Metro Times 02/14/2024

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Vol. 44 | No. 17 | FEBRUARY 14-20, 2024

EDITORIAL

News & Views

Editor in Chief - Lee DeVito

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Investigative Reporter - Steve Neavling

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Lapointe............................... 12

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Frontier Ruckus .................... 14

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Things to do this week ........ 23

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NEWS & VIEWS Feedback We received comments in response to Joe Lapointe’s column last week, “Crumbley trial and red-flag laws aim at right targets.”

Be a parent to your children. This won’t happen. I’m from Oxford. I was driving down Drahner when a team of cops headed to the high school where my nephew was. Be good parents. This won’t happen.

—@lukeslytalker, Instagram History was made today. There could be a lot of parents going to jail for what their kids did.

—@riccomashatt, Instagram

6 February 14-20, 2024 | metrotimes.com

I’m glad she is held guilty. Come on a 15year old can’t buy a gun. Bit different if he stole a gun from a neighbor. But they was at the school that morning. And did nothing!!!!

—@80aussiechick, Instagram Loved everything about this except the assertion that using another widely accepted word for “bullets” makes someone a “gun groomer”. Getting high on your own supply of smug a little much.

—@reply_guy79, Instagram Nothing to do with gun safety, everything to do with parental accountability.

—@eric.day.734, Instagram Sound off: letters@metrotimes.com.

Comments may be edited for clarity.

metrotimes.com | February 14-20, 2024 7

NEWS & VIEWS

Detroit City Councilwoman Mary Waters (center) gathered with supporters Thursday to announce her candidacy for Congress.

Waters challenges Thanedar, pushes for ceasefire in Gaza Detroit City Councilwoman Mary Waters, a former labor union

organizer who served three terms in the state House, announced Thursday that she’s running for the U.S. House of Representatives seat held by Shri Thanedar.

Standing outside Hamtramck City Hall, Waters distinguished herself from her two challengers by calling for a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas.

“Voters want the killing to stop,” Waters said. “Most human beings, when you care about people, want to eliminate violence. Kids in Gaza are being killed by the thousands.”

Waters said Hamtrmack’s mayor and all-Muslim city council plan to endorse her, which is expected to give the progressive Democrat an edge in cities with large Muslim populations.

The 13th district covers Hamtramck, Highland Park, Harper Woods, and

large swaths of Detroit, the Grosse Pointes, and Downriver communities.

Thanedar, a Detroit Democrat, has been an outspoken supporter of Israel and even criticized fellow Democrats who have shown sympathy toward Palestinians, who have come under a brutal, relentless military campaign

by Israel in Gaza. Thanedar also renounced his membership in the Democratic Socialists of America over its response to the conflict.

The other Democrat in the race, former state Sen. Adam Hollier, of Detroit, received more than $2.7 million from the pro-Israel political action committee United Democracy Project when he ran against Thanedar four years ago.

Hollier, a realtor and captain in the U.S. Army Reserves who previously held governmental staff roles for state senators, ran against Thanedar in 2022 and came in second, winning 23.5%

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of the vote compared to Thanedar’s 28.3%. He has since secured numerous endorsements, including from Wayne County Executive Warren Evans, U.S. Rep. Brenda Lawrence, former Michigan Gov. James Blanchard, former Detroit Mayor Dave Bing, a dozen state lawmakers, and the influential Black Slate.

In November, the Detroit City Council voted in support of a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, and Waters was one of the biggest proponents.

Waters invoked Martin Luther King Jr.’s anti-violence philosophy. “We must free hostages immediately and demand a ceasefire now,” Waters said. “As a member of Congress, I will work to cut the Pentagon War budget and use the dollars for safe streets in America by funding community police foot patrols and fighting poverty while increasing social security payments for our seniors.”

The primary race for Congress will take place in August.

Waters also said her top issues are seniors, veterans, single mothers and families, public safety, affordable housing, poverty, literacy, foreclosure prevention, jobs, and health care.

A former labor union organizer, graduate of the University of Michigan, and breast cancer survivor, Waters was the first Black woman to serve as floor leader when she served in the state House, where she racked up a perfect attendance record.

Waters’s entry into the race adds a new dynamic to the primary contest.

As one of two at-large Detroit council members, Waters has proven she can win in the state’s largest city. She unseated incumbent Councilwoman Janee Ayers in the general election in November 2021.

She also served in the state House from 2001 to 2006 and rose to minority

Some Dem leaders pledge to ‘Vote Uncommitted’ in primary More than 30 southeast

Michigan officials including Dearborn Mayor Abdullah H. Hammoud have pledged to vote “uncommitted” in the Democratic presidential primary election on Feb. 27.

The officials signed a letter on Feb. 6 following the campaign announcement by Listen to Michigan urging Michiganders to “Vote Uncommitted” in order to send a message to President Joe Biden for his handling of the war in Gaza.

“We must hold our president accountable and ensure that we, the American taxpayers, are no longer forced to be accomplices in a genocide that is backed and funded by the United States government,” Listen to Michigan said in a statement.

The action is a result of Biden and his administration failing to call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire more than four months after Israel launched its military campaign in response to the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas.

The conflict has resulted in the loss of more than 30,000 lives and the displacement of some 2 million people in Gaza.

“Our government has failed to act in

the best interests of the lives of innocent men, women, and children, and worse yet, have suggested that there is an exception to the rule when it comes to Palestinian lives,” Mayor Hammoud stated. “This matter has a direct impact on our Dearborn community, and more importantly, on each of us as human beings. We intend to make our voices heard in the presidential primary.”

Many Muslim activists in metro Detroit have been pledging to “Abandon Biden” for months, but Listen to Michigan hopes the campaign pushes the president to shift policy. The coalition believes that Biden is not listening to what his voters want, and must earn the vote of Democrats through a dramatic change. And, according to recent surveys, most Detroit-area voters support a permanent ceasefire.

In the Michigan Democratic primary, there are five options: Joe Biden, Dean Phillips, Marianne Williamson (who just dropped out), “Uncommitted,” and a blank line for write-ins. The Listen to Michigan campaign is urging voters to select “Uncommitted” in the election.

—Layla McMurtrie

STEVE NEAVLING

floor leader.

Waters is also popular among labor union supporters. She previously served as the original organizer of the United Auto Workers Local 2500 while working at Blue Cross Blue Shield.

In her first term on the Detroit City Council, Waters has become one of the most progressive members, advocating for affordable housing, foreclosure prevention, and water affordability. After a spate of shootings in downtown Detroit in April, Waters announced she was exploring a measure to create gun-free zones in Greektown, the riverfront, Hart Plaza, and Spirit Plaza.

If elected, Waters said she will be a staunch advocate for her constituents.

“I will be accessible,” Waters said.

“You will see me in person. I’ll be working in the community. I will be more than a picture on a card in your mailbox. I will be more than an expensive TV ad. Please don’t vote for a political ad on your flat screen TV.” For his part, Thanedar has had a bumpy first term. His former communications director, Adam Y.

Abusalah, leveled troubling allegations against Thanedar on social media.

“In my first meeting with Shri and another staffer (who also quit) he said ‘I don’t care about policies or legislation right now. I just need you to focus on my re-election,’” Abusalah wrote. “I always reminded him that congressional work & campaign work needed to be separate but he didn’t care.”

Abusalah added, “... what’s important to know is that Shri is all about himself. He’s the most ignorant, selfcentered, and uninformed human I’ve ever worked with.”

He claimed Thanedar was more obsessed with his social media presence than his work as a lawmaker.

Abusalah quit as communications director in May, after serving in the role for several months.

In a statement to Metro Times, Thanedar’s chief of staff, Patrick Malone, said none of the allegations were true and suggested Abusalah was acting out because of Thanedar’s support for Israel following the attack by Hamas.

—Steve Neavling

Ironically, the Motor City has some of the worst drivers Detroit, known for its auto-

motive legacy, has garnered a less flattering accolade: Its drivers are terrible, and they’re killing a lot of people.

A new study by Forbes Advisor ranks Detroit’s drivers as the third worst in the nation.

The sobering analysis highlights a range of driving-related metrics, including fatal car crashes, speeding, drunk driving, and distracted drivers.

Out of the 50 most populated cities in the nation, Detroit ranks second in the rate of fatal car crashes, with 19.76 per 100,000 residents. Only Memphis, Tennessee, had a higher rate at 24.18 per 100,000 residents.

Detroit also ranks second in the rate of fatal car crashes involving a drunk driver (6.54 per 100,000 residents), second in the rate of fatal crashes involving speeding (6.8 per 100,000 residents), and second in the rate of people killed in fatal crashes (21.47 per 100,000 residents).

According to the study, Albuquerque,

New Mexico, has the worst drivers in the U.S., followed by Memphis. Tucson, Arizona, ranked fourth, and Kansas City, Missouri, ranked fifth.

Not surprisingly, Detroit has the highest auto insurance rates in the country, though experts disagree on the reasons why.

Auto insurance rates in Michigan were supposed to dramatically decline after state lawmakers and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer approved legislation in 2019 to combat the sky-high premiums.

But the rates have remained high, and between 2023 and 2024, the average premiums in Detroit jumped 85%, from $3,067 to $5,687.

“More dangerous driving leads to increased risk and higher insurance rates,” Forbes Advisor reported. “Getting speeding tickets, running red lights, texting while driving and other reckless behaviors all raise your chances of accidents and damage claims. This makes you a greater liability in the eyes of insurers.”

—Steve Neavling

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Recall campaign seeks to oust Highland Park mayor Less than a week after suc-

cessfully ousting Highland Park’s seven-term treasurer, a prominent local activist is now turning his attention to expelling another of the city’s elected officials – Mayor Glenda McDonald.

Robert Davis recently submitted language to recall McDonald, telling Metro Times she’s “incompetent and unqualified” to lead the cash-strapped city.

The Wayne County Election Committee is meeting Thursday to determine if the language of the recall meets the standards to begin the process of removing the first-term mayor.

Davis submitted three reasons to recall McDonald: She uses on-duty police officers to chauffeur her around, she allegedly recommended that the city council approve a water agreement that resulted in an increase in residents’ utility bills, and she declined to veto the water agreement.

Under state law, the recall language must be clear and factual. It does not have to prove criminal wrongdoing.

If the committee approves the language, Davis has 180 days to submit enough signatures to place the recall on the November ballot. Under state law, Davis must collect signatures equal to 25% of all votes cast for governor in Highland Park in the 2022 election.

That amounts to roughly 500 or so signatures.

Davis, who lives in Highland Park, says voters are angry that the city reached an agreement with the Great Lakes Water Authority to end a yearslong dispute over millions of dollars in unpaid water bills. As a result of the pact, Davis says residential water bills have skyrocketed.

“The citizens are up in arms,” Davis says. “My water bill doubled.”

Davis also took issue with McDonald using on-duty cops to chauffeur her around at a time when the city has a police shortage and a high crime rate.

“Our cops need to be patrolling our streets and keeping our community safe, not chauffeuring around an

Marianne Williamson drops out of ’24 race Marianne Williamson, the former Detroit-area spiritual

leader and bestselling author who was the first Democrat to challenge President Joe Biden in the 2024 primary, has suspended her campaign.

Williamson announced the end of her White House bid in a YouTube video posted on Wednesday.

