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IN LOVING MEMORY OF THE OLD MIAMI OWNER, VIETNAM VETERAN & CASS CORRIDOR LEGEND
DANIEL “DANNY” OVERSTREET
4/19/1948 - 5/01/2026
SEE FULL PAGE AD IN THIS ISSUE FOR FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS
Wed 5/13
BELL’S BREWERY & TWO HEARTED ALE PRES. OLD TIME HAWKEY’S “CATCH YOU THERE” MIDWEST TOUR FOOD/TRIVIA/MERCH/GAMES/PROMOS DOORS 6-9PM - NO COVER
Thurs 5/14 HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOVITA!
Fri 5/15
TIMMY VULGAR’S PANIC IN DETROIT VOL II DAY 1 FEAT. MRKT/LAUNDRY BATS(MEMPHIS)/ILL IMOR/ SIMULATION DOORS@8PM/$15COVER HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ADOR SCOTT!
Sat 5/16
ARMED FORCES DAY A CELEBRATION OF LIFE FOR DANIEL OVERSTREET, OWNER OF THE OLD MIAMI
TIMMY VULGAR’S PANIC IN DETROIT VOL II DAY 2 FEAT. SPACE SKULL DUSTY ROSE GROUP/MR. CLIT AND THE PINK CIGARETTES (BLOOMINGTON)/BORES DOORS@8PM/$15COVER
Mon 5/18 FREE POOL ALL DAY
Tues 5/19
DETROIT CITY FOOTBALL LEAGUE AFTER PARTY FEAT. DJ AIMZ OPEN MIC IN THE D FEAT. MUSIC/POETRY/TALENT HOSTED BY JAH LION 8PM-MIDNITE JUICERUNNERS HAPPY HOUR PROMO@8PM HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEVONN BELK!
Fri 5/22
J.MICHAEL & THE HEAVY BURDEN/ BMCC JAMBOREE/DAVE ZELENAK (AMERICANA/ALT ROCK/INDIE ROCK) DOORS@9P/$5COVER
Sat 5/23
DETROIT ROCKS FOR SANDCASTLES JOIN US FOR A FUNDRAISER SUPPORTING THE INCREDIBLE WORK OF HENRY FORD SANDCASTLES FEAT. MUSIC BY DR. DETROIT ON THE PATIO STARTS AT 6PM / $20 DONATION / 21+ FOOD BY MIZZ RUTH’S GRILL WWW.ABOUTSANDCASTLES.ORG
INSIDE TO FOLLOW: DETROIT PLAYERS/EMILY ROGERS (NEO SOUL/PROG ROCK/BLUES) DOORS@10PM/$5COVER
Sun 5/24
TONY NOVA’S 6TH ANNUAL THE DETROIT PARTY 2026 FEAT. TONY NOVA & DJ SYNC 12 HOURS OF HOUSE & TECHNO/LIVE ART/ MIZZ RUTH’S GRILL DOORS@2PM/$10COVER (THEDETROITPARTY.COM)
Mon 5/25
HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY! WE ARE OPEN FREE POOL ALL DAY
Tues 5/26
OPEN MIC IN THE D FEAT. MUSIC/POETRY/ TALENT HOSTED BY JAH LION 8PM-MIDNITE
Thurs 5/28
WDET 101.9 COMEDY SHOWCASE SERIES SEASON 6 “WHAT’S SO FUNNY ABOUT DETROIT?” HOSTED BY RYAN PATRICK HOOPER OF IN THE GROOVE FEAT. 5 DETROIT STAND-UP COMICS! INFO&TICKETS@ WDET.ORG/EVENTS DOORS@6PM/SHOW@7PM FOOD BY MIZZ RUTH’S GRILL
Coming Up:
5/29 Angie Hartley & The Boys/The Broken Strings/ Leigh Rydell
5/30 SHORT’s BREWERY REVEAL feat: Take Your Meds/Caveman Bam Bam/Imaginatron & more
6/06 PARTY UP 5! PRINCE ERA MUSIC ALL NIGHT w/DJ KAGE
6/12 FOUL MOUTH (D12)
6/20 HOWDY FEST by Howdy Saloon Detroit (Tiks @ EVENTBRITE.com)
6/26 LABYRINTH screening wsg. Tish Delish
7/04 WE ARE OPEN FOR INDEPENDENCE DAY!
7/11 DIVAS vs DIVAS (monthly dance party)
LET’S GO PISTONS, RED WINGS & TIGERS! VISIT US ON GAME DAY One Mile from Stadiums/Minutes from QLine
BOOK YOUR PARTIES: theoldmiamibarevents@gmail.com
Old Miami T-shirts & Hoodies Make Great Gifts
Photo and design courtesy of Paxahau
Feedback NEWS & VIEWS
Readers respond to Lee DeVito’s article, “Transgender woman alleges discrimination at Ferndale gay bar.”
This does not sound like trans discrimination but more like crabby bartender syndrome.
—@karacoraci, Instagram
She was hassled over her real state ID and yelled at over the bar, bartender threatened to call the cops on her. Yes it was discrimination —@fartviolence, Instagram
I don’t know of any gay bars in Detroit/ Metro Detroit that *don’t* discriminate against trans AND black people.
—@somethingblue313, Instagram
Wow, this comment section is not it. Our community will literally do ANYTHING but stand up for a trans black woman! She deserves to have respect, to be believed and listened to. If a black woman tells us they feel discriminated against, we need to listen! Especially my fellow white lgbtqia+ folks. The racism especially from gay men is astounding.
—@hardyharmar, Instagram
I think what people are failing to realize/ grasp about this is that just because you are gay does NOT mean you can’t be discriminatory towards trans people, black people, etc etc. i see it constantly. The “lgbtq” community is NOT as united as yall think.
—@ianpeterz, Instagram
NEWS & VIEWS
Sanders backs El-Sayed and McKinney at packed rally
The Democratic Party establishment’s attempt to cancel Abdul El-Sayed appears to have fallen flat.
More than 1,360 people packed Detroit’s Mumford High School earlier this month to hear the Michigan U.S. Senate candidate speak alongside U.S. House candidate Donavan McKinney.
The event was helmed by Vermont’s Sen. Bernie Sanders, who endorsed both candidates, and billed as the latest stop on his popular “Fighting Oligarchy” tour, which drew thousands of supporters in Warren last year.
Polling shows El-Sayed, a former Detroit and Wayne County health official (and former Metro Times contributor), in a three-way tie with U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens and state Sen. Mallory McMorrow ahead of the Aug. 4 Democratic Senate primary. The winner will likely face off against Republican Mike Rogers in the Nov. 3 election.
Meanwhile, McKinney, who currently serves as a state representative, is moving to unseat U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar in Michigan’s 13th Congressional District.
Among El-Sayed’s fans at the rally were Lorina and Christopher, supporters since El-Sayed’s unsuccessful 2018 run for Michigan governor, who bolted from their seats to snap a selfie with him before the rally got underway.
“I am really excited to vote for a candidate who I actually agree with their viewpoints and their politics, and it’s refreshing,” Lorina told Metro Times. “It’s sadly kind of rare now.”
Lorina cited El-Sayed’s willingness to speak out against what she called “the genocide” in Gaza, and his refusal to accept money from the powerful pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC, while Christopher said he supports El-Sayed’s push for universal healthcare.
The two had waited in line for hours; Christopher said he tried but couldn’t squeeze into El-Sayed’s recent rally with Hasan Piker at Michigan State University.
“He’s got more of a national spotlight on him now,” he said.
El-Sayed has been attacked in recent weeks over his campaign appearances with Piker, a popular Twitch streamer and leftist political commentator from Los Angeles. Stevens called the decision “unacceptable,” citing what she described as Piker’s “hurtful and antisemitic comments,” while McMorrow compared Piker to alt-right commentator Nick Fuentes. (A vocal critic of Israel, Piker has repeatedly denounced antisemitism.) The gambit appears to have backfired, with El-Sayed and Piker drawing a month’s worth of mainstream
shows up like nurses,” El-Sayed said. “They’re the folks who show up for you on your worst day, and show up for you on your best day. And for the past more than a year now, they’ve been showing up for a fair contract in Flint.”
El-Sayed said his experiences in his final year of medical school at the University of Michigan informed his leftwing point of view. “Too often the answer to what was wrong had less to do with all that physiology we studied and so much more to do with pathologies in our politics — the air we breathe, the water we drink, whether or not you can walk in your community without being a victim of violence, whether or not you can get a doctor in the first place,” he said. “And I realized that I wanted to solve those problems.”
He said he was dismayed by the Trump administration’s freezing of federal funds for health initiatives. Last year, as director of Health, Human, and Veterans Services in Wayne County, he said he was mulling the impact the cuts would have on his department when he saw a notification on his phone announcing that U.S. Senator Gary Peters would not seek reelection.
Shortly after, he said he received a text message from U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Detroit encouraging him to run: “Habibi, this one looks like yours.”
While he emphasized the need for Congress to oppose the president’s agenda, he noted that the problem runs deeper.
media coverage that only amplified their message — following a recent Gallup poll that found American sentiment turning against Israel as its wars expand in the Middle East.
“When there’s a candidate whose viewpoints I agree with and who I think would serve the majority of the people in a way that makes sense and is accessible, I don’t mind spending time waiting,” Lorina added.
The Detroit rally kicked off with words from Makia Wilson-Lumpkins, president of the Detroit Federation of Teachers labor union, and Dan Glass, president of the President of Teamsters Local 332 in Flint. The latter represents nurses involved in a labor dispute at Henry Ford Genesys Hospital who have been on strike since September, making it one of the longest nurse walkouts in recent U.S. history.
When he took the stage, McKinney said that the progressive policies he and El-Sayed are fighting for, like labor rights and universal healthcare, are popular.
“A progressive agenda is a common-sense agenda,” he said.
El-Sayed — who McKinney said could be “the number one doctor we have in the U.S.A.” if elected to the Senate — also voiced support for the nurses.
“There is no group of people that
“Donald Trump is not himself a disease in our politics, he’s just the worst symptom of the disease,” he said, which is “billionaires, big corporations, and especially interests like AIPAC, who buy and sell politicians to do their bidding instead of ours.”
He called the war in Iran unpopular and wasteful (“We could abolish the medical debt in this country ten times over for what we spent on a war we should have never fought,” he said, to cheers) and accused the Israeli prime minister of dragging the U.S. into its conflicts in the Middle East.
