Metro Times 04/12/2023

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NEWS & VIEWS

Lasecki, Facebook

We received responses to our reporting that Mojo in the Morning co-host Spike left the show after 23 years.

I kept waiting to hear this was a really bad and late April fools joke. I’m really, really bummed it’s not looking that way. I’ve been listening and loving the show since I was in college. Such a shame. —Darby

Nicole, Facebook

So, so, soooo sad to hear! I loved the Spike and Mojo morning show for so many years. Spike will land with both feet firm, his sense of funny and creativeness will carry him on to great things! Spike, we are waiting- onward and upward!! —Nichole

Sorry I can’t comment but I appreciate the article that was published and I’ve always loved your writings. —Spike, email

Corrections: In last week’s issue, the article “Detroit stops Grosse Pointe Park foundation from demolishing building” should have said “last week” instead of “this week,” as Detroit posted the stop work notice on March 28. And the article “Randall Robinson, an ardent advocate of human rights, dies at 81” should have specified “last Saturday” instead of “Saturday,” as Robinson died March 24. We regret the errors.

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

NEWS & VIEWS

Ex-House Speaker, 3 others charged in cannabis bribery scandal

FORMER MICHIGAN

HOUSE Speaker Rick Johnson and three others were charged Thursday in connection with a bribery scandal involving the state’s medical marijuana industry.

Johnson, a 70-year-old Republican from Leroy, was charged alongside registered lobbyists Vincent Brown and Brian Pierce, and cannabis business owner John Dawood Dalaly.

The former lawmaker, who served as speaker of the House from 2001 to 2004, is charged with accepting more than $100,000 in cash bribes and other benefits in exchange for helping people get licenses to open cannabis businesses.

Between May 2017 and April 2019, Johnson was chairman of the Medical Marihuana Licensing Board, which was tasked with regulating and overseeing the industry, as well as providing licenses to cannabis businesses.

Federal prosecutors allege Johnson exploited his position to provide licenses after he received bribes from businesses or their lobbyists.

Johnson is “the heart of this corrupt scheme,” U.S. Attorney Mark Totten said at a news conference.

Bailiffs violently clash with housing activists in Detroit

WAYNE COUNTY BAI-

LIFFS and their movers violently removed housing activists who had locked arms to form a human wall last Tuesday to defend a Black woman from being evicted from her home in Detroit.

The men punched activists in the face, pulled them to the ground by their hair, and kicked them during several clashes that were occasionally broken up by police. One of the men, who was a mover for the bailiffs, pulled out a knife and threatened a protester.

The bailiffs and movers arrived shortly after 9 a.m. to evict Taura Brown, who has stage-five kidney disease and lost a two-year legal battle to stay in her home that is part of a community of unique tiny houses in the Dexter-Linwood neighborhood.

Cass Community Social Services (CCSS), a nonprofit that designed the homes for lower-income Detroiters, received a court order to evict Brown,

even though she had paid her rent on time.

Brown and her supporters say she was evicted in retaliation for blowing the whistle on problems at CCSS. She accused the nonprofit and its director, Rev. Faith Fowler, of fraud and micromanaging residents. She also alleged CCSS never intended to provide permanent homes for tenants.

When the bailiffs arrived, activists gathered at the front and back doors of Brown’s house to prevent her eviction.

“No slumlords, no cops, all evictions got to stop,” protesters chanted.

Before bailiffs and nearly two dozen movers confronted protesters, one of them announced, “Either you leave now or someone’s going to need to call EMS.”

During a handful of the confrontations, police intervened and ordered the bailiffs and movers to back off and “act professionally” after some of them were seen throwing punches and

shoving women and an elderly man to the ground.

But eventually police backed off, and the bailiffs and movers pushed through the human wall and kicked in the back door of Brown’s house to remove her several hours after they had arrived.

Movers then bagged up Brown’s belongings and carelessly tossed them from the porch to the lawn, breaking some of her possessions.

When Brown moved into her house in early 2020, CCSS promised that tenants who pay rent for seven years will receive the deed to their home, mortgage-free. The goal was to break the cycle of poverty and create a path to homeownership.

Marcy Hayes, a spokeswoman for CCSS, was outside the house and declined to comment. When an activist asked her about the violent confrontations, Hayes responded, “She should have moved.”

—Steve Neavling

“These bribes were meant to secure favorable actions from the board and the chair,” Totten said.

Brown and Pierce facilitated $42,000 in bribes to Johnson “to obtain clients by promoting the access to Johnson and to influence Johnson to get licenses,” Totten alleged.

Dalaly is accused of giving Johnson at least $68,000 in cash and other benefits, including flights on his private plane, in exchange for a license to operate a medical cannabis dispensary, which federal authorities have not yet named.

The four men plan to plead guilty in the next week or two and have agreed to “fully cooperate,” Totten said.

Totten emphasized that the investigation is ongoing.

If convicted, the four men face up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

James Tarasca, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Detroit Field Office, said the investigation underscores the bureau’s commitment to snuffing out corruption.

“Public corruption is a top criminal priority for the FBI,” Tarasca said. “Public corruption erodes public confidence and undermines the strengths of our democracy. Rooting out corruption is exceptionally difficult but it is the mission for which the FBI is uniquely quality.”

—Steve Neavling

STEVE NEAVLING

Kid Rock, ex-state Rep. join anti-trans moral panic

KID ROCK SHOT up cases of Bud Light in a viral video as an apparent response to the beer’s parent company Anheuser-Busch teaming up with a transgender influencer and activist for a promotional campaign.

While Kid Rock didn’t mention the reason for his violent tantrum, Bud Light’s partnership with Dylan Mulvaney has caused uproar among conservatives.

“Grandpa’s feeling a little frisky today,” Kid Rock says in the video posted last Monday, adding, “Let me say something to all of you and be as clear and concise as possible.”

He then picks up a semi-automatic rifle and fires at cases of Bud Light set up on a nearby table.

“Fuck Bud Light, and fuck AnheuserBusch,” he adds while flipping the bird and wearing a Donald Trump “MAGA” hat.

Anheuser-Busch defended its partnership with Mulvaney. “Anheuser-Busch works with hundreds of influencers across our brands as one of many ways to authentically connect with audiences across various demographics and passion points,” the company told Fox News last week.

On social media, Kid Rock’s video was met with support but also derision from people pointing out that his apparent call for a boycott failed because he had to buy the cases of beer to shoot them. Others noted that despite using a magazine Kid Rock seems to be a lousy shot, as some cases of beer appeared to be unscathed.

The transphobia isn’t limited to conservatives. Former state Rep. Cynthia

A. Johnson, a Democrat from Detroit, launched into a transphobic rant on social media on Thursday, drawing criticism from her followers.

Johnson, who unsuccessfully ran for chair of the Michigan Democratic Party this year, called it “bullshit” for people to use pronouns that don’t match the sex they were assigned at birth.

“God made female and male,” Johnson wrote on Facebook on Thursday. “All that extra stuff that they’re adding on, do you that’s okay but don’t lie to us about who you are. If you were born male but you don’t feel that body is the one that you want to be in, it doesn’t make you a female it just makes you want to be in a different body.”

She added, “I don’t have to go along with that bullshit and I’m not.”

Johnson also shared a gif of Angela from the TV show The Office saying, “If you pray hard enough, you can turn yourself into a cat person.”

In another Facebook post on Thursday, Johnson suggested there was a sinister agenda behind trans education.

“What is the ‘real agenda’ in force feeding the entire world with confusion about sexuality and gender,” Johnson wrote. “I’m very confused.”

Johnson drew strong criticism for her comments.

“God created LGBTQ. All of them,” Howard Wetters responded. “If you had a clue about the basis of gender differentiation in the womb, you wouldn’t make such uninformed statements.”

Another Facebook user, Leaha Skylar Dotson, called Johnson’s rant “straight

up anti-Trans rhetoric.”

“This status is absolute BS and shows you’re totally okay erasing our Trans community,” she said. “I think this may have ended my ability to work with you further if you truly hold this perspective because I don’t bring hate of any kind into my circle.”

Johnson served two terms in the state House from January 2019 to January 2023.

In December 2020, Republican leaders in the House stripped Johnson of her committee assignments after she issued a “warning” to “you Trumpers” in a Facebook post.

The moral panic over transgender people has resulted in a record number of anti-trans bills introduced across

Gov. Whitmer repeals 1931 abortion ban

LAST YEAR, MICHIGANDERS voted to protect abortion rights and reproductive healthcare in a close race.

Last Wednesday, Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed legislation that officially repeals Michigan’s controversial 1931 abortion ban.

“In November, Michiganders sent a clear message: we deserve to make our own decisions about [our] own bodies,” said Governor Whitmer. “Today, we are coming together to repeal the extreme 1931 law banning abortion without exceptions for rape or incest and criminalizing nurses and doctors for doing their jobs. Standing up for people’s fundamental freedoms is the right thing to do and it’s also just good economics. By getting this done, we will help attract talent and business investment too. I will continue to use

every tool in my toolbox to support, protect, and affirm reproductive freedom for every Michigander, and I’ll work with anyone to make Michigan a welcoming beacon of opportunity where anyone can envision a future.”

At the signing, the governor was joined by representatives from EMILY’s LIST, Planned Parenthood, the Committee to Protect Health Care, NARAL, and other bill sponsors.

Dr. Omari Young, a member of the Committee to Protect Health Care and an obstetrician and gynecologist based in Flint, released a statement commending Gov. Whitmer.

“Last year, Michigan doctors and voters alike made it clear that we don’t want politicians interfering in women’s personal health care decisions, and Governor Whitmer and the Michigan Legislature listened,” the

statement reads. “We commend Gov. Whitmer and lawmakers for moving quickly this year to strike this archaic, dangerous ban from the books to add another layer of protection for my patients and women across the state. Governor Whitmer has been a champion for women’s health and reproductive freedom, and doctors are grateful for her decisive leadership.”

Michigan joins Montana, Alaska, Nevada, Colorado, Kansas, South Carolina, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Maine as the state moves to protect abortion and reproductive healthcare post-Dobbs v. Jackson

“With the repeal of Michigan’s 1931 criminal abortion ban, Michigan continues to lead the way in the fight to restore our fundamental right to access abortion,” said Nicole Wells Stallworth, executive director of Planned

state legislatures, including bills that force people to use the bathrooms that correspond to their birth certificates and a federal bill that would codify narrow biological definitions of “man” and “woman,” VICE reports.

Transgender people are more than four times more likely than cisgender people to experience violent victimization, including rape, sexual assault, and aggravated or simple assault, according to a 2021 study by the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law. The anti-trans rhetoric seems to have only intensified after reports that 28-year-old Audrey Hale, the shooter of the deadly attack last month at Nashville’s Covenant School, identified as transgender.

—Lee DeVito and Steve Neavling

Parenthood Advocates of Michigan.

“We are grateful to Governor Whitmer and reproductive health champions in the legislature who have worked to remove this dangerous and unconstitutional abortion ban from Michigan’s law books. Abortion providers will no longer have to fear they will be criminally prosecuted for delivering the essential, life-saving health care their patients need and deserve.”

Michigan was one of 26 states whose dated abortion law went back into effect after the United States Supreme Court overturned the 1973 landmark Roe v. Wade decision last June. In September, a Michigan judge ruled that the 1931 ban was unconstitutional, after previously issuing an injunction on the ban earlier that year.

—Alex Washington

@KIDROCK, TWITTER

Body found near Cedar Point in 1980 identified

THANKS TO FUNDING for new DNA testing for cold cases, police say they have finally identified the body of a woman found on the beach near Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio on March 30, 1980 — precisely 43 years to the day of the discovery.

