit’s National Theatre as a place to show historic films, host film festivals, and display his collection, according to Historic Detroit. Though the plan never materialized and the theater was demolished in early 2024, his children continue to carry a similar torch.

Detroit ranked second least safe city in the U.S

As soon as Detroiters start to feel like the city is on the rise, a new study comes in to remind us there’s still work to be done.

In a recent study from personal finance website WalletHub titled “Safest Cities in America,” the Motor City was ranked as the second least safe city in the U.S., just

ahead of Memphis. The study compared 182 cities across 41 key safety metrics, and unfortunately, Detroit didn’t fare well in many areas.

Here’s how Detroit performed, with 1 being the safest and 91 being the national average: 165th for traffic fatalities per capita; 175th for assaults per capita; 138th

for hate crimes per capita; 180th for unemployment rate; 63rd for percent of households with emergency savings; 72nd for percent of uninsured population; and 100th for natural-disaster risk level.

As revitalization efforts continue across Detroit, these rankings highlight that while progress has been made,

“They actually sold him the National Theatre for like $1 to house the collection,” Ali says. “I’m not sure where everything went wrong after that point, but there was a point where they were going to look at this as ‘OK, we can have the city of Detroit house this.’”

He adds, “We’re rebranding, but we do have some of that same vision, and ideally, this could be a resource for all to enjoy.”

Down the road, a permanent gallery space to house the archive in its entirety would be ideal. For Alima and Ali, Art of the Ages represents just the first step toward broader recognition for their father’s collection.

“We would love the community to come out and support,” Alima says. “We would love to build our network as a result of investing in this exhibit and experience and we would love to have more support on sustaining the collection, whether that be through exhibits or through sponsors or donations.”

Looking ahead, the siblings are focused on completing the archiving process, creating a searchable database of the collection, developing partnerships, and securing funding to fully preserve the collection.

Their long-term hope is for The Black Canon Collection to become a resource for generations to come.

More information on The Black Canon and Art of the Ages can be found at blackcanon.com.

—Layla McMurtrie

there’s still a long way to go.

But let’s be honest — Detroit definitely has a lot more excitement than the safest cities in the nation, which include Burlington and South Burlington, Vermont; Casper, Wyoming; Warwick, Rhode Island; and Boise, Idaho.

The full report is available at wallethub.com.

—Layla McMurtrie

James E. Wheeler at his desk in 1986.

COURTESY PHOTO

NEWS & VIEWS

Lapointe

Michigan, abortion, and Project 2025

By Joe Lapointe

At a Democratic campaign rally in Flint on Friday night, Vice President Kamala Harris warned of what could come after Nov. 5 should former Republican President Donald Trump win their Election Day showdown.

“If you want to know more about Donald Trump’s plans, just Google ‘Project 2025,’” Harris said, drawing loud booing from the audience that included Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Earvin (Magic) Johnson.

“It is a detailed and dangerous blueprint for what he will do if he is elected president,” Harris continued. “Donald Trump will give billionaires and corporations massive tax cuts, attack unions, cut Social Security and Medicare, and impose a Trump sales tax, a 20 per cent sales tax, on every-day, basic necessities.”

The 920-page document includes an assault against abortion rights and child care and a goal to “maintain a Biblicallybased, social science-reinforced definition of marriage and family” while opposing “radical gender ideology.”

Trump has disavowed Project 2025. He claims he hasn’t read it (probably true) although many of his highly-placed supporters produced it through the reactionary Heritage Foundation. It reads like vengeance against the right wing’s many culture-war enemies, real and imagined.

One contributor is Michael Anton, a lecturer in politics and a research fellow at Hillsdale College’s Kirby Center in Washington, D.C., which acts as the branch “campus” of the private, influential Con-

servative Arts college based in southern Michigan near Ohio and Indiana.

Anton also was a national security official under Trump. But it is difficult to ascertain Anton’s specific role in Project 2025. No essays have his byline. He sometimes writes under a pseudonym. In 2019, his writing sounded like Trump’s anti-immigration vows.

“The ceaseless importation of thirdworld foreigners with no tradition of, taste for, or experience in liberty, means that the electorate grows more left, more Democratic, less Republican . . . and less traditionally American with every cycle,” Anton wrote, according to USA Today.

In a different essay, for the Washington Post, Anton urged revocation of birthright citizenship for babies born in the U.S.A.

“Why do we need more people?” Anton wrote. “For the extra traffic congestion? More crowded classrooms? . . . Diversity is not ‘our strength.’ It’s a source of weakness, tension and disunion.”

As for Muslims, Anton wrote in a different screed: “Islam is not a ‘religion of peace.’ It’s a militant faith that exalts conversion by the sword and inspires thousands to acts of terror — and millions more to support and sympathize with terror.” His words drip the venom of bigotry.

Anton did not return several requests for comment. In Project 2025, he is listed under “Contributors.” In addition, under “Advisory Board,” the only school mentioned is Hillsdale College, which often touts its connections to the

harassment in 2017 against people from Arab nations?

Another local, election-related detail that escaped most local media last week was the revelation by special counsel Jack Smith that a Trump election official in 2020 urged Trump protestors to riot in downtown Detroit at the TCF Center, now called Huntington Place, once called Cobo Hall.

They tried to stop the vote count when mail-in ballot tabulations began to favor Biden. According to a 165-page court filing unsealed last Wednesday by federal Judge Tanya Chutkan, Trump’s “private operators sought to create chaos, rather than seek clarity.”

The document said a Trump election official outside the Center learned from a colleague (a Republican lawyer) inside the Center that people were chanting “Stop the count!” and that violence might occur.

Supreme Court and other right-wing Washington institutions.

As for reproductive rights, Michigan — with Democrats in power and women in high offices — led most states in combatting the Supreme Court’s 2022 abolition of abortion rights by passing an amendment to the state constitution protecting choice. That right might die in a second Trump regime seeking — incrementally — a national ban.

According to the Center for American Progress, Project 2025 is an “authoritarian playbook . . . to curtail the decision-making power of pregnant women, patients and medical providers . . . Fearing criminalization, providers will be forced to deny care to patients . . . Maternity care deserts will proliferate . . . Politics, not science, will regulate drug safety determinations.”

Because Project 2025 and abortion rights have put Republicans on the defensive, at least in places like Michigan, attack ads against them on Detroit-area television have concentrated on these MAGA vulnerabilities.

Conversely, attack ads against Democrats suggest that Harris and liberals will murder babies after birth and allow dark-skinned immigrants to rob stores and even vote while the American economy descends perilously into Soviet-style Marxism and politically into dictatorship.

In that Michigan is a “swing state” in a close election, both sides will fiercely campaign here in the last weeks, as Harris did Friday when, according to the Washington Post, she also met with Arab and Muslim leaders in the Great Lakes State.

That large voting segment in Michigan might swing away from Harris because President Joe Biden has supported Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, which is now escalating into a war against Hezbollah in Lebanon. But would they vote for Trump, who instituted a “Muslim Ban” of airport

The Trump official has been identified in news reports as Mark Roman, Trump’s Director of Election Day Operations. From afar, he encouraged the mob.

“Make them riot,” he texted. “DO it!!!”

This amounted to a dress rehearsal for Jan. 6, when Trump’s lynch mob marched from the White House to the U.S. Capitol to intimidate both Vice-President Mike Pence and Congress into reversing the election results.

With Trump convicted now of 34 felonies and other trials pending, he faces at least two possibilities: The Oval Office or prison. He is desperate and so are his extremist supporters. If and when Trump loses to Harris, expect MAGA to re-enact the Jan. 6 protests with even more ferocity.

Consider Kevin Roberts — the President of the Heritage Foundation. His name appears first in Project 2025 as author of the lengthy forward to the 30-chapter screed that screams between the lines “White Christian nationalism.”

In the forward, Roberts writes, in part: “The Left is threatening the tax-exempt status of churches and charities that reject woke progressivism. They will soon turn to Christian schools and clubs with the same totalitarian intent” . . . “Pornography should be outlawed. The people who produce and distribute it should be imprisoned’ . . . “The noxious tenants of ‘critical race theory’ and ‘gender ideology’ should be excised from curricula” . . . “Finally, conservatives should gratefully celebrate the greatest pro-family win in a generation: Overturning Roe v. Wade, a decision that for five decades made a mockery of our Constitution and facilitated the deaths of tens of millions of unborn children.”

If you lack time to read his entire encyclical and the rest of Project 2025, just note what Roberts said in public last summer.

“We are in the process of the second American revolution,” Roberts said, “which will remain bloodless — if the Left allows it to be.”

How white, Christian nationalism targets “the Left.”