“Benjamin Netanyahu has been searching for 40 years to find a president dumb enough to go to war with Iran,” he said. “And he finally found one in the form of Donald J. Trump.”
El-Sayed also made clear that he opposes antisemitism.
“I want to be clear about something, crystal clear,” he said. “AIPAC and Israel are not the same as Judaism and the Jewish people. I love Judaism and I love the Jewish people … it is important for us to recognize that we love Judaism and the Jewish people because we love people, and we love Palestinians and their rights because we love people.”
El-Sayed elicited one of the loudest cheers of the evening when he called out
Sen. Bernie Sanders (center) endorsed Dr. Abdul El-Sayed (left) and Donavan McKinney (right) for U.S. Congress. JIM WEST/ALAMY LIVE NEWS
Trump’s U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement of brutal tactics against undocumented immigrants.
“ICE is about normalizing putting government thugs on our streets against the Constitution itself,” he said. “And maybe it’s because I ran government agencies, but I can tell you that once a culture of impunity sets in, there is no reform … You cannot reform this … The only logical path is to abolish ICE.”
El-Sayed introduced Sanders as the leader of the progressive movement.
“I’ve been saying the same thing for the better part of a decade … he’s been saying the same thing for the better part of a century,” El-Sayed said.
Sanders, the longest-serving independent in Congress, praised El-Sayed and McKinney as fighters against the status quo.
“In a moment of national crisis, we need leaders in Washington with the guts to take on the political establishment of both political parties,” he said, adding that both have become taken over by the interests of the super-wealthy.
“Today in American history, we have more income and wealth inequality than we have ever had in the history of our country,” he said. “I’m sure the kids right here in this high school are probably learning about the Gilded Age. Remember the Gilded Age? The Rockefellers and the Carnegies and all those guys? Tremendous wealth, tremendous power. Nothing, nothing compared to where we are today.”
He pointed to recent wins on the left as a cause for hope, including Zohran Mamdani’s underdog mayoral victory in New York City, Analilia Mejia’s U.S. House win in New Jersey, and Graham Platner’s promising campaign in Maine, but noted that those efforts all required grassroots support.
“Zohran Mamdani started his campaign for mayor of New York City at 1% in the polls,” Sanders said. “He was opposed by the entire Democratic establishment. He was opposed by the President of the United States. He was opposed by every oligarch in New York City. But you know what Mamdani did? He put together a grassroots movement in New York City of 100,000 volunteers who were prepared to knock on doors. It doesn’t matter how much money the other folks have when you have 100,000 people knocking on doors, whether it’s New York or in Michigan for Abdul.”
He added, “What do demagogues like Trump do? What’s their modus operandi? … What they do, is they understand that if they can divide people up, they always win … and what our job is, is to do exactly the opposite. Our job is to bring people together around an agenda that works for all, not just a few.”
—Lee DeVito
Metro Times and Invisible Institute to appeal after judge sides
with state police on FOIA exemptions
A Michigan Court of Claims judge ruled that state policing regulators can keep secret the names and employment histories of current and former officers throughout the state, but Metro Times and Invisible Institute plan to appeal the decision.
Earlier this month, Judge Christopher P. Yates decided that Michigan State Police can withhold the records under exemptions in the state’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), dealing a setback to a national effort to track so-called wandering officers who move from department to department after engaging in misconduct.
The University of Michigan’s Civil Rights Litigation Initiative filed the lawsuit in November 2023 on behalf of Metro Times and Invisible Institute, a nonprofit based in Chicago. The news organizations argued the records are essential to identifying wandering cops.
David Seaman, a student attorney for the CRLI, said the decision undermines the transparency that Michigan’s public records law was designed to protect.
“A secret police force is a sign of an authoritarian government, not a democracy,” Seaman said. “The Michigan legislature passed FOIA to ensure that the government remains transparent and accountable, not to allow the government to hide something so basic as the names of its employees.”
The case centered on records held
by the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards, or MCOLES, which is housed within MSP and regulates police licensing in the state. In January 2023, Metro Times and Invisible Institute requested the names of all licensed officers in Michigan, along with information about their employment history.
State police denied key parts of the request, arguing that releasing the names would violate an obscure FOIA exemption for records that identify law enforcement officers, amount to a clearly unwarranted invasion of privacy, and could endanger officers and their families by exposing them to doxing, a form of online harassment that involves publishing someone’s personal information.
Yates agreed with MSP, ruling that one FOIA exemption applies to active law enforcement officers and another applies to retired officers. In his eightpage opinion, Yates wrote that the exemptions “fit those two groups like a glove.”
For active officers, Yates concluded that the public interest in nondisclosure was strong because releasing the records would identify “every single active law-enforcement officer” in Michigan. Although the judge acknowledged that “no free society wishes to be subjected to secret police,” he wrote that officers should be identifiable while on duty but not necessarily in their private lives. He did not make clear how
this principle would function in this or future requests, given that this request only sought professional information about the officers.
For retired officers, Yates ruled that MSP could withhold identifying information under FOIA’s privacy exemption. He wrote that most retired officers still have firearms and that the Michigan Supreme Court has stated in a previous case that “gun ownership is information of a personal nature.” Yates also argued that the records would reveal little about the inner workings of government because the officers’ licenses had not been revoked.
The ruling notes that MSP has already turned over the names of officers whose licenses were revoked. But the news organizations seek more extensive records, including information about active officers and former officers whose licenses were inactive, lapsed, or otherwise not revoked.
The decision comes more than a year after Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel took the unusual step of siding with Metro Times and Invisible Institute, despite her department’s role in representing state police in the lawsuit. In an April 2024 friend-of-the-court brief, Nessel argued that MSP should release the names in the interest of transparency and accountability.
“Our State — like all states — gives a great deal of power to law enforcement officers — and not just a great amount of power, but indeed a monopoly on
Michigan court says you don’t have a right to know who your cops are.
such power,” Nessel wrote at the time. “But it is an axiom of human nature that giving some people power over others entails a risk that this power will be abused. And to this end, our laws generally require that those who wield governmental power do their work in the sunlight.”
The records are part of Invisible Institute’s national project to create a searchable database of police employment histories. The National Police Index launched in September 2024 without Michigan data because MSP has refused to release the records.
More than two dozen states have disclosed the names of certified officers to the news organizations, including Michigan’s neighbors Indiana and Ohio. In Wisconsin, last week a circuit court judge ruled in favor of a similar lawsuit brought by The Badger Project and Invisible Institute, writing that law enforcement officers “necessarily relinquish certain privacy and reputational rights by virtue of the amount of trust society places in them and must be subject to public scrutiny.” Michigan’s refusal also made MSP a finalist in 2024 for Investigative Reporters and Editors’ Golden Padlock Award, which recognizes the most secretive public agencies and officials in the country. Without the ability to track wandering cops, the public may never know when officers accused of misconduct are hired by another department.
In October 2023, Metro Times revealed that the Detroit and Eastpointe police departments violated a 2017 law intended to prevent wandering officers from landing new jobs after misconduct allegations. Former Detroit cop Kairy Roberts was hired in Eastpointe despite an internal Detroit investigation that found he punched an unarmed man in the face in Greektown, failed to provide medical aid, and lied about the encounter.
Detroit failed to report the alleged misconduct to MCOLES, and Eastpointe falsely claimed Roberts had met the character fitness standards required to reactivate his license, MCOLES Director Timothy Bourgeois previously told Metro Times. After we reported on the hiring, MCOLES suspended Roberts’s license. He later resigned from Eastpointe.
In March 2024, Metro Times also reported that the Warren and Romeo police departments appeared to violate the same law after a Warren officer retired while under investigation and later got a job in Romeo.
Supporters of the lawsuit say access to officer names and employment histories is needed to determine whether police accused of misconduct are quietly moving from one department to another.
—Steve Neavling
Working class hero M.L. Liebler unleashed in book
In his new memoir, Hound Dog: A Poet’s Memoir of Rock, Revolution, and Redemption, M.L. Liebler chronicles his metamorphosis from an orphaned working-class boy into a prolific, pioneering political poet. Known to many as Professor Liebler, this 40-year faculty member of Wayne State University has also been hailed as “Detroit’s Culture Czar” and a “Workers’ Worker.”
His career has spanned from Motown to Munich – bringing poetic expressionism to the frontlines of communities and classrooms. Hound Dog exemplifies and amplifies how art is a form of activism. Rooted in Detroit, Liebler centers the city as a cultural cornerstone, immersing readers in the sounds and landscapes that shape his vision of the “American Dream.”
M.L. was born in 1953 at Art Center Hospital in Detroit, near Wayne State’s campus, to a teenage mother and a “young troublemaker” father. Ultimately, it was his grandparents who would raise the child. “Grumps” was an assembly line worker for Dodge and one of the first UAW members to participate in the 1937 Dodge Main Strike. “Ma” worked part-time at an ice cream shop on Detroit’s east side. It was under their roof that M.L. got his first dose of rock ’n’ roll – listening to records of Elvis, Ella Fitzgerald, Sophie Tucker, Pearl Bailey, and The Ink Spots. “There was always music in our house,” he writes. His grandparents’ eclectic musical tastes and liberal perspectives contributed to a budding youth in revolt. This early influence would ignite a fire in his soul for music, poetry, and empowerment. By 1961, Liebler relocated to St. Clair Shores and still lives there today in the childhood home of his wife, Pam.
Liebler’s recollections are a kaleidoscope of memory, music, people, and places. The narrative leaps into a world of Beat poets, grassroots activists, musical icons, historical moments, hilarious hijinks, religious awakenings, artistic endeavors, and heartfelt sentiments. Along the timeline are portraits of childhood, friendship, marriage, fatherhood, and the road to sobriety and self-actualization.
The climate of the ’60s and ’70s fueled the flames of revolution that led to a “hippie” kid from the shores of Lake St. Clair to eventually sharing stages with John Sinclair. There is a litany of counterculture figures featured in the book. The lore includes recording with Country Joe McDonald, touring with Al Kooper, bowling with Ken Kesey, publishing with Edie Parker-Kerouac, and opening for Ray Manzarek.
Imagine driving around Kansas in the late ’80s with Timothy Leary in your backseat and being surrounded by the likes of Allen Ginsberg, Ed Sanders, Marianne Faithfull — and toss in Hüsker Dü there as well. This is just one of the many anecdotal paintings of Liebler’s escapades. These encounters prove poetry is more than just words on a page, but a lived experience.