“Particularly those of you who are young, who felt that in this campaign you saw hope, I want you to remember that that which is most important does not end on this day,” Williamson said in the video.

“The story itself is so long, the American story, the arc of history is what matters, and the ideas that we stood for … anytime we put out that ripple of hope, anytime we put out any good idea, any time we shed light on a darkened sky, that light will remain and that darkness shall be less.”

Williamson made the announcement after earning 2% of the vote in the South Carolina primary on Tuesday.

As she did in her 2020 campaign, Williamson enchanted many with her message of love and peace, this time aided by TikTok, where she amassed a large following. But it was always going to be an uphill battle for her campaign, with the Democratic National Committee declining to host any primary debates and Biden, polling high, declining to engage with his competitors.

Williamson’s campaign was also reportedly marred by dysfunction, including staff turnover and fundraising issues. (Williamson denied the claims.) Some former staffers accused Williamson of being more interested in building an audience to promote her upcoming book The Mystic Jesus: The Mind of Love.

The book is scheduled for release in May. Williamson gained fame in the 1990s as a spiritual leader for celebrities in Los Angeles and New York. In the late ’90s and early 2000s, she led the Church of Today, a Macomb County megachurch.

—Lee DeVito

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elected official,” Davis says.

Davis decided to pursue the recall because he says McDonald is the wrong leader for a city that desperately needs competent governance.

“She has no experience leading a government, and it is glaringly obvious that she is in over her head,” Davis says. “She wanted the position, not because she is qualified, but because she wanted the notoriety, fame, and attention.”

Ironically, McDonald ended up running unopposed in November 2022 because Davis had filed a lawsuit that resulted in her opponents being removed from the ballot for failing to properly fill out their Affidavit of Identity to run in the non-partisan race.

“She would not have won the election had her opponents not been removed from the ballot,” Davis insists.

McDonald declined to address the recall effort or the allegations leveled against her, saying her attorney advised her that she should wait until after the

Tlaib aims to prevent war profiteering U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib introduced a bill last week aimed at preventing politicians and their families from profiting from war.

The Stop Politicians Profiting from War Act would bar members of Congress and their spouses and dependent children from having any financial stakes in companies that do work with the U.S. Department of Defense. The legislation would also ban congressional members and their families from trading defense stocks.

Members of Congress are currently permitted to own and trade stocks, regardless of their committee assignments and access to insider information.

U.S. lawmakers made 96 transactions in defense stocks in 2023, and eight of those purchases occurred since October, when the war between Hamas and Israel broke out, according to Capitol Trades.

Tlaib, a Detroit Democrat, said the public’s faith in government has eroded because members of Congress have exploited their positions to line their pockets.

“My colleagues continue to funnel billions of American tax dollars to the very same defense contractors that many of them are invested in and taking

commission makes its decision.

“The only thing I would need to defend is what is approved,” she tells Metro Times.

She adds that “allegedly Mr. Davis is who Mr. Davis is. I don’t have anything to say about him.”

No doubt Davis has been a perpetual headache for Highland Park officials.

In addition to getting Treasurer Janice Taylor-Bibbs booted from office and the mayoral candidates removed from the ballot, Davis successfully sued the city over its controversial marijuana ordinance. In July 2023, a Wayne County Circuit Court judge agreed with Davis that the ordinance violated the Michigan Zoning and Enabling Act because city officials failed to get approval from the city’s Planning Commission to create eight zones where cannabis businesses were permitted to open.

Davis alleged that some city officials created the ordinance to help supporters open a cannabis business in the city.

—Steve Neavling

campaign donations from,” Tlaib said in a statement. “The American people deserve representatives who vote in the best interest of our country and our families, not their stock portfolios. It is shameful that some of my colleagues are profiting financially when they vote to support wars and weapons manufacturing. Members of Congress should not be able to use their positions of power to get rich from defense contractors while voting to pass more funding to bomb innocent civilians. The American people deserve better. We are sick of politicians profiting from endless wars.”

Tlaib, the only Palestinian American in Congress, has been a fierce critic of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians.

Numerous groups are endorsing Tlaib’s bill.

“Elected officials owning defense contractor stocks while also controlling annual budget allocations is the opposite of a virtuous circle,” Savannah Wooten, who leads Public Citizen’s People Over Pentagon campaign, which is committed to reducing the Pentagon’s budget and spending more on domestic and human needs issues.

“It’s an astonishing testament to the deep power of the military-industrialCongressional complex that owning defense contractor stock while in office hasn’t yet been banned. Rep. Tlaib’s legislation is a long overdue and welcome proposal. The bill should be passed immediately.”

—Steve Neavling

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NEWS & VIEWS

A mural of Wayne Kramer and the MC5 on Detroit’s former Grande Ballroom.

Lapointe

Mixed memories of Wayne Kramer and the MC5

By Joe Lapointe

In his riveting memoir The Hard Stuff, guitarist Wayne Kramer cites the deaths of Rob Tyner, Michael Davis, and Fred Smith, his fellow musicians in Detroit’s legendary rock band, the MC5.

Tyner was the lead singer. Reflecting on his 1991 death, Kramer writes: “I never thought about Rob or any of the MC5 guys dying, just like I’d never thought about my own death.”

Kramer died at age 75 last week in Los Angeles of pancreatic cancer, more than 50 years after his “Motor City Five” musical group tried to reform — can you dig it? — the culture of the city of Detroit, the state of Michigan, the United States of America, the whole planet, and the entire universe, brothers and sisters, with loud, hard-core, revolutionary rock music, radical politics, free love and mind-altering drugs, man. Power to the people!

“I embraced many of the most extreme ideas and actions of my day,” Kramer wrote. “It was both frightening and exciting … I was a romantic anarchist.”

Kramer’s death jolted the popular music world all the way down to those of us who hung around the Grande Ballroom on Grand River Avenue on Detroit’s West Side in the late 1960s and early 1970s, when and where “The Five” were the

house band and life was grand.

Personally, I was surprised to discover how many deep feelings were stored behind my memory doors. They were spurred by chats with old friends, by re-reading Kramer’s 2018 book, and by listening again to the band’s defining album (and song) called “Kick Out the Jams” and recorded in late 1968 live at the Grande.

The song touts “the sound that abounds and resounds and rebounds off the ceiling … ‘Cause it gets in your brain, it drives you insane … the wailin’ guitars, girl, the crash of the drums, makes you want to keep a-rockin’ ‘til morning comes …”

Although Kramer and the MC5 are not in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, they are curiously mythical icons in the collective consciousness of rock music as an art form. Some rock historians consider them prophets of the punk era, which followed them by a decade, when Kramer was imprisoned.

Even the Clash opened a song called “Jail Guitar Doors” with a reference to Kramer’s conviction for dealing cocaine.

So a tribute to Kramer was wisely inserted into last Sunday’s Grammy awards during a segment honoring those who had died in the previous year.

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LEE DEVITO

The screen on the national telecast showed a misty photo of young Kramer, performing on stage, with long hair and long sideburns, wearing shades and wielding a guitar painted like the American flag.

“Wayne Kramer,” the words on the screen said. “Co-founder, Guitarist, Activist. MC5.”

I saw the MC5 at least a dozen times, mostly at the Grande, but sometimes at other venues. One of my favorite shows was in 1970 at Tartar Field at Wayne State University, a school I attended at the time to study journalism.

A friend had a Super 8 color movie camera so we bought a few rolls of film and stood close to the stage and got some good action shots of the Five flailing away. Sorry to say, the pictures still exist but the film is — and always was — silent.

To properly capture the essence of an MC5 show you had to both see and hear them. And I don’t think we had money at the time for sound film or a sound camera. No cellphones, then, either. Fortunately, other cameras were there and one of them recorded an excellent version of “Kick Out the Jams.”

The sound video on the internet looks to be a black-and-white recording that has been colorized.

Others interested in a longer crash course about the MC5 should listen to the entire album, which lasts about 40 minutes. Those of a certain age, upon honest reflection, might find the music much more mediocre than it is in our memories.

The best and most melodic cut on K.O.T.J. is “Motor City is Burning,” and

that was written and first recorded by John Lee Hooker. At the end of it, Tyner ad-libs, “I may be a white boy, but I can be nasty.” Along with their manager, John Sinclair, the Five helped found the “White Panther Party.”

Kramer sings the lead in “Ramblin’ Rose,” his voice a high tenor, bordering on a cartoonish falsetto. Some lyrics of other songs reflect sexist rock tropes of the time, including “Wham, bam, thank you ma’am, I’m a born ass-pincher and I don’t give a damn.”

As for the psychedelic “Starship,” well, let’s just say you can’t dance to it and that the late 1960s featured the occasional blend of strange musical sounds influenced by controlled substances and space travel fantasies.

But music was just part of the package that came with the MC5. If you were a guy on the cusp of high school and college at the time, the draft and the war in Vietnam were daily worries. So was getting busted by cops for marijuana.

The Five took the left-wing, liberal side in those debates and also opposed police brutality after Detroit’s Riot and Rebellion of 1967. Importantly for the Motor City sensibility, they pushed a blue-collar, chip-on-the-shoulder style and attitude of what are sometimes called factory rats and working class.

They acted more streetwise than the draft-deferred college kids protesting, sometimes violently, on their pretty campuses in the countryside. They even posed bare-chested for photos with rifles and gun belts, a stance steered by the extremist politics of Sinclair, who later became Michigan’s marijuana martyr.

After Sinclair went to Jackson State

Prison in 1969, the group began to falter.

Despite his general bluntness, Kramer treads delicately over the break with Sinclair and their eventual reconciliation.

“John and I have never discussed what happened between us,” Kramer writes.

“We both have our own perspectives. It was extremely painful … I’d always loved John and I was happy to have my old friend back.”

In some ways, the most gripping parts of Kramer’s book describe his life before the MC5’s success — when he was physically abused by his step-father — and his after-life following the demise of the band, when he became a home burglar in Oakland County, a drunk, a junkie, a drug dealer, and a federal prisoner.

He grew up in various places including Harsens Island, Detroit’s West Side, then the Downriver suburbs, sporting what he calls “greaser” style and moving from rental to rental with his mother, who fixed hair and worked in bars and drifted from man to man, one of whom abused both Kramer and his sister.

His real father was a “shell-shocked” World War II veteran who turned to alcohol and drifted away, leaving his son exposed and vulnerable.

“My mother called him a ‘rat’ and a ‘bum,’” Kramer writes of his real dad. ““My grandpa was a mean alcoholic … He

was loud and a bully … Herschel abused me … I couldn’t believe this was happening to me. No one ever said anything about it afterward … It was family fun — if you lived in the ninth circle of hell … Fighting was part of boyhood then …

There was power in stealing. It became my thing …”

Much of the writing is blunt and confessional, evoking the gritty style of Charles Bukowski, especially when the band breaks up and Kramer’s life turns into a tailspin of addiction and crime. He even mentions Bukowski as one of his heroes.

“Crime had an allure for me,” Kramer writes. “I have identified with and romanticized outsiders … I was desperate.

A dope habit requires cash every day …

Eventually, I ran out of things to sell …”

He writes of avoiding a possible execution during a shady drug deal in the Pick Fort Shelby hotel in downtown Detroit.