SHUTTERSTOCK

AGAINST ALL ODDS, A NEW ORAL HISTORY ABOUT THE INFLUENTIAL DETROIT ROCK BAND IS FINALLY HERE

BY CARYN ROSE

The first time music journalist Ben Edmonds heard about the MC5, it was from musician friends in a band called Magic Terry and the Universe. He liked what his friends had to say about the band, so Edmonds made sure to go to the MC5’s first New York City show at the Fillmore East. The verdict? “I thought they were hands down the best rock and roll band I had ever seen in my life. It’s an opinion I hold to this day,” Edmonds told journalist Jason Gross in a 1998 interview, adding, “With all the research I’ve done and all the time I’ve spent thinking about the band, I’m not sure I can put their legacy into a simple sound byte. The story is far more complex than anybody knows… What exactly is the legacy of this band that I’ve spent most of my life obsessing over? We’ll see.”

An answer to that question is presented in MC5: An Oral History of Rock’s Most Revolutionary Band, out now from Hachette Books. The book is based largely on Edmonds’s extensive archive of material about the band formed in Lincoln Park in 1963, and was shaped into existence by CREEM editorial director Jaan Uhelszki and author and former Guitar World editor Brad Tolinski, who share a byline with Edmonds. Its release comes near the end of a year in which the last remaining founding members of the MC5 and its manager have died, and right at the cusp of the band’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the “Musical Excellence” category later this month in Cleveland. MC5 diehards had heard rumors of Edmonds’s book for years, plans he had given up on until he was

diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2015; Edmonds died in 2016 at age 65. In an obituary in the Detroit Free Press, Ben Blackwell of Third Man Records shared that Edmonds had told him, “‘I can’t do that book and keep everyone happy. If I put out the book the way I want it, everybody’s going to be pissed off.’ … So his stand was, ‘I’m not going to do it at all.’”

But Edmonds’s unexpected cancer diagnosis changed all of that. He asked Uhelszki, his best friend (and later, literary executor) to come to Michigan to help him finish the book. She tells Metro Times, “I said, ‘Sure, I’ll do that.’ I’m thinking it’s three-quarters finished, in a month I could, you know, help him just jam it out, and we’d finish it. And when I got there, there wasn’t anything. There were, like, boxes and boxes

and boxes of handwritten transcripts. He didn’t type anything. So I sat in a back bedroom for three weeks and read everything that was in there.”

Eventually she had to return to her life and work in California, but with the intention that they would continue to work on the book together. “Of course, he thought he could beat it,” she says, “and I wanted to believe it.”

After her friend left the planet, Uhelszki decided that the way she could keep her promise was to put together an oral history, based on those thousands of pages of interviews. She enlisted the help of Tolinski, a fellow Detroit-area native. She’d previously worked with Tolinski during his 20-year tenure as editor of Guitar World, putting together a 30,000-word package on Alice Cooper’s Billion Dollar Babies

She also knew he’d worked through massive quantities of interviews for his previous books on Eddie Van Halen and Jimmy Page. Eight years later, the results of that collaboration are here, ready for fans, friends, and the MC5curious to enjoy.

It’s important to clarify that putting together an oral history is still, very much, writing a book. It’s more involved than simply pulling out chunks of interviews and lining them up logically in some kind of order. To do it right requires a deep knowledge of the subject matter as well as the ability to identify what is important, what is bullshit, what contradicts something someone else says later, what is the opposite of something the same person said in an earlier interview. In this context, contradictions aren’t always “gotcha”

moments; they can be human error or they can be major opportunities. You also have to create a chronology, a timeline, and a narrative arc — what is the story you are telling, and how are you telling it? What’s overrepresented, and what’s missing?

And that is the place where this book excels. Uhelszki was there, not just at CREEM, but as a teenager in Detroit in the late ’60s, taking in as much live music as she could. Uhelszki explains that she first saw the MC5 in the early fall of 1966, playing at the Michigan State Fairgrounds, before seeing them at the Grande Ballroom, the storied Detroit club where the MC5 would become the house band and later record their first album, Kick Out the Jams, in 1968.

This isn’t in the book, but it should be: Uhelski and her friends were only 15 at the time, too young to get into the Grande legally; you had to be 17. So she borrowed a friend’s sister’s ID to get through the doors, and once inside: “We’d go up the girls bathroom and we would drop the ID down to our other girlfriends through the bathroom window, and that’s how we all 15 year olds were getting into the Grande Ballroom.” That borrowed ID turned out to be kismet, as the sister of the ID owner was dating someone who worked at the Grande, and she told him that he should hire her friends.

Before you ask how underaged kids were working as bartenders, the Grande didn’t serve alcohol; they didn’t even have a liquor license. (Russ Gibb, the late Grande founder and impresario, once said: “We really didn’t need drinks in those days. There were plenty of other ways to get high.”) But this was how a 15-yearold Jaan Uhelszki suddenly found herself behind the bar at the Grande Ballroom, serving up trays of Pepsi and Sprite and orange pop (at 15 cents a glass) to thirsty concert-goers between sets. “I always took the station at the very end of the bar, near the girls’ bathroom, so I could see the band,” she remembers. “My job was really to dole out the drinks and to make sure people didn’t put LSD in them.”

It’s hard to get much closer to the story than that, or have better bona fides to weigh in on its accuracy. Combining her real-life experience with her years at CREEM in the early days of rock journalism uniquely positions Uhelszki as the one Edmonds entrusted with the burden of materializing his magnum opus. None of this is in the book because it’s not her story, but it still informs and supports the work as much as her skill and experience as a music journalist.

MC5: An Oral History of Rock’s

Most Revolutionary Band is a book written by two people who never planned on writing it, drawn from the archive of the person who considered it his life’s work, but made a decision to not pursue it. That’s an enormous responsibility and a whole lot of juju to take on. It’s also one thing to finish a book someone had already started. It’s another to have to manifest it into thin air from thousands of pages of raw handwritten interviews and have it meet your personal journalistic standards, have it do justice to the band’s work and legacy, and to get it right. The verdict? They do.

The chronology is clean and logical; there’s no advanced literary techniques or anything fancy. There are no large jumps between eras taking the reader out of the place they are in and forcing them to make connections they may not be able to. The book clocks in around 267 pages, and feels even and balanced despite there being more material from guitarist Wayne Kramer (because he was a notorious

a universe unto itself,” Tyner says in the book. “They were made to be worn sans underwear and designed to be as provocative as possible.” Hovanian tells the story of spotting a tapestry rug at a fabric store and deciding it would make a nice jacket for Wayne Kramer, or a combo of orange satin pants with matching orange ruffled shirt.

The authors are absolutely not reticent in using material that may not show the individuals in question in the most positive light, whether it’s the band ganging up on Tyner (because they didn’t think he was cool enough) or any number of drugrelated sagas. There’s honestly nothing that terrible or earth-shattering, which makes one wonder what Edmonds was specifically concerned about, but the passage of time also tends to wear down the sharpest of memories. It also makes sense that a band that was so important to so many people would have the staunchest defenders of its honor, especially one that many rightthinking folks would agree never got the respect that it was due.

motormouth) and vocalist Rob Tyner (because Edmonds spent an enormous amount of time with him and his wife Becky). Nor does anyone get off easy. The book moves forward, always onward, and there is energy and personality — there’s a memorable quote from someone on pretty much every page.

You couldn’t tell this story without Big Chief John Sinclair, and he offers his perspectives not just as the manager of the MC5, but also as a major cultural arbiter of the place and the time. They also make sure that there’s enough space for other key voices, like Gibb, poster artist Gary Grimshaw, or the late Ron Asheton of the Stooges. And Becky and Chris Hovnanian (Wayne Kramer’s girlfriend at the time) are there because they were willing to speak on the record and because they were witnesses to events — “They were like Beatles’ wives,” Uhelszki says — but also, they’re part of the story because they made the band’s outrageous, flamboyant stage gear. “Our pants were

If almost a thousand pages of interviews wasn’t enough, Edmonds’s archive was also supplemented with interviews Uhelszki did throughout the years for other projects where she felt it would enhance the material, like conversations with Becky, MC5 bassist Michael Davis, and even some more contemporary discussions with Kramer. Additionally, Tolinski spoke with music critic, manager, and producer Jon Landau, and the two had additional conversations with Sinclair to augment areas where there may have been a gap in coverage; that’s not any kind of ding against any of the authors but a normal and logical part of the work of doing interviews. There’s always a followup question. “You’re talking about a situation where each individual has a completely individual take on each situation and they don’t always tally up,” Uhelszki says. The fact that the co-authors were able to work through everything they had to work through and then be able to present a coherent storyline is an accomplishment in and of itself.