According to officials, the woman was Patricia Eleanor Greenwood, who was born in 1948 in Bay City and lived in Traverse City and Saginaw.

When police first found the partially decomposed body, they determined that it was a young woman estimated to be about 5’5” tall and 120 lbs. She was wearing a size 12 “disco style” dress but had no other identifying features.

She would have been in her early 30s at the time of death, and may have been a sex worker.

The mystery took a turn in 2021, when Porchlight Project, a nonprofit dedicated to funding new DNA testing and genetic genealogy for cold cases in Ohio, offered to cover the costs to identify the body. Sandusky Police Detective Eric Costante sent a tissue sample to the forensics lab Bode Technology in Lorton, Virginia, which was able to extract DNA from the sample. The DNA was then crossreferenced with public databases and other evidence to generate a strong lead that pointed to a Michigan family.

“This case, and similar cases, high-

light the successful outcomes that can happen when advanced technology combined with the expertise and tools available to Genetic Genealogy are applied to cold forensic cases,” Teresa Vreeland of Bode Technology said in a statement.

The lead generated from the DNA test led to a family of twelve children from the same family who were given up for adoption in Michigan. An interview with one of Greenwood’s surviving brothers revealed that he had not heard from his sister since around the time the body was found in Sandusky, and a surviving sister suggested that Patricia may have been a sex worker.

Police are investigating Greenwood’s death as a possible homicide and looking for anyone who might remember her and who she was with around the time of her disappearance.

“Being able to give Patricia Greenwood her name back is the first step in finding the justice that she so deserves,” Porchlight Project board member Nic Edwards said in a statement, adding, “Now it is time for the public to come together and provide information about Patricia Greenwood to the detectives. Patricia needs your help.”

Sandusky Police are asking anyone who knew Patricia Greenwood to call 419-627-5980.

—Lee DeVito

State Senate bill would improve transparency, accountability for utility companies

A REPUBLICAN STATE

senator plans to introduce legislation intended to increase transparency and accountability for Michigan’s major utility companies.

The bill by Sen. Jim Runestad, of White Lake, would change how members of the powerful Michigan Public Service Commission are chosen and establish lobbying requirements for utility providers.

The governor currently appoints members to the commission, which oversees utility companies and has the authority to approve rate hikes. The three members are appointed to six-year terms.

Under the bill, which Runestad plans to introduce when the Senate returns from its spring break, voters would elect members to the commission.

“Michigan continues to rate very poorly when it comes to government transparency, and I will continue to push legislation that will shine light into the darkest corners of our bureaucracy,” Runestad said in a statement Thursday. “This legislation will directly address how the government protects certain utility companies that essentially enjoy a monopoly here in Michigan. It is long past time that we should be able to expect the maximum level of transparency from any government-protected entities. The residents who pay the bills to fund these colossal energy companies deserve better.”

The bill comes after massive power outages from recent storms. About 700,000 customers of DTE Energy and Consumers Energy lost

power following ice and freezing rain storms in February and March.

DTE Energy is also one of the largest contributors to lawmakers’ campaigns. The company and its executives and lobbyists have donated to the campaigns of nearly every state lawmaker in Michigan. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer also received $235,900 from DTE Energy and its executives and lobbyists, dating back to when she was a state lawmaker. In a July fundraising blitz, Whitmer received nearly $40,000 from DTE executives.

In November, the Michigan Public Service Commission approved a $30.5 million electric rate increase for DTE Electric, which is owned by DTE Energy. The increase was less than 10% of the utility’s request.

During a state House committee

hearing in March, lawmakers grilled executives for the two utilities over the outages, accusing the companies of choosing profits over people.

Since the companies impact so many residents, Runestad said they should also be required to disclose information about their lobbying efforts.

“These are commonsense measures that I would expect the average Michigander to probably already assume are state requirements, unfortunately that is not the case,” Runestad said. “It is time to give the people of Michigan more oversight when it comes to our utility providers and to shine more light on this powerful and influential interest group.”

—Steve Neavling

COURTESY PHOTO

ARPA funds saved 4,200 occupied Detroit homes from being foreclosed

MORE THAN 4,200 homes in Detroit that were at risk of being foreclosed for delinquent property taxes won’t be seized because of an unprecedented partnership between activists and government officials.

The Michigan Homeowner Assistance Fund (MIHAF), a new federally funded state program, provided more than $12 million to Detroit homeowners who were behind on their property taxes.

As a result, only 97 owner-occupied homes in Detroit are at risk of tax foreclosure this year, according to Wayne County Treasurer Eric Sabree.

By comparison, tens of thousands of homes — or one of every four houses — were tax-foreclosed in Detroit between 2011 and 2015.

Sabree said saving thousands of homes from foreclosure would not have been possible without the help of volunteers who knocked on doors, made

thousands of phone calls, and sent out mailers notifying homeowners of MIHAF.

The Wayne Metro Community Action Agency and the Coalition for Property Tax Justice led the effort and are working to save the remaining 97 homes from foreclosure.

“These outreach efforts are making a huge, huge difference,” Louis Piszker, CEO of the Wayne Metro Community Action Agency, said at a news conference Thursday. “We’re currently processing more than 2,000 applications from Detroit residents.”

MIHAF was launched last year with $242 million from the American Rescue Protection Act (ARPA). The program expires in 2026, but officials suspect the money will run out by then.

“The funding allocations won’t last that long,” Sabree said. “That’s why where’re urging everyone who is eli-

gible to apply.”

To be eligible, homeowners must have experienced a COVID-19 hardship, such as earning less money or paying more for expenses, and earned less than 150% of the poverty level. For a family of four, that equates to a household income of $50,000 or less.

Activists and elected officials also successfully lobbied the state to allow homeowners who owe taxes from 2019 or earlier to be eligible. About 6,000 Detroiters have delinquent property taxes dating back to 2019 or earlier, Piszker said.

Activists said the funds are critical because many Detroiters with delinquent property taxes were illegally overassessed. The Michigan Constitution prohibits property from being assessed at more than 50% of its market value.

Between 2010 and 2016, the city as -

The Megabus now goes to Toronto

FOR THE FIRST time, the Megabus bus service is now selling tickets for rides connecting Detroit and Toronto.

The new service includes two trips daily between the two cities with a number of stops in Ontario in Windsor, Chatham, London, and Paris.

The expanded service is made possible through a partnership with Trailways of New York.

“We are pleased to be able to leverage our partnership with Trailways of New York to expand our service,” said Colin Emberson, VP commercial for Megabus, in a statement. “Offering cross-border service between Detroit and Toronto is a new and exciting opportunity for Megabus that will allow

for several new travel options for our customers this spring.”

Tickets are available at us.megabus.com with fares as low as $1.

Since the travel is international, passengers need to bring a valid passport to cross the border.

The European company made its debut in North America in 2006 in a number of cities including a DetroitChicago route. It canceled its service in Detroit in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but returned earlier this year with expanded service.

The expanded service, made possible through a partnership with Kentucky-based Miller Transportation, also allows trips to a number of other

Danny Brown thanks fans and supporters during rehab stint

LAST MONTH, DANNY

Brown announced that he was checking himself into rehab for alcohol addiction. And last Tuesday, the Detroit-bred rapper checked in with fans and on Twitter thanking them for their support during this time.

“Thank to everyone showing love for me during this time don’t worry imma be back stronger than ever … everything’s going great keep them prayers up for ya boy!!!!” he wrote.

The rapper announced his inten-

tion to go to rehab during his set on the Dr. Martens showcase at the 2023 South by Southwest (SXSW) festival.

According to VIBE magazine, Brown told festival goers that things were dark for him, and his drinking and smoking habits were getting stale.

“At the end of the day, I’m 42 years old, sitting around smoking blunts all day, and getting drunk is getting old. Y’all have y’all fun but shit could get dark,” Brown said. “I’m going to get help. Honestly, my dumbass sup -

cities in Michigan, including Albion, Ann Arbor, Battle Creek, Grand Rapids, Jackson, Kalamazoo, and Ypsilanti. It also offers trips to cities in other states like Indianapolis, Louisville, Memphis, and Nashville.

The company touts its doubledecker buses as a greener alternative for travel, and says they emit the least carbon dioxide per mile when compared to other vehicles and are seven times more energy and fuel-efficient than single-occupancy automobiles.

The Detroit Megabus stop is located at the Adirondack / Miller Bus Stop at the Detroit Bus Station at 1001 Howard St.

—Lee DeVito

sessed properties at as much as 85% of their market value. The inflated property tax assessments resulted in an estimated 100,000 Detroiters, most of them Black, losing their homes to foreclosure.

U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib said the overassessments are a significant reason why Detroiters are losing their homes and fleeing the state.

“Michigan led the nation in the loss of Black ownership,” Tlaib, D-Detroit, said. “This is something we have to look into more.”

Activists said they need to spread the word about MIHAF.

“So many Detroiters are dealing with delinquent property taxes but don’t know about the services,” Bernadette Atuahene, a member of the Coalition for Property Tax Justice, said. “It’s up to us to tell each other about these services. We have to get the word out.”

For help applying for MIHAF, homeowners are encouraged to call 313-244-0274.

—Steve Neavling

Macomb County man whacks clerk with frozen fish

WARREN POLICE REELED in a suspect accused of whacking a grocery store employee across the head with a four-pound frozen fish.

MD Jobul Hussain, of Warren, was charged last Monday with one count of aggravated assault.

Macomb County prosecutors say Hussain was angry that a clerk at Desi Fruit Market on Nine Mile Road wouldn’t sell him a fish at about 7:13 p.m. on Sunday.

The clerk told Hussain that the fish counter closed at 7 p.m. because of the Ramadan holiday.

posed to been gone, but I’m broke so I gotta do shows to take my ass in, so shoutout to Dr. Martens. Ima go do my lil time, but I will say this, I made so many songs about doing drugs … sometimes I feel bad about that shit … if I fucked your life up, I’m sorry.”

On March 28, the rapper wrote on Twitter saying he was checking himself into rehab the following day, and also tweeted that alcohol made him “hurt the people that care the most.”

Danny Brown recently released Scaring the Hoes, a joint project with JPEGMAFIA that has landed at the #84 spot on the Billboard 200 chart.

—Alex Washington

Hussain is then accused of picking up a frozen hilsa fish — a kind of herring — and striking the clerk across the head.

The clerk was taken to the hospital.

“I never thought I’d have to say this, but if you assault someone with a fish in our county you will be prosecuted,” Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido said in a statement Wednesday. “A frozen fish is dangerous if you use it to hit someone on the head.”

Hussain was arraigned in Warren District Court and given a $5,000 personal bond.

Hussain faces up to one year in prison. The next court hearing has not yet been scheduled.

—Steve Neavling

Lapointe

Sign of the times in Mount Clemens

On the gritty western edge of Mount Clemens there sits a squat, gleaming, fortified building called JARS Cannabis, a branch of a marijuana dispensary chain. Coincidentally, the site once boasted a florist and the smokable form of the weed is often marketed as “flower.”

JARS is one of the busiest retail venues on this patch of Groesbeck north of Cass. Nearby are several vacant storefronts, a few fast-food places, a shuttered bar, a Dollar Tree store, a plasma center, and an abandoned Burger King.

You sense JARS is a cash-only business by the security guard at the front door and, in the corner of the parking lot, an unmarked, four-door, gray sedan with a flashing, orange light on top.

Parking at JARS caused serious debate last year shortly before it expanded from only medical cannabis to include adultuse products. The resolution juxtaposes what sort of business is waxing in this permissive era and what kind is on the wane.