“No witnesses meant Leon and Barker were going to kill everyone in the room — Tim Shafe, the Bug, Tony and me, too,” Kramer writes. “… The Bug left Detroit and was never seen again. He was always a slippery dude …”

Especially when recounting the rock star life, Kramer comes off like a junior varsity Keith Richards, whose autobiography called Life — published in 2010

— also recounts the lifestyle of that era among that fast crowd.

“We were on the cover of Rolling Stone,” Kramer writes.

He tells of playing on the same bill with Janis Joplin on the West Coast and turning down her offer to meet up later at the hotel. As for the Velvet Underground: “They avoided us and our people completely. Not that I blame them, considering how deranged and aggressive we must have seemed.”

Some memories are pleasant. He dined in Berlin with Marianne Faithful. Some anecdotes are hilarious. At one show, “my super tight stage trousers ripped open at the crotch” when Kramer wore no underwear. Many other scenes in the book are just as visual and seem like parts of a movie script.

One that was serious came in Lower Manhattan, when a local street gang called “The East Village Motherfuckers” decided the Five were not real revolutionaries but mere sellouts to the exploitative and capitalist record companies.

So they protested an MC5 show at the Fillmore East.

“The Motherfuckers bum-rushed the stage and started trashing our equipment,” Kramer writes. “I watched as knives slashed through the fire curtain, while mayhem exploded out front. Cym-

bals were crashing, amps were knocked over and there was a lot of yelling and cursing.”

And those were the best of times.

Fast forward a bit, with Kramer out of prison after three years, still struggling, drinking and drugging, doing handyman work, scoring occasional musical gigs and drifting through cities like New York and Nashville, damaging personal relationships all the while.

“Eve had finally decided that being the girlfriend of a touring, drug-addicted, criminal musician wasn’t exactly what she had in mind,” he writes. “A group of small-time crooks and scam artists comprised my social circle. I was on a trajectory straight into the gutter.”

In what amounts to a happy ending, Kramer finishes The Hard Stuff with his account of sobering up, marrying, settling down, adopting a son, helping prisoners reform through music, and enjoying accolades from several generations during his various revival tours up through recent years as a senior citizen.

“The beats of my life break down pretty simply: childhood, the MC5, crime, prison, sobriety, service and family,” Kramer writes. “… I am at peace with my past … I still live in the tension between the angel and the beast … The struggle will continue until the day I depart.”

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Michigan m a d e H H H

Frontier Ruckus makes sense of their present tense

WITH THEIR LATEST ALBUM,

On the Northline B Y

J E F F

M I L O

For the first time, possibly ever, Matthew Milia is

actually thinking about the future. Or at least the present.

“Something I love about getting older,” says the Detroit-based singer-songwriter, “is that you start to become longer-sighted about the bigger picture of the arc of your life.”

The cofounder of indie rock band Frontier Ruckus is speaking with us from his historic home on the west side; it’s 8 p.m. on a weeknight and he’s decompressing after a “day” at his dayjob, while his wife Lauren is in the other room putting their nine-month-old son, who’s just gotten his first cold, down to bed. Milia takes a breath. “I’ve never thought less about the past than I do right now,” he says.

For Milia, this is noteworthy. In a way, his gaze has always been fixed on the past. Over the course of writing and recording more than 100 songs for Frontier Ruckus, stretched across six albums and three EPs, he’s been pouring out achingly evocative and sometimes feverishly redolent lyrics that paint varyingly realistic or relatably hazy portraits of his past — particularly (self)-mythologizing a hyper-specific Michigan-born maturation. Years on, the somewhat eerily compelling universality of these four-minute memory palaces have deeply resonated with the band’s dedicated fanbase – even if they aren’t all from Michigan and might not pick up on all of his deeper references and lore.

“I’m obsessed with locality,” Milia says. “And obsessed with language! I’m otherwise terrible at math and numbers — I’m not pragmatic or logistical, but language is physical to me. It maps onto my physical landscape so sublimely and effortlessly. I’m a self-mythologizer — that’s been my archetype — because it’s granted me agency within this amorphous blur of metro Detroit, with all its suburban sprawl encompassing a million small towns that fold into one another with all of these overlapping socioeconomic modalities and subtle conflicts. It’s an overwhelming place to grow up.”

Milia and the band’s cofounder, David Jones, both literally grew up with, during, and perhaps because of their formidable experiences in Frontier Ruckus, Frontier Ruckus: Zach Nichols, Matthew Milia, and David Jones.

DOUG COOMBE

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which, over the span of a 20-year career could be variably triumphant, harrowing, mundane, or surreal. On Saturday, Feb. 17, they celebrate the release of their sixth album — On the Northline, the band’s first in seven years — at the Loving Touch in Ferndale.

A wholesome origin story

“We met when we were 15,” Jones regales, looking back to the turn of the millennium, when they were both attending Detroit Country Day in Bloomfield Hills. “I’d started playing the banjo at age 12; I took to it very fast and loved it — I was just blown away by that sound! And so Matt and I played a lot of bluegrass together through high school, and even busked on the streets of downtown Birmingham. Later we would play Dylan and Young covers in Ferndale coffee shops. But pretty soon Matt started writing his own songs — songs that started to getting a little weirder, later on, when we went off to college.”

Milia was a poetry kid who graviated toward contemplative lyricists like Joni Mitchell and Paul Simon, while Jones, with his banjo, developed a deep reverence for bluegrass, ragtime, and classical music. The former enrolled at Michigan State University in East Lansing, while the latter went to University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, but their resolve to form a band only strengthened. The only question became: what other elements could they add?

“I met both of them,” says Zach Nichols, “at [Jones’s] apartment in Ann Arbor, off campus.” Nichols was enrolled at MSU as well; he’d already started playing guitar but was beginning “to enjoy variety in instrumentation, and the way each instrument can express different things,” he says. “I believe any instrument can be used in any genre in a cool way.” That included, for Nichols, not only the melodica, but also the singing saw.

“There was basically a want ad that [Milia] posted to Facebook,” Nichols says. “This was 2004, when Facebook was ‘young’ and you could only be friends with people at your school. I owned a saw and a melodica — actually, it was my dad’s saw — but I’d gotten a bow and learned how to make noise with it and started loving that. So, I went on Facebook and searched ‘singing saw,’ because I wanted to find other singing saw players — like, maybe there was a club or something on campus? And [Milia]’s profile showed up with a post, and it said: ‘We’re looking for a singing saw player or a melodica player…’”

He pauses to acknowledge the wild coincidence. “The truth is we were into the same kind of psych-folk music popular at that time which is why he was also interested in these types of in-

Frontier Ruckus live at Magic Stick in December 2022.

DOUG COOMBE

“WE’D GO ALL OVER ON THESE TOURS TOGETHER. AND EACH TIME WE’D EVENTUALLY MAKE IT OUT TO LOS ANGELES, WE’D ALWAYS WIND UP AT THE END OF A NIGHT ON SOMEONE’S BALCONY, FEELING LIKE WE SHOULD BE LIVING THERE, THAT WE SHOULD MOVE TO SOMEWHERE LIKE L.A. BUT SOMETHING IN ME ALWAYS SAID NO.” struments,” he says. “And so I brought those instruments with me to meet them, along with a trumpet.”

In 2006, the group competed in the MSU Battle of the Bands. “And, we won!” Jones says. “We were so thrilled.

We were awarded a cartoonishly big check and we brought it back to [Milia]’s dorm room and drank our asses off; that culminated in Zach opening the window and shouting, ‘We’re the best band in East Lansing!’”

Jones pauses to laugh. “But we used that cartoon check to buy all of our first gear, and then we started playing our first real shows, and then eventually our first real tours,” he says. “It’s all a very wholesome origin story.”

Peripherally en vogue

There was Milia’s nimble acoustic guitar, his mellifluous voice, his swooning lyrical sketches; Jones, with his superb and dexterous fretwork on the banjo; and then there was Nichols, affably providing an assortment of varyingly unconventional instrumentations, with each of the latter two bringing creative arrangements to enrich the foundation of Milia’s songwriting. That was the DNA of Frontier Ruckus — that, and a “wholesome” friendship that quickly became as durable as tempered steel. Other talented players joined to

fill out the band, some for only a span of months, but others quite longer — notably with singer-songwriter Anna Burch performing on bass and adding harmonies for nine years of the band’s (ongoing) run.

And with a humble one-two punch of 2008’s Orion Songbook and 2010’s Deadmalls and Nightfalls, the band was swept up into a wave that was cresting at that time in the indie music world, making them contending contemporaries of other patchwork alt-folk, neo-folk, and alt-country stylists at the time who employed literate lyricism and distinctive tonality – eventually winning them not only considerably good critical reviews but also a spot at 2010’s Bonnaroo music festival, which that year also featured Arcade Fire and My Morning Jacket.

Together, the members of Frontier Ruckus experienced a nine-year odyssey of touring and album cycles. For several consecutive years, they were spending up to 10 months out on the road, taking them all across the U.S. and Canada, and even over to Europe.

More records followed: Eternity of Dimming (2013), Sitcom Afterlife (2014), and Enter the Kingdom (2017). All the while they remained on the radars of veritable tastemakers, regarded as an authentically good and interesting

band, sure, but, as Milia puts it, “A tad too rootsy for Pitchfork and too eccentric for the Americana crowd.”

“Career aspirations were a nice carrot to follow,” Milia says, “But I think deep in our hearts we always knew that what we were creating together, not just materially, but also emotionally, were the bonds that were going to last. And it eventually became clear we weren’t going to sell a million records or be the next Wilco... There were moments where we thought we were, though, because it often seemed to be happening, or it seemed like it was always just about to happen. We were peripherally en vogue with various industry people hopping onto our bandwagon for a minute or two, but it would always only last up until the moment they realized that my voice is always going to be this idiosyncratic — I own my nasality — and that I’m never gonna stop writing about Michigan. And, that we, as a band, weren’t willing to change any of that.”

“I guess when we were younger we cared more about being seen as ‘cool’ or being considered as such, by that hip, erudite indie rock world,” Jones says.

“And there was a period in the early 2010s where we tried to be more on that indie side of things and less into our sort of rootsy ideas — trying more electric guitars and stuff and playing

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2.

DOUG COOMBE

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EMPLOYMENT

18 February 14-20, 2024 | metrotimes.com

(Ref#840-301).

banjo through pedal boards — until we eventually said, ‘Wait, who cares? No one? Well, then let’s just make the music that we’re gonna make,’ and that’s all we’ve ever really done.”

It wasn’t all Bonnaroo, of course. All three of them can recall a blur of bleak to boisterous weeknights spent slogging through “sticky bars” performing to a gamble’s amount of people and winding up on the floor of some charitable stranger’s loft to catch four hours of sleep before heading out again.

“We’d go all over on these tours together,” Milia says. “And each time we’d eventually make it out to Los Angeles, we’d always wind up at the end of a night on someone’s balcony, feeling like we should be living there, that we should move to somewhere like L.A. But something in me always said no. And then you come out on the other side of it, 10 years on, and it all turned out as the way it should have — and that we have so much to be grateful for. We’re blessed just to have people still listening! But all these cliches are true — you realize a lot of things that you hoped for were pretty much bullshit — that you would have been miserable if they came true: that the only thing worse than not getting what you want is actually getting it. So much had to go wrong for me to wind up here, right here, married to the absolute love of my life and now with a son who’s the light of my world.”