This is a chewy book. It is substantial. Uhelszki and Tolinski pack a lot of substance into every page. The chronology they establish does the work of guiding the reader through the story, but at no point does it feel like a slog, despite its complexity. There are a lot of voices, a lot of perspectives, a lot of history, a lot of moving parts, and what you feel is not the weight of the quantity

The MC5 kick out the jams at the Grande Ballroom.

CHARLES AURINGER

LET’S GO LIONS & TIGERS!

COME SEE US DURING & AFTER THE GAMES MINUTES FROM QLINE / FREE STREET PARKING ON SUNDAYS

Wed 10/09

A HAPPY HIP HOP BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION FOR STRETCH MONEY FEAT. DJ HEAD & JMACK SOUNDS BY MIKE FROM MICHIGAN DOORS@8PM/$5COVER HENNESSY PROMO

Thu 10/10

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CHRIS TURNER!

Fri 10/11

HI-VIEWS/LORDS OF THE HIGHWAY/ F-HOLE WRECKERS (ROCKABILLY/ROCK’N’ROLL) DOORS@9PM/$5COVER

Sat 10/12

BIZARRE(D12) & FOULMOUTH HGGH RELEASE PARTY! MUSIC BY DJ SIMPLE CUTS FEAT. MARV WON/CHOKE UNO/DAGDA/ RUFUS SIMS/JUJULLA & I AM GAWD/ MAX HILLI/DANGO FORLAINE/BUB ROCK/ ISAAC CASTOR/LOKYE/WATERR (HIP-HOP/RAP) DOORS@8PM/$10COVER

Sun 10/13

HAPPY 249TH BIRTHDAY TO THE US NAVY! HOWARD GLAZIER & FRIENDS 65TH BIRTHDAY BLUES

JOIN US IN CELEBRATING A LOCAL BLUES LEGEND! DOORS@5PM/$5COVER

Mon 10/14 FREE POOL ALL DAY

Coming Up:

10/18 Jen’s Apartment/Homes/Ritual Suns

10/19 DIVAS vs. DIVAS (monthly dance party)

10/25 Circus Boy/Nuke & The Nightshift/ Cinecyde

10/26 Pink 50’s Halloween Bash IV

11/01 Brandon Z Smith/Gaddie/Elephant Den

11/02 Remote Controls(IN)/Sea Hag/ Mazinga/No Vision

11/08 Electric Honey/Hourlies

Get Out The Vote! Register Now! www.vote.org

Book Your Parties: theoldmiamibarevents@gmail.com

Old Miami T-shirts & Hoodies Available

of the material, but the weight of the story. You will be a little lost if you are coming to this story without knowledge of the basic history of Detroit or an understanding of the major cultural touchstones of the ’60s, but it’s not as though the authors don’t provide context. If anything, you will come away from this book understanding exactly to what extent Detroit is a company town, which is hard to see if you didn’t grow up here.

Guitarist Fred “Sonic” Smith, who died in 1994, is the one voice who is not in the book directly. There are no interviews with Smith in Edmonds’s archive; Uhelszki confirmed that there are no notes indicating whether Edmonds tried to talk to him and he declined, if there was a larger issue than that, or if, as the book points out repeatedly, he was simply not a man of many words. But despite that formidable hurdle, Smith is still very present in this book. The narrative does an excellent job of incorporating observations and insights from the other members of the band and its inner circle about Smith, but what would have been helpful to readers coming to the book was if they’d provided some kind of warning or clarification somewhere about why his voice wasn’t included.

If you love the MC5 and this is your band, this is the book you have been waiting for. It’s going to be hard for any book to meet that level of expectation but it feels fair and accurate in that no one in the book gets off lightly. There are no publicists hanging around at the edges sanitizing any of this book. Uhelszki notes, “I had to go through a really extensive permissions procedure because the publisher was afraid that they would resent things that they said.” But everyone in the band, or their surviving representatives (like Davis’s wife) signed off on everything that the co-authors had included in the book.

Does this book make you care about the band if you don’t already? If you’re interested enough in the history of the MC5 and want to try to understand why they’re important, this book does the best job of anything that’s come out thus far in terms of telling the story of the band from start to finish. It brings you into the band’s days playing teen clubs and sock hops, into the Grande Ballroom and to the chaotic 1968 Chicago Democratic Convention (where the band performed as part of the protests against the Vietnam War), through the missteps and questionable decisions (and the truly bad ones), through the internecine

battles and the drugs and the decline and the complete and total free-fall that ended the band. It is all here, and you get to hear about it from the people who lived through it in their own words. While we’ll never have the benefit of Edmonds’s incisive observations and keen analysis (and enthusiasm!) about the band — not to mention his great writing — it is what Uhelszki could do and still keep her promise. And what the reader still benefits from is what she refers to as Edmonds’s “lethal interviewing prowess. There is no question the man wouldn’t ask.”

If you’re already converted, at points this book will make you want to reach into the pages and grab each person and tell them that they are making a huge mistake, to please not do that, whether it’s casually try heroin or move into a house together in the middle of nowhere to make their next record, or ask their parents to

front them the down payment for a Jaguar they can’t actually afford just to maintain appearances. Even if you think you know all of the stories, it is another thing to read them adjacent to each other. Even if you know what happens next you will feel uncomfortable. This isn’t a story with a happy ending, but it’s a story that Edmonds wanted to tell, that needed to be told. Now it has.

There are two upcoming events around the book’s release. There will be a discussion with the co-authors featuring a performance by the Detroit Cobras on Friday, Oct. 11, at Rivera Court at the DIA; 5200 Woodward Ave., Detroit; dia. org; free to attend with museum admission. There will also be a celebration of the MC5 sponsored by the Lincoln Park Historical Society from 3-9 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 12 at the Memorial Park Bandshell in Lincoln Park; lphistorical. org; free to attend.

The MC5 became the house band of the Grande Ballroom. GARY GRIMSHAW

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, Oct. 9

Live/Concert

Hanson w/ Phantom Planet 7 p.m.; Royal Oak Music Theatre, 318 W. Fourth St., Royal Oak; $50-$180.

Jazz & Cocktails featuring Audrey Northington 7-10 p.m.; Aretha’s Jazz Cafe, 350 Madison St., Detroit; $20.

Jeff Lynne’s ELO, Rooney 8 p.m.; Little Caesars Arena, 2645 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $49.50-$299.50.

Magic Bag Presents: JD McPherson 7 p.m.; Magic Bag, 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; $27.

Make War, the Write-Ups, Big Life 8 p.m.; Sgt. Pepperoni’s Pizzeria & Deli, 4120 Woodward Avenue, Detroit; no cover.

Matt Lorusso Trio & Special Guests 8-11 p.m.; Northern Lights Lounge, 660 W. Baltimore St., Detroit; no cover.

Pentagram String Band, Little Foot, Swamp Rats, Matthew Teardrop 7 p.m.; Small’s, 10339 Conant St., Hamtramck; $10.

Sammy Rash, the Astronomers 7 p.m.; The Loving Touch, 22634 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; $17.

Tokyo Police Club, Born Ruffians 7 p.m.; Saint Andrew’s Hall, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit; $33. DJ/Dance

Tinlicker, Felix Raphael 7 p.m.; Majestic Theatre, 4120 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $32.50-$72.50. Karaoke

Offbeat KARAOKE with Robby Rob 9 p.m.; Third Street Detroit, 4626 Third St., Detroit; no cover.

Thursday, Oct. 10

Live/Concert

Air 8 p.m.; Fox Theatre, 2211 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $54.50-$134.50.

Billy Bragg, Steven Page 6:30 p.m.; Magic Stick, 4120 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $39.50-$74.50.

Frank Bang, Brendon Linsley Band 8 p.m.; The Token Lounge, 28949

Joy Rd., Westland; $10-$90.

Guttermouth, You Dirty Rat, Boy Detective 7 p.m.; Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff St., Hamtramck; $25.

Isata Kanneh-Mason 7:30 p.m.; Hill Auditorium, 825 N. University Ave., Ann Arbor; $15-$73.

Magic Bag Presents: Thumpasaurus 7 p.m.; Magic Bag, 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; $20.

The Polish Ambassador, Scuter, Opal, Tetra 9 p.m.; Magic Stick, 4120 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $25.

Wale, SwaVay 7 p.m.; Saint Andrew’s Hall, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit; $29.50. 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.

Karaoke at Detroit Shipping with DJ MO WILL 6-9 p.m.; Detroit Shipping Company, 474 Peterboro St., Detroit; no cover.

Friday, Oct. 11

Live/Concert

Chromeo, The Midnight 8 p.m.; Royal Oak Music Theatre, 318 W. Fourth St., Royal Oak; $39.50-$85.

Duster, Dirty Art Club 7 p.m.; Majestic Theatre, 4120 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $27-$32.

Family Tradition Band, McKayla Prew 8 p.m.; Diamondback Music Hall, 49345 S. Interstate 94 Service Dr., Belleville; $15.