After a fateful night at the Eastown Theatre, Liebler began an expansive journey of incorporating music with his writing. As a traveling poet prophet, he has charted a unique style of “Perf-Po,” or Performance Poetry. He is a founding member of The Magic Poetry Band and The Coyote Monk Poetry Band. These groups yielded collaborations with eclectic Detroit talent, building a following for what Liebler calls “poetry for dancing” and blurring the lines between literature and live music.
During his teaching career, Liebler has maintained a goal of bringing poetry to working-class kids and adults around the globe. The literary mission of Liebler has encouraged people to use “stories, poems, and creative non-fiction to open doors and help us all explore who we [are] as humans living in this complex and uptight world.” He even inspired
a group of students in Jalalabad to dance and rap their poetry over an instrumentation of Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” — creating an artful collision of 8 Mile and Afghanistan. The community of writers and artists Liebler has cultivated throughout his life is a testament to the power of poetry. Liebler has taken on the yoke of mentorship – guiding generations of everyday folks to a higher power — where poetry can be accessible not just for academics but for everyone. The role of mentor is not just theoretical; it is personal. Speaking as a former student of Professor Liebler, I can say that his influence on my life has broadened my perception of who a writer is and what a writer does. I thank him for his unyielding support of living an unconventional life and offering me counsel for the last eight years. I am grateful to be in his orbit.
Hound Dog is not just Liebler’s story; it is an American story. It draws the reader into a meditation on the significance of preserving freedom and identity. It challenges the audience to rethink their role in society and serves as a reminder that creativity and community can shape not only our lives but also the lives around us.
M.L. grew up in an America that was, for better or worse, a place people came for the promise of a different life. In Detroit, resilience and self-determination have always driven us forward. Despite the downfalls, Liebler believes “A bad day in Detroit is better than a good day anywhere else in the world.” I believe this statement speaks to the core of our society today, and Detroit’s official motto: We hope for better things; it will rise from the ashes.
The ideals of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness extend beyond our borders. In a time of political divisiveness, Liebler uses his voice to speak out against injustice and promote peace at home and abroad. As the author boldly states: “Together, we can reignite the spirit that once made our nation a symbol of hope and possibility with democracy for all.”
—Kara Frank
Hound Dog by M.L. Liebler.
COURTESY PHOTO
Danny Brown is always onto the next thing
The Detroit rapper’s hyperpop pivot was just the latest left turn — don’t expect him to stay there long
On Saturday, May 23, Detroit native Danny Brown will be one of the featured artists performing on the Waterfront stage at Hart Plaza’s Movement Music Festival in downtown Detroit. This marks the fourth time the rapper has been a part of Movement’s massive lineup (Brown performed in 2015, 2017, and 2019). It also marks production company Paxahau’s 20th anniversary leading the festival.
“I can say that this is the best set I’ve had in my entire career,” Brown says. “I just think it’s based on the time of these songs I have now, almost over 15 years of music now, you know? The fact that a lot of this should sound cohesive.”
On Nov. 7 of last year, Brown released his sixth studio album, Stardust. The LP received favorable reviews, reaching No. 25 on the Billboard Top Dance Albums and peaking at No. 20 on the North American College and Community Radio Chart
“It’s been great,” Brown says. “I mean, one thing I always just be a judgment of, is like everybody that works around me — like as far as like my label and everybody, it’s done exceptionally well.”
Sonically, Stardust a pivot from 2023’s Quaranta, which highlighted a mature Danny Brown full of introspection and self-analysis. He talked about being incarcerated on “Celibate,” teamed up with fellow Detroiter Bruiser Wolf on “Y.B.P.,” and spoke on failed relationships in “Down wit It.” He also leaned on hometown producers like Quelle Chris and Chuck Inglish.
On Stardust, Brown kept the introspection but implemented an EDM- and hyperpop-inspired production. Lyrically, he showcased his usual brand of creativity and continued to explore introspective themes on songs like, “Book of Daniel” where he raps, “Used to write rhymes ’til I start to tear up/ Lost a couple punchline ’cause the ink smeared up/ Now I made it past a decade, who the top? Dot and Thebe. And that’s mе, the big three, don’t give a fuck what they say.”
In “All4u,” Brown explored his deep love for hip-hop and hardships he faced as an aspiring artist. “Wrote raps ’til the ink ran dry/ Want it so bad that I just might cry/ Had my favorite tape on re -
peat/ Listened all night ’til I fell asleep,” he raps.
But all this lyrical transparency was spit over rhythms that made you want to move your body.
Over the years Brown’s fans have all latched on to certain releases with a cultlike obsession. There’s one crowd that still yearns for that 2008 mixtape Hot Soup Danny. There’s another that wants him to replicate XXX (2011) and Atrocity Exhibition (2016), back when Brown was this wild-haired, gap-toothed emcee that could incite a mosh-pit at your local Coney Island. Tracks like “Monopoly,” “XXX,” and “30” not only made Brown a music festival mainstay, but brought him mainstream success. In fact, a quick Reddit search and most fans have XXX and Atrocity Exhibition in their top three.
Brown understands the dynamic and wants of the fans, but also feels he was never meant to stay in one place sonically or lyrically within his music.
“I just think that’s an evolution,” he says. “I mean, I’m just a growing person [...] I think all my work is just a reflection of where I’m at at that time. I feel that way musically and about everything else.”
In April, Brown dropped the video and single, “Lift You Up.” The song has a feel good dance vibe that samples Salameh and Raje’s “THEYTOOKMYMONEY.”
The music video features scenic images of Detroit, Brown’s face rapping on the Spirit of Detroit statue, and kids dancing and jitting.
“I love everything they’re doing with Jit Masters and then it’s kind of like a continuation of what I deal with in the ‘When It Rain’ video too,” Brown says.
“Lift You Up” comes at a time where Detroit’s dance culture and jit dancing has seen a resurgence. The song has quickly become one of Detroit’s spring and summer anthems for 2026.
“I wasn’t thinking I was making a Detroit song… everybody hit me like, ‘Damn, this is so Detroit.’ So I guess I’m just a Detroit motherfucker,” he says with a laugh.
Brown is a bit indecisive when asked if he’ll continue with the EDM production on his next project, but did acknowledge new music is on the way.
BY KAHN SANTORI DAVISON
“I just started recording songs [...] I never really plan what the fuck I’m gonna do,” he says. “I just started trying to make stuff and then eventually it is what it is, you know? I’m gonna start trying to make stuff this summer and hopefully we’ll see.”
In 2022, Brown took a step outside of music and started The Danny Brown Show, a weekly podcast where he talked about everything from his issues with Halloween to his pea allergy. Despite the show’s popularity, Danny decided to take some time away this past December.
“Honestly, it’s like, I’m just really too busy for it,” he says. “I mean, I really love doing it and I have fun doing it, but it’s almost like which one is paying more of the bills right now, you know?”
Stardust also marked the first time Brown had recorded a whole album being completely sober. Brown went to rehab in the spring of 2023 shortly after he performed at the SXSW music festival. That fall, he admitted to Rolling Stone that he had regularly indulged in alcohol and the prescription drug
Adderall. While Brown says has not consumed alcohol or Adderall since, he confesses he has carefully reestablished his relationship with cannabis.
“I’m back smoking weed now, so I wasn’t even smoking weed then, but I’m back smoking weed now,” he says with a hearty laugh. “I might quit. I’m thinking about it but I don’t know. I might just quit to record.”
Brown is also focused on making sure he’s a resource to aspiring artists who are having a similar journey through music as he had.
“I also think I just want to take more of a step forward and I want to be remembered for helping people as well too,” he says. “You know, just with that whole thing, because I know how hard it is being an artist that people might not understand and you might get discouraged.”
Movement Music Festival is from 2 p.m.-midnight Saturday, May 23-Sunday, May 24 and 2 p.m.-11 p.m. on Monday, May 25 at Hart Plaza, Detroit. Tickets are available at movementfestival.com.
Danny Brown.
COURTESY PHOTO
The return of the late Ted Lucas
Beloved Detroit musician celebrated with new box set and tribute concert
More than five decades ago, in 1975, a prominent Detroit songwriter and session musician named Ted Lucas self-released an album of beautiful acoustic ballads and evocative guitar instrumentals. Though it is now regarded as a masterpiece, the self-titled LP (commonly referred to as OM after the imprint on the label) was a failure by all commercial measures. As a result, within five years Lucas stopped performing, becoming reclusive and mostly forgotten before his death in 1992.
Though he died before he could see it, in the ensuing decades, OM became a sought-after title for collectors of private-press folk and psychedelic music and eventually saw a proper reissue in 2010 through Los Angeles label Yoga Records. Through nothing more than being in the right place at the right time, in 2008 I had the good fortune of being hired by Yoga to serve as Detroit liaison to the Lucas family, and, ultimately, the person to undertake the enormous endeavor of collecting and processing the hundreds of unheard tapes Lucas left when he passed.
Fast forward to the present, and Ted Lucas’s catalog is now under license to Third Man Records, who released the definitive edition of OM in 2025. I spent the last year working with the label to produce an expansive retrospective box set of previously unheard recordings that span Lucas’s entire career — from his ’60s psych groups, the Spike-Drivers and Misty Wizards, to the singer-songwriter compositions he made during the OM period, and the lost Don Was-produced second album that was never completed. The remarkable 3xLP set, Images of Life, will be released worldwide on May 22.
To properly celebrate the occasion, on Saturday, May 16, Third Man Cass Corridor is hosting Strange Mysterious Sounds: Songs of the Late Ted Lucas, a night of live music performed by an all-star band of Detroit Tedheads. Led by Eddie Baranek, Detroit rock lifer best known for fronting the Sights, this onenight-only band will feature generations of prominent local talent. Among them is Muruga Booker, original drummer of the Spike-Drivers who played behind
everyone from John Lee Hooker to Bob Dylan; Matthew Smith and Maria Nuccilli of Hamtramck’s beloved Outrageous Cherry; His Name is Alive’s Warren Defever, who also engineered and mastered Images of Life; and members of SSM, Bonny Doon, Caterpillar, and Swimsuit, to name a few.
“Ted’s songwriting was so pure,” Baranek recently told me. “His songs could be interpreted by anyone and, no matter what, you’d still hear what makes them great. Two singers in the band, Dina [Bankole] and Rachele Eve, have voices that take these songs to new places. Playing with the material, the freedom to interpret — that’s what Ted was all about.”