Furthermore, speaking of marijuana, the current bribery scandal at the state capital illustrates how changing a drug’s status from illegal to legal does not necessarily keep out the greedy creeps who turn politics into such a buzz-killer.

Because the empty lot across the alley behind the JARS store is technically outside Mount Clemens, the abutting

By Joe Lapointe

municipality of Clinton Township refused to allow JARS to extend its paved parking lot to that scrub land. Clinton Township voted against marijuana businesses in 2020.

Thus defeated, JARS instead bought the abandoned Big Boy restaurant next door and tore it down last week for more parking. But for metro Detroiters of a certain era, the demolition of yet another Big Boy is, well, jarring.

This restaurant brand once thrived in this area. Every neighborhood seemed to have one. That’s where you went on a movie date or following a basketball game or maybe after church.

Back in Big Boy’s salad days — the 1970s, perhaps — marijuana, conversely, was illegal, part of an underground economy that might land its participating merchants in prison.

But the odor of illegality still clouds pot politics in new ways. Witness last week’s felony plea agreement by Rick Johnson, a Republican and former speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives, and three of his cronies.

Johnson, a farmer from LeRoy and a well-connected lobbyist, pleaded guilty to taking bribes of more than $100,000 to help applicants for medical marijuana licenses while Johnson chaired the Medical Marijuana Licensing Board from May 2017 through April 2019.

His chosen winners got the edge when

recreational cannabis was legalized by a statewide vote in 2018. There must be something intoxicating and addictive about the Speaker’s power that hooks these Michigan Republicans on corruption.

Consider one of Johnson’s successors, Lee Chatfield of Levering. He is under investigation for “running a criminal enterprise” involving dirty money, sex, and prescription drugs.

Had Chatfield and Johnson invested their energy, money, and farmland in legal marijuana, they might have enjoyed a gold rush in a growth industry that creates legitimate jobs and generates serious tax revenue in the Great Lakes State.

According to numbers released last week, Michigan sold $1.8 billion of cannabis in 2022. This created $198.4 million in available tax revenues, including $59.5 million to Michigan municipalities, $69.4 million to schools, and $69.4 million to transportation.

JARS operates 25 storefronts in Michigan, Colorado, and Arizona. It recently added recreational marijuana to another branch, on Detroit’s East Side.

Like the shop in Mount Clemens, it originally opened as a medical outlet. Although both may thrive, a cannabis business somehow lacks the ambience of an unofficial community center, as Big Boy used to be in many neighborhoods.

The Macomb Daily last week wrote that the Big Boy on Groesbeck in its prime served as a gathering spot for the business crowd and its working breakfasts; and for families dining together after school or work. Plus, political people hung out there to hash out the Mount Clemens City Commission.

For me, Big Boy restaurants are even more personal. The night I met my wife — more than a half-century ago — we ended up, with a group of mutual friends, at the Big Boy on East Jefferson near Belle Isle. (It’s gone now, too; the marriage continues.)

Although I had a restaurant job I never worked at a Big Boy, but five of my siblings did in various locations in various roles. One of my brothers bussed tables there and later became a cook. He dated one of the women who used to wait tables.

For their 35th wedding anniversary recently, he fixed her a Slim Jim (which, for those who might not know, is a grilled ham sandwich with Swiss). This is not to be confused with the Swiss Miss or the Brawny Lad.

So, next time marijuana gives you the munchies, at least consider the place with the Big Boy statue, that hard, plastic fat kid with the pompadour, wearing red-and-white checkered overalls and proudly hoisting aloft a two-level cheeseburger.

I actually knew people who, for a prank, once decapitated one of those bad boys and hid his huge head in a nearby apartment. But I’ll never squeal, copper. Besides, the statute of limitations has expired on that statue and the dudes who did that deed must’ve been really high.

As a pot lot grows, another Big Boy bites the dust.

JOE LAPOINTE

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Software Engineer - Vehicle Motion Embedded Controls (VMEC), Milford, MI, General Motors. Gather, analyze &prepare architecture &SW technical reqmts using IBM Rational Rhapsody &MDK tools, &formulate new embedded SW reqmts. Engr, design, &dvlp embedded ECU VICM features incl. Arbitration Sys State, Coordinated Coolant Configuration, &Service Mfg, among others, in BEV, in C &C++ prgrmg languages, MATLAB, Simulink, Stateflow modeling tools, &Embedded Coder auto generator, following MISRA CERT C standards, compliant w/ AUTOSAR standards, & SW dvlpmt process. Prepare Sys Design Docs to capture functionality of specific ring &different SW features along w/ high level interfaces. Perform embedded ECU testing in vehicle &on test bench, using dSPACE HIL &ETAS INCA, among other tools, &neoVI FIRE2 &Lauterbach HW, to verify functionality at Function, Controller &Sys levels prior to production release. Master, Electrical, Mechanical, Automotive Engrg, or related. 12 mos exp as Engineer, Project or Team Leader, or related, performing embedded ECU testing in vehicle, tractor, or machine &on test bench, using dSPACE HIL tools to verify functionality at Function, Controller &Sys levels prior to production release, or related. Mail resume to Ref#3884048103H, GM Global Mobility, 300 Renaissance Center, MC:482-C32-C66, Detroit, MI 48265.

EMPLOYMENT

GM HYDROTEC Fuel Cell Design Integration Lead Engineer, Pontiac, MI, General Motors. Define psgr vehicle advanced propulsion hydrogen fuel cell Bill of Material (BOM). Update BOM using Teamcenter Vismockup & ECM tools, & integrate fuel cell sys incl. power cube, fuel cell stack, motorized turbo compressors w/ electric motors, non-repeating HW (stack cases & anode cathode covers), temperature sensors, quick connectors, & 3-way valves. Package Fuel Cell sys in relation to location of hydrogen storage sys. Review Bills of Operation & installation drawings, integrate & release GEN3 Fuel Cell sys, fuel cell power cube assemblies, & carryover dress parts incl. brackets. Define & maintain master BOMs. Assure all prototype, production build, supplier & part mfg issues are resolved. Resolve conflicts & assure drawing release timing. Ensure all product designs are addressed to meet key prgrm milestones & timing. Resolve design & packaging issues across integration teams. Use Red X & Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) to resolve design, packaging, & integration issues. Master, Mechanical, Automotive, Electrical Engrg, or related. 12 mos exp as Engr, assuring prototype, production build, supplier & part mfg issues are resolved, ensuring product designs are addressed to meet prgrm milestones, & using Red X or DFSS to resolve design, packaging, & integration issues, or related. Mail resume to Ref#38429, GM Global Mobility, 300 Renaissance Center, MC:482-C32-C66, Detroit, MI 48265.

IT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN... PATIO BAR IS OPEN. BOOK YOUR PARTIES & EVENTS AT THEOLDMIAMIBAREVENTS@ GMAIL.COM

Fri 04/14

DJ SKEEZ & DJ BET

Doors@9pm/$5 Cover FIREBALL FRIDAY’S!

$5 FIREBALL SHOTS ALL DAY!

Happy Birthday, VALID!

Sat 04/15

PATIO BAR OPEN 1-8PM

QUASI KINGS: ONE WAY SPRING TOUR +WSG LEAVING LIFTED

Doors@9pm/$5 Cover Happy Birthday, RADAR!

Mon 04/17

FREE POOL ALL DAY Happy Birthday, TABIEN & HAKAM!

Tues 04/18

B.Y.O.R. BRING YOUR OWN RECORDS (WEEKLY)

Open Decks @9pm/NO COVER IG: @byor_tuesdays_old_miami

Happy Birthday, KIERA!

Wed 04/19

danny overstreet day!

Happy Birthday To a vietnam veteran and our beloved owner of the old miami

Coming Up:

4/21 NICOLE BOGGS & THE REEL (NASHVILLE)

4/22 ROSE OUT OF CONCRETE EXPERIENCE WITH DANGO FORLAIN & THE ROSES + RONNIE ALPHA/RAHS GODS/ZU/NOLAJ

4/28 GRAND SNAKE/HUMAN SKULL/ MIDDLE OUT

4/29 BRENDA/TOEHEADS/FEN FEN CLUB/ BROOD X (CLEVELAND)

5/06 official miami patio opening w/ the blues feat. howard glazier & friends

JELLO SHOTS always $1

Old Miami tees & hoodies available for purchase!

FEATURE

Girl with the ‘D’ Earring

Sydney G. James beams with Detroit pride in MOCAD solo show, but her greatest masterpiece isn’t a painting

By Randiah Camille Green

text, Sydney G. James is already stepping off the porch of her Eastside Detroit home and approaching my car.

“We’re going to the church. You’ll see why when we get there,” the 5-foot-4 artist with freckles like constellations says, tossing the empty bottles riding shotgun to the back seat.

Around the corner at Conant Avenue United Methodist Church, her mother and childhood friend are busy at work. They hunch over 15-by-8-foot tapestries that James painted for her upcoming solo show, tidying the edges and lining them with a gold trim fit for a queen’s gown.

James’s show Sydney G. James: Girl Raised in Detroit is about to debut at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit’s spring-summer exhibitions on April 14. The show features nine new pieces with two installations and a mural. It’s the finishing stretch before the show opens and her crew is helping with the finishing touches.

James grew up here in Conant Gar-

dens, one of the first places in Detroit where Black people were allowed to buy and build their own homes. The 43-year-old painter went to this church as a kid but makes sure to tell me that she’s agnostic now. Her Detroit pride is rooted in this neighborhood, and she has no plans to move.

“I own my house and I live four blocks away from my mama,” she says. “My dad moved to Conant Gardens when he was 12 and helped my grandfather build their house in ’48 or ’49. My dad was a foreman for the city and we would drive all around and he’d have a story for every corner... Think about it, Detroit is the epitome of Blackness in its fullness. Why would I want to live

BeforeI can hit send on my “I’m here”

Sydney G. James takes a break from working on her painting "Serving Tee." LAMAR LANDERS

anywhere else?”

The mural-sized paintings inside the church are so tall, one has to be laid across several tables pushed together. I recognize one of the painted faces with glistening pierced lips and earlobes hanging low under the force of their ear weights. It’s the Detroit painter, and one of James’ many mentees, Bakpak Durden.

“That’s my baby,” James says gazing warmly over the painting. She’s known Durden through a family friend since Durden was 16. James is a decade older than Durden and their relationship feels like an older sister who props the door open for their sibling, letting them walk through on their own instead of holding their hand. James and Durden have collaborated on several projects, including a piece for James’s mural festival BLKOUT Walls.

The painting of Durden is part of a triptych called “Bereavement?” based on a 2019 piece James did for the Essence Festival in New Orleans depicting a woman removing a mask. This updated version also features James’s partner Lamar Landers.

Her original idea of unmasking the Black woman evolved into a new interpretation during her 2022 New York residency for the International Studio & Curatorial Program. James was working on the new version in a cramped New York studio when news of the mass shootings in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas, mass shootings broke. Away from her loved ones, she felt isolated as she was left to grieve alone.

“So I’m in this box grieving. I’m

pissed off and I’m thinking, I’m really expected to just go to the studio tomorrow like everything is normal?” she remembers. “So I got up in the morning, got every red paint marker I could find, and I just started drawing angry faces on the mask. I got some acrylic gel and started sculpting with it and that’s when I thought of ‘Bereavement?’ because what does it mean to bereave? A company will give you three days. Are you gonna get over your momma [dying] in three days?”

James then considered how the mask of perception looks different for every gender and non-gender. She was talking to her friend Durden a lot at the time and wondered what the young artist’s masks would be.