“Of course I’ll always miss those touring days,” Nichols admits. To which, Milia adds, “And I would never choose to spend my twenties any other way…”

Milia continued to release music as a solo artist, including 2019’s Alone at St. Hugo and 2021’s Keego Harbor.

“But I think ultimately,” Nichols continues, “it’s been a little more healthier for each of us to be able to tend to our lives and relationships, instead. I love being able to be creative with these guys. Plus, we’re able to get together all the time just to hang out as friends.

And we’ve been able to talk things over — I just think things are going to be a little more relaxed, now, going forward.

[Milia] has a kid, we’ve all got jobs.

We’re still gonna take the shows we can and just make the most out of it all.”

“We’re certainly the best of friends and, really, brothers,” Jones says.

“Our relationship has blossomed and evolved into something very comfortable. Of course, not being inside the pressure cooker of touring all the time helps that,” he chuckles. “But we’ve really grown into this wonderful adult relationship together, to where I’m now the godfather to [Milia]’s son and I come over to his house to help him install light fixtures, now. I mean, it’s just… very wholesome and lovely. Of course we still play music together

often, we’re just elated every time we get together.”

In-tense sense

The lead single and title track from On the Northline finds Milia talking directly about the passing of time, the experience of aging, and peeling away at muddled feelings until you can actually see what’s real. Milia’s life’s work as a lyricist has been forming a delirious montage of memory — with an eloquence that could make those intangible echoes and mind-Polaroids feel real. But for someone who’s seemed to be nostalgic his entire life — it’s like he’s finally arrived at the present. “[On the Northline] is definitely me finding myself on the other side of show business,” Milia says. “Taking stock of having fallen ass-backwards, accidentally, into domestic bliss and just being overwhelmed with gratitude for lucking out — that it all worked out. But you’ve got to wake up every day with tenacity to make the best of your present. That’s why I started writing songs in the first place, unbeknownst to me at the time. It was just a way of making my own present tense bearable.”

But on one new song, “Mercury Sable,” which details his falling in love with his now-wife, he sings an admittance: “I can’t make sense of something completely intense.” Which is saying a lot for an artist who’s spent his career trying to make sense out of his entire existence; he sounds astonished, yet joyful. It’s a confused excitement for what could be, rather than a rumination for what’s already been.

But Milia, of course, continues to make sense out of Michigan.

“I don’t know what else I would write about,” Milia says, assuring that the local references continue aplenty on Northline. “I’ve left the state many times, but it’s still all I want to write about. My faculties of expression are so inextricably bound to this landscape that I like to say, ‘No one can write a Frontier Ruckus song like me.’ That’s all I know how to write.”

Based on the positive reactions to Northline’s three singles, it’s also clear that Frontier Ruckus’ dedicated fan base, even if they aren’t Michiganders, are still hungry for these mitten-state ruminations. “Wouldn’t have made it this far,” Milia says, “without some of these truly dedicated listeners.”

Frontier Ruckus celebrates the release of On The Northline with an album release party starting at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 17 at The Loving Touch; 22634 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; 248820-5596; thelovingtouchferndale.com.

Fred Thomas and Loose Koozies are also on the bill. Tickets are $20.

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

release) with Siamese, DJ Rock City Ray 9 p.m.-midnight; Bowlero Lanes & Lounge, 4209 Coolidge Hwy., Royal Oak; no cover.

MUSIC

Johnny Cash - The Official Concert Experience 7:30 p.m.; Fisher Theatre, 3011 W. Grand Blvd., Detroit; $50-$112.

Wednesday, Feb. 14 Bowlero Valentine’s Tiki Lounge Party with Roland Remington (Vintage Exotica Percussionist) 6-11 p.m.; Bowlero Lanes & Lounge, 4209 Coolidge Hwy., Royal Oak; no cover.

Crosses 7 p.m.; The Fillmore, 2115 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $37.50-$63.

Dwele J. Brown Valentine Birthday Show 8 p.m.; Sound Board, 2901 Grand River Ave., Detroit; $44-$56.

Luther Re-lives 8 p.m.; Andiamo Celebrity Showroom, 7096 E. 14 Mile Rd., Warren; $99.

Silent Planet 6 p.m.; The Shelter, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit; $22.

The Ocean, The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die, Shy, Low 7 p.m.; Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff St., Hamtramck; $25.

Valentine’s Day Dinner & Concert at Ford House 6-9 p.m.; Edsel & Eleanor Ford House, 1100 Lake Shore Dr., Grosse Pointe; $200 to $500 Pricing is by table.

Woodbridge Pub & The Preservation of Jazz Presents Just Jazz & Blues Every Wednesday Night 7-11 p.m.; Aretha’s Jazz Cafe, 350 Madison St., Detroit; no cover.

Karaoke/Open Mic Kellyoke Valentines Karaoke Love Ballad Special 9 p.m.-2 a.m.; Kelly’s Bar, 2403 Holbrook Ave., Hamtramck; no cover.

Thursday Feb 15 Live/Concert Jay Allen 8-9:30 p.m.; FIM Capitol Theatre, 140 E. 2nd St., Flint; $15-$100.

WYCD Ten Man Jam 6:30 p.m.; The Fillmore, 2115 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $27.50-$37.50.

Friday, Feb. 16 FSPA Faculty Concert Series 7-8:30 p.m.; FIM McArthur Recital Hall, 1025 E Kearsley St., Flint; no cover with registration.

The Glamour Machine (album

Jeffrey Osborne 8 p.m.; Sound Board, 2901 Grand River Ave., Detroit; $49-$63.

Linden Thoburn Quartet & Mike Ward Trio at Trinity House Theatre 8 p.m.; Trinity House Theatre, 38840 W. Six Mile Rd., Livonia; $20.

Myron Elkins: Nashville Hits the Roof! 8 p.m.; Tin Roof, 47 E. Adams Ave., Detroit; no cover.

Portugal. The Man 7 p.m.; Royal Oak Music Theatre, 318 W. Fourth St., Royal Oak; $39.50-$75.

Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3 8-10 p.m.; Hill Auditorium, 825 N. UniversityAve., Ann Arbor; $25-$90.

Roger Sanchez, Mona Black, Some Black Cat, Cove Love 9 p.m.; MagicStick, 4120 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $20-$25.

ShamRock Jazz Orchestra 7 p.m.; Emerald Theatre, 31 N. WalnutSt., MountClemens; $25$320.

Southern Accents - The Ultimate Tom Petty Experience 7 p.m.; District142, 142 Maple St., Wyandotte; $18.

Fourth St., Royal Oak; $29.50-$89.50.

DJ/Dance B.Y.O.R Bring Your Own Records Night 9 p.m.-midnight; TheOld Miami, 3930 CassAve., Detroit; nocover.

Blvd., Detroit; $10 suggesteddonation.

Frontier Ruckus, Fred Thomas, Loose Koozies 7 p.m.; TheLoving Touch, 22634 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; $20.

Hailey Whitters - Can’t Tie’r Down Tour 7 p.m.; District142, 142 MapleSt., Wyandotte; $25-$45.

Hotel California - The Original Eagles Tribute 8 p.m.; Emerald Theatre, 31 N. WalnutSt., MountClemens; $25-$240.

The Incurables - Album Release Party 8:30 p.m.; Road Rangers, 23925 Goddard, Taylor.

Knoll, Mechanophile, Stank 7 p.m.; SanctuaryDetroit, 2932 Caniff St., Hamtramck; $15.

Magic Bag Presents: 80s vs 90s - MEGA vs CLASS 7 p.m.; MagicBag, 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; $25.

Michael Bolton 8 p.m.; Caesars PalaceWindsor - Augustus Ballroom, 377 E. RiversideDr., Windsor; $33-$83.

Rare Earth 8-9:30 p.m.; TheBerman Centerfor thePerforming Arts, 6600 W. MapleRd., West Bloomfield; $25-$55.

Sam Roberts Band 7 p.m.; SaintAndrew’s Hall, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit; $40.50.

Street Angels - Michigan’s Stevie Nicks Experience, Blondie Tribute - In The Flesh 7:30 p.m.; TheToken Lounge, 28949 JoyRd., Westland; $20-$240.

Tamia & Joe 8 p.m.; FoxTheatre, 2211 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $69-$225.

DJ/Dance

Ted Poley + The Five ‘N’ Dime Poets and Willy Mac & The Hostages. 7 p.m.; Small’s, 10339 ConantSt., Hamtramck; $20.

Sorted! Mod Club – DJs ALR!GHT and Mike Trombley 9 p.m.-1a.m.; BowleroLanes & Lounge, 4209 CoolidgeHwy., Royal Oak; nocover.

The Kills: God Games Tour 7 p.m.; Saint Andrew’s Hall, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit; $42.50.

Sunday, Feb. 18

The Steeldrivers 8 p.m.; FlagstarStrand Theatre forthePerforming Arts, 12 N. Saginaw St., Pontiac; $25-$55.

Rouge Reveal: A Live Band Burlesque Show 7 p.m.; AntHall, 2320 Caniff St., Hamtramck; $25-$35.

Wrecking Crue, Paradise City 7 p.m.; District142, 142 MapleSt., Wyandotte; $18-$28.

The Dramatics featuring L.J. Reynolds 7 p.m.; Sound Board, 2901 Grand RiverAve., Detroit; $43-$56.

Yoi Toki 9 p.m.; PikeRoom, 1 S. Saginaw, Pontiac; $15-$20.

Monday, Feb. 19

DJ/Dance Nosaj Thing b2b Jacques Greene 9 pm-2 am; Leland CityClub, 400 BagleySt., Detroit; $20.

Eric Bellinger - The Rebirth Tour 7 p.m.; MagicStick, 4120 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $30-$125.

DJ/Dance

Saturday, Feb. 17

Adult Skate Night 8:30-11 p.m.; LexusVelodrome, 601 MackAve., Detroit; $5.

Be Our Guest: Spinning ’90s/’00s Disney 8 p.m.; PikeRoom, 1 S. Saginaw, Pontiac; $18.

Tuesday, Feb. 20

Buddy Mondlock, Michelle Held 7:30 p.m.; MAMA’s CoffeehouseattheBirmingham Unitarian Church, 38651 Woodward Ave., Bloomfield Hills; $17.00 ($15 student/senior).

CLOCKWORK: An Immersive Experience by Ahya Simone and Ackeem Salmon 6-9 pm; Irwin HouseGallery, 2351 Grand

Cancerslug, Hillbilly Knife Fight, Chemical Valley Mutants 7 p.m.; SanctuaryDetroit, 2932 Caniff St., Hamtramck; $15.

Libby DeCamp: Alpino Roots Cellar Music Series 6:30-8 p.m.; Alpino, 1426 BagleySt., Detroit; $10.

Mr. Big 7 p.m.; Royal Oak MusicTheatre, 318 W.

THEATER Performance Caesars Palace Windsor - Augustus Ballroom Canada’s Drag Race $33$78 Friday, 8 p.m.

Detroit Public Theatre Blues for an Alabama Sky. $47. Wednesday, 2 p.m.; Thursday, 8 p.m.; Friday, 8 p.m., Saturday, 8 p.m.; and Sunday, 2 p.m.

Detroit Repertory Theatre August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come And Gone.

Fridays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 3 & 8 p.m.; and Sundays, 2 p.m.