Giolì & Assia 7 p.m.; Saint Andrew’s Hall, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit; $23.

God Bullies, Conan Neutron & The Secret Friends, Salvation, the Amino Acids 7 p.m.; Small’s, 10339 Conant St., Hamtramck; $20.

Illuminati Hotties, Daffo, Low Phase 7 p.m.; Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff St., Hamtramck; $20.

Jesse McCartney 8 p.m.; Caesars Palace Windsor - Augustus Ballroom, 377 E. Riverside Dr., Windsor; $28-$63.

Layton Giordani, Dru Ruiz, Andrea Ghita 9 p.m.; Magic Stick, 4120 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $15-$20.

Little River Band 8 p.m.; The Music Hall, 350 Madison Ave., Detroit; $59-$79.

Magic Bag Presents: ’80s vs. ’90s Hellabaloo 7 p.m.; Magic Bag, 22920

30 October 9-15, 2024 | metrotimes.com

Woodward Ave., Ferndale; $20. Majid Al Mohandis 9 p.m.; Fox Theatre, 2211 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $90-$1,000.

Marauda, Beastboi., Criioz, Remorse, Whiplache, 3den Dubz, Goonba, Six Paths, Avilys 9 p.m.; Elektricity Nightclub, 15 S. Saginaw St., Pontiac; $18.75-$25.

Maxwell, Jazmine Sullivan, October London 7:30 p.m.; Little Caesars Arena, 2645 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $40-$190.50.

Psychedelic Furs, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Frankie Rose 7 p.m.; Cathedral Theatre at the Masonic Temple, 500 Temple St., Detroit; $60-$175.

Tucker Wetmore 7 p.m.; District 142, 142 Maple St., Wyandotte; $20-$30.

Vinnie Moore, Life Has Taught, Mike Leslie Band, Brad Russell 7:30 p.m.; The Token Lounge, 28949 Joy Rd., Westland; $25-$150.

Wayne Newton 8 p.m.; Andiamo Celebrity Showroom, 7096 E. 14 Mile Rd., Warren; $35-$99.

DJ/Dance

Cozy Worldwide: Throwback and Current Hip Hop and R&B Party 9 pm; The Fillmore, 2115 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $3-$25.

Saturday, Oct. 12

Live/Concert

Ahead of Their Time: Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue & Mahler 5 7:3010 p.m.; The Whiting, 1241 E. Kearsley St., Flint; Tickets start at $18.

Evil Woman - The American ELO (ELO tribute) 8 p.m.; Andiamo Celebrity Showroom, 7096 E. 14 Mile Rd., Warren; $35-$69.

Magic Bag Presents: MEGA 80s 7 p.m.; Magic Bag, 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; $20.

Mason Ramsey 7 p.m.; The Loving Touch, 22634 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; $18.

Muscadine Bloodline, Ben Chapman 7 p.m.; Saint Andrew’s Hall, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit; $28. Nervosa, Lich King, Hatriot, Manic Outburst, Convulsis 6 p.m.; Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff St., Hamtramck; $20.

One More Time: The O’Jays, the Whispers, Alexander O’Neal, Cherelle, J. Anthony Brown 8 p.m.; Fox Theatre, 2211 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $59-$199.

Paul Anka 8 p.m.; Andiamo Celebrity Showroom, 7096 E. 14 Mile Rd., Warren; $79-$195.

The Ritz 7:30 p.m.; The Token Lounge, 28949 Joy Rd., Westland; $15.

The Wanted 8 p.m.; Sound Board, 2901 Grand River Ave., Detroit; $39-$53. Yung Gravy, Carter Vail 7 p.m.; The Fillmore, 2115 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $37.50-$67.50.

DJ/Dance

Party Iconic Presents: the charli parti (18+) 8 p.m.; Saint Andrew’s Hall, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit; $18-$25.

Pharo Presents: The Return, Bosstatus, Demise, Skyripa, Master Nyne, Kaebr 7 p.m.; Diamondback Music Hall, 49345 S. Interstate 94 Service Dr., Belleville; $10-$15.

San Pacho, Versace James, Dino, Gina Maria, Juicy 9 p.m.; Magic Stick, 4120 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $20-$25.

Slushii, Konundrum, Leethal, Eye 9 p.m.; Elektricity Nightclub, 15 S. Saginaw St., Pontiac; $20.

Sunday, Oct. 13 Live/Concert

David Cross Band 8 p.m.; The Token Lounge, 28949 Joy Rd., Westland; $20$120.

Fishgutzzz, Pancho Villa’s Skull, Vernon Tonges hosted by Reware Vintage & KS-AVC 7 p.m.; Reware Vintage, 2965 12 Mile Road, Suite 200, Berkley; $15 suggested donation, all to the performers.

Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons 7 p.m.; Fox Theatre, 2211 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $39.50-$175. French Cassettes, the Idiot Kids 7 p.m.; Small’s, 10339 Conant St., Hamtramck; $15.

Get the Led Out (Led Zeppelin tribute) 7:30 p.m.; Sound Board, 2901 Grand River Ave., Detroit; $31-$45.

Gorilla Biscuits, Negative Approach, RZL DZL, The Sissy Boys 6 p.m.; Tangent Gallery, 715 E Milwaukee Avenue, Detroit; $37.50.

Kxvin Tylxr 7 p.m.; Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff St., Hamtramck; $12.

La Luz, Mia Joy 7 p.m.; The Loving Touch, 22634 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; $20.

The Elovaters, Bikini Trill 6 p.m.; Magic Stick, 4120 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $28.50.

Monday, Oct. 14 Live/Concert

Adult Skate Night 8:30-11 p.m.; Lex-

us Velodrome, 601 Mack Ave., Detroit; $5. P!nk, the Script, KidCutUp 7:30 p.m.; Little Caesars Arena, 2645 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $59.95-$349.95.

Tuesday, Oct. 15

Live/Concert

COIN, Aidan Bissett 7 p.m.; The Fillmore, 2115 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $29.50-$65.

Global Sunsets, Blackman & Arnold Trio 7-10 p.m.; Northern Lights Lounge, 660 W. Baltimore St., Detroit; no cover.

Johnny Marr, James 6:30 p.m.; Detroit Masonic Temple Library, 500 Temple St, Detroit; $50-$200. P!nk, the Script, KidCutUp 7:30 p.m.; Little Caesars Arena, 2645 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $59.95-$349.95.

Songwriter’s Circle: Tom Alter, Annie Bacon, Steve Taylor 6:307:30 p.m.; Alpino, 1426 Bagley St, Detroit; $10.

Sunami Monster Energy Outbreak Tour Wsg Never Ending Game, Ingrown, D Bloc, Torena, Bad Beat 5:30 p.m.; Tangent Gallery, 715 E Milwaukee Avenue, Detroit; $25. vaultboy, John Michael Howell 7 p.m.; The Loving Touch, 22634 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; $18.

DJ/Dance

B.Y.O.R Bring Your Own Records Night 9 p.m.-midnight; The Old Miami, 3930 Cass Ave., Detroit; no cover. Karaoke

Open Mic: Art in a Fly Space 7-10 p.m.; Detroit Shipping Company, 474 Peterboro St., Detroit; no cover.

THEATER

Performance

Fisher Theatre - Detroit Some Like it Hot; Wednesday, Oct. 9; 7:30 p.m.; Thursday, 7:30 p.m.; Friday, 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday, 1 p.m. & 6:30 p.m.

Meadow Brook Theatre Strangers On a Train; $41; Wednesday, 8 p.m.; Thursday, 8 p.m.; Friday, 8 p.m.; Saturday, 6 p.m.; and Sunday, 2 p.m. & 6:30 p.m.

The Music Hall Charlotte’s Web (Chicago); $15-$20; Saturday, 4 p.m.

Tipping Point Theatre Grand Horizons; $25-$55; Wednesday, 2-3:45 p.m.; Thursday, 7:30-9:15 p.m.; Friday, 7:30-9:15 p.m.; Saturday, 7:30-9:15 p.m.; and Sunday, 2-3:45 p.m.

Musical

FIM Elgood Theatre Godspell; $27;

Wednesday, 10 a.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m.; Friday, 7:30 p.m.,; Saturday, 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday, 2 p.m.

COMEDY

Improv

Go Comedy! Improv Theater Go Comedy! All-Star Showdown; $25; Fridays, Saturdays; 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.

Planet Ant Theatre Hip-Prov: Improv with a Dash of Hip-Hop; $10; Wednesday, 7 p.m.

Stand-up

Performance art

Detroit Shipping Company 313 Comedy Show; Sunday, 7 p.m.; no cover. Flagstar Strand Theatre for the Performing Arts Tim Meadows and Friends ;$60-$115; Saturday, 7:30 p.m.