“After much contemplation, they said it would be a mirror because people address them how they see them, not how Bakpak sees themself,” James explains. In the piece, Durden is peeling a mirror from their face, which James sculpted with reflective material.

A separate series of four paintings on a rotating mechanism shows variations of James sitting on a stool in each panel. With locs piled atop her head in a messy bun, she looks at her phone with the word “OBSERVER” written on her hoodie. As the piece turns, her form is removed with just her hair appearing in the frame. In another panel, she’s been erased even further and only her “D” earring and sneakers remain.

This installation is called “Implicit Bias Training?”

“When we observe we’re observing via our experiences, our personal

mirrors,” James says. “And when we’re observed, especially by you-knowwho’s” — she means white people — “some can only describe this,” James adds, pointing to her hair. “Which is why sometimes the wrong person will get arrested. Sometimes they don’t see us at all. It’s a choice not to see humanity in people. Those are the ‘I don’t see color’ people. That means you don’t see humanity.”

James was told by MOCAD that Girl Raised in Detroit marks the first time a Black woman has exhibited in the museum’s largest space, the Woodward Gallery. Others like Judy Bowman, whose Gratiot Grio exhibit closed in March, have shown work at MOCAD, but only in the museum’s smaller rooms.

It’s hard to believe considering the number of profound Black women artists the city has birthed, from Gilda Snowden to Shirley Woodson. Even worse, this milestone in James’s barrier-breaking career wasn’t intentional — her vision for the show’s large-scale paintings and installations simply wouldn’t fit anywhere else in the museum.

Most, if not all of the pieces for the show, incorporate texture like the skirt James molded out of fabric on “Serving Tee.” This is another revamped piece, this time in tribute to Detroit artist and friend Scheherazade Washington Parrish. It’s a nod to the hashtag #servingtee, which Parrish uses to post selfies wearing T-shirts made by Black creators during Black History Month.

In James’s piece, a woman lounging with a cup of tea wears a skirt decorated

with cutouts of “fuck-shit that people have said” to her, as she puts it.

These include James’s sister saying, “You don’t have any kids. There’s no excuse for you to have that belly,” and an ex saying, “I just called to tell you that you was vain.”

“My high school sweetheart called me while I was in New York to tell me that I was vain because he thought I painted some ugly shit that I didn’t even paint… he thought that I painted myself,” she says, palpable irritation growing in her voice. “I was insulted twice. First of all, you thought I painted that ugly shit, and then that it was me?”

Her mother gently reminds her we’re in a church and she simmers down for a second.

There’s also a quote from the director of the ISCP residency on the skirt who remarked that “Serving Tee” could be a self-portrait even though James has locs and a caramel complexion — the opposite of the painting’s subject who is darker skinned with thick, wavy hair.

“The director of this prestigious program, this white woman, gon look at this painting and look dead at me, look back at the painting and say, ‘You know, if you add freckles to this, this would be a self-portrait,’” James says with a side-eye.

The story isn’t surprising for anyone who’s ever been mistaken for the other Black person at their job who looks nothing like them. Add it to the “mmmm hmmm” chapter of the existing-while-Black collection.

There’s also her personal favorite, “Sometimes I think about putting a

James has turned her basement into a studio where she painted most of the work for Girl Raised in Detroit

LAMAR LANDERS

baby in you to keep you still,” an insult to any woman but especially one as talented and hardworking as James.

But she’s used to the nonsense and doesn’t let it phase her. A short film about James by Detroit filmmaker Juanita Anderson, “Sydney G. James: How We See Us,” captures this in action as James and Durden are painting a mural of Wajeed, a hip-hop producer who James has known since she was a teenager.

One of her neighbors, an elderly man, approaches James inundating her with questions and unsolicited advice about using a ladder to help her reach the top of the mural.

“He would not leave me the hell alone,” she tells me about the exchange. “He ain’t used to seeing no shit like that. He’s probably used to seeing a white boy painting a mural. Maybe an Asian chick. Maybe a Hispanic young man. But a Black woman? This is foreign.”

We share a laugh over the absurdity of existing as a strong woman in a world that equates womanhood with softness and submission over simply being human.

“‘What you doin’ out here girl?’” she mimics men who harass her while she’s painting in public and we both cackle. “And I’m in charge? ‘Let me talk to your boss!’ Let me take off my artist hat and put on my manager hat. OK, you are speaking to the manager now.”

Back at her house, James’s basement doubles as a studio. Stacks of crates full of spray paint cans sit next to an unfinished piece hanging on the wall. Concept sketches for Girl Raised in Detroit are pinned on the other side.

Upstairs on the couch, James tells me she always thought mural painting was a “white boy’s game.” When she first participated in Murals in the Market in 2015, she was the only Black muralist and says she felt tokenized throughout her four years in the festival.

“I was also the only Black woman up until the fourth year when Sabrina [Nelson] painted too,” she says. “And they would repeat the Black artists that they had. I would tell them about other Black artists and they wouldn’t bring them in.”

She adds, “Why wouldn’t you want to match the demographic of the city? Honestly, it’s none of my business at this point. I can’t tell you how to run your program but what I can do is develop my own program, which I did.”

James created BLKOUT Walls in 2021 and featured mostly artists of color who took over the area around Detroit’s North End neighborhood with street art.

Just a year before, when James painted her iconic “Girl With the D Earring” mural on the side of the Chroma Building on E. Grand Boulevard, she

noticed a shift in the way Black artists were treated.

“We were getting hired more and you didn’t have to argue or fight for your money,” she says. “I also used to just get hired to do a job but now, all of a sudden, there had to be a whole PR thing attached to it, even if I was hired to paint something for a business internally.”

She says the shift was due, in part, to the horrific 2020 murder of George Floyd.

“I don’t know why it took the public murder of a person to get you to hire the person that you should have been hiring all along,” she says. “When I was hired to paint the Chroma Building and they called to ask me if I wanted to take the job, they said, ‘We were gonna go in a different direction but after George Floyd, we decided that was the wrong way to go and we needed to hire a Black artist.’”

The double-edged sword of being the only Black artist in the room and getting hired just so a company can pat itself on the back for its false parade of diversity is an exhausting tightrope to walk.

But James jumped on the opportunity to paint over Katie Craig’s “Illuminated Mural” of colorful dripping paint created in 2011 that used to be on the building’s facade.

“Of course, I took the job. That’s the biggest fucking wall in the city. Everybody wanted to paint that wall and get rid of that nonsense,” she says about Craig’s long-gone piece. “The people in the neighborhood called it ‘electric vomit.’”

James did wonder, however, if she would be able to complete “Girl with the D Earring” given the wall’s past controversy. Craig successfully sued The Platform, the development company that had purchased the building, in a bid to protect her piece in 2016. But af-

ter the polarizing mural was irreparably damaged during renovations in 2020, it was a wrap for the rainbow ooze.

James’s play on Johannes Vermeer’s “Girl with a Pearl Earring” now stands as a tribute to Yolanda Nichelle Curry. The jewelry maker who made the popular Old English “D” earrings passed away from cancer in 2022.

“You know how sometimes you just get somebody and they get you like, whenever you see them it’s just everything?” James says about her relationship with Curry. The two met in 2013 through the Red Bull House of Art. “She gave me those earrings for my 40th birthday and I wore them shits every single day. They instantly became my favorite earrings, and we’re just so connected now.”

James also painted a mural dedicated to Curry inside MOCAD for the solo show with a wall where people can write a message to her.

Before BLKOUT Walls, “Girl With the D Earring,” and Murals in the Market, James had a lifestyle brand called G.R.In.D (pronounced “grind”) or “Girl Raised in Detroit,” where she put her artwork on clothes. The name was given to her by her partner Landers who was selling clothing under the G.R.In.D moniker before they met.

She also lived in Los Angeles for seven years from 2004 to 2011 where she was a resident artist for the ABC Family show Lincoln Heights. One of the show’s main characters, Cassie Sutton, was an artist and all her work on the show was actually painted by James. The show ran four seasons before getting canceled.

James has been in the art game for a long time — since she was 3, to be exact.

“I drew a picture of Gargamel, I copied him from my coloring book and I took it into the kitchen,” she remem-

bers. “My mom was cooking and she didn’t believe me. She thought I traced it so she sat me down and made me do it again in front of her. Then it was like ‘OK, she can draw.’”

James’s kindergarten art teacher also noticed her talent and encouraged her parents to enroll her in art classes when she got “of age.” That age was 7, when she started taking classes at the College for Creative Studies. By the time she was 9, her mom was sneaking her into the adult classes at CCS.

“For kid’s classes, they’re crafty and they don’t really teach you a skill,” she says. “They weren’t doing shit for me so my mom started taking me to the more advanced classes [for] drawing, painting, whatever they had to offer.”

She deepened her skills at Cass Technical High School and would return to CCS to get her BFA in 2001.

Now James is a phenomenal painter, unapologetic in her bold depictions of Black beauty as she captures each highlight in her subject’s faces. But her legacy isn’t one of talent alone. She champions her fellow Black Detroit artists, giving them opportunities and advice that wasn’t always afforded to her.

Any time you see James working, she always has a crew of Detroiters with her, whether it’s Durden helping her paint a mural or Landers snapping photos of her process.

When it came time to film Anderson’s short, which is now streaming on PBS as part of American Masters, James invited artists Sabrina Nelson, Ijania Cortez, Scheherazade Washington Parrish, Halima Cassells, and others to join her on camera. Music composers Sterling Toles and Rafael Leafar scored the film.

James once told me, “If I eat, everybody eats.”

“My most important masterpiece is not my actual physical pieces,” she says as we get ready to part ways. “It’s gon be Bakpak. It’s gon be Ijania. It’s gon be Sheefy. It’s gon be Phil Simpson, Darius Baber, Cydney Camp. I never wanted to be by myself in this. I might want to be the best but I never wanted to be the only one because that shit is absurd to me. My former teacher and mentor Marian Stephens taught me, ‘You keep it for yourself, you cheatin’ everybody.’ So you got to share.’”

I catch a glimpse of the Wajeed mural as I turn the corner leaving James’s block. It’s valiant. Bright. Black.

She’s right. Her legacy will always live in the spotlight she shines on others.

Sydney G. James: Girl Raised in Detroit will be on view at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit from April 14Sept. 3; 4454 Woodward Ave., Detroit; mocadetroit.org.

Detroit artist Bakpak Durden is one of James’s many mentees. COURTESY PHOTO

WHAT’S GOING ON

Select events happening in metro Detroit this week. Be sure to check all venue website before events for latest information. Add your event to our online calendar: metrotimes.com/ AddEvent.

MUSIC

Wednesday, April 12

Little Stranger 7 p.m.; The Loving Touch, 22634 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; $18.

Songwriter Scramble: Dan Minard, Nina Sofia, Tom Alter 7:309:30 p.m.; Berkley Coffee & Oak Park Dry, 14661 West 11 Mile Rd., Oak Park; $10 suggested door.

Stars 7 p.m.; Magic Bag, 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; $35. Strawberry Girls, Body Thief, standards, Tang, Saving Throw 6 p.m.; Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff, Hamtramck; $20.

Thursday, April 13

Actor Observer, Ogemaw County 7 p.m.; Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff, Hamtramck; $15.

Paula Boggs Band 8 p.m.; Aretha’s Jazz Cafe, 350 Madison St., Detroit; $20.

Avery Sunshine 8 p.m.; Sound Board, 2901 Grand River Ave., Detroit; $38-$50.

Chlöe 7 p.m.; The Fillmore, 2115 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $35-$59.50.