Though Ted Lucas is most often remembered as a solo performer, he actually spent most of his music career working collaboratively, whether amongst his bandmates, mentors like Ravi Shankar and Joe Fava, or with producers like Norman Whitfield at Motown, where he was a studio hired gun. Lucas believed he was at his best when chasing a shared artistic goal, not unlike the one Baranek and company have undertaken for the show in his honor.
“We learned some songs just like Ted laid them on the tape. But other songs left us room to play and be creative, like adding a saxophone, mandolin, maybe a fourth vocal harmony,” Baranek said. His bandmate Dave Shettler added, “Ted was so good and natural at three- and fourpart harmonies. We’re going to mix it up voice-wise and let the personalities of the singers make new magic on the stage.”
In total, the band will be playing more than 20 of Lucas’s songs, some of which Ted had never performed for an audience. Of particular note are numbers from his unfinished second album, which he recorded with a full rock band. The onstage renditions on May 16 might surprise anyone expecting a night of the delicate ballads Lucas was best known for.
Shettler, who will contribute vocals and percussion to the show, believes the heretofore unreleased rock album fits perfectly in the Ted Lucas discography. “The OM record took Michigan Lonely Guy charm and elevated it to another
BY MIKE DUTKEWYCH
level. I always wondered, why didn’t this guy put out more stuff? So, when I heard the lost album for the first time, it made perfect sense. I always knew there was a way deeper picture than we had been allowed to see,” he said. “The other day, running a tune in rehearsal, Eddie and I looked at each other and mouthed the words, ‘What a fucking song.’”
Though the assembled band does not have a proper name, the group text is titled TEDHEADS. Quite a fitting designation since one of the main criteria when selecting candidates was an existing knowledge and appreciation of Lucas’s catalog. The fact that 16 accomplished local musicians all checked that box
indicates that Lucas has finally returned to household-name status in Detroit’s artistic circles, just as he enjoyed during his creative peak 50 years ago.
Strange Mysterious Sounds: Songs of the Late Ted Lucas: Saturday, May 16 at 7:30 p.m.. Third Man Records Cass Corridor, 441 W Canfield St., Detroit. $15. Performances by Dina Bankole, Eddie Baranek, Nicole Baranek, Muruga Booker, Bobby Colombo, Warren Defever, Rachele Eve, Zak Frieling, Tyler Hicks, Rod Jones, Maria Nuccilli, Kyle Schanta, Dave Shettler, Matthew Smith, Pete Woodman, and Susie Woodman.
Ted Lucas.
COURTESY PHOTO
SUMMER CONCERT GUIDE
LET’S GET LOUD.
Between the festival circuit and the bigname touring acts coming to amphitheaters and stadiums, there’s great concerts happening every week from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Here are some to look out for.
The Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre
2600 Atwater St., Detroit; thearetha.com
6/10: Boney James
6/17: Maysa
6/20: Juvenile
6/21: Father’s Day Jokes, Jazz, and Jams
6/24: Lalah Hathaway
7/1: Eric Roberson, Goapele
7/8: Melanie Fiona, Durand Bernarr
7/10: G Herbo
7/15: Kelly Price
7/18: Boosie Badazz and Friends Blues On The River
7/22: Jonathan Butler, Keiko Matsui
7/25: Charlie Wilson, Evelyn “Champagne” King, and Mary Jane Girls ft. Val Young
7/29: PJ Morton
7/31: Jefferson Starship: Runaway Tour with Atlanta Rhythm Section, Firefall, and Orleans
8/1: Money Bagg Yo, Kash Doll, YK Neice
8/5: Damien Escobar
8/12: Robert Glasper
8/14: Tink, Fridayy
8/19: Kindred the Family Soul
8/26: Hiroshima, Naturally 7
9/4: Justin Moore
Comerica Park
2100 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313presents.com
8/21: My Chemical Romance, Iggy Pop
The Crofoot Ballroom
1 S. Saginaw St., Pontiac; thecrofoot.com
5/16: Free Throw
5/22-5/23: Sheryl Underwood
5/24: The Decibel Magazine Tour: Cryptopsy, Necrot, Fulci, BLOOD
6/25: Young The Giant, Cold War Kids, Almost Monday
7/10: Ted Nugent
7/15: Sarah McLachlan, Allison Russell
8/15: Motionless in White, Lorna Shore, Fit For a King, Static Dress
8/19: Lindsey Stirling, Pvris
8/20: Empire of the Sun, Polo & Pan, Midnight Generation.
8/22: Billy Currington, Kip Moore, Kenny Whitmire
8/28: The Fray, Dashboard Confessional And Colony House
8/29: The Rock Orchestra performing Metallica, AC/DC, Rolling Stones, Rage Against the Machine, My Chemical Romance, Linkin Park, System of a Down, Guns N’ Roses, Evanescence, Papa Roach, the Cranberries, and more
Pine Knob Music Theatre
33 Bob Seger Dr., Clarkston; 313presents.com
5/23: Kid Cudi, Big Boi, A-Trak
6/5: Kesha, Chromeo, Sizzy Rocket
6/15: The Strokes, Thundercat, Hamilton Leithauser
6/16: MGK, Wiz Khalifa, Mod Sun
6/18: Santana, the Doobie Brothers
6/19: Sammy Hagar, Rick Springfield, Dauzat St. Marie
6/21: Godsmack, Stone Temple Pilots, Dorothy
6/27: Darius Rucker, Corey Kent, Lauren Alaina, Austin Williams, Jacob Hackworth, Atlus, Kevin Powers
7/3: The Guess Who, Don Felder
7/10: Jack Johnson, Hermanos Gutiérrez
7/11-7/12: Luke Bryan, Shane Profitt, Lauren Watkins, Raelynn, DJ Rock
7/13: Muse, Bloc Party, the Temper Trap
7/16: John Mellencamp
7/17: Hank Williams Jr., Sammy Kershaw, Mary Kutter
7/18: The Black Crowes, Whiskey Myers, Southall
7/20: Mötley Crüe
7/24: Lil Wayne, 2 Chainz
7/25: Jack White
7/26: Kidz Bop Live
7/29: Ne-Yo, Akon
7/30: 311, Dirty Heads, Ocean Alley, Rome
7/31: Lynyrd Skynyrd, Foreigner, Six Gun Sally
8/1: Jimmy Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band
8/2: Evanescence, Spiritbox, Nova Twins
8/4: Avenged Sevenfold, Good Charlotte
8/5: Train, Barenaked Ladies, Matt Nathanson
8/6: 5 Seconds Of Summer, the Band Camino
8/15: Hilary Duff, La Roux, Jade Lemac
8/16: Five Finger Death Punch, Cody Jinks, Eva Under Fire
8/21: Deep Purple, Kansas
8/22: Willie Nelson & Family, the Avett Brothers, Lukas Nelson, Stephen Wilson Jr., Sierra Hull , Don Was & The Pan-Detroit Ensemble
8/23: TLC, Salt-N-Pepa, En Vogue
8/28: Tim Mcgraw, 49 Winchester
8/29: Toto, Christopher Cross, the Romantics
Royal Oak Music Theater
318 W. 4th St., Royal Oak; royaloakmusictheatre.com
5/15: Patrick Warburton
5/16: Qvueen Herby
5/17: Alex Edelman
5/21: Yebba
5/27: Ryan Bingham and the Texas Gentlemen
6/7: Corinne Bailey Rae
6/16: Taking Back Sunday, Bayside
6/18: Connor Price, Nic D
7/8: The Marvelous Miss Gender Starring Bosco
7/10: Taj Mahal and the Phantom Blues Band
7/12: Laurie Berkner
8/9: Oliver Tree
8/12: The Psychedelic Furs, Living Colour
8/20: Todd Rundgren
8/31: Peter Hook and the Light
FESTIVALS
5/23-5/25: Movement Music Festival (Hart Plaza, Detroit) with Carl Cox, Sara Landry, Dom Dolla, and more 5/30-5/31: Tied Down Detroit (Russell Industrial Center, Detroit) with Blood for Blood, Carryon, Straight Ahead, Nails, Negative Approach, Terror, and more
6/19-6/20: Pug Fest 4 (The Orchid Theatre, Ferndale and The Crofoot Ballroom, Pontiac) with Algernon Cadwallader, Heart Attack Man, Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate), Kerosene Heights, and more 6/25-6/28: Electric Forest (Double JJ Resort, Rothbury) with Illenium, Excision, GRiZ, Kaskade, Chris Lake, the String Cheese Incident, and more 7/31-8/2: Pig & Whiskey with Reverend Horton Heat, Goober and the Peas, the Verve Pipe
7/15-7/19: Don Was and the Pan-Detroit Ensemble, Hassan Hakmoun, Nikki D and the Sisters of Thunder, Martha Redbone
9/4-9/7: Detroit Jazz Festival (Hart Plaza) with Joe Lovano, Ron Carter, Bob James, Ravi Coltrane, Artemis, Kurt Elling and Yellowjackets, Delcon Lamarr Organ Trio, and more
Emo faves My Chemical Romance have tapped Iggy Pop to open their big Comerica Park concert on Friday, Aug. 21.
CLAIRE MARIE VOGEL
WHAT’S GOING ON
LISTINGS
Select events happening in metro Detroit this week. Be sure to check venue websites before all events for the latest information. Add your event to our online calendar: metrotimes.com/AddEvent.
MUSIC
Wednesday May 13
Live/Concert
Blind Adam And The Federal League , Middle Out, Newburgh 7 pm; Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff St., Hamtramck;
Cubist Agenda 8 pm-midnight; First Place Lounge, 16921 Harper Ave, Detroit; No Cover.
Dethklok & Amon Amarth: The Amonklok Conquest 7 pm; Fox Theatre, 2211 Woodward Ave., Detroit;
The Function with DJ Dez Andres 9 pm-2 am; Northern Lights Lounge, 660 W. Baltimore St., Detroit; no cover.
Pulses, With Sails Ahead, Secret Gardens 6 pm; Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff St., Hamtramck; Yellowcard: The Up Up Down Down Tour 7 pm; Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill, 14900 Metropolitan Pkwy., Sterling Heights; Cubist Agenda 8 pm-midnight; First Place Lounge, 16921 Harper Ave, Detroit; No Cover.
The Function with DJ Dez Andres 9 pm-2 am; Northern Lights Lounge, 660 W. Baltimore St., Detroit; no cover.