Flint Repertory Theatre Into the Side of a Hill. Genesee County Residents save 30% (discount applied at checkout). $10-$27. Wednesday, 2-4 p.m.; Thursday, 2-4 p.m.; Friday, 8-10 p.m.; Saturday, 8-10 p.m.; and Sunday, 2-4 p.m.

The Music Hall Very Hungry Caterpillar $15-$25. Sunday, 3 p.m.

Planet Ant Theatre STUPOR: Disappearing Act & My Secret Sickness. $20$40. Friday, 9-10:30 p.m., and Saturday, 9-10:30 p.m.

Musical A Little More Alive Wednesday, 8 p.m.; Thursday, 8 p.m.; Friday, 8 p.m.; Saturday, 6 p.m.; and Sunday, 2 & 6:30 p.m.; Meadow Brook Theatre, 207 Wilson Hall, Rochester; $43.

Fisher Theatre Pretty Woman - The Musical. Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.

Wicked Wednesday 7:30 p.m.,; Thursday, 7:30 p.m.; Friday, 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, 2 & 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday, 1 & 6:30 p.m.; Detroit Opera House, 1526 Broadway St., Detroit.

COMEDY Improv Go Comedy! Improv Theater Go Comedy! All-Star Showdown. $20. Fridays, Saturdays, 7:30 & 9:30 p.m.

Stand-Up Mark Ridley’s Comedy Castle Bill Bushart’s Valentine Stand-up Special.

Featuring Cam RoweMatt Conn, Ann Duke. $15. Wednesday, 7:30-9 p.m.

Mark Ridley’s Comedy Castle Jay Jurden with Vikram Pandya and Jason Gilleran. $25. Thursday, 7:30-9 p.m.; Friday, 7:15-8:45 & 9:45-11:15 p.m.; and Saturday, 7-8:30 & 9:30-11 p.m.

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Planet Ant Theatre Ants In The Hall present Hot For Hamtown: An Original Noir Comedy. $10. Second Wednesday of every month, 7 p.m.

Sound Board Lewis Black: Goodbye Yeller Brick Road, The Final Tour $66-$79 Saturday, 8 p.m.

Continuing This Week Blind Pig Blind Pig Comedy FREE Mondays, 8 p.m.

The Independent Comedy Club at Planet Ant The Sh*t Show Open Mic: Every Friday & Saturday at The Independent. Doors and sign up 8:30 p.m. Show at 9 p.m. $5 suggested donation.

FILM Screening Emagine Royal Oak Thorns premiere with Q&A. The premiere will feature red carpet arrivals by key cast and crew including horror film legend Doug Bradley, and Michigan natives, writer and director Doug Schulze and editor and co-producer Julie Schulze. There will also be a live Q&A prior to the film hosted by Anthony LaVerde, CEO of Emagine Entertainment. 200 N. Main Street in Royal Oak, Michigan. $13.25. Saturday, 7 p.m.

FIM Capitol Theatre The Princess Bride. $2-$7. Friday, 7-9 p.m.

Motor City Cinema Society Band of Outsiders (1964). Monday, 6:30 p.m.

ARTS Art Exhibition Irwin House Gallery Art After Dark Gallery Crawl with Sacred Spaces and the Love Experience. Eat and drink good, network, see and support some dope Black artists! This is a 21+ event. $85. Saturday, 6-10 p.m. and Sunday, 4-8 p.m.

Color & Ink Studio UNIFIED a Keto Green Solo Show. No cover. Fridays, 5-8 p.m.; Saturdays, 12-3 p.m.; and Sundays, 12-3 p.m.

Detroit Contemporary Loralee Grace - Futurelands. Through Feb. 25.

Irwin House Gallery ON FIRE: Terrell Anglin Solo Exhibition. Artist talk: Sunday: February 18, 2 p.m.

Russell Industrial ComplexExhibition Center Dirty Show 2024 - International Erotic Art Exhibition. $45. Friday, 7 p.m.-2 a.m. and Saturday, 7 p.m.-2 a.m.

Cupid’s Undie Run sees attendees strip down for a good cause.

Critics’ picks Divine Wisdom: Femme Alchemy Through Contemporary Art and Performance

ART: This is a group show of feminine power. Opening on Friday, Divine Wisdom: Femme Alchemy Through Contemporary Art and Performance includes visual art by five female artists working in Detroit along with multiple installations and performances at the Jam Handy. It features work on feminine identity, sexuality, and occult practices by Shaina Kasztelan, Sara Nickleson, Olivia Guterson, Dawn Marie Smith, and Sedona Cohen.

There will also be floral art by Four Leaf Clover Studios, aerial silks by Dari Blythe, a piano and vocal performance

by Chakrubs founder Vanessa Cuccia, a Suzy Poling light installation, tattoo models styled in Supernatural Lingerie, and a DJ set by FemmeDom Detroit founder Petra Steele. “As a curator, I explore how feminine power can be inculcated through art, meditation, sexuality, psychedelics, and other experiences,” Divine Wisdom curator Samara Furlong said about the show.

“These five artists channel energy and knowledge through their artistic processes into work that creates conversation and community. They are speaking to the collective consciousness and creating a space for growth and

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healing. Artmaking for these women is an alchemical process — a means for transforming the world around them and us.”

—Randiah Camille Green

JOE MAROON

International and local DJs to spin at Arabic dance music party Laylit

CHARITY: Each February, thousands of people across the U.S. strip down for a good cause. Cupid’s Undie Run sees nearly nude participants brave the cold for a “mile(ish) run” to raise awareness of neurofibromatosis, a genetic disorder that causes tumors to grow on nerve tissue. Detroit’s event kicks off with some much-needed drinks and dancing at the Tin Roof around noon to loosen everyone up, with the run beginning around 2 p.m.

It all ends back at the Tin Roof for an “epic dance party.” Proceeds benefit NF research through the Children’s Tumor Foundation. Plus, the people watching is always entertaining — and maybe you’ll even meet your Valentine.

—Lee DeVito

MUSIC: Laylit, a collective that celebrates music from the Arab region and its diaspora, will be hosting a party in Detroit at Spot Lite this weekend. The night’s lineup of DJs will include Tammy Lakkis, a rising voice in Detroit’s electronic music scene, alongside fellow Detroiter aa3‫ع‬, plus MNSA from Montreal, and Laylit founder Saphe from New York City. Over the last five years, Laylit’s dance parties, which have been mainly held in NYC and Montreal, have become highly anticipated events offering a unique experience to North American nightlife. Each Laylit party gives DJs the freedom to uniquely showcase the musical diversity in the Arab region, blending traditional sounds of shaabi, dabke, and mahraganat with Arabic pop, hip-hop, and electronic dance music. The collective hopes to create unity through these events by valuing inclusivity across cultures, languages, and identities. Tickets will be available at the door or can be purchased online before the event at Resident Advisor.

—Layla McMurtrie

From noon-4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 17; Tin Roof, 47 E. Adams St., Detroit; my.cupids.org. Registration is $45 for individuals.

From 9 p.m.-2 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 17; Spot Lite, 2905 Beaufait St., Detroit; spotlitedetroit.com. Tickets are $21.95.

Reception and performances from 6-9 p.m. on Friday, and artwork is also on display from 1-4 p.m. on Saturday with an artist talk at 2 p.m.; Jam Handy, 2900 E. Grand Blvd., Detroit; facebook.com. No cover.

Cupid’s Undie Run

metrotimes.com | February 14-20, 2024 25

MUSIC ALL YOUR TEAMS PLAYING ON OUR BIG SCREENS!

Fri 2/16

DJKAGE PRES. PYRAMIDS III FEAT. BERNAN BUSH/THE LASSO/ MOTORKAM/JUNES FLOW (hip-hop/rap/experimental) Doors@9p/$5cover

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CRAIG BRENTON! Sat 2/17

BANGERZ & JAMZ MONTHLY DANCE PARTY! W/ DJ AIMZ & DJ EM Mixing 90’s & 00’s Doors@9p/$5cover

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RICHARD COWAN!

The former Outkast rapper’s improvisational performance in Detroit was like a guided meditation.

JAKE MULKA

Local Buzz

Mon 2/19

FREE POOL ALL DAY Tues 2/20

FAT TUESDAY!

A lesson from André 3000: Embrace your weird

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

By Randiah Camille Green

Open Decks@8PM NO COVER IG: @byor_tuesdays_old_miami

Coming Up: 2/24 Phossils/Intent accident/A Death Cinematic/Andre Foisy/ Steve Fors 2/25 ABRACADABRA 2024: Strange Magic/Doubt It/Wounded Touch/ Cyanide/Muddhouse/ Pepper &T he Heavy Boys & MORE 3/01 Dom Shbeats/Greyhound/Sean Monaghan/Woof/Lucy V 3/08 STRICTLY FINE/Tree No Leaves 3/15 Mammon/Something Is Waiting(chi)/Gator Pit 3/16 3rd Annual Barfly Awards! VOTE NOW@the bar!

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“I just made all that shit up,” a beanie- and overalls-clad André 3000 says after delivering a powerful speech of gibberish that sounds like he’s speaking in tongues.

He explains to the crowd gathered at the Masonic Cathedral Theatre for his New Blue Sun performance in Detroit that it’s a combination of every language you’ve ever heard and that sometimes it feels good to just make noise. In fact, weird noises are encouraged at this show.

André 3000 and his ensemble played three gigs in Detroit on his New Blue Sun tour, one at Cliff Bells on Thursday and two at the Masonic Temple on Friday. He and his backing band — comprised of Carlos Nino, Nate Mercereau, and Surya Botofasina — riffed off songs from the reclusive rapper’s surprise new instrumental album, released in November, playing some of the main melodies and freestyling the rest. New Blue Sun is an improvisational album anyway, so it made sense.

Throughout the tour the band will end up playing new music every night.

The smoke machine works overtime to billow hazy streams across the stage in the dimly lit cathedral. A blue laser beams down onto André’s flute from the balcony as a chorus of ring lights glow like luminescent all-seeing eyes cutting through the darkness.

26 February 14-20, 2024 | metrotimes.com

André changes flutes several times throughout the show, sometimes playing distorted notes that sound more like they’re coming from a keyboard.

The most interesting thing happening onstage isn’t André himself, however; it’s the percussion coming from Carlos Nino, who uses mallets to play the cymbals like a gong. Gentle wind chimes and thunderous beats like a war drum fill the cathedral like a sound bath meditation.

The best way to enjoy the show is to close your eyes. The music allows you to settle into stillness and as the night progresses I notice the tension in my shoulders and legs before allowing the music to melt it away.

André invites the audience to join him in releasing whatever noises they feel like as he growls and purrs like a panther before playing “That Night In Hawaii When I Turned Into A Panther And Started Making These Low Register Purring Tones That I Couldn’t Control ... Sh¥t Was Wild.” While there’s a bit of hesitation and no one quite lets themselves go completely, the crowd obliges with the occasional yell or “woooo.”

He tells us to take deep breaths, stand up, and stretch like an internal voice embodied.

In between songs, André gives short speeches, telling us how he began play-

ing his flute in Los Angeles parks and met Nino in a grocery store, leading them to record New Blue Sun in his garage. He says that when he plays his flute in public, people from all cultures come up to him, because every culture has their own version of the ancient instrument.