Jon Tyler Wiley & His Virginia Choir 8 p.m.; 20 Front Street, 20 Front St., Lake Orion; $18.

Kings X 6:30 p.m.; The Token Lounge, 28949 Joy Rd., Westland; $35.

The L Word Tour 7-10 p.m.; Baker’s Keyboard Lounge, 20510 Livernois Ave., Detroit; $20.

Prof: The Workhorse Tour 7 p.m.; Saint Andrew’s Hall, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit; $25.

Ray Ureña 7-9 p.m.; The Hawk - Farmington Hills Community Center, 29995 Twelve Mile Road, Farmington Hills; $20 in advance, $25 at door.

The Rocket Man Show 8 p.m.; Fisher Theatre, 3011 W. Grand Blvd, Detroit; $40-$89.

Skeler, brothel., Barnacle Boi 9 p.m.; Magic Stick, 4120 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $15-$20.

Friday, April 14

Daikaiju, Glass Chimera 7 p.m.; Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff, Ham-

tramck; $15.

Fangirl Fantasy: Jonas vs Exes 8 p.m.; Pike Room, 1 S. Saginaw, Pontiac; $15.

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

Joshua Hyslop 8 p.m.; 20 Front Street, 20 Front St., Lake Orion; $18.

LAST CHILD - A Tribute to the Music of Aerosmith 8 p.m.; District 142, 142 Maple St., Wyandotte; $18.

Louder Than Bombs - The Smiths United 8 p.m.; Magic Bag, 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; $20. Nathan Gonzales, drive safe!, Farhall 8 p.m.; The Loving Touch, 22634 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; $13.

Noahfinnce 6 p.m.; The Shelter, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit; $19.

Party101 with DJ Matt Bennett 8 p.m.; The Fillmore, 2115 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $18-$30.

The Whiskey Charmers 8-10 p.m.; Berkley Coffee & Oak Park Dry, 14661 West 11 Mile Rd., Oak Park; $10 suggested door.

Dr. Fresch 9 p.m.-3 a.m.; Leland City Club, 400 Bagley Street, Detroit; $20.

Heart Beats 2 with Bileebob & Eric Hinchman 10 p.m.-2 a.m.; Spkr Box, 200 Grand River, Detroit; Marsh - Endless Album Tour 9 p.m.; Magic Stick, 4120 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $20.

MIDNIGHT CITY Indie Dance

Party w/ DJ Zumby + DJ Josh 9 p.m.-1 a.m.; Bowlero Lanes & Lounge, 4209 Coolidge Hwy., Royal Oak; FREE.

Saturday, April 15

DRI Dirty Rotten Imbeciles 6:30 & 7 p.m.; The Token Lounge, 28949 Joy Rd., Westland; $15.

FAMILY TRADITION BAND wsg

The Louie Lee Show and Ryan Jay 7 p.m.; District 142, 142 Maple St., Wyandotte; $15-$25.

Groove Fellowship: Album Release Party 8-10 p.m.; Berkley Coffee & Oak Park Dry, 14661 West 11 Mile Rd., Oak Park; $10 suggested door.

Kittens and Crooners with TBone Paxton and Camille 6-7:30 & 8:30-10 p.m.; Ciao Amici’s, 217 W. Main, Brighton; @25.

Lewis Capaldi 6:45 p.m.; Detroit Masonic Temple Library, 500 Temple St, Detroit; $79+.

Michigander 7 p.m.; Saint Andrew’s

April 12-18, 2023 | metrotimes.com

Kevin Smith to appear at ‘Astronomicon 6.5’

DIRECTOR KEVIN SMITH and other members of his “View Askew” extended universe are slated to appear at Astronomicon 6.5, the pop culture convention set for Saturday, June 24 and Sunday, June 25 at Livonia’s Burton Manor.

Smith was supposed to appear at last month’s Astronomicon 6, but was forced to cancel his travel plans due to weather. Now, the event is set to return in June to accommodate Smith.

The Clerks director, writer, and producer also known for playing the character Silent Bob in his movies is slated to appear on the Saturday event. He’ll be joined by wife Jennifer Schwalbach Smith,

Hall, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit; $18. Music, Literature and Poetry: Sexy Series 2-4:30 p.m.; General Baker Institute, 15798 Livernois Ave., Detoit; $10.

R&B Music Experience 7 p.m.; Little Caesars Arena, 2645 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $65-$225.

THE REEFERMEN + DJ PAUL 8 p.m.-12:30 a.m.; Bowlero Lanes & Lounge, 4209 Coolidge Hwy., Royal Oak; FREE.

Saturday Night Gangster 8 p.m.; Pike Room, 1 S. Saginaw, Pontiac; $12.

Scary Pockets with David Ryan Harris 7 p.m.; The Blind Pig, 208 S 1st St, Ann Arbor; $25.

Shari Kane & Dave Steele and Ruth & Max Bloomquist at MAMA’s Coffeehouse 8-10 p.m.; MAMA’s Coffeehouse, 38651 Woodward Ave, Bloomfield Hills; $17.

Shaylen: Nashville Hits the Roof! 8 p.m.; Tin Roof, 47 E. Adams Ave, Detroit.

SPEED 7 p.m.; Sanctuary Detroit, 2932

who appeared in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Clerks II, and Clerks III, and is making her first-ever convention appearance.

Other “View Askewniverse”

characters slated to appear include Brian O’Halloran (Dante), Jeff Anderson (Randal), Marilyn Ghigliotti (Veronica in Clerks), Trevor Fehrman (Elias in Clerks II and III), Ming Chen (Clerks III), and Renee Humphrey (Tricia in Mallrats).

More VIP guests are expected to be announced soon. The convention was launched in 2018 by the rap duo Twiztid.

More information is available at astronomicon.com.

—Lee DeVito

Caniff, Hamtramck; $20.

The Mega 80s 8 p.m.; Magic Bag, 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; $20. The Mountain Goats 7 p.m.; Magic Stick, 4120 Woodward Ave., Detroit; Xiao Dong Wei & Friends 8-11 p.m.; The Hawk - Farmington Hills Community Center, 29995 Twelve Mile Road, Farmington Hills; $20 in advance / $25 at door.

Sunday, April 16

CHRIS PLUM (Jazz Ensemble) w/ DICHI (Quintet) - SUNDAY JAZZ IN THE LOUNGE 3-6 p.m.; Bowlero Lanes & Lounge, 4209 Coolidge Hwy., Royal Oak; FREE.

Chrisette Michele & Anthony David 7:30 p.m.; Sound Board, 2901 Grand River Ave., Detroit; $47-$59.

Harold Thomas, AKA ~HtUnCutBand 6 p.m.; Pike Room, 1 S. Saginaw, Pontiac; $10.

The Bouncing Souls 6 p.m.; Saint Andrew’s Hall, 431 E. Congress St., De-

troit; $35.

Monday, April 17

Bikini Kill 7 p.m.; Royal Oak Music Theatre, 318 W. Fourth St., Royal Oak; $39.50.

Fly By Midnight 7 p.m.; Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff, Hamtramck; $17$60.

MUSIC & POETRY: Lake Mary, Djallo Djakate & Jacquelin Suskin 8-11 p.m.; Paramita Sound, 1517 Broadway St., Detroit; $10 suggested donation.

Yeat 2023 7 p.m.; The Fillmore, 2115 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $39.50-$69.50.

Tuesday, April 18

Caroline Polachek 7 p.m.; Royal Oak Music Theatre, 318 W. Fourth St., Royal Oak; $35+.

Eyehategod, Goatwhore 7 p.m.; Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff, Hamtramck; $23.

Tesla Time To Rock Tour 7:30 p.m.; Sound Board, 2901 Grand River Ave., Detroit; $62.50-$82.50.

THEATER

Detroit Masonic Temple Library

The Piano Guys, Friday, 6:30 p.m.

Maggie Allesee Dance Studio

She Kills Monsters, Friday, 8-10 p.m. and Saturday 2-4 & 8-10 p.m.

Meadow Brook Theatre Harry Townsend’s Last Stand, $37, Wednesday 2 & 8 p.m., Thursday, 8 p.m., Friday, 8 p.m., Saturday, 2 & 8 p.m. and Sunday, 2 p.m.

The Music Hall Je’Caryous Johnson Presents NEW JACK CITY LIVE. $64.50$115, Friday, 8 p.m. and Saturday, 3 & 8 p.m.

Musical

Rain: A Tribute To the Beatles (Touring) Saturday, 8 p.m.; Fox Theatre, 2211 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $25-$65.

COMEDY

Improv

Go Comedy! Improv Theater

Fresh Sauce, $20 Fridays, Saturdays, 8 & 10 p.m.; 2$10 Sundays, 7 pm.; free Sundays, 9 p.m.

Planet Ant Theatre Ants In The Hall present ‘The Frasier Crane Experience,’ $10 second Wednesday of every month, 7 p.m.

The Fillmore Bad Friends with Andrew Santino & Bobby Lee $45-$65 Sunday, 7 p.m.

Little Caesars Arena Adam Sandler

$39.50-$169.50 Monday, 7:30 p.m.

Local buzz

By Broccoli and Joe Zimmer

Zelooperz drops surprise album: Danny Brown’s Bruiser Brigade affiliate Zelooperz has only ever been in his own lane, with a penchant for psychedelic production and seemingly off-the-dome rhymes. So, it comes as no surprise that he would drop a surprise album, with the release of Microphone Fiend a couple weeks back. Z posted the album with little lead-up and fanfare, but the album contains as much artistic singularity as he’s ever shown. With most tracks clocking in under two or three minutes, you can definitely hear the influence of the new-ish DIY wave of rappers like Pink Siifu and MIKE, who opt for pointed lyrics and don’t lean on hooks in their songs. Keep an eye out for a tour announcement from Zelooperz for this summer — his frenetic and dynamic live sets are not to be missed. You can find Microphone Fiend on major streaming platforms, or purchase it directly from Z’s Bandcamp page.

—Joe

“The Godson” brings the vibes: Rick Wilhite is resurrecting his storied compilation series Vibes with a new release out this month containing a smorgasbord of artists from across the techno, house, and R&B spectrum. The new entry is titled Vibes New & Rare Music: Unreleased 2020-2022 Part 1 and is

being released on Moodymann’s Mahogani Music label. To accompany the album’s release, Wilhite and friends are throwing a party at Spot Lite featuring its key contributors. With a line up nearly as long as the album’s title, you’ll hear DJ sets from longtime luminaries like Malik Alston and Delano Smith alongside the new wave like Salar Ansari and Kyle Hall. It all goes down this Friday, April 14, with pre-sale tickets available on Resident Advisor. If home listening is more your thing, Vibes New & Rare Music: Unreleased 2020-2022 Part 1 is available for purchase via Mahogani Music or whenever great house and techno records are sold.

—Joe

A solar-powered set for Earth Day: As a music aficionado (more enthusiastic than knowledgeable) that also daylights as an environmentalist, I often have a hard time reckoning with the amount of resources that it takes to throw live music shows. The amount of waste that is produced is astounding, the modern excesses are a part of the appeal, and you said it takes how much energy to power those lights and speakers? Well, if you’re like me, then you’ll love Solar Party Detroit, an organization that brings portable solar power to charge up gatherings around the city. For this year’s iteration of their Off Grid series, SPD will have the one and only Father Dukes streaming live for an

Earth Day DJ set on April 22. While this is a virtual event, consider it an opportunity to beam our Father’s sacred tunes right to your doorstep or backyard barbecue, with only a fraction of the existential guilt! RSVP via Eventbrite for more information when the time is right.