Continuing This Week

Blind Pig Blind Pig Comedy FREE; Mondays, 8 p.m.

The Independent Comedy Club at Planet Ant The Sh*t Show Open Mic; $5 suggested donation; Thursdays, 9-10:30 p.m.

FILM

Screening

Cathedral Theatre at the Masonic Temple Jim Henson’s Labyrinth: In Concert; $44-$113; Saturday; 7 p.m.

ARTS

Artist talk

Artist Talk: Florilegium & Fairy Tales Sunday, 2-3 p.m; Color & Ink Studio, 20919 John R Rd., Hazel Park; no cover.

Art Exhibition

Taylor’d Garden Art of the Ages: A Benefit, Exhibit, and Brunch Experience Benefit supporting the preservation and archiving of The Black Canon Collection; $65; Sunday, noon-4 p.m.

Continuing This Week

Ann Arbor Art Center Obama: An Intimate Portrait, Photographs by Pete Souza; no cover; Mondays-Saturdays, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.

Cranbrook Art Museum Constellations & Affinities: Selections from the Cranbrook Collection; museum admission; Wednesdays-Sundays, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Festival

Beacon Park Cider in the City; no cover; Saturday, 1-5 p.m. and Sunday, 1-5 p.m.

Leni Sinclair invited to sign Scarab Club beams

Rock ’n’ roll photographer Leni Sinclair is set to autograph the beams of Detroit’s Scarab Club, signing an exclusive guestbook of sorts that includes artists like LeRoy Foster, Diego Rivera, Marcel Duchamp, and Isamu Noguchi, among others.

Sinclair will sign the beams during the opening reception for Detroit Leni: a Leni Sinclair Retrospective from 1-5 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 13.

As a documenter of Detroit’s counterculture scene of the 1960s and ’70s who was once married to John Sinclair, the late political activist and former manager of the influential rock band MC5, Leni had a front-row view so to speak of the turbulent time period; the Sinclairs co-founded the White Panther Party, an anti-racist socialist group aligned with the Black Panthers. Her photos were published in Rolling Stone, CREEM, and High Times, and in 2016 she was named the recipient of the Kresge Eminent Artist Award.

“This exhibition not only invites members and guests to witness the radical spirit that defined an era but also to reflect on the enduring power of cultural movements to shape history,” gallery director Dalia Reyes said in a statement. “Sinclair’s work is as relevant today as it was then.”

John Sinclair as well as the last remaining founding members of the MC5 all died this year, just as the band was finally inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Guitarist Wayne Kramer died in February at age 75, Sinclair died in April at 82, and drummer Dennis Thompson died in May at 75. (See our cover story this week to read more.)

The band is set to be honored at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Oct. 19 at Cleveland’s Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

Signing the beams of the Scarab Club is an honor that was not granted to many women over its nearly 100-year history, as the club was men-only until 1962, though it has been trying to rectify it. Last year, Detroit artist Nora Chapa Mendoza became the first Latina to sign the Scarab Club beams. —Lee DeVito

Detroit Leni: A Leni Sinclair Retrospective opens from 1-5 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 13 at the Scarab Club; 217 Farnsworth St., Detroit; scarabclub.org. The show runs through Saturday, Nov. 9.

ED HANCOCK

FOOD

Döner done right

By Tom Perkins

The Döner Shawarma

100 North Telegraph Rd., Dearborn

313-300-6183

instagram.com/the_doner_ shawarma

$6-$14

Wheelchair accessible

Like many Americans, I learned about döner kebabs while backpacking across Europe in college, practically living off the massive sandwiches that fueled long days and nights, all for two euros from a small cart on La Rambla, Barcelona’s liveliest street.

The sandwiches that Dearborn’s Döner Shawarma packs are the closest thing in town to what was on offer in Barcelona. Like döner kebabs’ close cousin, the shawarma sandwich, there are various takes on the sandwich depending on which country you’re

in, but the most popular around many western and northern European cities is the German-Turkish, or Berlin, style.

At last count more than five other spots serve them around metro Detroit, and Döner Shawarma is the only one doing it almost exactly as one might find in Berlin. Also like shawarma sandwiches, the formula is fairly basic, and the best execution lies in the ingredients, which is what really makes Döner Shawarma worthwhile. Everything is made in-house, and you can tell.

The foundation of any good döner is the bread, or pide, and this version is an excellent pocket with a soft interior, and a slightly crusty and crunchy exterior that comes dotted with black sesame seed. Owner Bassel Hamdan has a baker who makes the bread fresh daily for him, and it’s noticeable. One of the differences between döner breeds is the bread. Balkan House in Hamtramck, for example, which does an eastern Euro döner, uses lepinja, the Balkans’ flatbread version of pita, which is also awesome.

Another hallmark of the Berlin

döner is the use of the three sauces — the deep red spicy chili sauce, yogurt sauce, and a garlic herb sauce. Hamdan combines the latter two into one, and while it’s a bit thin in consistency, as it should be, it’s also deep and creamy in flavor, and applied generously. That works in a cooling and creamy contrast to the electric, acidic chili sauce. The sandwich is further enlivened with pickled red cabbage and red onion, and includes tomato and shredded iceberg lettuce.

The beef and chicken döners were both excellent. The beef shaved from the spit is fragrant with spices — we detected hints of clove, cumin, and cinnamon — while the shaved chicken is lemony and bright. Hamdan notes that he makes his own spits. Many restaurants in town order frozen spits, or use frozen meat that was never on a spit to begin with, and assembling the spit inhouse simply yields a better product.

Hamdan’s menu is fairly short and simple. He didn’t have the sujuk döner that is on the menu — a punchy Lebanese sausage — which he said it’s kind

of a rare special. Instead I got the Doritos döner burger, which was a surprise. The burger is shaved shawarma beef molded into a patty that’s topped with melted American cheese, Doritos chips, jalapeños, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and döner sauce. On its face, it seems like something only a 16 year old could love, but it works — a wall of flavor in every bite.

On the side, the fries with cilantro and garlic came with generous portions of garlic and cilantro and were super lemony. It reminded me of a french fry version of the classic Lebanese spicy potato, or batata harra, dish. Genius.

Hamdan said he has always loved döners but his education on proper construction of one came while working in a five-star kitchen at a hotel with a bunch of seasonal German and Turkish chefs. Döner Shawarma is his first restaurant, and it has been popular — boosted by shoutouts from Instagram influencers like Mr. ChimeTime — so much so that he’s already expanding to a brick and mortar location at Ford and Inkster roads in Garden City.

The Döner Shawarma food truck brings bites of Berlin to Dearborn.

TOM PERKINS

CULTURE

Arts Spotlight

A defiant reclamation of womanhood

By Randiah Camille Green

Entering Womxnhouse

Detroit’s 2024 installation feels like being in my grandmother’s living room. Tables are crowded with knickknacks, lottery tickets, and those ceramic good luck elephants. Walls serve as a family tree decorated with photos of relatives and occasionally someone will pull out a VHS of home videos.

The Womxnhouse living room is a warm space but in the crevices of smiles and grandma’s couch cushions are bottles of booze and whispers of generational trauma.

“Nothing Leaves This Room” is Gyona Rice’s mixed-media installation for this year’s Womxnhouse — a yearly cohort of women and gender nonbinary artists who fill every room in a Grandmont-Rosedale house with art. It’s curated by Norwest Gallery of Art owner Asia Hamilton and Laura Earle and is on display until November 17.

This year marks the third iteration of Womxnhouse Detroit after a short hiatus in 2023 and the fourth installment in Michigan. The first two Detroit rounds filled Hamilton’s childhood home with installations, but it’s moved to a different location in the same neighborhood this year. The project is based on the 1972 feminist “Womanhouse” project in Los Angeles which

inspired Earle to curate Michgan’s first Womxnhouse in Manchester in 2018.

“Womxnhouse for me, really was an opportunity for women to get together and support each other,” Hamilton says. “It was a necessary thing because there’s not enough safe spaces for us to really express ourselves and be vulnerable... We’re expected to take so much.”

In addition to Rice, this year’s house features work by Michaela Ayers, Kashira Dowridge, Laura Earle, Takeisha Jefferson, lauren jones, Elise Marie Martin, Danielle deo Owensby, Megan Rizzo, Brittany Rogers, and Cat Washington.

Back in the living room, Rice reflects on how her childhood trauma from alcohol abuse does not define her and she loves her family regardless of what she may have experienced. She’s a printmaker and includes linocuts she created of her grandmother, mom, aunts, and sister in the installation to honor them.

“Regardless of all the trauma and things that might have seemed negative, I was able to go to college, I was able to always get all A’s, [and] I was able to do great things,” she says. “Especially in Black households, we’re always told, ‘What goes on in this house stays in this house,’ so I would like you

to interact with it. Write your feelings and what you feel like you want to stay in this room.”