“Whaddup doe,” he says. “I learned that yesterday.”

The Detroit crowd loves it.

The audience seems to be waiting for a climax but there isn’t one. Just four guys making it up as they go along like we’re all ultimately doing in this life. As the end of the night draws near underneath the crucifix hanging from the venue’s ceiling, frantic notes and screeching melodies start to feel like a horror movie soundtrack with the cathedral’s stained glass windows as a backdrop.

Appearing humble, he shouts out all the great music coming from Detroit, including the late jazz players Yusef Lateef and Alice Coltrane, as well as hip-hop beat maker J Dilla. Sources say Detroit jazz clarinetist and tenor saxophonist Wendell Harrison even sat in during the earlier Masonic Temple show.

“Tell Jack White we want to make some music with him,” André 3000 says before thanking the audience for allowing him to explore and leaving the stage.

metrotimes.com | February 14-20, 2024 27

FOOD

Saj Alreef, which translates roughly into “country bread,” opened in October in Sterling Heights.

TOM PERKINS

Transcendent lamb shanks in Sterling Heights

By Tom Perkins

Saj Alreef Restaurant 4100 Metro Pkwy., Sterling Heights 586-400-7777 instagram.com/ saj_alreef_restaurant $8 for a sandwich to $34 for an entree

Among my best experiences dining in Michigan was my initial trip to Sullaf, the venerable carryout Iraqi spot on Seven Mile Road just east of Woodward in Detroit’s old Chaldeantown neighborhood.

I entered, looked a bit confused because there was no menu, and a gruff chef curtly asked me what I wanted.” “Is there a menu?” I responded.

“I got lamb and I got chicken,” the chef said, offering no other hint as to preparations as flames leapt off the sizzling grill behind him. I ordered both, and the massive lamb shank he handed

me is etched in my memory one of the most transcendent plates I’ve ever had.

The lamb quzi at Saj Areef, a new Iraqi restaurant in Sterling Heights, generated flashbacks to that visit and plate. The lamb’s tender meat practically falls off a huge bone, and the dish hit like few can. Quzi is a traditional Middle Eastern plate though it may slightly vary by region, and for some reason Iraqi folks seem to do it best.

Though there are subtle hints of what I’m guessing is cardamom or clove, the preparation and high quality meat did the heavy lifting. Owner Steven Arbo touted Areef’s meats, which come from Barry and Sons and other reputable halal butchers. The quzi bites are further enhanced with the addition of jasmine rice prepared three different ways, the best of which came coated with super fragrant curry and studded with raisins. Add the pickled cabbage rendered electric yellow from turmeric to each forkful and feel your brain unleash endorphins.

Saj Alreef, which translates roughly

28 February 14-20, 2024 | metrotimes.com

into “country bread,” opened in October in Sterling Heights, a center for metro Detroit’s huge Chaldean population. Metro Detroiters are more used to Lebanese food but the recipes and palates aren’t that far apart.

Perhaps even better than the quzi are the kebabs, which are cooked over a charcoal grill that leaves the edges with perfect char and imparts a lovely smokiness. One Iraqi kebab came with minced lamb and beef, and another with ground chicken. Both burst with flavor from what tastes like some combination of parsley, garlic, onion, sumac, cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, coriander, and more. The hunks of piquant chicken and lamb tikka kebabs stood out, the former with a nearly candied texture from the smoke.

Saj is a type of Iraqi bread that could somewhat be likened to a tortilla in form and function, and Saj Alreef offers a list of standard Middle Eastern sandwiches wrapped with them. The chicken shawarma comes with pickles,

but the beef, fragrant from perhaps cardamom or cinnamon, was the better of the two.

We also got a platter with salads and Saj Alreef’s excellent creamy, rich hummus. Nearly everything on it is some combination of bright, fresh, lemony, acidic, punchy, slightly sweet, and balanced. A salad of charred bits of eggplant that imparted a slightly smoky element with bell peppers and red onion stood out, as did the tangy tabbouleh. It also comes with a creamy cucumber salad and a beet salad. The meals arrive with soups, and though I’m not usually a fan of lentil, this nutty version is the best I’ve ever had.

The vibe, like the food, is bright and upbeat, and the walls are adorned with Middle Eastern infinity patterns. Saj Alreef packs it in on weekends.

This is owner Steven Arbo’s first restaurant, though his family owns several in Iraq, and he says the kitchen is full of experienced cooks. So far, they seem to be picking up where Sullaf left off.

Praise for that.

metrotimes.com | February 14-20, 2024 29

FOOD Chowhound

Words salad Chowhound is a weekly column about what’s trending in Detroit food culture.

Tips: eat@metrotimes.com.

I’ve no meaty topic to devote an entire column to this week. Nibble on these tidbits instead:

Asking for a friend: My lifelong buddy Bret and I met in kindergarten.

We know each other well at this point.

Food-wise, there’s nothing this guy loves more than fried clams. Having heard good things about Scotty Simpson’s frittered fare, I called to inquire.

No clams. And nothing jumped out at me while fishing for them online.

Now, I haven’t a clue as to where I might go to cross two things off my to-do list with one stroke: review some humble little hang that does fried fish well — among other things — while taking a best friend along for a muchneeded fried clams fix. So, I’m open to suggestions on this one, Metro Times readers, and among you, any restaurateurs proud enough of their deep fryer delectables to invite me in. I’d have to take you up on that invitation anonymously, of course, pay my own way, and call things as I see them. Still, who’s to say you won’t score a pair of bonus points for having the balls to request some review scrutiny? Either way, from whoever chimes in, I’d appreciate a hand with my clam-digging here. You’d be doing a friend of mine a favor.

Wing nuts: For our next Whipping Post installment, consider this tagteam effort from two Google reviewers flying off the handle with Belleville’s Rusted Crow over a perceived slight from a chicken wing order they insisted came up short in more ways than one.

From Ann Cates, a week ago: “Poor service. Paid for 20 wings on a carry out and got only 18. Owner refused to speak with this customer on the phone, waitress said he said return to the store in middle of the night to replace two wings, because the fry cook said there was 20. How rude! Last order from this pathetic restaurant. Some unscrupulous staff was obviously playing in my food and the owner was too obtuse to care.”

Piling on, plaintive crony, Atum Re, added sequentially in a separate review: “Not recommended! Fry cook shorted

SHUTTERSTOCK

my chicken wings on a to go order.

Owner said the cook was correct, but I could come back to the restaurant for the missing wings. That’s how they treat black customers. No sorry. No replacement. No going back.”

Where do I begin here? In conversation with Crow’s kitchen management, for starters, I was told these customers called to place an order for two dozen wings, at which point staff advised that Crow sells wings in portions of 10 or 20 instead, which could account for the four-wing discrepancy these customers perceived in the order they received.

Even so, from there, Cates and Re strafed Crow’s Google reviews with several accusations well beyond the pale of reasonable complaint. Cates accusing the kitchen staff of “unscrupulous” (presumably pilfering) handling of her food is patently presumptuous.

Both she and Re’s reference to kitchen staff as fry cooks reeks of pejorative, and playing the race card over this issue is sad, plain and simple.

For the record and upon further inspection, the rest of Cates’ and Re’s posting histories reflect a long list of one-star rants. In her three other contributions to online posterity, Re rails against a nail salon she feels failed to treat an ingrown toenail of hers, a car dealership who didn’t fix a repair she paid for, and a public storage facility she’d rented space from. Meanwhile,

30 February 14-20, 2024 | metrotimes.com

Cates has been busy blowing up Belleville’s Bayou Grill as well, exposing herself as a bit of a glutton for punishment, I guess, in the process: “There is no way that this place has good BBQ,” she adamantly opines. “Every time I eat there, the fish, I get ill with diarea (sic).” And after a recent brunch in Dearborn, Cates bitched about “thievery” perpetrated against her party of five in the form of an auto-gratuity (welcome to our world, lady), and having to pay for toast (imagine that, in a breakfast place), and getting “overcharged” for and extra tea bag. Sigh.

And so it seems to go with these two gripe-a-lots, ad nauseam. Some people should just stay home and spare us all their piss-and-moan misery.

Michigan reunion tour stops update: Continuing to reconnect with old friends from my Dearborn boyhood, I’m finding mention-worthy restaurants dotting the neighborhoods I’m getting to know again. Invited out to dinner at Antonio’s in Dearborn Heights two Sundays ago, I had seconds of what the prolific Rugiero restaurant family’s been offering metro Detroit Italian food aficionados since 1964.

Not having enjoyed the pleasure of its hospitality since my visit to Roman Village last spring, I got a good refresher course in what keeps their handful of family businesses thriving in the always

crowded theater of Italian dining operations.

Catering to a group of old friends dropping in unannounced during a bustling, prime-time dinner service, Antonio’s slid us right in. Proceeding into three-hours of loud conversations and laughter, we were indulged by Antonio’s convivial crew and customers alike, who laughed with us over the old, misspent youth stories we couldn’t help but retell in full throat. Antonio’s kitchen made more than admirable efforts to shut our mouths early on with highcaliber platters of piled-high antipasto and calamari. My old partner in crime Bill had a look on his face like we’d just robbed a bank, pondering Mediterranean salad topped with countless coins of beautiful beets and good-asgold nuggets of Feta enough to feed a Greek frat house. I couldn’t finish half of my seafood linguini after those first courses. More’s the pity, since I left behind a likely two-pound to-go box filled with the Rugiero’s better-than-great garlic bread and the rest of that pasta.

After two glasses of Jack on the rocks every drop of four fingers deep, our most generous friend, Tony, decided to pick up the tab for the entire table.

Salute! The rest of us left Antonio’s none the lighter in our tighter wallets, fat and happy over time spent together again after an evening feast well-served and hosted by the family Rugiero. Cent’ Anni! to them and their hospitality, and to friendships old and new, and experiences which become memories that last lifetimes and keep us forever young on the inside, at least.

And if I’ve asked this before, forgive me: While dining at Antonio’s, I overheard table talk behind me on lotterywinning strategies. Some guy was swearing that he wins some here and there whenever he really tries to clear his mind and let images of winning numbers come to him. Another take from the table voiced belief that one should always play strong feelings on what numbers might come up, and still another claimed to win once on numbers she pulled out of a fortune cookie, of all things. Honestly, I had that same experience years ago, but only to the tune of seven dollars. The fortune on the other side read, “He who sups heavily on bean curd, sleeps alone,” or something along those lines.

From counting cards to playing hunches, almost every gambler seems to have a system where games of chance are concerned. Some I’ve heard subscribe to mind power as a strategy.

Truthfully, I’ve had a premonition or two in my day. But how many psychics, I wonder, have won big in Powerball?

Hmmm.

metrotimes.com | February 14-20, 2024 31

CULTURE Arts spotlight

Loralee Grace tackles environmental racism in Futurelands

By Randiah Camille Green

Loralee Grace has sold ev-

erything she owned to live nomadically three times.

“Learning my taxes in America mostly fund an incredibly bloated military, policing, and prisons as opposed to social services fueled my desire to leave after art school due to my opposition to the violent militaristic overarching culture,” the Detroit-based painter says.

“The way I traveled, I wasn’t, or was barely making any money — one way to not have to pay taxes.”

She didn’t carry much with her on her travels but she always had mini art supplies to paint the landscape and people she encountered.