—Broccoli

Theo Katzman hits Saint Andrew’s Hall: You may know Theo Katzman from Vulfpeck, the band that formed in Ann Arbor around 2011, put out an album of total silence, and subsequently took the world by storm (if you haven’t, check out their live video from Madison Square Garden, it’s astoundingly good). An incredible musician in his own right, Katzman just released a new album titled Be the Wheel, and he’s taking it on a worldwide tour as we speak. The project is emotionally moving and technically impressive, with Katzman’s creative and hilarious lyricism and incredible singing voice taking center stage. If you’re into funky, silly, powerful music made by a University of Michigan jazz student-turned-international music sensation, the show at Saint Andrew’s Hall on May 6 is a must. Get your tickets via Live Nation, and as he says on the opening track of the record, “Don’t be the horse and buggy / be the wheel.”

—Broccoli

Got a tip about Detroit’s music scene? Hit us up at music@metrotimes.com!

Rick Wilhite. NIKITA KLYUKVIN / RED BULL CONTENT POOL

FOOD

An Indian gem in Farmington Hills

I was steered to Basil Indian Bistro by a friend who was taken there by a friend from India, who in turn had gotten the recommendation from another Indian friend. So that’s two from the subcontinent and two from here who are telling you the food at Basil is worth a trip.

This is chef-owner Hema Patel’s first restaurant, aside from a stint running a Subway, but her hand with a long list of familiar and less familiar dishes is a sure one. She was born in Gujarat, north of Bombay, but tackles some dosas from South India as well.

I like the way some Indian restaurants categorize their dishes as “Vegetarian” or “Non-Vegetarian,” as it’s done in India. The non-meat option is the default, the opposite of the way most Americans approach meals, and a good reminder that there’s more than one way to look at the food world.

Basil has as many vegetarian as non-veg dishes, the latter being mostly chicken and seafood, with a few lamb options, and the former encompassing eggplant, cauliflower, chickpeas, lentils, lots of paneer, peas, okra, spinach, and cashews.

My favorite dish was chicken methi, methi meaning fenugreek. Its benign but assertive flavor has been described

By Jane Slaughter

as burnt-sugar or even maple syrup, but I can’t agree. It’s not sweet but rather… quintessentially Indian.

Another plate for the mild-mannered is kaju kyoha, a vegetarian dish based on cashews. This one is a little sweet; you could eat it for breakfast. To make its base, Patel says, milk is cooked down until thick, resulting in a rich, creamy sauce.

Chicken karahi is labeled “spicy” but isn’t off the Scoville charts; I rate it high for complexity. The bird is cooked with a dry mix of crushed red pepper, cumin, and coriander seeds.

All the chicken and sauce dishes are denser with chicken that you often find in Indian restaurants, where the sauce is king, as it should be. (I find this in Oaxaca, too, where you’ll get a lone drumstick but lots and lots of mole to soak up your rice and tortillas.) I was particularly happy that the abundant chicken was dark meat, a big boost to flavor. If only chickens could be reengineered to eliminate insipid breasts...

Patel says hers is the only restaurant in the area serving Kashmiri pulav, or Mumbai street-style tava pulav (also spelled pulao). My friend ordered the latter and got a pile of rice big enough for three people, with vegetables, nuts,

dried fruit, and cooling raita on the side. In Mumbai, it’s cooked on the street over a fire, in a cast-iron pan on a griddle; Patel says she does it the same way.

Chicken tikka masala is one of the most-ordered dishes, along with butter chicken; it has a sharp and pleasant undertaste, maybe mustard oil. In the vegetarian column, bhindi masala was outstanding, cooked quickly to produce a slightly crisp texture, at just the right spice level and tenderness level. Get over your anti-okra prejudice — in the hands of a skilled cook it is a world-beater.

Patel offers a page of “signature dishes,” warning they may take longer, such as stuffed mirch: a pepper stuffed with a mix of cooked-down milk, sesame paste, and yogurt. We ordered garlic-lemon-butter shrimp from that list, and it was excellent but not better than the other, less expensive dishes.

For appetizers, I liked a generous cauliflower chili dish, which is deepfried but so tender it doesn’t seem like it, cooked with bell peppers. Also spicy is vegetable Manchurian, 12 delicate pieces, enough for the table. Appetizers too can be vegetarian or not, the latter including a lamb chop kabab cooked in a tandoor.

Basil Indian Bistro

32621 Northwestern Hwy., Farmington Hills

248-862-2865

basilindianbistro.com

Appetizers $5-$30, entrées $13-$36

The usual favorites are done well: garlic naan is huge, thick, buttery, with a big air-filled dome rising out of the bread like an octopus body. Apricotcolored mango lassi is also very large and does not disappoint. Samosas are served with a sharp grassy green chutney, fragrant with cilantro.

For dessert, the traditional gulab jamun are rich — again made with those cooked-down milk solids — and served in a warm sugar syrup. Mild and soothing suji ka halwa has a cream of wheat base but is livened with nuts and crushed fresh cardamom.

Much as I enjoyed the food, let me admit that as of yet, eight months in, Basil has no atmosphere. There’s no Indian décor of the type so often seen: no Ganeshas, no hanging textiles, just bare tables and bare walls. The food will have to create its own atmosphere — it’s that good.

Tandoor lamb chop kabab, vegetable Kashmir pulao, and chicken kalami kabab.

TOM PERKINS

Chowhound

Hell Fire Detroit’s famous sauce is on fire

By Robert Stempkowski

Got a tip about metro Detroit’s dining scene? Hit us up: eats@metrotimes. com.

What’s so hot about hot sauces?

Developed by a pharmacist in 1912, The Scoville Scale’s long since become the standard by which hot pepper potency is measured from varietal to varietal. The ubiquitous jalapeño, for example, rings in at an average of 5,000 Scoville units. This is a measure of dilution: It would take 5,000 cups of water to dilute one cup of pure jalapeño extract to a point where one’s tongue couldn’t detect the pepper spice. Climbing the ladder, more daunting habaneros can reach 150,000 units typically, while totally scary Ghost peppers and such top the scale’s uppermost, millionplus measurements. And as anyone knows who’s pushed the I-can-take-it envelope, drowning yourself in water doesn’t always quench the fire.

As it happens, not all God’s creatures are sensitive to capsaicin, the fiery component in chili peppers that’s an irritant and neurotoxin to mammalian species. Others simply don’t have taste buds that react to the chemical.

I watched a parrot chomp Habaneros once, no problem. Polly want a milkshake?

According to Don Button, whose Hell Fire Detroit brand of hot sauces caters to the let-me-have-it crowd, heat and flavor can walk the coals together and render combinations that satisfy spice enthusiasts of all tastes and tolerances.

“We let the pepper’s profile speak for itself,” Hell Fire’s founder insists. Button’s bottles of liquid lightning let you know what they’re about on the labels, complete with Scoville stats. A “sunny fresh with an easy demeanor” Anaheim sauce ($13) chimes in at the low-end, 500-2,500 range. Manzana ($15), meanwhile, with its “exotic nose… fiery smack” rises between 15 and 30k. Button’s big-bottle sauces ($18), blended with beer, bourbon, or Cabernet Sauvignon, touch incendiary stratospheres (200-400k).

Hell Fire became a hot topic after being featured on YouTube’s Hot Ones celebrity food challenge a few years ago. These days, its product placements range from local markets (Eastern, Westborn, et al.) to national purveyors of the particularly piquant like New York’s exclusive Heatonist hot sauce shop and tasting bar.

Sadly, my days of downing virtual jet fuel and riding the next morning’s regret rocket are done, after years of heat-seeking-missile eating habits out

West. I’m passing that torch, along with the two-ply.

Sam I am a fan: Something about Sam’s Place (33251 5 Mile Rd., Livonia; samsplacefamily.com) keeps me coming back. I love soaking in rainy or snowy mornings from its cozy, glassed-in sunroom space. Having breakfast there before dawn, my kitty-corner view of Bates’ Burgers is as evocatively luminous as painter Edward Hopper’s masterpiece “Nighthawks,” which speaks to man’s constant vigil in search of sustenance and social intercourse (so says me). More simply put: Sam’s brightens every day I begin there, and that starts with Vicki, the waitress always on duty whenever I drop in. Professional and pleasant, she’s a peach; one of those can’t-help-but-like types who makes my experience taste better every time. Often eating out under an anonymous cloak, I’ve really let Sam’s get to know me, as that guy who comes in twice a week or so, whose hot tea hits the table the minute after I do, along with ham or corned beef hash, eggs over easy, and rye toast. Though the food comes fast, I’m typically the last of the day’s first customers to leave, lingering with my laptop that Vicki leaves me

to for hours on end. There are places at the intersection of where our lives lead daily and where we find ourselves pleased to pause and take in some creature comforts. For me, Sam’s has proven a poster boy for such places.

Expensive lessons: Tip money’s too easy to spend. It’s daily cash in hand that many learn is as hard to save as it is to earn. And we blow through wads of it after work; in bars and casinos, and on all manner of immediate gratification goods we seek out after our shift. After all, we tell ourselves, there’s always more to make tomorrow.

Consider the parable of my $4,000 tip. Five minutes after a rich, drunken bar regular of mine stuffed forty Cnotes in my pocket for Christmas one year, I made the quick call on how to spend it, phoning my wife from work to tell her something I was sure she’d love to hear. I let her in on my windfall, along with my vow to finally make good on getting her the wedding ring diamond she deserved, rather than the one I could afford when we wed.

“Just promise you’ll come right home after close tonight,” was all she really wanted from me — as per her usual — not nearly as excited over the news as I was. I told her I would, then — as per my usual — didn’t, staying out with “friends” no good husband or father would keep. All I kept was that other promise, exchanging my wife’s first solitaire, $4,000 and a few grand more from our savings for a bigger rock she and I could both be proud of.

Our marriage didn’t last long after that. Rightly so, she let me know one morning that she’d had it. Guilty as sin, I still blamed the divorce on her once she told me about her relationship with our nextdoor neighbor. A month or so later, she called me at the restaurant to let me in on a little more.

“As for that ring of yours,” she paused to punctuate the gut-punch, “We just sold it and bought a whole houseful of new furniture.”

To this day, I still look back and see how I failed to furnish everything my ex-wife ever really needed but never got from me.

The moral of this story? Don’t be dumb. A wise man once told me: “Beware the pitfalls of bar and restaurant work; the fast money and all the after-hours things you can spend it on. Go home with your cash and a clear conscience, and before it’s too late, stop working nights. Therein lies the dark side of this business.”

More on that later. Stay tuned.

Chowhound is a bi-weekly column about what’s trending in Detroit food culture. Tips: eat@metrotimes.com.

Hell Fire Detroit’s hot sauces became a hot topic after being featured on Hot Ones

COURTESY PHOTO

WEED

Cannabis consumption festival set for April

THE THIRD ANNUAL 420 Cannabis Music Festival will be held in Detroit in April — and it’s unlike any event ever held in the city.

The festival on April 29 in Corktown will include food and marijuana vendors, live music, DJs, giveaways, special guests, and designated cannabis consumption areas.

Unlike previous cannabis events in the city, the festival is licensed to allow people to buy and consume marijuana on site.

The 420 Cannabis Music Festival runs from noon to 11 p.m. at 2000 Brooklyn St. and will take place indoors and outdoors. Beech Street and the John C. Lodge service drive will be closed to allow for a “true block party atmosphere,” says Nick Schrock, of CEP Events, which is organizing the festival.

It’s the first 4/20-related festival since recreational cannabis sales began in Detroit.

“It’s really a celebration of Detroit going recreational with marijuana,” Schrock tells Metro Times. “It will be a fun environment. The music and food will elevate the vibe. It’s really a party.”