DJ/Dance
Planet Funk 7-10 pm; Spkr Box, 200 Grand River, Detroit;
Way Back Wednesdays w. DJ Righteous 8 am-11:59 pm; New Dodge Lounge, 8850 Joseph Campau Ave., Hamtramck; 5.
Karaoke/Open Mic
Hump Day Karaoke & Music Trivia 8 pm-1 am; Pronto! Royal Oak, 608 S. Washington, Royal Oak; No Cover.
Thursday May 14
Live/Concert
ABK / Bake Lo / Halo 7:30 pm; The Token Lounge, 28949 Joy Rd., Westland; DEATH ANGEL - “ACT III” Tour
6:30 pm; Saint Andrew’s Hall, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit;
Detroit Jazz Orchestra with Ali Jackson – World Premiere Performance 7-9:30 pm; Spread Art, 5141 Rosa Parks Blvd., Detroit; $33.
Dueling Pianos: An Interactive Entertainment Experience 8 pm-midnight; AXIS Lounge, 1777 3rd St., Detroit;
Frank Bang 8 pm; The Token Lounge, 28949 Joy Rd., Westland;
LILY ROSE wsg Jake Banfield 7 pm; District 142, 142 Maple St., Wyandotte;
The Casualties, The Drowns 6 pm; Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff St., Hamtramck;
Dueling Pianos: An Interactive Entertainment Experience 8 pm-midnight; AXIS Lounge, 1777 3rd St., Detroit;
DJ/Dance
Curated Cool 7-10 pm; Spkr Box, 200 Grand River, Detroit;
Elixer: DJs John Ryan and GEO 8 pm-midnight; Northern Lights Lounge, 660 W. Baltimore St., Detroit; No cover.
Friday May 15
Live/Concert
AJ Ghent & His Singing Guitar 6 pm; Saint Andrew’s Hall, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit;
Community Chorus of Detroit presents Music of the Psalms 8-9:30 pm; Christ Church-Detroit, 960 E. Jefferson, Detroit; $25 - $30.
Friday Night Jam — Live Music at The Wildermere Featuring The Jerome Clark Trio 8-midnight; The Wildemere Bar & Grill, 3143 W. Mnichols, Detroit, MI; Free.
Home Front 7 pm; Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff St., Hamtramck; Magic Bag Presents: Bearly Dead 7 pm; Magic Bag, 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale;
Psychostick 6:30 & 7:30 pm; The Token Lounge, 28949 Joy Rd., Westland; Wage War - It Calls Me By Name Tour 6:30 pm; The Fillmore, 2115 Woodward Ave., Detroit;
Community Chorus of Detroit presents Music of the Psalms 3-4:30 pm; Christ Church-Detroit, 960 E. Jefferson, Detroit; $25 - $30.
Friday Night Jam — Live Music at The Wildermere Featuring The Jerome Clark Trio 8-midnight; The Wildemere Bar & Grill, 3143 W. Mnichols, Detroit, MI; Free.
DJ/Dance
Lesbian Night Hosted by DJ Nouveau third Friday of every month, noon-2 am; Pronto! Royal Oak, 608 S. Washington, Royal Oak; NO COVER.
Open Air Fridays 4-10 pm; Woodbridge Pub, 5169 Trumbull St., Detroit; 0.
Vampire Cowgirl w/ Paradise Day + DJ Ryan Gimpert 9 pm; Bowlero Lanes & Lounge, 4209 Coolidge Hwy., Royal Oak; 0.
Karaoke/Open Mic
Live Band Karaoke w/ Eastside Still Alive + DJ Nitroh 9 pm; Bowlero Lanes & Lounge, 4209 Coolidge Hwy., Royal Oak; 0.
Saturday May 16
Live/Concert
Community Chorus of Detroit presents Music of the Psalms 8-9:30 pm; Christ Church-Detroit, 960 E. Jefferson, Detroit; $25 - $30. Anthems of the World Cup 5:30-8 pm; MexicantownCDC Mercado, 2826 Bagley St, Detroit; Free.
Bloodywood: System Of A Brown Tour 2026 6 pm; Saint Andrew’s Hall, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit; Brit Floyd 8 pm; Fox Theatre, 2211 Woodward Ave., Detroit; Call Me Karizma 7 pm; Pike Room, 1 S. Saginaw, Pontiac; Community Chorus of Detroit
presents Music of the Psalms 3-4:30 pm; Christ Church-Detroit, 960 E. Jefferson, Detroit; $25 - $30.
Confessionals Songwriter Event wsg Emily Rose, Dave Toennies, Rico Finesse, Supreme Sabrine 7:30-11 pm; Ypsilanti Performance Space (The YPSI), 218 N Adams St, Ypsilanti; $10. CREEDSMACK (Tributes to Creed & Godsmack) 7 pm; District 142, 142 Maple St., Wyandotte; Demon Hunter w/ Convictions 6:30 pm; Garden Bowl, 4120 Woodward, Detroit; Flaw 5:30 & 6:30 pm; The Token Lounge, 28949 Joy Rd., Westland; Free Throw - Moments Before The Wind Tour 6:30 pm; Pike Room, 1 S. Saginaw, Pontiac; Journeyman – A Tribute to Eric Clapton 8 pm; Emerald Theatre, 31 N. Walnut St., Mount Clemens; Magic Bag Presents: Hell’s Belles 7 pm; Magic Bag, 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale;
The Mark Aaron Dawson Project fundraiser concert 3:30-9:30 pm; South Hall at Genesis The Church, 309 N. Main Street, Royal Oak; $10. Nate Smith: Long Live Country Rock And Roll Tour 6:30 pm; The Fillmore, 2115 Woodward Ave., Detroit; Neverender, Final Confession, Splinters, Walking Down Main, Bound By Vendetta 6 pm; Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff St., Hamtramck; Saddle Up: Halfway to Halloween 8 pm; Diamondback Music Hall, 49345 S. Interstate 94 Service Dr., Belleville; SatchVai Band Ft Joe Satriani & Steve Vai with Animals As Leaders 7:30 pm; Meadow Brook Amphitheatre, 3554 Walton Blvd., Rochester Hills; Ted Lucas: Strange Mysterious Sounds Tribute Show 7:30 pm; Third Man Records Cass Corridor, 441 W. Canfield St., Detroit; $17.31.
Troy Doherty 7 pm; The Loving Touch, 22634 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; The Yellow Room Gang at MAMA’s Coffeehouse 7:30 pm; MAMA’s Coffeehouse at the Birmingham Unitarian Church, 38651 Woodward Ave., Bloomfield Hills; $18-$20.
DJ/Dance
Saturday Grind 11 am-3 pm; Spkr Box, 200 Grand River, Detroit;
Saturday Grind 11 am-3 pm; Spkr Box, 200 Grand River, Detroit;
Sunday May 17
Live/Concert
ALL THAT REMAINS wsg Born of Osiris and Dead Eyes 6 pm; District 142, 142 Maple St., Wyandotte; Ari Lennox - The Vacancy Tour 8 pm; Fox Theatre, 2211 Woodward Ave., Detroit; Asim Azhar 7 pm; The Shelter, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit;
AUSTIN JOHN WINKLER former singer of HINDER 6:30 pm; The Token Lounge, 28949 Joy Rd., Westland; Black Veil Brides: North American Tour 2026 5:30 pm; The Fillmore, 2115 Woodward Ave., Detroit; FinalBossFight!, 40ft to Go, sixteen12swag, Career Funeral, Ocean, The Fetal Position, Lucky Catch, Year of the Snake 4 pm; TSDMAAC (Confessional), 15701 James Couzens Fwy., Detroit; Fort Street Church & Artistic Director Michael Malis Present:
Jazz Concert Series 2-3 pm; Fort Street Presbyterian Church, 631 W. Fort St., Detroit; Suggested donation of $20/ person.
Joe Jackson 7 pm; Detroit Masonic Temple Library, 500 Temple St, Detroit; Magic Bag Presents: a Tribute to Soundgarden’s Final Concert, performed by Disciple of the Garden 7 pm; Magic Bag, 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale;
MURUGA COSMIC BOOGIE 7:30 pm; The Token Lounge, 28949 Joy Rd., Westland;
Phil Ogilvie’s Rhythm Kings 5-8 pm; Zal Gaz Grotto Club, 2070 W. Stadium Blvd., Ann Arbor; No Cover (tipjar for the band).
Songs for Our Shared Home featuring Missa Gaia by Paul Winter 7:30-9:30 pm; Hilberry Gateway - STAGE, 4715 Cass Ave, Detroit; $25 to $25 Student $10.
Phil Ogilvie’s Rhythm Kings 5-8 pm; Zal Gaz Grotto Club, 2070 W. Stadium Blvd., Ann Arbor; No Cover (tipjar for the band).
DJ/Dance
SPKR BRNCH 11 am-3 pm; Spkr Box,
200 Grand River, Detroit; Karaoke/Open Mic
Continuing This Week Karaoke/ Open Mic
Sunday Service Karaoke Hosted by Sister DJ Larry 8 pm-1 am; Pronto! Royal Oak, 608 S. Washington, Royal Oak; No Cover.
Sunday Service Karaoke | DJ Larry noon-1 am; Pronto! Royal Oak, 608 S. Washington, Royal Oak; No Cover.
Monday May 18
Live/Concert
ChRocktikal the 1st World Tour [CRTK: The Beginning] in Detroit
Magic Bag Presents: Uncle Lucius: The 20th Anniversary Tour 7 pm; Magic Bag, 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale;
Sky Covington’s Preservation of Jazz Monday Night Music Series, Tributes 7:30-10 pm; Aretha’s Jazz Cafe, 350 Madison St., Detroit; $35-$40.
Sky Covington’s Preservation of Jazz Monday Night Music Series, Tributes 7:30-10 pm; Aretha’s Jazz Cafe, 350 Madison St., Detroit; $35-$40.
DJ/Dance
Adult Skate Night 8:30-11 pm; Lexus
Velodrome, 601 Mack Ave., Detroit; $5. Tuesday May 19
Live/Concert
Albert Castiglia 7:30 pm; The Token Lounge, 28949 Joy Rd., Westland; Alter Bridge - What Lies Within Tour 6 pm; The Fillmore, 2115 Woodward Ave., Detroit; Charlie Puth: Whatever’s Clever! World Tour 7:30 pm; Fox Theatre, 2211 Woodward Ave., Detroit; Failure With Special Guests All Under Heaven - Lost Location Tour 7 pm; The Shelter, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit;
Magic Bag Presents: City of The Sun 7 pm; Magic Bag, 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale;
Sean Blackman’s In Transit 7-10 pm; Northern Lights Lounge, 660 W. Baltimore St., Detroit; no cover.