Venturing further into the dining room, photos of women in Takeisha Jefferson’s family shot by the photographer look over a buffet and table hoarded with overflowing bills. The room is chaotic, with the table ready to buckle under the weight of a woman’s burdens that she is struggling to bear.

“What you’re seeing is a room caught in time, almost paused,” Jefferson explains. “A woman [who is] overwhelmed… A woman who is looking at affirmations to try and see how she can press forward to do something different in her life, all while trying to maintain and hold her household together.”

The walk up the stairs confronts me with invasive things people have said to Elise Marie Martin like, “You’re too young for all that makeup,” and, “What if you change your mind about having kids?”

Then Michaela Ayers’s lush room transports me into a sensual oasis of opulence in a garden of thriving green plants and low lighting. As I enter through a lace curtain I am graced with a candid moment of Ayers in a bathtub with sunflowers brushing against her

bare skin as they swim in the tub of self indulgence. Incense wafts across deep red walls held in incense burners the ceramic artist has crafted alongside plant holders also made by Ayers’s hands. Several other erotic photos of her decorate the walls, shot by her fellow Womxnhouse artist Jefferson.

Many of Ayers’s ceramics are imbued with spirals, like an unending journey, always shifting, changing, and evolving. She sees them as ceremonial but also multifunctional as sculptures double as incense holders and smudge stick trays.

Growing up in a religious household where sexuality (especially outside the heteronormative) was taboo inspired her photos.

“I was really wanting to explore my divine feminine energy, what that looks like for me in my most raw state, and I can’t think of a more raw state than allowing myself to really be seen,” she says. “There’s also, in conversation with these photographs, a desire to interrogate boudoir photos from the 1920s. Very rarely, in my experience, would I see representation of Black women in these photos, and those were often the images that were upheld as standards of beauty. And so with these images, I also wanted to disrupt that.”

Across the hall, in contrast to the sultry reprieve of Ayers’s work, a bright pink room draws in sunlight through curtains fashioned from kanekalon braids. This is poet Brittany Rogers’s room where adorning the body is explored as a protection ritual. Flowers with petals fashioned from acrylic nails dot the room and her poem, “Self Por-

Brittany Rogers explores adornment as a ritual in her Womxnhouse installation.

SE7ENFIFTEEN

trait as Aretha’s Gold Purse” proclaims, “Why should I make myself invisible?” Rogers’s debut poetry collection, Good Dress, is due out in October from Tin House.

“As a Detroit femme… beautification becomes a type of grounding, essentially like armor, what we need for survival,” she says while sitting at a vanity with the question “When was the last time that you saw yourself?” written on it. Photos of her matrilineage including her mother, daughter, and cousins line the wall above.

“Beautification is what keeps me alive,” she continues. “The ability to wake up and look exactly the way that I want to look on any given day makes me feel very grounded. And I think the world can be so jarring, can be so violent, especially toward Black queer folks, that feeling like myself, at the very least, is my start to be like, OK, nobody can disrupt me.”

In a nearby closet audio plays of femmes telling her about a time in their life that they felt the most beautiful.

Back downstairs, in a foil covered room Kashira Dowridge’s film Time Will Tell plays like the house’s soundtrack — an ode to reclaiming, rediscovering, and loving herself.

Cat Washington’s crochet work pays tribute to Black women killed in their homes by police like Sonya Massey

and Breonna Taylor while Megan Rizzo brings us into the heart of her family’s home — the kitchen. Elsewhere lauren jones creates a den of ancestral memories with an archive of Black books and photos where a prayer plays on the other line of a telephone receiver.

Tea-stained pages of affirmations in Jefferson’s room look like burnt Bible passages making me recite scriptures of self love as I read them, passing back through the dining room archway. “I walk through this world with purpose and grace.” “I carry the wisdom of those who came before me.” “Stop caring what anyone else thinks and focus on building your own lane.”

The house feels like a sanctuary, with the air of a woman dancing as fluid as water, any imprints of society’s projections of womanhood dissipating from her aura like a cloud. As I begin to step out the door, words from Dowridge’s film ring in my ear, “Don’t stay too long in the shadows of disbelief.”

Editor’s note: The author of this article was a featured artist in Womxnhouse Detroit 2022.

Womxnhouse Detroit 2024 is on view through Nov. 17 at 14620 Grandmont Rd., Detroit. Tickets can be purchased at womxnhouse.life for a $35 suggested donation.

Michaela Ayers was inspired to explore the sensuality of divine femininity in these photos taken by Takeisha Jefferson. COURTESY OF THE ARTIST

CULTURE

Film

Goo, gore — and great cinema

By Jared Rasic, Last Word Features

The Substance

Rated: R

Run-time: 141 minutes

I’m going to lead with this so no one gets mad at me later: of the few thousand of you that are going to read this article, maybe 20 will like The Substance. This is one of those films that critics fawn all over saying it’s an audacious and strikingly original piece of work — the kind that comes out maybe once or twice a year. But audiences think it’s weird or gross or something in between.

Personally, I emphatically think it’s easily one of the best movies of the year and without question the most fun experience I’ve had with a crowd in a movie theater all year. But don’t let that sway you. It’s so weird and gross.

The Substance stars Demi Moore as Elizabeth Sparkle, a TV aerobics personality who overhears her disgusting boss (played by a mesmerizingly unappealing Dennis Quaid) saying how

the network needs to hire someone younger, sexier, and fresher to take over for her since he thinks Sparkle is too old to be attractive to audiences anymore.

In a moment of fortuitous timing, Sparkle is given a flash drive advertising something called “The Substance,” an injection program that will apparently create a younger, more beautiful, exceedingly perfect version of herself. Doesn’t remind me of Ozempic at all.

MINOR SPOILERS: After picking up the injection from a sterile and uncomfortably creepy storage facility, Sparkle gives herself the shot and immediately starts writhing in pain. She falls to the floor, her back splits open, and out crawls Margaret Qualley (giving a sneakily affecting performance, one of the best of her career). Here’s how it works: Qualley (calling herself Sue) lives for seven days at a time, intravenously feeding a comatose Elizabeth Sparkle, who then switches with Sue on the seventh day and lives for a week as Elizabeth.

Every week Sue and Sparkle trade

so much more than her beauty. She’s layered her performances with so much intelligence and wit that she was never discounted as an actor. With movies like Indecent Proposal, Disclosure, and Striptease, Hollywood very much played to Moore’s sexuality, treating her more as a symbol than a person, but then she would counteract that by always being incredible.

Qualley, while having had a genuinely impressive career so far in projects like Maid, Drive-Away Dolls, and The Leftovers, is still being hugely sexualized in things like Donnybrook, Stars at Noon, and Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood. Just as Moore before her, Qualley brings so much intelligence and grace to her work that it will be impossible for Hollywood to treat her like “just a pretty face.” She’s a movie star and The Substance should be the movie that helps cement that.

The performances of Moore and Qualley, along with Coralie Fargeat’s fearless script and directorial style, cement The Substance as one of the finest movies of the year. But it also has exploding bodies, hundreds of gallons of spraying blood and gore, close-ups of people loudly chewing food with their mouths open, oodles of graphic nudity, bodies shifting and changing into nightmarish visions of monstrousness, and a whole lot of goo. So very much goo. Yet, Fargeat won Best Screenplay at Cannes, so all of the goo, gore, and grossness exists for a purpose: to get people to legitimately look at the way women are treated in society and the unfair weight of those standards. To look and maybe make a change.

places with Sue becoming rich, famous, and desired by everyone and Sparkle getting to (ostensibly) relive her glory days. They don’t share memories, but they’re basically the same person. END SPOILERS.

Obviously, with a setup like that, it’s a strange and genuinely unpredictable movie, but more than being equal parts dark comedy, body horror thriller, and razor-sharp satire, the film is a primal scream of rage at the unfair and insane beauty standards that the world runs on and the lengths society goes through to pit women against each other. The irony of having Demi Moore, who (while absolutely stunning in her early 60s) has certainly been chewed up multiple times by Hollywood’s sex symbol industry, being replaced by Qualley, who is occupying the dead center of that world right now (in her late 20s), is a flawless meta-textual commentary on art imitating life.

So much of Moore’s career has been built around how staggeringly gorgeous she is, but she has always been

But also, even simply as a horror movie, it’s so gross, fun, and exciting. It’s 140 minutes and I could have kept watching it for another hour. If they gave audiences barf bags or something before a screening, it genuinely wouldn’t surprise me (and it would be great marketing). The Substance does it all: it’s subversively feminist, a staggering dissection of vanity, a splatterfest that would play beautifully for a Halloween crowd, and a visionary masterpiece that riveted me to my chair from the very first frame to the last.