The event’s capacity is 2,500 people.

Six cannabis retailers will be selling marijuana products, often at a discount.

The live performances will include Zion Lion and Motor City Vibrations, along with DJs “who are really wellknown in their genres,” Schrock says.

The genres include reggae, hip hop, techno, electronic dance music, and jazz fusion.

General admission tickets are $30. VIP tickets are available for $100 and include food, private seating areas, gift

bags, private restrooms, and express entry into the event.

Tickets can be purchased ahead of time online at eventbrite.com or at the event.

The first two 420 Cannabis Music

Festival events took place in Lansing, and last year’s special guest was boxing legend Mike Tyson.

The special guests for this year’s event have not yet been disclosed.

—Steve Neavling

Skymint regains control over dispensaries, prepares for 4/20 giveaway

SKYMINT IS CHUGGING on despite being under receivership.

The Lansing-based cannabis company has reopened three dispensaries that were caught in a legal battle with 3Fifteen Cannabis and is gearing up for a massive weed giveaway in the lead-up to 4/20.

Skymint entered a court-appointed receivership in March following a lawsuit by Canadian investment firm Tropics LP alleging Skymint owes it more than $127 million. The suit alleges Skymint, which operates under parent company Green Peak Innovations Inc., burned through $3 million a month and only generated $110 million in revenue for 2022, well below its annual forecast of $263 million.

Skymint was then hit by a second lawsuit by New-York based cannabis investment firm Merida Capital

Holdings, which alleges the company misrepresented its financials and management.

What does this have to do with the 3Fifteen dispensaries? Well, Tropics LP lent Skymint $70 million to acquire 3Fifteen and its 12 dispensaries across metro Detroit, and Merida (a majority shareholder in 3Fifteen) lent $8 million toward the acquisition.

3Fifteen challenged the company’s leadership, subsequently taking control of dispensaries acquired by Skymint in Hamtramck, Grand Rapids, Battle Creek, and Camden. But an Ingham County Circuit Court judge ordered 3Fifteen to cede control of the dispensaries back to Skymint after determining 3Fifteen violated the court’s receivership order, Crain’s Detroit Business reports.

3Fifteen was also ordered to return

$494,045.24 that was removed from the company’s bank accounts and return access to those accounts to Skymint employees.

Meanwhile, Skymint is preparing to give away thousands of dollars in cannabis and other freebies through April 20.

The giveaway includes Skymint’s Big A$$ 10-gram joint, free weed for a year, an Airbnb gift card, and several “party packs.”

Michigan residents can enter the giveaway via in-store kiosks at Skymint dispensaries. No purchase is required and one winner will be selected at random each day until the promotion ends. You also have to follow @skymintofficial on Instagram to win.

For more info see skymint.com.

—Randiah Camille Green

A scene from a previous edition of the 420 Cannabis Music Festival in Lansing.

COURTESY PHOTO

CULTURE

Artist of the Week

Mieyoshi Ragernoir radiates joy in first solo show

By Randiah Camille Green

This feature highlights a different local artist each week. Got someone in mind you think deserves the spotlight? Hit us up at arts@metrotimes.com.

When Mieyoshi Ragernoir moved to Michigan in 2020 for graduate school, she had no idea a healing journey awaited her.

Cranbrook Academy of Art, where she graduated in 2022 with an MFA in painting, was still under COVID-19 protocols at the time so she couldn’t interact with anyone and just spent her time in the studio.

“That year was such a tragic time for the world but it allowed me to be really still and just allow myself to have a pause from all the things that were happening in my life,” she says. “The world was falling apart but 2020 was the first time I didn’t experience any external trauma. 2019 was a really rough time for me and I went to a lot of therapy.”

Bursts of vibrant colors, jubilant smiles, and rays of sunshine came out of the Harlem-born painter’s despair and onto her canvas. Ragernoir’s paintings often feature sun-kissed Black femmes, Black women in moments of radiance, and scenes that emanate joy.

At 27 years old and fresh out of graduate school, the spirited artist already has her first solo show Portal 27: I’m Coming Out at Norwest Gallery of Art this month.

Several of the young artist’s pieces are painted on wood that she carves with a Japanese handsaw or even box cutters. It’s an arduous process that she enjoys.

“That process has become therapeutic for me. I don’t even think I want to learn how to use a laser cutter to cut them out because it’s so meditative,” she says.

Many of the subjects in Portal 27 are fellow artists Ragernoir met when she came to Michigan. Though she moved here not knowing anyone, she says she found she was quickly embraced and made to feel comfortable expressing

the truest version of herself.

“They really allowed me to see myself,” she says. “Finding this newfound group of chosen family and chosen sisterhood, I realized how much Black women illuminate my life. To me, they just glow and radiate so powerfully so when I’m painting them, although it’s just wood and canvas, it’s like the actual person that I love so deeply and dearly is in my studio with me in that moment.”

“A lot of the people I’ve painted in this show, when I first met them it was like having the best day ever at the playground with some random kid you met at the park and you feel like you’re best friends for that day,” she says.

The show also features a few selfportraits of Ragernoir. In “between the devil and the deep blues,” Ragernoir poses in a vulnerable moment, as her nipple peeks out from her robe and she dons a pair of stylish sunglasses that match her blue hair.

“I was walking around my apartment in this robe feeling what I call caught between the devil and deep blues but finding this way to still carry on through these acts of self-care and transmute this low energy and turn it into these artworks,” she says.

Ragernoir was a featured artist for Womxnhouse Detroit 2022 and the inaugural citywide queer art exhibit Might Real/Queer Detroit last summer. She also showed work in the Daughters of Betty: Black Women Rock group exhibit at Andy Arts Center in 2022.

She’ll also have a solo show at Detroit’s Brewery Faison from August to October.

Where to see her work: Portal 27: I’m Coming Out is up at Norwest Gallery of Art until April 30; 19556 Grand River Ave., Detroit; norwestgallery.com. The show is. Ragernoir also has work in Reyes Finn’s Get Together show on view through May 6; 1500 Trumbull St., Detroit; reyesfinn.com.

For more info, see mieyoshiragernoir. com.

Ragernoir shows vulnerability in “between the devil and the deep blues.”

CULTURE

This ‘D&D’ movie is a mess — and worst of all, not funny

By MaryAnn Johanson

Twenty-three years ago, there was a Dungeons & Dragons movie that wasn’t intended as a comedy but was so bad it was absolutely hilarious. I didn’t review it. I don’t even remember much about it except the experience: I have vivid memories of sitting in that multiplex guffawing nonstop — nonstop, I tell you — with my geek gang. We still talk about it to this day, with awe. It was a genuine bonding experience, like going to war together.

Now we have another attempt at adapting for the big screen *checks notes* a nebulous set of loosey-goosey rules for a participatory storytelling game played with pencil and paper and dice. If that sounds like I’m putting down Dungeons & Dragons the game: no way. I’ve played it. I’ve been a DM. I love it. But slapping the D&D brand on a high-fantasy action-adventure movie can never be anything but the most crass exercise in monetizing a preexisting intellectual property... and the bar on that is, well, in the lowest levels of the dungeon, given the state of Hollywood these days. It makes even less sense than videogame adaptations,

which almost always feel like you’re looking over the shoulder of someone else playing the game. But at least the game-movie you’re just an onlooker to is probably somewhat recognizable and familiar. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is like sitting off to the side watching your friends play a D&D campaign that isn’t particularly inventive or imaginative and that you have no previous investment in or appreciation for.

So a D&D movie can be pretty much anything or anything, as long as it’s high fantasy. Directors and writers (with Michael Gilio) John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein went with high-fantasy comedy, and landed somewhere in between their previous two movies, the outrageously brilliant Game Night and the embarrassingly awful Vacation reboot. But the way the comedy plays out here? A lot of tedious slapstick and obvious punchlines the instant a wannabe medieval wag opens their mouth. It makes me think of Brad Pitt’s Rusty in Ocean’s Eleven giving Matt Damon’s Linus tips for passing as something you’re not when you’re try-

ing to con an unsuspecting rube. The key piece of advice: “Be funny, but don’t make ’em laugh.”

Ladies and germs, I give you: Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. Which thinks it’s funny but didn’t make me laugh. Not even once.

Otherwise, sure: there’s an adventuring band here that ticks all the D&D boxes. There’s a thief-bard in Chris Pine’s Edgin (though he doesn’t bard much; I feel like a fuckton more humor could have been mined from that aspect of his character). There’s his bestie buddy in Michelle Rodriguez’s badass warrior Holga. There’s a low-level mage (Justice Smith) and a vaguely defined shape-shifter (Sophia Lillis) and a paladin (and, like, why would you cast Bridgerton hottie Regé-Jean Page and have him in the movie this little?). They’re all on a quest to find a magical whatzit macguffin to revive Edgin’s dead wife. (Fuck, seriously? The dead-wife trope again? Thanks, I hate it. In a genre that is allegedly all about flights of imagination, how the fuck are men so unimaginative?) The stuff of comedy, amirite? *huge sigh*

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

Rated: PG-13

Run-time: 134 minutes

There’s a lot of running around killing fantastical evil creatures. There’s a generic bad human character (Hugh Grant, fully embracing the no-fucksleft-to-give segment of his career, which I applaud, and I hope he was wildly overpaid for this). It’s all borderline incoherent, with ambitions — failed ones — to be as sentimental as it is amusing, sketched in cheap-looking CGI. Then go pull a plot contrivance out of your bag of holding, why not?

I, profoundly proud to be an enormous dork, was utterly unimpressed. Not least because this is a movie that kinda seems to be embarrassed by its own nerdery.

Imma go watch The Princess Bride again…

Justice Smith plays Simon, Chris Pine plays Edgin, Sophia Lillis plays Doric, and Michelle Rodriguez plays Holga in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves AIDAN MONAGHAN, PARAMOUNT PICTURES

CULTURE

Savage Love

Quickies

By Dan Savage

: Q My partner wants me to give him a ruined orgasm. Where do I go to learn that?

: A Ruined orgasms are pretty easy — they’re so simple, in fact, that people sometimes give them to (or inflict them on) their male partners by accident. Here’s how you do it: bring your partner to the point of orgasmic inevitability — get him to that point where there’s no stopping his orgasm; even if Marjorie Taylor Greene were to burst into the room, he’s going to come — and then cease all stimulation. Take your hand off his dick, take his dick out of your mouth, lift your pussy or ass off his dick — whatever you were doing to get him close, stop. He’ll come, but it won’t be anywhere near as pleasurable or intense as his usual orgasms, i.e., the orgasms he has when his cock is stimulated to and through the point of orgasm.

: Q How can I be more fuckable? I put myself out there, but no one bites. I’m done being a 31-year-old gay virgin. I am a clean person, shower every day, wear clean clothes, and was voted “most likely to brighten up a day” in school.

: A Maybe you’re doing something wrong — but I couldn’t tell you what that might be without meeting you, getting to know you, and making polite inquiries about your voting history. But I can tell you what I would do if I were in your shoes: I would hire a brutally honest “life coach,” a personal trainer, and a hooker, but in reverse order.

: Q What’s your #1 tip for someone who has never been to a sex party before? It includes a wide range of ages, genders, orientations & proclivities, and many nervous newbies on the invite list.

: A Bathe.

: Q Can a person who has always had open sexual relationships become monogamous?

: A Yes.

: Q I never visualize having sex with my husband anymore. In my mind, it’s always someone else. Is that bad?

: A No.

: Q Why is anonymous sex — in places like bathhouses and gloryholes so enticing to queer people like me?