Sean Blackman’s In Transit 7-10 pm; Northern Lights Lounge, 660 W. Baltimore St., Detroit; no cover.
Karaoke/Open Mic
Continuing This Week Karaoke/ Open Mic
Open Mic : Art in a Fly Space 7-10 pm; Detroit Shipping Company, 474
Peterboro St., Detroit; no cover. VIP Tuesday Night Karaoke 9 pm-1 am; Pronto! Royal Oak, 608 S. Washington, Royal Oak; No Cover.
Wednesday May 20
Live/Concert
Cubist Agenda 8 pm-midnight; First Place Lounge, 16921 Harper Ave, Detroit; No Cover.
The Function with DJ Dez Andres 9 pm-2 am; Northern Lights Lounge, 660 W. Baltimore St., Detroit; no cover.
Cubist Agenda 8 pm-midnight; First Place Lounge, 16921 Harper Ave, Detroit; No Cover.
The Function with DJ Dez Andres 9 pm-2 am; Northern Lights Lounge, 660 W. Baltimore St., Detroit; no cover.
Kickstand Productions Presents
Jesse Solomon 7 pm; Magic Bag, 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; My Wife’s An Angel, wujeria, Abuse Repression, Tried, Meek 6 pm; TSDMAAC (Confessional), 15701 James Couzens Fwy., Detroit; Shadow of Intent - Imperium Delirium North American Tour 2026 6 pm; Saint Andrew’s Hall, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit; Snuffed On Sight, Torture 6 pm; Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff St., Hamtramck;
DJ/Dance
Planet Funk 7-10 pm; Spkr Box, 200 Grand River, Detroit; Way Back Wednesdays w. DJ Righteous 8 am-11:59 pm; New Dodge Lounge, 8850 Joseph Campau Ave., Hamtramck; 5.
Karaoke/Open Mic
Hump Day Karaoke & Music Trivia 8 pm-1 am; Pronto! Royal Oak, 608 S. Washington, Royal Oak; No Cover.
Thursday May 21
Live/Concert
Dueling Pianos: An Interactive Entertainment Experience 8 pm-midnight; AXIS Lounge, 1777 3rd St., Detroit;
Entertainment Experience 8 pm-midnight; AXIS Lounge, 1777 3rd St., Detroit;
George Thorogood & The Destroyers - The Baddest Show On Earth 7:30 pm; Caesars Palace Windsor
- Augustus Ballroom, 377 E. Riverside Dr., Windsor;
George Thorogood & The Destroyers Ticket + Hotel Deals 7:30 pm; Caesars Palace Windsor - Augustus Ballroom, 377 E. Riverside Dr., Windsor; Jon B. 8 pm; Sound Board, 2901 Grand River Ave., Detroit;
Khalid: It’s Always Summer Somewhere Tour 7:30 pm; Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill, 14900 Metropolitan Pkwy., Sterling Heights;
Elixer: DJs John Ryan and GEO 8 pm-midnight; Northern Lights Lounge, 660 W. Baltimore St., Detroit; No cover.
Friday May 22
Live/Concert
Friday Night Jam — Live Music at The Wildermere Featuring The Jerome Clark Trio 8-midnight; The Wildemere Bar & Grill, 3143 W. Mnichols, Detroit, MI; Free.
A BloodBath In Boston, Torn Open, Dead In My Eyes 5 pm; Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff St., Hamtramck;
Arm’s Length: There’s A Whole World... Tour - North America 2026 6 pm; Saint Andrew’s Hall, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit; Be Nice, Think Twice, A Rock Cabaret WSG Emily Rose 8-11:30 pm; Ghost Light, 2314 Caniff St., Hamtramck; $10 online, $15 at door.
Belleville Three: The Origins 8 pm; Diamondback Music Hall, 49345 S. Interstate 94 Service Dr., Belleville; Between the Buried and Me 6:30 pm; Garden Bowl, 4120 Woodward, Detroit;
Friday Night Jam — Live Music at The Wildermere Featuring The Jerome Clark Trio 8-midnight; The Wildemere Bar & Grill, 3143 W. Mnichols, Detroit, MI; Free.
Jake Owen 8-11 pm; The Event Center at MGM Grand Detroit, 1777 3rd Ave, Detroit; $79-119.
Jake Owen 8 pm; MGM Grand Detroit, 1777 Third St., Detroit; Midwest Lust, Machine Country, Daywalker, 17 Dead 6 pm; Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff St., Hamtramck; Renata The Band Hits The Roof! 8-9:30 pm; Tin Roof, 47 E. Adams Ave.,
Detroit;
Saving Abel 6:30 pm; The Token Lounge, 28949 Joy Rd., Westland; DJ/Dance
Before & Afters: Gear Shift May 22, 11 pm; The Eagle of Detroit, 950 W. McNichols Rd., Detroit; $20-40. Motion Group May 22, 7 pm-midnight; Moondog Cafe, 8045 Linwood St #2, Detroit; 20.
Open Air Fridays 4-10 pm; Woodbridge Pub, 5169 Trumbull St., Detroit; 0. Silly Hearts Dance Party Fundraiser for the Detroit Creativity Project & Ruth Ellis Center May 22, 9 pm-1 am; 215 West, 215 W. Nine Mile Rd., Ferndale; Suggested Donation of $20. Tropical Freeze presents Stacey Pullen May 22, 4:08 pm-2:08 am; Cannons Irish Pub, 35505 Ford Rd, Westland; 23.
Saturday May 23
Live/Concert
The Dogs Are Back In Town! The Dogs (LA/Lansing), The Strains, The Beggars 8 pm; Lager House, 1254 Michigan Ave., Detroit; $25. Infected Rain 6:30 pm; The Token Lounge, 28949 Joy Rd., Westland; Machine Music Matineé: Live Electronics for All Ages 3-9 pm; Moondog Cafe, 8045 Linwood St #2, Detroit; $15-$20.
Magic Bag Presents: Electric Six with Tragedy 7 pm; Magic Bag, 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; Makeout Palace, Cheap 52, LoudFoxCult, Custodians 6 pm; Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff St., Hamtramck; RADIAN / Angel Of Mars / Solar Monolith and Outer Limits Lounge 7 pm; Outer Limits Lounge, 5507 Caniff St., Detroit; 15. Thornhill w/ 156 Silence 6 pm; Garden Bowl, 4120 Woodward, Detroit; Wreking Crue – The Motley Crue Experience W/S/G Powerage 8 pm; Emerald Theatre, 31 N. Walnut St., Mount Clemens;
DJ/Dance
BOWEL MOVEMENT 2026 May 23, 11 pm; Secret Location - Detroit, To be announced, Detroit; 9.99.
CLUB COUSINS May 23, 10 pm; Paris Bar, 2691 E McNichols rd, Detroit, MI; $33.90.
Detroit Techno 5k May 23, 10 am-2 pm; Historic Fort Wayne, 6325 W. Jefferson at the foot of Livernois, Detroit; $55-75.
Saturday Grind 11 am-3 pm; Spkr Box, 200 Grand River, Detroit;
Saturday Grind 11 am-3 pm; Spkr Box, 200 Grand River, Detroit;
Sunday May 24
Live/Concert
Phil Ogilvie’s Rhythm Kings 5-8 pm; Zal Gaz Grotto Club, 2070 W. Stadium Blvd., Ann Arbor; No Cover (tipjar for the band).
Mighty Mystic Sky’s The Limit Tour with special guest Leaving Lifted 7 pm; Small’s, 10339 Conant St., Hamtramck;
Phil Ogilvie’s Rhythm Kings 5-8 pm; Zal Gaz Grotto Club, 2070 W. Stadium Blvd., Ann Arbor; No Cover (tipjar for the band).
The Preservation of Jazz & Cliff Bells Presents Sky Covington’s Satin Doll Revue feat. Billie Holiday, Nancy Wilson, Nina Simone and Etta James 5:30 & 7:30 pm; Aretha’s Jazz Cafe, 350 Madison St., Detroit; 30.00.
Sky Covington’s Satin Doll Revue Hosted by Comedian Mike Bonner ft. Billie Holiday, Nancy Wilson , Etta James & Nina Simone 5:30-6:45 & 7:30-8:45 pm; Cliff Bell’s, 2030 Park Ave., Detroit; $25.
The Decibel Magazine Tour 2026 6 pm; Pike Room, 1 S. Saginaw, Pontiac; DJ/Dance
DAYBREAKZ / Breakcore, Gabber, IDM, and Jungle Hits (Unofficial Movement Weekend Party) May 24, 2-10 pm; Job Stoppers Inc., 5631 Michigan Ave., Detroit; 15 at door.
The Do-Over Block Party May 24, 3-10 pm; The Belt, The Alley Belt, Detroit; FREE.
Magic Bag Presents: The Black Queen May 24, 7 pm; Magic Bag, 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; SPKR BRNCH 11 am-3 pm; Spkr Box, 200 Grand River, Detroit;
Karaoke/Open Mic
Sunday Service Karaoke Hosted by Sister DJ Larry 8 pm-1 am; Pronto! Royal Oak, 608 S. Washington, Royal Oak; No Cover.
Sunday Service Karaoke | DJ Larry noon-1 am; Pronto! Royal Oak, 608 S. Washington, Royal Oak; No Cover.
Monday May 25
Live/Concert
Sky Covington’s Preservation of Jazz Monday Night Music Series, Tributes 7:30-10 pm; Aretha’s Jazz Cafe, 350 Madison St., Detroit; $35-$40.
Bursting, Long Square, It Happened One Night, Shobijin 6 pm; Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff St., Hamtramck;
WHAT’S GOING ON CONT’D
Sky Covington’s Preservation of Jazz Monday Night Music Series, Tributes 7:30-10 pm; Aretha’s Jazz Cafe, 350 Madison St., Detroit; $35-$40.
DJ/Dance
Adult Skate Night 8:30-11 pm; Lexus Velodrome, 601 Mack Ave., Detroit; $5. Technically, Yeah - Movement Edition May 25, 8 pm; UFO Bar, 2110 Trumbull Ave., Detroit; $17.15.