The more she traveled and met the Indigenous people of those lands, she realized environmental issues like poor air quality are residual effects of colonialism. This inspired her to start a series in 2015 called Futurelands depicting landscapes like Turkey’s Pamukkale thermal springs and the sandstone canyons of Wadi Rum (aka Valley of the Moon) in Jordan.

Paintings from her travels are part of her solo show Futurelands, on view at Detroit Contemporary until February 25. For Grace, a “futureland” is where the land is returned to Indigenous people.

“The environmental issues we have are directly connected to taking the land away from Indigenous people,” she says. “I lived in Melbourne when the 2020 bushfire crisis happened. I wasn’t in any of the places where the fire took place but we got a significant amount of smoke in the city multiple times and I learned that had they left the land sovereignty in the hands of First Nations people, they wouldn’t have had this problem.”

Often, Grace’s oil and watercolor paintings depict people wearing futuristic air filtration devices on their heads that look like astronaut helmets. In

A portrait of Detroit activist Eradajere Oleita by Loralee Grace.

2021, a painting of a woman she met in Uganda with solar panels and air filters was used on billboards around Detroit for a campaign against environmental racism.

In Futurelands, a painting of Pamukkale shows three mysterious figures wading in the hot spring’s misty waters as if searching for a civilization that’s long been lost. They wear what look like space suits, one of them clutching her pregnant belly, contemplating what life will be like for her child on a planet where you can’t breathe the air.

Above the future wasteland scene is a Turkish rug pattern. Grace, who is white, often infuses patterns relevant to the culture she is painting in her work that she finds through research. She sees her work as cultural appreciation rather than appropriation.

“I hope people can see that, and so far in my conversations people can tell

32 February 14-20, 2024 | metrotimes.com

how much care and thought I put into it,” she says, noting that she donates proceeds from her sales to organizations like the Indigenous-led non-profit Cultural Survival.

A painting of a Nepali woman Grace met on her travels has her wearing an air filter decorated with solar panels and baby spider plants, which are thought to be natural air purifiers.

Because Grace travels as a low-budget nomad, she often finds herself in remote villages, which she says gives her more authentic chances to connect with local people.

“Kathmandu has some of the worst [air] pollution in the world,” she notes, adding, “I’m more concerned with helping the people affected by pollution than trying to stop it or educate people, because we can’t stop it or change it ourselves,” she says.

Her friend Eradajere Oleita taught

COURTESY PHOTO

her this prospect. Oleita is a Detroitbased environmental activist who started the Chip Bag Project to upcycle potato chip bags into sleeping bags for the homeless.

Grace painted a portrait of Oleita for the show with a glass filter encasing her head and the skyline of Detroit and her hometown of Lagos behind her.

Grace’s travels have taken her to 27 countries including New Zealand, Nepal, Iceland, Australia, India, Turkey, Montenegro, Jordan, and “Israel/occupied Palestine.” For now, the Grand Rapids native is based in Detroit where she’s lived for four years — the longest she’s stayed in one place in the past 15 years.

Futurelands is on view at Detroit Contemporary, 487 W. Alexandrine St., Detroit; detroitcontemporary.com.

Through Feb. 25.

metrotimes.com | February 14-20, 2024 33

CULTURE

Juliette Binoche and Benoît Magimel partake in sensual delights.

Film

The passion of the chef

By Chuck Wilson

The Taste of Things Rated: PG-13 Run-time: 134 minutes

The film season’s most exhilarating action sequence doesn’t feature bad guys and explosions but simmering sauce pans and delectably steaming plates of veal. In director Tran Ahn Hung’s sublime drama The Taste of Things, the long and elaborate preparation of an ornate meal on the fire stoves of a 19th century French kitchen proves to be as nourishing to watch as the food itself would be to eat.

The cook, Eugénie (Juliette Binoche), who may be a genius, and her two young assistants move about the sun-dappled kitchen with the precision of a crack military team and the grace of Balanchine dancers.

They are aided by the château’s owner, Dodin Bouffant (Benoît Magimel), a revered gourmand who declares, “The discovery of a new dish brings more joy to humanity than the discovery of a new star.”

The meal that opens the film is be-

ing prepared for Dodin’s best friends, four fellow gourmets, including a doctor, who appear to move from home to home, eating well and often, and bringing news to Dodin of trends and good cooks. They are in awe of Eugénie and after finishing the meal bring praises to her in the kitchen, not realizing that she has, mere moments before, nearly fainted, from exhaustion perhaps, or worse, an undiagnosed illness.

They entreat her to join them next time, but Eugénie begs off, insisting that her place is in the kitchen, preparing the next course. Besides, she says, “I converse with you in the dining room through what you eat.”

Later, with the moon providing an exquisite backlight, and cinematographer Jonathan Ricquebourg’s camera gliding gently back and forth between them, as if controlled by the breeze, Eugénie and Dodin sit in the garden, celebrating a successful dinner party, which feels like a tradition for them.

Eugénie wants to invite her assistant’s niece, Pauline (Bonnie Chagneau-Ravoire), to become her protégé. The girl had astonished Dodin with her ability to name the individual ingredients in

34 February 14-20, 2024 | metrotimes.com

IFC FILMS

a complex sauce after only one taste.

Dodin will visit the family and extend the invitation, but no, Eugénie wants to do it herself. Dodin does not argue.

In this, as in most matters of import, they are equals.

The business of the day attended to, Dodin takes a breath and asks, “Eugénie, may I knock at your door tonight?”

A French Vietnamese filmmaker whose debut feature, The Scent of Green Papayas (1993) — the only Vietnamese film to be nominated for an Academy Award — is one of the most visually immersive films ever made, Hung has made a movie about gastronomy that is, at heart, a love story.

Food and love (and France) — they’re inextricably linked. Eugénie has worked for Dodin for 20 years. They are together, but not yet fully so. He often asks her to marry him. She has always said no. For this 19th century woman, there is power, it would seem, in withholding “yes” and in a bedroom door that is sometimes locked to a lover’s knock and sometimes not.

When Dodin’s guests come to the kitchen that first night to thank Eugénie and urge her to dine with them, she describes what it’s like to taste the food as it’s being prepared for them.

She’s flushed from having just been dizzy and flushed too with feeling. For a moment, Eugénie gets lost in her own reverie, as we do when talking of the thing we love most. This life, and its abundance, Binoche reveals, brings Eugénie joy.

That sense of delight will return when Dodin makes a grand gesture and prepares, all on his own, a multi-course dinner for Eugénie, capped by Champagne that’s been buried at the bottom of the sea for 50 years. Eugénie, who rarely sits for a formal dinner, dresses in a magnificent yellow gown and lets herself be served. The meal is delicious and witty, like Dodin himself — she loves his wit.

The room is lit by candles, like a scene from Barry Lyndon, but the true light comes from Binoche’s face. This performance, so deeply felt, is her crowning achievement.

She is matched by Magimel, who was once Binoche’s partner in life (they share a child together), and here plays a cerebral man who’s only method for wooing a woman is to describe in detail the process of digestion, a marvelously absurd speech that might trip up a lesser actor. Magimel is well served by Hung’s generosity of spirit, which makes time for individual characters to have a private interior moment, right up to the anticipatory pleasure the cook’s assistant, Violette (Galatéa Bellugi), takes in walking from the kitchen to the dining room with a special dessert meant for Eugénie.

The Taste of Things was France’s entry into the Academy Awards, but it wasn’t nominated. A shame. It’s completely wonderful and is also that rare movie that you enter into fully. By the end, the vast stone kitchen is as familiar as home.

The play of sunlight across that room is crazy beautiful and so peaceful you’d never want to leave. No wonder Eugénie felt such joy.

metrotimes.com | February 14-20, 2024 35

CULTURE Savage Love

Smash Button

By Dan Savage

But if we divorce so I can feel fulfilled, that will destroy him. I don’t think he believes I would choose non-monogamy or kink over him. And I really don’t want to leave him or lose my lover. I cannot choose between them. I need them both. My heart is BREAKING. Help.

—Brokenhearted And Seeking Insightful Counsel

Alright, I dug through the mail and looking for questions that aren’t about cheating or negotiating non-monogamy or embracing tolyamory and managed to find a few…

Q: I am invited to a (gay) sex party.

When invited for dinner you bring a bottle of wine, but what is the proper etiquette for a sex party? Come showered and douched, I guess. What else? Do I bring something for the host?

—Newby At Sex Party

Q: My heart is breaking and it’s my own A: I’m sorry about your heart but I can’t A: A host gift is a thoughtful idea, fault. I started cheating on my husband of 29 years, casually at first — making out, getting groped, no penetrative sex — and then I met a man and we just clicked. I caught feelings and we started to have an intense, kinky, and very sexual and emotional relationship.

I love my husband. We are extremely compatible in so many ways, except this one: I am kinky and poly whereas he is vanilla and monogamous. Even though I haven’t disclosed my cheating to him, we have been talking about my desire to be non-monogamous. He knows I’m kinkier than he is, although I can’t disclose how I came to know I need BDSM in my life. I have also discovered that I am bisexual, but not biromantic. Because of this, my husband has moved on monogamy and agreed to be a little monogamish: he consents to me exploring sexual encounters with women, primarily because he guiltily admits that he finds it a non-threatening turn-on since I am not romantically attracted to women.

I have presented to my husband that I WANT to be non-monogamous and that I am capable of polyamory. He hasn’t consented. Even though he says he doesn’t want to say no or hold me back from exploring my sexuality, he says if I were to issue an ultimatum, we would get divorced. So, this is basically his ultimatum.

Meanwhile, my lover and I have recognized that the struggles in our relationship stem from the fact that I am cheating on my husband. It raises doubts for my lover about whether I am deceiving him, since I am obviously capable of deceit. I hate this. When I ask him what he wants, my lover says he wants me not to hate myself so much. And so, we have decided to “pause” our affair until I can figure out how to get right with my husband and be able to be ethically non-monogamous.

Adding to my heartbreak: I NEED both these relationships. My husband can only flex so far in the kink direction. He cannot be the dominant partner I need. I’ve told him this, more or less. And he takes it as saying that without that he is nothing, which is not true. He is almost everything, but he can’t stand being not “enough.” He is afraid that I will resent him if he doesn’t agree to non-monogamy. Which I don’t.

with your problem.

The mail this week — the mail for weeks — has been nothing but letters from long-married straight people thinking about cheating or already cheating or desperately trying to renegotiate monogamous commitments they made decades ago or desperately pretending that’s what they’re doing, e.g., they’re going through the motions of discussing ethical nonmonogamy in the hopes of legitimizing the non-ethical non-monogamy they’re already practicing.

I don’t mean to come across as unsympathetic, BASIC, but you’ve been smashing your pussy down on the self-destruct button for a while now. You didn’t get the answer you wanted from your husband — permission to fuck other men — and instead of countering his ultimatum (“No fucking around with other men or it’s over”) with an ultimatum of your own (“Permission to fuck around with other men or it’s over”), you went out and started fucking around with other men. You may not have been consciously aware that you were smashing your pussy down on the self-destruct button, but you either knew or should have known you were setting something in motion that would blow up your marriage.

This is all going to come out. Your husband is going to find out about your lover and then you’re going to find out whether your husband’s threat to divorce was serious. Threatening to divorce someone you love is easy, actually divorcing someone you love is hard. And divorce is a long, drawn-out process and your husband will have time to reconsider his decision before it’s final.