Yet, most audiences will probably hate it. So much. Most people don’t like really gooey horror like I do. But if you can look past the violence and gore, The Substancehas something important to say and does so in ways I’ve never seen before. There are moments of such staggering originality throughout I was in awe of what I was watching. Over the closing credits I found myself loudly applauding, something I haven’t done outside of a film festival setting since the first time I saw Pulp Fiction That’s cinema, baby! It’s the best.

Demi Moore as Elizabeth Sparkle in The Substance MUBI

CULTURE

Savage Love Quickies

By Dan Savage

Dear Readers: It’s my birthday this week thank you very much — and I’ve retreated to a secret, undisclosed location (with my boyfriend! without internet access!) to ignore, er, celebrate the occasion. So, in place of a regular column (reader questions, columnist answers) below you’ll find some questions I posted to Struggle Session, the weekly column where I respond to comments from my readers and listeners, along with some of the advice my readers had for the letter writers. “Never read the comments” is standard advice for anyone who goes online — and it’s damn good advice —but Savage.Love is exception to that rule: it’s the one and only place online where you should read the comments, thanks to the wonderful community there.

—Dan

: Q I’m (39F) dating a guy (34M) who is really wonderful. In his conservative home country, he was quite the Casanova, didn’t want to marry, and managed instead to have a pretty *ahem* robust dating life. Here’s the issue. He shared with me that when he was 32, he slept with a girl who was 16 or 17 years old. He had been her teacher when she was in elementary school. When they met again at 16/17, she was already married and pursued him because she didn’t like her husband (who was even older than him). He said he was only with her twice and then they broke it off.

I have no reason to doubt him because he openly shared this with me, and he clearly didn’t understand that by U.S. standards, this is not OK. When I explained this to him (also noted that it was almost certainly illegal in the U.S.) he instantly understood.

I’m struggling with this because it’s not OK due to her and his age at the time, plus the power dynamic difference. But by his culture’s standards, the only issue was she was a woman sleeping with a man who wasn’t her husband. I appreciate that cultural differences have some major implications here, and he seems to be very clear on how this would be regarded in the U.S. I’m just trying to sort my feelings out around this. Help?

—Dating Is Flummoxing Feelings Somewhat

A: No one else should tell you how you’re supposed to feel about something. You

feel what you feel. So, if what you’re feeling right now is just a little “Hmm, this is weird,” then you can put it in your memory hole, let the past be the past, try not to bring it up with him again, and it probably won’t come up in conversation.

If what you’re feeling right now is more intense, then probably it’s best to end the relationship. There may be other factors making this revelation uncomfortable for you, maybe subconsciously. There will likely be other things you find about his culture, the parts of the worldview that he still stands up for or sees as defensible, that are incompatible with your worldview.

If it were me, I’d drop the subject. But then, for me, I don’t see the American view of age and sexuality as an eternal truth, just where we set the bar. It’s not as though someone magically changes into a consent-capable adult at 12:01 a.m. on their 18th birthday. We set the age of consent as a safeguard, because relationships across those lines are likely to be coercive, but I don’t think that means any and all relationships across that line are coercive and nonconsensual. —Andrew

A: I can’t figure out what DIFFS wants or why.

Does she want her boyfriend to understand or acknowledge that in our culture, a 32-year-old man having sex with a 16-17-year-old is not only unethical, but illegal? It seems as though he gets that, at least now that she’s explained it to him. Does she want an excuse to dump him or to think poorly of him? What kinds of feelings does she want to sort out?

The best I can make out, she wants to disapprove of him because he so flagrantly offended a cultural norm in her (and our) culture. But she wants to be open-minded enough to understand that in his culture of origin, the issues we would take may not be relevant.

But then what? Yes, he did something we frown upon here. Although it was a non-issue to him at the time, based on his different cultural norms, he understands why it would be troubling to his U.S. girlfriend. Does she require some sort of penance on his part so that she can give herself permission to continue dating him and considering him a “wonderful” guy? Does she think that if her friends or family knew about this episode in his past, they’d be unable to get past it and would judge her harshly for being willing to be with a man who’d do that? —NoCuteName

A: Sixteen is the age of consent in most U.S. states, so this would not have been “almost certainly illegal in the U.S.” In fact, it would have been legal, if considered creepy, in most of the U.S. You say

your boyfriend understands that by more progressive standards, this wasn’t OK. Like Dan says in this column, men are pigs; you know this already. This one seems to know that what he did in this situation was not OK, that’s why he confessed this particular hookup to you. People make mistakes, DIFFS! Look at your past and answer genuinely, is there nothing you ever did when you were younger that squicks you out today? Give him the absolution he seeks and move on. —BiDanFan

: Q My oldest friend has an extremely hard time cleaning herself and keeping her house sanitary. She weighs probably in the 600 pounds range at this point, which she is happy with, and I couldn’t care less about, but it does make it hard for her to clean and do day-to-day tasks. The thing that has me writing is that she smells bad. I believe this is mostly because she has a hard time wiping and cleaning herself. But the smell is sometimes unbearable, and I’ve found myself avoiding her because it makes me sick to my stomach, especially when it comes to sharing food together.

My friend has a significant history of trauma, which makes this a “handle with care” situation. I can’t just say to her, “You stink, let’s figure this out together.” I wish I could go in and clean her house for her — and I would be willing — but she would be mortified to know I think her home is filthy. Instead, I keep finding reasons to not visit or not to stay long when I do. And it’s heartbreaking because I love this person so much and want to be close to her. I would love some advice. —A Longtime Friend

A:I think you either distance yourself because you can’t stand it and you don’t want to offend them by admitting their lack of hygiene offends you, or you intervene, respectfully and openly, and deal with the consequences of your own decision.

Is the smell from her, from stuff (old food? dead mice?) in her home, or something particular that can be addressed? At some point it’s a health hazard for her.

But trauma notwithstanding, if it’s that bad, she deserves to know and not just get ghosted, which may be easier on you but would suck for her, as you already know. You can’t make her glad to be told it’s gross, so don’t try to control her feelings. It’s already bad for her now, so you would not be making things worse for her, you’d just be exposing yourself to a share of the bad stuff (and it’s entirely legitimate to not want to do that, just saying, you’re not obligated to be a martyr OR a savior).

But if you do want to stay in touch, how much worse are you prepared to let it get?

—SloMoPoMo

A: I’m guessing that ALF’s friend doesn’t get many visitors and possibly has few if any other friends, because unfortunately

most people do negatively judge those who have obesity problems. (Nova has a great episode, “The Truth about Fat,” which explains why being overweight is not just a matter of lack of willpower.) And at 600 lbs., it’s likely ALF’s friend isn’t able to get out and about much, if at all. So, better for ALF to risk hurting her friend’s feelings with a frank, empathetic talk than to end up rarely or never visiting. Loneliness could lead to even more overeating or even worse consequences. This won’t be easy for ALF, but love often involves doing difficult things.

—Murial

A: Has she asked outright? If so, maybe you do owe her radical honesty. If not, then you’re offering unsolicited advice, which isn’t always bad, but more often than not. Or is she doing the hinting and subtle bemoaning that is essential a soft ask, without the commitment?

It feels complicated to tell your friend that they smell without volunteering to help her solve that problem. Which gets especially complicated if she doesn’t have the money to hire someone to help and there aren’t robust social services in her area. I think many of us would be willing to pitch in to help a friend with a massive project, like a thorough cleaning, once a year or so, but to commit to helping once a month (or more!) will get draining. And if part of her issue is literally cleaning herself — that’s a much bigger strain on the bonds of friendship. So, if there are social services or if she has the money, then there is more reason to bring these things up than if there aren’t.

Finally, phone calls, emails, texting are all ways to stay in contact without visiting. As is asking to meet away from her house, in open air, weather permitting. These don’t solve her problems, but they might help mitigate your problems.

—Zoftig the Magnificent

: Q

I’m a 36-year-old old bisexual woman and I need some advice. My partner is a 38-year-old heterosexual man, and we have been together for 13 years. The sex in the relationship has been in a swift decline for the last eight years. It’s always been a sore point, as my sex drive is a lot higher than his, but two months ago we decided to open up the relationship. It was a good talk, and I think we made some real progress getting our feelings out on the table.

We made some ground rules: 1. We wouldn’t use our own home to meet up with people and 2. we wouldn’t have sex with anyone in our friend circle. He said didn’t want to know about any hookups I might have but I took the opposite position...

See the 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!