Tuesday May 26
Live/Concert
Sean Blackman’s In Transit 7-10 pm; Northern Lights Lounge, 660 W. Baltimore St., Detroit; no cover.
Sean Blackman’s In Transit 7-10 pm; Northern Lights Lounge, 660 W. Baltimore St., Detroit; no cover.
The Black Angels - Passover 2026
Tour 7 pm; Saint Andrew’s Hall, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit;
Karaoke/Open Mic
Open Mic : Art in a Fly Space 7-10 pm; Detroit Shipping Company, 474 Peterboro St., Detroit; no cover.
VIP Tuesday Night Karaoke 9 pm-1 am; Pronto! Royal Oak, 608 S. Washington, Royal Oak; No Cover.
THEATER
Performance
Ann Arbor Marriott at Eagle Crest Resort The Dinner Detective True Crime Murder Mystery Dinner Show
- Ypsilanti, MI North America’s largest award-winning interactive true crime murder mystery dinner show invites you into a night of laughter, mystery, and audience-driven intrigue. Enjoy a full dinner while a hilarious crime unfolds around you—but stay alert. The culprit is hiding in plain sight, and before the night is over, you could find yourself named a Prime Suspect. Now playing at Ann Arbor Marriott at Eagle Crest Resort in Ypsilanti, MI, this murder mystery dinner experience is unlike traditional dinner theater. Our professional actors are not in costume and are secretly planted among the guests, creating a modern, social, and highly $79.39 Saturday May 23, 6:30-9:30 pm.
Detroit Repertory Theatre Eclipsed ECLIPSED a play by Danai Gurira, directed by Shavonne Coleman. Five extraordinary women struggle to negotiate power, protection, and peace as they fight to survive in the Liberian Civil War. From actress-playwright Danai Gurira (BLACK PANTHER, THE WALKING DEAD), this gripping play unearths the wreckage of war, celebrating women navigating the most hostile of circumstances. $30 advance / $35 same day Fridays, Saturdays, 8-10 pm, Saturdays, 3-5 pm and Sundays, 2-3 pm.
Embassy Suites by Hilton Detroit
Troy Auburn Hills
The Magic Soiree - magic and comedy dinner show We host 2 Magic Soiree’s 5.15pm and 7.15pm The fun starts when you are shown to your table in The Atrium Bar and Grill. Close-up magic will be happening at your table. During this time dinner and drinks are available to purchase. Please order as soon as you arrive, so our fabulous magicians can work their mind-blowing magic right before your eyes. Then, step into our intimate 50-seat theater for an evening of astonishing illusions, hilarious entertainment. Our incredible stage show is guaranteed to leave you mesmerized! $40 and VIP tickets $45 Saturdays, 5:15-10 pm. Orchid Theatre Disco Roulette Vol.3 Disco Roulette is back by popular demand with more sound, more lights, more music PLUS more immersive features that we are very excited to reveal around the venue! Start planning your best disco looks and get ready for a wild, 70’s inspired game show spectacular featuring stunning performance art, fierce drag, live vocals, a chance to win prizes with every spin of the wheel and if that’s not enough we end the night with disco house that will have you grooving all night! $30 Saturday.
The Back Office Studio The Patio Prom – A New Comedy by A.M. Dean May 8-10 and 15-17 | Fri-Sat at 8pm, Sun at 2pm | $15 General, $12 Students Once a year, the outdoor furniture salespeople of America (and other non-America places) descend on Chicago’s Merchandise Mart to buy, sell, meet, and greet. This year, they are pushed to the brink of sanity, during what is already a chaotic affair, when the Mart is locked down, leaving the people inside to make it through a night of ill-placed debauchery, reconnections to people thought lost to them, and poorly thought-out revenge plans. $15 General, $12 Students Friday 8-10 pm, Saturday 8-10 pm and Sunday 2-4 pm.
Ypsilanti Performance Space
(The YPSI) Much Ado About Nothing Presented by Brevity Shakespeare Beatrice and Benedick: the original rom-com. They hate each other, they love each other, they hate each other, they come around. There’s something wrong with this play, though. Hero never takes Claudio to task, and he really deserves it. This production addresses that, with additional text from Canadian playwright Erin Shields. You won’t want to miss this special production directed by Lydia Carey and starring Efe Osagie and Cameron Graham. Performance held in the stained glass glow of the historic Ypsilanti Performance Space. $15 Standard Admission; $10 Senior/Student Friday May 22, 7:30-8:50 pm, Saturday May 23, 2:30-3:50 pm and Sunday May 24, 2:30-3:50 pm.
Musical Fisher Theatre - Detroit Hamilton (Touring) Wednesday 8 pm, Thursday 8 pm, Friday 8 pm, Saturday 8 pm and Sunday 1 & 7 pm.; Saturday 2 pm.
BITES
Mike B pushed Detroit entertainment culture forward
By Kahn Santori Davison
When well-known Detroit
restaurant owner Mikey “Mike B” Brown was fatally shot early morning on Saturday, Feb. 28, the city mourned.
Mike B was more than just an entrepreneur. For three decades he had been one of Detroit’s most essential hip-hop and entertainment curators. From open mics to afterparties, he used his hustle and ambition to lift up Detroit’s entertainment scene.
“He was always a leader, he had jobs young,” says his younger brother Myron Brown. “He was working at Plum Hollow Golf course at 14, Big Lots after that. That’s when he bought his first car, an Escort with rims and sounds.”
Brown was a star basketball player at Southfield Lathrup high school where graduated from in 1993. He continued playing at Henry Ford Community College and even had opportunities to accept a Division 1 scholarship, but decided to pursue entrepreneurial en-
deavors instead.
“He worked at the plant for a year and then him and his partner bought this club called The Hot Spot on Eight Mile and renamed it to Club Dynasty,” says Myron.
At 23 years old, Brown was officially a club owner. He decided he wanted to start hosting weekly hip-hop nights at Club Dynasty and his timing couldn’t have been better. In the ’90s, hip-hop in Detroit was full of talent and energy. Artists like Proof, Elzhi, Slum Village, and the Street Lordz had all become stars. “Proof would be there, all them guys were up there […] It was like Chedda Boyz and this was before all of that stuff with Blade that happened,” Myron says.
As the years went by Brown did a rebrand to Club Dynasty and changed the name to Club Status. He kept the hip-hop nights going, making it a mainstay for up and coming talent. During
the work himself. I got pictures of him just putting in wood, drywall, and it just blew up from there.”
Sloppy Chops benefited from a seafood craze that grew during the COVID-19 pandemic as dishes like seafood boils, crab legs, and shrimp rose in popularity. In 2021 Brown opened up another seafood restaurant, the Sloppy Crab on East Jefferson (which was formerly Tom’s Oyster Bar).
“He took his last and bought that building,” Myron says. “And it was doing really, really well.”
The Sloppy Crab wasn’t just a seafood restaurant — it quickly became the epicenter of Detroit art and nightlife. The restaurant featured an open rooftop and was frequented by Veeze, Doughboyz Cashout, and several others. The Sloppy Crab became the official afterparty destination for many of Detroit’s biggest concerts including Keyshia Cole (2024) and Chris Brown (2025). Nationally renowned poet Natasha “T” Miller hosted open mic poetry events at the Sloppy Crab on-and-off for five years.
“He gave us Mike and he gave us mics,” she says.
Miller is quick to point out that Brown cared about Detroit culture and all its art forms. She says he was never the type of owner to get upset from low turnouts. “If it was a hundred people, then we would have a good show and if it wasn’t we just would sit at the bar with Mike and take shots of Don Julio on him at his bar,” she says with a laugh.
“He always supported anything I had going on,” adds Doughboy Scooch. “His favorite phrase was, ‘What you drinkin’?’ right before he hands you a bottle of Don Julio. The way he treated his guests and customers was the same way he treated me.”
this same time, a family friend reached out to him about starting his own record label imprint with Detroit rapper Royce da 5’9”.
“They called my brother and asked if he would be interested in starting the label and all of that stuff,” Myron says.
“And they started, you know, making music and it got big in the city.”
“It was called MIC Music Group,” says Mark Hicks, who was contracted to set up the paperwork for the label. “We set up the copyrights, the publishing. They had this group called Loud, Boy & Cain, they were also working with Babyface Ray, he was young back then.”
The label made some strong waves in the city and by 2019, Brown took an even bigger entrepreneurial leap when he opened Sloppy Chops, a seafood restaurant located on West McNichols on Detroit’s west side.
“He built that spot from scratch,” Myron says. “I mean he was in there doing
Brown was also known for his unselfishness in and outside of his establishments. He gave food from his restaurant out during the pandemic, he refused to accept a fee from a friend who needed to host a repast at the Sloopy Crab after they lost a loved one, and he covered the expenses of Alexandria Johson, a young woman who was killed by a stray bullet during a shootout near Sloppy Chops in 2024.
“I called Mike the day I heard she died because Alexandria used to work for me,” says filmmaker and bar owner Dennis Reed. “I offered to cover everything but Mike told me he had taken care of it already.”
Mike Brown’s legacy will be carried on by his mother, five children, and two brothers.
“Everybody liked him. I mean, he was just a good guy,” adds Myron. “He didn’t smoke, he didn’t drink until he got older, but he lived clean, man.”
Bites
Mikey “Mike B” Brown.
COURTESY PHOTO
CULTURE
Film A hollow hagiography
By Jared Rasic, Last Word Features
Everyone who goes to the movies is after something different. Relaxation, stimulation, escapism all are valid. That’s why it’s hard for me to reconcile exactly who Michael, the Michael Jackson musical biopic, is meant for and if its existence is healthy for culture and society at large.
The film ends in 1988, at the height of the Bad era, which seems disingenuous at best and wildly offensive at worst. Ending before Neverland Ranch, before the child sexual abuse allegations, before the tumultuous tabloid shenanigans cynically makes sense to me, I suppose, based on a conversation I heard in the lobby of the theater after the film. Two older women were discussing the film when one of them said, “Well, I was surprised the film ended when it did,” and her friend responded, “Well, I’m glad it did because most people just want to remember his genius.” I could write ten thousand words about American culture’s moral relativism and whether “separating the art from the artist” is healthy or hypocritical, but ultimately, my opinion doesn’t
matter: if you want to go to the movies and watch the greatest MJ impersonator in “HIStory” dance to a jukebox musical of hits, then Michael is for you.