But only the truth can free you from the miserable corner you’ve painted yourself into. And while it’s going to be unpleasant, telling the truth — the messy, painful truth — is the only way you out. Sometimes married people smash their hands/ mouths/pussies/dicks down on the selfdestruct button and wind up destroying their marriages. Sometimes that’s what they want. But sometimes the marriage survives the explosion and something new and beautiful is built on the rubble.

Maybe you’ll be one of the lucky ones. But there’s only one way to find out.

36 February 14-20, 2024 | metrotimes.com

NASP, but slipping your host a little cash — paper towels are way more expensive than they used to be — may be a better idea.

“I usually ask for a £5 tip to cover the costs of food, soft drinks, and hard drinks I provide at the parties I run,” said Ali Bushell, author of the Sex Party Handbook. “Even if the host of NASP’s first sex party doesn’t ask for money, being willing to tip the host $10 or so is always appreciated. It’s especially appreciated when the guest acknowledges the time and effort that went into making the event happen and mentions that they’re grateful.” While Bushell makes alcohol available at the parties he hosts at his home in London, not all sex party hosts serve booze. “Bringing alcohol isn’t a terrible idea,” said Bushell, “but NASP needs to bear in mind some people might prefer the party to be dry.

So, if he’s thinking of bringing a six pack of beer or bottle of wine to share, best to check with the host about whether that would be welcome.”

And big ups to arriving very recently douched and very freshly showered.

Also: don’t wear cologne, put your phone away, be polite when you decline to play with someone, be just as polite to someone who declines to play with you, get on PrEP (prevents HIV infection), look into DoxyPEP (offers some protection against other sexually transmitted infections), and maybe consider using condoms (they offer excellent protection against HIV and other STIs).

Ali Bushell’s Sex Party Handbook is available on Amazon. When he’s not hosting sex parties, Bushell hosts the The Healers Guild, a podcast for people seeking or offering healing.

Q: I have a lover and we are long-dis-

tance. I’d like to spend the limited time we have in person doing physical activities — getting intimate — but he takes a long time to warm up and needs to spend a lot of time talking first. If we had all the time in the world, that wouldn’t be a problem, but we usually only see each other on business trips that take us to each other’s cities. Can we cut to the chase without shortchanging his need to reconnect

emotionally first?

—Down To Business You can’t.

Q:

I’m a 28-year-old woman in Australia. I am talking to a very hot dominant man in his forties that I met on reddit who’s in my area. He gives me extremely explicit tasks that he wants photos of constantly including writing his initials on me each day. I have verified his ID — I know his real name and he is who he says he is — but other than the fact that he’s married and very private about his life, I don’t know much about him. I’m enjoying having a regular (constant!) D/s dynamic in my life but I’m worried these photos would ruin me if they got out. But I’m enjoying our online play so much I’ve stopped talking to people on dating apps because his play is more fun for me. It’s hard to find hot kinky people that are normal/hot IRL in my area. Advice please?

—Personal Images Complicate Situation

A: The risk you’re running — losing

control of your photos — is not some ancillary risk that you can mitigate or eliminate while still enjoying this connection.

Your entire relationship with this man consists of taking the pictures he orders you to and then sending them to him.

You want this sexy dominant man to have power over you — you’re turned on by the thought of him having power over you — and these photos are the power he has over you. You aren’t sending these photos to get the sex, PICS, the sending of the photos is the sex.

Now, sex is never risk-free — there’s no such things as entirely safe sex — but sane people do what they can to mitigate risks. Gay men take PrEP so they can enjoy PIB without having to worry about the risk of contracting HIV; straight women use birth control so they can enjoy PIV without having to worry about the risk of contracting feti. But the only way to eliminate the risk here is for you to stop sending these photos — to abstain from sending more photos — but that also eliminates everything that’s pleasurable about this connection.

That said, PICS, the fact that you know this man’s name — and that you know he’s married — does provide you with some protection. If this man were to post your photos online because you wanted to end the relationship, you have legal recourse — revenge porn is a crime in Australia — and so the risks here are shared and that will hopefully motivate him to keep your photos on a secure and un-hackable server and not to do anything stupid or vindictive when you move on to a hot Dom you can see IRL.

Got problems? Everyone does! Send your question to mailbox@savage.love!

metrotimes.com | February 14-20, 2024 37

CULTURE Free Will Astrology

By Rob Brezsny ARIES: March 21 – April 19 Some stories don’t have a distinct and orderly beginning, middle, and end. At any one point, it may be hard to know where you are. Other tales have a clear beginning, middle, and end, but the parts occur out of order; maybe the middle happens first, then the end, followed by the beginning. Every other variation is possible, too. And then there’s the fact that the beginning of a new story is implied at the end of many stories, even stories with fuzzy plots and ambiguous endings. Keep these ruminations in mind during the coming weeks, Aries. You will be in a phase when it’s essential to know what story you are living in and where you are located in the plot’s unfoldment.

TAURUS: April 20 – May 20 As I meditate on your destiny in the near future, I sense you will summon extra courage, perhaps even fearless and heroic energy. I wonder if

you will save a drowning person, or rescue a child from a burning building, or administer successful CPR to a stranger who has collapsed on the street. Although I suspect your adventures will be less dramatic than those, they may still be epic. Maybe you will audaciously expose corruption and deceit, or persuade a friend to not commit self-harm, or speak bold thoughts you haven’t had the daring to utter before.

GEMINI: May 21 – June 20 Lately, you have been learning more than you thought possible. You have surpassed and transcended previous limits in your understanding of how the world works. Congratulations! I believe the numerous awakenings stem from your willingness to wander freely into the edgy frontier — and then stay there to gather in all the surprising discoveries and revelations flowing your way. I will love it if you continue your pilgrimage out there beyond the borders for a while longer.

CANCER: June 21 – July 22 As I study the astrological omens for the coming weeks, I suspect you will feel more at home in a situation that has previously felt unnerving or alien. Or you will expedite the arrival of the future by connecting more deeply with your roots. Or you will cultivate more peace and serenity by exploring exotic places. To be honest, though, the planetary configurations are half-mystifying me; I’m offering my best guesses. You may assemble a strong foundation for an experimental fantasy. Or perhaps you will engage in imaginary travel, enabling you to wander widely without leaving your sanctuary. Or all of the above.

Hey, I see you folks out on the corners of small town (and large) USA promoting your “cause.” I get it, but (I believe I speak for the vast majority of us) we all got somewhere to be.

WE ARE DUST, AND TO DUST

WE SHALL

RETURN.

LEO: July 23 – August 22 Of your hundreds of wishes and yearnings, Leo, which is the highest on your priority list? And which are the next two? What are the sweet, rich, inspiring experiences you want more than anything else in life? I invite you to compile a tally of your top three longings. Write them on a piece of paper. Draw or paste an evocative symbol next to each one. Then place this holy document in a prominent spot that you will see regularly. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, you are in a phase when focusing and intensifying your intentions will bring big rewards.

38 February 14-20, 2024 | metrotimes.com

VIRGO: August 23 – Sept. 22 Actor and travel writer Andrew McCarthy hiked across Spain along the famous pilgrimage route, Camino de Santiago. On the way, he felt so brave and strong that at one point he paradoxically had a sobbing breakdown. He realized how fear had always dominated his life. With this chronic agitation absent for the first time ever, he felt free to be his genuine self. “I started to feel more comfortable in the world and consequently in my own skin,” he testified, concluding, “I think travel obliterates fear.” I recommend applying his prescription to yourself in the coming months, Virgo — in whatever ways your intuition tells you are right. Cosmic forces will be aligned with you.

LIBRA: Sept. 23 – Oct. 22 In the natural world, there are four partnership styles. In the parasitic variety, one living thing damages another while exploiting it. In the commensal mode, there is exploitation by one partner, but no harm occurs. In the epizoic model, one creature serves as a vehicle for the other but gets nothing in return. The fourth kind of partnership is symbiotic. It’s beneficial to both parties. I bring these thoughts to your attention, Libra, because the coming weeks will be an excellent time to take an inventory of your alliances and affiliations—and begin to deemphasize, even phase out, all but the symbiotic ones.

SCORPIO: Oct. 23 – Nov. 21: Scorpio author Dan Savage says, “I wish I could let myself eat and eat and eat.” He imagines what it would be like if he didn’t “have to monitor the foods I put in my mouth or go to the gym anymore.” He feels envious of those who have no inhibitions about being gluttonous. In alignment with astrological aspects, I authorize Savage and all Scorpios to temporarily set aside such inhibitions. Take a brief break. Experiment with what it feels like to free yourself to ingest big helpings of food and drink — as well as metaphorical kinds of nourishment like love and sex and sensations and entertainment. Just for now, allow yourself to play around with voraciousness. You may be surprised at the deeper liberations it triggers.

SAGITTARIUS: Nov. 22 – Dec. 21 Dear Wise Gambler: You rank high in your spacious intelligence, intuitive logic, and robust fantasy life. There’s only one factor that may diminish your ability to discern the difference between wise and unwise gambles. That’s your tendency to get so excited by big, expansive ideas that

you neglect to account for messy, inconvenient details. And it’s especially important not to dismiss or underplay those details in the coming weeks. If you include them in your assessments, you will indeed be the shrewdest of wise gamblers.

CAPRICORN: Dec. 22 – Jan. 19 Capricorn golfer Tiger Woods is one of the all-time greats. He holds numerous records and has won scores of tournaments. On 20 occasions, he has accomplished the most difficult feat: hitting a hole-in-one. But the weird fact is that there were two decades (1998–2018) between his 19th and 20th holes-in-one. I suspect your own fallow time came in 2023, Capricorn. By now, you should be back in the hole-in-one groove, metaphorically speaking. And the coming months may bring a series of such crowning strokes.

AQUARIUS: Jan. 20 – Feb. 18 Poet Anna Akhmatova (1889– 1966) lived till age 76, but her destiny was a rough ride. Her native country, the authoritarian Soviet Union, censored her work and imprisoned her friends and family. In one of her poems, she wrote, “If I can’t have love, if I can’t find peace, give me a bitter glory.”

She got the latter wish. She came close to winning a Nobel Prize and is now renowned as a great poet and heroic symbol of principled resistance to tyranny. Dear Aquarius, I predict that your life in the coming months will be very different from Akhmatova’s. I expect you will enjoy more peace and love than you’ve had in a long time.

Glory will stream your way, too, but it will be graceful, never bitter. The effects will be heightened if you express principled resistance to tyranny.

PISCES: Feb.19 – March 20 Piscean perfumer Sophia Grojsman says, “Our lives are quiet. We like to be disturbed by delight.” To that end, she has created over 30 bestselling fragrances, including Eternity Purple Orchid, Désir Coulant (Flowing Desire), Spellbound, Volupté (Pleasure), and Jelisaveta (“God is abundance”). I bring this up, Pisces, because I believe it’s now essential for you to be disturbed by delight — as well as to disturb others with delight.

Please do what’s necessary to become a potent magnet for marvelous interruptions, sublime interventions, and blissful intrusions. And make yourself into a provider of those healing subversions, too.

Homework: I dare you to forgive yourself for a past event you’ve never forgiven yourself for before.

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