: A Lesbians aren’t exactly crowding into bathhouses or around glory holes — nor are asexuals, demisexuals, sapiosexuals, etc., etc., etc. So, I’m gonna assume you’re a gay man. Before I write another word: not all gay men find anonymous sex and/ or public sex environments enticing. But the ones who do… they’re not doing it because they’re gay. They’re doing it because they’re men. I mean, if you told straight men there were places where walls had holes in them and women were kneeling on the other side of those walls waiting to suck them off, straight men would go to those places. There’s nothing gay men do that straight men wouldn’t if straight men could but straight men can’t because women won’t. As for why women won’t… the answer is equal parts disinterest (on the part of most women) and an entirely reasonable fear of male sexual violence (on the part of all women).

: Q What do you do when you’re bored with the sexual smorgasbord and just want a few quiet nights in?

: A You spit the dick out and go home.

: Q Quick etiquette question: Can I use my fucking machine in a hotel room?

: A You’re allowed to fuck in hotel rooms. But fucking machines — at least the ones I’ve been in the same room with — are pretty fucking loud. They start loud, they stay loud. People fucking, on the other hand, typically only get loud toward the end of the fucking; once you can hear two people fucking in the room next to yours, you know it’s almost over. So, while I think we all have to put up with a little noisy fucking in the next room from time to time, I don’t think it’s reasonable to expect the guests in the next room to put up with the noise of a fucking machine.

: Q I’m in love with my roommate. I think he likes me too. I just fear losing his friendship if I tell him. Any thoughts on how I should handle this?

: A If you don’t open your mouth… your roommate can’t stick his dick in there. Just don’t open your mouth and say, “I’m in love with you,” as that will instantly dial the emotional stakes up to 11. Instead, tell your roommate you’re attracted to him and reassure him — before he can even respond — that you will get over the awkwardness (and him) if he doesn’t feel the same way about you.

: Q How can I help a quick shooter have a slower draw? This D isn’t lasting long enough for me!

: A Some medications seem to help premature ejaculators — excuse me: some medications seem to help persons experiencing premature ejaculation (PEPE). Additionally, some PEPEs can train themselves to last longer by jacking off a few hours before sex with a partner, strengthening their pelvic floors, and edging themselves endlessly. But if nothing helps — and sometimes nothing does — and delaying penetration until after you’re satisfied doesn’t work (because only a good, long, hard fuck can satisfy you) and your guy isn’t insecure about how his dick works, you should get a strap-on dildo. They’re suddenly everywhere in gay porn… and we all know what that means. (It means straight people will be giving each other strap-on dildos as wedding presents by next summer.)

: Q Top tips for being a good/smart third when playing with a couple?

: A Be clear about your expectations — what you’re into, what you’re not, what you’re comfortable with, what you aren’t — and politely decline if they aren’t clear about their expectations.

: Q I’m a young college professor in New York City and an active Grindr user. Is there a way to block an age range?

: A In these morally panicked times, it’s probably better to err on the side of not fucking guys young enough to be your students — to say nothing of guys who are your students or who go to your university and might become your students. Unfortunately, there’s no way to block guys by age range on Grindr. So, you’ll have to block them as they come.

: Q Why do people say “ethical non-monogamy” when they just mean

“dating”?

: A Because they mean different things. While some ENM people do date, some people in ENM relationships aren’t interested in dating (or allowed to date) outside sex partners; they don’t describe themselves as “dating” because 1. they aren’t dating and 2. they don’t want to (or shouldn’t want to) mislead potential outside sex partners. And while people who ultimately want a committed ENM relationship can and do date, lots of people who date — lots of people out there fucking around with multiple partners — ultimately want a committed monogamous relationship and identifying as ENM would be misleading.

: Q I love sex but I don’t enjoy getting off or seeing cum. Is that weird?

: A Yes.

: Q If my bisexual husband is fucking men in the ass with a condom but not using a condom with me — his cis wife am I at risk?

: A You’re at a slightly higher risk for certain sexually-transmitted infections primarily HPV and HSV. But since your husband doesn’t look at you and see the reason why he can’t fuck other men, I’d say you’re at a slightly lower risk of divorce. (If your parents were so negligent that they didn’t get you vaccinated against HPV, go get vaccinated now.)

: Q Any queer-cuck related porn that you’d recommend?

: A Jack Hornwood’s erotic novellas — jackhornwood.com — come highly recommended.

: Q Would you consider a 67-year-old man who’s had NUMEROUS affairs while in what were supposed to be monogamous relationships and more than a few “friends” who turned out to be more than just friends to have a “propensity” for extra-marital relationships, secrets, and duplicity? Asking for a friend.

: A Honoring a monogamous commitment is going to be a struggle for this guy — assuming he has any interest in honoring a monogamous commitment — and being with him will be torture for your “friend” whether he ever gets around to cheating on her or not.

Send your burning questions to mailbox@savage.love. Podcasts, columns, and more at Savage.Love!

CULTURE Free Will Astrology

ARIES: March 21 – April 19

I hope that in the coming weeks, you will keep your mind bubbling with zesty mysteries. I hope you’ll exult in the thrill of riddles that are beyond your current power to solve. If you cultivate an appreciation of uncanny uncertainties, life will soon begin bringing you uncanny certainties. Do you understand the connection between openhearted curiosity and fertile rewards? Don’t merely tolerate the enigmas you are immersed in — love them!

TAURUS: April 20 – May 20

An old sadness is ripening into practical wisdom. A confusing loss is about to yield a clear revelation you can use to improve your life. In mysterious ways, a broken heart you suffered in the past may become a wild card that inspires you to deepen and expand your love. Wow and hallelujah, Taurus! I’m amazed at the turnarounds that are in the works for you. Sometime in the coming weeks, what wounded you once upon a time will lead to a vibrant healing. Wonderful surprise!

GEMINI: May 21 – June 20

What is the true and proper

symbol for your sign, Gemini? Twins standing shoulder to shoulder as they gaze out on the world with curiosity? Or two lovers embracing each other with mischievous adoration in their eyes? Both scenarios can accurately represent your energy, depending on your mood and the phase you’re in. In the coming weeks, I advise you to draw on the potency of both. You will be wise to coordinate the different sides of your personality in pursuit of a goal that interests them all. And you will also place yourself in harmonious alignment with cosmic rhythms as you harness your passionate urge to merge in a good cause.

CANCER: June 21 – July 22

Some scientists speculate that more people suffer from allergies than ever before because civilization has over-sanitized the world. The fetish for scouring away germs and dirt means that our immune systems don’t get enough practice in fending off interlopers. In a sense, they are “bored” because they have too little to do. That’s why they fight stuff that’s not a threat, like tree pollens and animal dander. Hence, we develop allergies to harmless substances. I hope you will apply this lesson as a metaphor in the coming weeks, fellow Cancerian. Be sure the psychological component of your immune system isn’t warding off the wrong people and things. It’s healthy for you to be protective, but not hyperover-protective in ways that shut out useful influences.

LEO: July 23 – August 22

One night in 1989, Leo evolutionary biologist Margie Profet went to sleep and had a dream that revealed to her new information about the nature of menstruation. The dream scene was a cartoon of a woman’s reproductive system. It showed little triangles being carried away by the shed menstrual blood. Eureka! As Profet lay in bed in the dark, she intuited a theory that no scientist had ever guessed: that the sloughed-off uterine lining had the key function of eliminating pathogens, represented by the triangles. In subsequent years, she did research to test her idea, supported by studies with electron microscopes. Now her theory is regarded as fact. I predict that many of you Leos will soon receive comparable benefits. Practical guidance will be available in your dreams and twilight awareness and altered states. Pay close attention!

VIRGO: August 23 – Sept. 22

You don’t know what is invisible to you. The truths that are out of your reach may as well be hiding. The secret

JAMES NOELLERT

agendas you are not aware of are indeed secret. That’s the not-so-good news, Virgo. The excellent news is that you now have the power to uncover the rest of the story, at least some of it. You will be able to penetrate below the surface and find buried riches. You will dig up missing information whose absence has prevented you from understanding what has been transpiring. There may be a surprise or two ahead, but they will ultimately be agents of healing.

LIBRA: Sept. 23 – Oct. 22

Visionary philosopher Buckminster Fuller referred to pollution as a potential resource we have not yet figured out how to harvest. A company called Algae Systems does exactly that. It uses wastewater to grow algae that scrub carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and yield carbon-negative biofuels. Can we invoke this approach as a metaphor that’s useful to you? Let’s dream up examples. Suppose you’re a creative artist. You could be inspired by your difficult emotions to compose a great song, story, painting, or dance. Or if you’re a lover who is in pain, you could harness your suffering to free yourself of a bad old habit or ensure that an unpleasant history doesn’t repeat itself. Your homework, Libra, is to figure out how to take advantage of a “pollutant” or two in your world.

SCORPIO: Oct. 23 – Nov. 21:

Soon you will graduate from your bumpy lessons and enter a smoother, silkier phase. You will find refuge from the naysayers as you create a liberated new power spot for yourself. In anticipation of this welcome transition, I offer this motivational exhortation from poet Gwendolyn Brooks: “Say to them, say to the down-keepers, the sunslappers, the self-soilers, the harmonyhushers, ‹Even if you are not ready for day, it cannot always be night.’” I believe you are finished with your worthwhile but ponderous struggles, Scorpio. Get ready for an excursion toward luminous grace.

SAGITTARIUS: Nov. 22 – Dec. 21

I periodically seek the counsel of a Sagittarian psychic. She’s half-feral and sometimes speaks in riddles. She tells me she occasionally converses by

By Rob Brezsny

phone with a person she calls “the exPrime Minister of Narnia.” I confided in her that lately it has been a challenge for me to keep up with you Sagittarians because you have been expanding beyond the reach of my concepts. She gave me a pronouncement that felt vaguely helpful, though it was also a bit over my head: “The Archer may be quite luxuriously curious and furiously hilarious; studiously lascivious and victoriously delirious; salubriously industrious but never lugubriously laborious.” Here’s how I interpret that: Right now, pretty much anything is possible if you embrace unpredictability.

CAPRICORN: Dec. 22 – Jan. 19

“I’m not insane,” says Capricorn actor Jared Leto. “I’m voluntarily indifferent to conventional rationality.” That attitude might serve you well in the coming weeks. You could wield it to break open opportunities that were previously closed due to excess caution. I suspect you’re beginning a fun phase of self-discovery when you will learn a lot about yourself. As you do, I hope you will experiment with being at least somewhat indifferent to conventional rationality. Be willing to be surprised. Be receptive to changing your mind about yourself.

AQUARIUS: Jan. 20 – Feb. 18

People of all genders feel urges to embellish their native beauty with cosmetic enhancements. I myself haven’t done so, but I cheer on those who use their flesh for artistic experiments. At the same time, I am also a big fan of us loving ourselves exactly as we are. And I’m hoping that in the coming weeks, you will emphasize the latter over the former. I urge you to indulge in an intense period of maximum self-appreciation. Tell yourself daily how gorgeous and brilliant you are. Tell others, too! Cultivate a glowing pride in the gifts you offer the world. If anyone complains, tell them you’re doing the homework your astrologer gave you.

PISCES: Feb.19 – March 20

I encourage you to amplify the message you have been trying to deliver. If there has been any shyness or timidity in your demeanor, purge it. If you have been less than forthright in speaking the whole truth and nothing but the truth, boost your clarity and frankness. Is there anything you could do to help your audience be more receptive? Any tenderness you could express to stimulate their willingness and ability to see you truly?

Homework: What’s your favorite lie or deception?

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