CULTURE Free Will Astrology

By Rob Brezsny

ARIES: March 21 – April 19

In the coming weeks, you may be tempted to spar and argue more than usual. You could get sucked into the fantasy that it would make sense to wrangle, feud, and bicker. But I hope you sublimate those tendencies. The same hot energy that might lead to excessive skirmishing could just as well become a driving force to create robust harmony and resilient unity. If you simply dig further into your psyche’s resourceful depths, you will discover the inspiration to bargain, mediate, and negotiate with élan. Here’s a bold prediction: Healing compromises hammered out now could last a long time.

TAURUS: April 20 – May 20

Question #1: “What subjects do you talk about to enchant and uplift a person who’s important to you?”

Answer #1: “You talk about the feelings and yearnings of the person you hope

to enchant and uplift.” Question #2: “How do you express your love with maximum intelligence?” Answer #2: “Before you ask your allies to alter themselves to enhance your relationship, you ask yourself how you might alter yourself to enhance your relationship.” Question #3: “What skill are you destined to master, even though it’s challenging for you to learn?” Answer #3: “Understanding the difference between supple passion and manic obsession.”

GEMINI: May 21 – June 20

Hey folks, there’s a Halloween pub crawl going on this Saturday, witch (hee) we are not involved. We figure we’re spooky enough already. So if you need a break from the costumed crowd, you know where to find us?

VIRGO: August 23 – Sept. 22

The Beatles were the best-selling band of all time and among the most influential, too. Their fame and fortune were well-earned. Many of the 186 songs they composed and recorded were beautiful, interesting, and entertaining. Yet none of the four members of the band could read music. Their brilliance was intuitive and instinctual. Is there a comparable situation in your life, Virgo? A task or skill that you do well despite not being formally trained? If so, the coming months will be a good time to get better grounded. I invite you to fill in the gaps in your education.

LIBRA: Sept. 23 – Oct. 22

coming months. I believe you will have a special capacity to dispense your best gifts to those who need and want them.

CAPRICORN: Dec. 22 – Jan. 19

Capricorn writer Susan Sontag was a public intellectual. She was an academic with a scholarly focus and an entertaining commentator on the gritty hubbub of popular culture. One of my favorite quotes by her is this one: “I like to feel dumb. That’s how I know there’s more in the world than me.” In other words, she made sure her curiosity and open-mindedness flourished by always assuming she had much more to learn. I especially recommend this perspective to you in the coming weeks.

AQUARIUS:

Jan. 20 – Feb. 18

OPEN 3PM-2AM EVERYDAY

In 1819, Gemini entrepreneur Francois-Louis Cailler became the first chocolatier to manufacture chocolate bars. His innovation didn’t save any lives, cure any disease, or fix any injustice. But it was a wonderful addition to humanity’s supply of delights. It enhanced our collective joy and pleasure. In the coming months, dear Gemini, I invite you to seek a comparable addition to your own personal world. What novel blessing might you generate or discover? What splendid resource can you add to your repertoire?

CANCER: June 21 – July 22

Ayurnamat is a word used by the Inuit people. It refers to when you long for the relaxed tranquility that comes from not worrying about what can’t be changed. You wish you could accept or even welcome the truth about provocative situations with equanimity. Now here’s some very good news, Cancerian. In the coming weeks, you will not just yearn for this state of calm, but will also have a heightened ability to achieve it. Congratulations! It’s a liberating, saint-like accomplishment.

LEO: July 23 – August 22

Healing will be more available to you than usual. You’re extra likely to attract the help and insight you need to revive and restore your mind, soul, and body. To get started, identify two wounds or discomforts you would love to alleviate. Then consider the following actions: 1. Ruminate about what helpers and professionals might be best able to assist you. Make appointments with them. 2. Perform a ritual in which you seek blessings from your liveliest spirit guides and sympathetic ancestors. 3. Make a list of three actions you will take to make yourself feel better. 4. Treat this process not a somber struggle, but as a celebration of your mounting vitality.

In 2010, Edurne Pasaban became the first woman to climb the world’s tallest 14 mountains, reaching the top of Shishapangma in China. In 2018, Taylor Demonbreun arrived in Toronto, Canada, completing a quest in which she visited every sovereign nation on the planet in 18 months. In 1924, explorer Alexandra David-Néel pulled off the seemingly impossible feat of visiting Lhasa, Tibet, when that place was still forbidden to foreigners. Be inspired by these heroes as you ruminate about what frontier adventures you will dare to enjoy during the next six months. Design a plan to get all the educational and experimental fun you need.

SCORPIO: Oct. 23 – Nov. 21:

Alnwick Garden is an unusual network of formal gardens in northeast England. Among its many entertaining features is the Poison Garden, which hosts 100 species of toxic and harmful plants like hemlock, strychnine, and deadly nightshade. It’s the most popular feature by far. Visitors enjoy finding out and investigating what’s not good for them. In accordance with astrological omens, Scorpio, I invite you to use this as an inspirational metaphor as you take inventory of influences that are not good for you. Every now and then, it’s healthy to acknowledge what you don’t need and shouldn’t engage with.

SAGITTARIUS: Nov. 22 – Dec. 21

Sagittarian Tom Rath is an inspirational author who at age 49 has managed to stay alive even though he has wrangled with a rare disease since he was 16. He writes, “This is what I believe we should all aim for: to make contributions to others’ lives that will grow infinitely in our absence. A great commonality we all share is that we only have today to invest in what could outlive us.” That’s always good advice for everyone, but it’s especially rich counsel for you Sagittarians in the

The Salem Witch Trials took place in Massachusetts from 1692 to 1693. They were ignorant, superstitious prosecutions of people accused of practicing witchcraft. The modern holiday known as Freethought Day happens every October 12, the anniversary of the last witch trial. The purpose of this jubilee is to encourage us to treasure objective facts, to love using logic and reason, and to honor the value of critical thinking. It’s only observed in America now, but I propose we make it a global festival. You Aquarians are my choice to host this year’s revelries in celebration of Freethought Day. You are at the peak of your ability to generate clear, astute, liberating thoughts. Show us what it looks like to be a lucid, unbiased observer of reality.

PISCES: Feb.19 – March 20

A YouTube presenter named Andy George decided to make a chicken sandwich. But he didn›t buy the ingredients in a store. He wanted to make the sandwich from scratch. Over the next six months, he grew wheat, ground it into flour, and used it to bake bread. He milked a cow to make cheese and butter. He got sea salt from ocean water and grew a garden of lettuce, cucumber, tomato, and dill for toppings. Finally, he went to a farm, bought a chicken, and did all that was necessary to turn the live bird into meat for the sandwich. In describing his process, I’m not suggesting you do something similar. Rather, I’m encouraging you to be thorough as you solidify your foundations in the coming months. Gather resources you will need for long-term projects. Be a connoisseur of the raw materials that will assure future success in whatever way you define success.

Homework: What have you denied yourself even though it would be good for you? Write a note giving yourself permission.

SERVICES

MASSAGE RELAXING NURU MASSAGE

for the quarantine must not be sick. Must be clean and wear mask. Outcalls only incalls are at your cost Hey I’m here to help. This is Candy melt in your mouth so try my massages they’re sweet as can be!!! (734) 596-1376

CABLE

CABLE PRICE INCREASE AGAIN?

Switch To DIRECTV & Save + get a $100 visa gift card! Get More Channels For Less Money.Restrictions apply. Call Now! 877-693-0625

CABLE

DISH TV $64.99

For 190 Channels + $14.95

High Speed Internet. Free Installation, Smart HD DVR Included, Free Voice Remote. Some restrictions apply. Promo Expires 1/21/24. Call 1-866-566-1815

SERVICES

WINDOWS

BEAUTIFY YOUR HOME with energy efficient new windows! They will increase your home’s value & decrease your energy bills. Replace all or a few! Call now to get your free, no-obligation quote. 844-335-2217.

HOME IMPROVEMENT

BATH & SHOWER UPDATES

in as little as ONE DAY! Affordable prices - No payments for 18 months! Lifetime warranty & professional installs. Senior & Military Discounts available. Call 1-866-370-2939

AUTOMOTIVE CASH FOR CARS

We buy all cars! Junk, high-end, totaled – it doesn’t matter! Get free towing and same day cash! NEWER MODELS too! 1-866-535-9689

SERVICES

MASSAGE

SOOTHING MASSAGE COUPLES / SINGLES

Handsome, white male, 45, fit, short salt n pepper beard and mustache. I travel to your house, hotel or office. $80 hourly cash. My word of mouth is amazing. Call Jake - 248-571-2826.

ADULT

ADULT ENTERTAINMENT HIRING SEXY WOMEN!!!

Hiring sexy women (& men). Highly Paid Magazine, Web, and Movie/TV work. no experience needed, all sizes accepted. 313-289-2008.

ADULT ENTERTAINMENT

CHEAP PHONE SEX

407-536-7007

99 cents per minute PhoneSexLady.com