However, if you want a film that reconciles genius with a tarnished legacy, avoid Michaellike the watered-down, sanitized hagiography it is. Judged as a movie, it’s abysmal, even as director Antoine Fuqua tries his best to instill every song, every dance move, with high kinetic energy, even though Jafar Jackson (a son of Jermaine) uncannily channels his Uncle, you’re still left with is a movie so creatively bankrupt that it feels less like a movie and more like a piece of propaganda designed to sell Michael Jackson records. With the Jackson estate acting as producers, that’s exactly what it is.
I don’t know what MJ did or didn’t do. I do know that the documentary Leaving Neverland offers more insight in five minutes than Michael does in over two hours. With Wade Robson and James Safechuck’s $400 million lawsuit heading to trial in November 2026, perhaps Fuqua and team are waiting to
independent films that actually deconstruct the price of fame.
First is The Christophers, a deliciously dry dramedy directed by the great Steven Soderbergh, who, after this and last year’s electric Black Bag, is having a welcome career renaissance, making emotionally complex, dialogue-driven chamber pieces. Starring a flawless Ian McKellen as a faded painter and an otherworldly Michaela Coel as a broke art forger hired by his greedy children, it’s a lovely film with a sumptuously written script by Ed Solomon. (John Logan should pick Solomon’s brain about how to reveal the soul of an artist.)
The Christophers is so moving and life-affirming that it had the entire audience spontaneously bursting into applause during the credits. McKellen and Coel are so nuanced and effortless together that watching them discuss art is more exhilarating than watching Jafar Jackson moonwalk his way across the screen.
Or, for those who want something a little more existentially ambiguous, there’s Mother Mary, a new, visually stunning, hyper-specific, messy vision from filmmaker David Lowery (the singular mind behind A Ghost Story and The Green Knight). A never-better Anne Hathaway plays Mother Mary, a globally famous popstar, who, just days before a comeback performance meant to put her back on top again, rushes off to the English countryside to beg her old costume designer, Sam (Coal again, frighteningly luminous and having a legendary 2026), to make her the “perfect” dress.
see how the dust settles before a sequel covers the dangerous ground. If they believed in the story enough, Michael could have been a bold pushback from his estate against the allegations and the tabloid narrative of his later years. Instead, we’re left with a hollow, homogenized script by John Logan that strands the excellent Colman Domingo (doing his best to play family patriarch Joe Jackson) with soft-boiled clichés like “Everything I’ve ever done has been for this family.” The film fails the primary test a biopic must pass to justify its own existence: it must reveal the artist, even if just a little, for the audience. Jackson remains an enigma because we never understand his thought processes. Scenes with Jackson playing Twister with Bubbles the Monkey or learning how to C Walk feel like future highlights from a parody like Scary Movie 6, built for laughter, not drama. Michael has already made millions and will most likely make hundreds of millions more, so my plea comes too late, but instead of seeing it this weekend, check out two recently released
Set almost entirely in Sam’s atelier as we bear witness to the two women reconciling their damaged friendship, the ghosts of their collective traumas and the sometimes inaccessible catharsis of artistic creation. It’s a complexly simple film that most will find obtuse and bizarre, but it’s mostly a darkly revelatory unpacking of female friendship. Mother Mary is the definition of “not-for-everyone,” but for those who want to be challenged and shown something beautiful, it’s a truly singular experience. Both films deconstruct fame and artistry in ways that Michael ignores. This film avoids every uncomfortable question the world has been asking for 30 years. It’s a possible “part one” that feels like a defensive crouch disguised as a victory lap. It’s handsome, it’s loud, and it’s a total coward. People will love it.
Michael Grade: F+
The Christophers Grade: B+
Mother Mary Grade: B
This is not a movie about Michael Jackson.
GLEN WILSON
The Straight Dope
Utillian 850 takes portable cannabis vaping to another level
By Steve Neavling
Portable cannabis vaporizers are built to be small and compact, but that often means weaker, less satisfying hits.
That’s not the case for the Utillian 850, a new portable, dual-use vaporizer that produces dense clouds and strong flavor.
One of the newest devices from Utillian, a vaporizer brand associated with Ontario-based TVape.com, the sleek device handles both flower and concentrates and has separate modes and temperature ranges, with adjustable airflow and a strong battery.
It’s not the smallest or most discreet vape on the market, and that’s fine because the Utillian 850 is built to
produce real output.
The device feels like one of Utillian’s most ambitious, technologically advanced devices yet.
One big perk is the dual-core heating system. A lot of portable vapes claim to offer hybrid heating, but the Utillian 850 takes it further with two independent heaters. One handles chamber heat, while the other heats the airflow as you inhale. Each heater has its own temperature sensor, and the convection side also has a flow sensor to track air movement.
You can feel and taste the difference.
With a lot of portable dry herb vapes, the first few pulls taste great and then the flavor quickly fades. But with the
help catch fine particles before they end up in your mouth.
The airflow control is another advantage. You can tighten the draw for thicker, denser hits or open it up for smoother, airier ones.
The device heats up in about 25 seconds. The color LCD screen shows the temperature, battery level, session timer, and mode.
The interface takes a session or two to learn, but it’s not complicated. Three buttons control the device, and you can toggle between different displays.
For flower, the Utillian 850 runs from 320 degrees to 446 degrees. Lower temperatures preserve flavor and terpenes, while higher settings produce thicker vapor and a stronger hit. It delivered full flavor, satisfying clouds, and a smooth draw.
The Utillian 850 also has a wax mode, with a higher temperature range of 428 degrees to 500 degrees.
This is the best dual-use device I’ve tried. While it feels more designed for flower, the wax mode was surprisingly effective.
High-quality cannabis concentrates like live hash rosin are becoming increasingly popular in Michigan as more people move from flower to more potent and flavorful alternatives. That popularity is creating a bigger demand for dab pens and e-rigs, and companies are responding with a shit load of devices that range wildly in quality and performance.
For concentrates, I still prefer the Utillian 6 over the Utillian 850 because it’s built specifically for wax and has a glass mouthpiece, a ruby pearl, and a vortex airflow system that improves flavor and vapor.
Utillian 850, the vapor stays dense and consistent, and the flavor lasts longer than it does with many portable devices I’ve tried. The conduction side helps the session start quickly, while the convection side keeps extraction more even as you draw.
The result is thick vapor without the scorched taste that can ruin higher-temperature sessions.
The vapor path also helps. Utillian uses what it calls Gold Sink Technology, with gold-coated screens and zirconia components designed to keep vapor smooth and clean.The Utillian 850 produces a noticeably smooth inhale, even when pushed into higher temperatures. The layered screens also
But as a dual-use vaporizer, the Utillian 850 still handles concentrates well. The battery is another strength. The Utillian 850 uses a 5000 mAh battery, which is large for a portable vape but doesn’t make the device feel oversized. With moderate use, it should last through a full day without needing a charge. A full charge takes about 90 minutes.
The Utillian 850 also comes with a water pipe adapter, which is a nice bonus. Connecting it to a bong or bubbler would make hits smoother and cooler, while also producing big clouds.
The biggest downside is that the Utillian 850 is not the most discreet or beginner-friendly vape. It’s portable, but not tiny. It has more settings than a less advanced device.
But the 850 is built for people who care about performance.
At about $320, it’s not cheap. But if you want to take portable vaping to another level and you have the money, it’s a hell of a device.
The Utillian 850 is a dual-use cannabis vaporizer built to produce real output.
STEVE NEAVLING
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CULTURE
Savage Love
Quickies
by Dan Savage
: Q My spouse and I haven’t had sex for almost two years. No kids, jobs aren’t stressful, and we still enjoy each other’s company. (At least I enjoy theirs.) The subject of sex never comes up. I don’t miss it, honestly, and I suspect they don’t either. But I don’t know.
A: It’s possible your spouse doesn’t miss sex either — it’s also possible your spouse isn’t missing sex because they’re getting it elsewhere. Seeing as you don’t have kids to worry about, I don’t think raising the subject presents an existential risk. Tell your spouse you’re content with your companionate/sexless marriage and you want to make sure they are too. If they are, great. If they’re not, well, better to hear it from them now than to find out when they file for divorce. That doesn’t mean you have to start having sex you don’t wanna have and it doesn’t mean you have to file for divorce; it just means that you will have to figure out — together — what needs to change so your spouse can live as happily within your marriage as you do.
: Q About to start a Berlin/Vancouver LDR for three years. Is it monogamously possible?
A: Munich/Vancouver, yes. Berlin/Vancouver, no.
: Q 3. Do you have an opinion on whether there are therapeutic methods, such as CBT, which have a reasonable success rate in transforming unrequited love into friendship? I am a demisexual person who lives with the person I’m in love with. For reasons, it is difficult to move apart.
A: While cock and ball torture (CBT) might take your mind off your unrequited love, the effect would only last as long as the torture did. As for whether cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has the power to turn unrequited love into friendship, that I couldn’t tell you. But a little CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) — unlike a little CBT (cock and ball torture) — couldn’t hurt.
: Q I’m 37-year-old cis woman from the NY-metro area. For a long while, I’ve had this gut feeling I’m meant to be partnered with a trans man. Where do I begin? Where do I go to put myself in spaces to meet more trans men (whether dating apps, in person, etc.)? How do I go about getting over the nerves about trying something new and
not making trans men I encounter feel as if they’re being fetishized? As an ally, I want to approach exploration from a place of respect. Advice would be appreciated!
A: I shared your question with Nico Carney, a trans man and standup comedian based in New York City.
“Hello 37-year-old cis woman looking for a trans guy to love,” Carney responded via email. “As a trans man, it certainly always feels good to feel like someone is looking for me specifically. The fact that you’re already considering how your excitement could make a trans guy feel fetishized is a sign that your heart and head are in the right place. I think the key is to remember each trans person will feel differently about how they’re being perceived. Some will be more anxious about being fetishized, while others may crave your complimenting of their specific body. It’s all about communication and building to a place of mutual trust, respect, and care. And if you want to meet trans guys out in the wild, NYC is a great place to be! Check out your favorite gay bars for any trans-dude specific meetups. A few months ago, a bar in Bushwick called All Night Skate hosted a Trans Guy Arm Wrestling Tournament. I’m a standup comedian and trans man and my audiences have lots of trans guys in them. Come see my show on June 18 in Brooklyn and maybe you’ll meet the love of your life!”
Follow Nico Carney on Instagram @ NicoCarney.
: Q I’m right-handed, and I do everything with my right hand — except anything sexual, whether it’s touching myself or touching a sexual partner, my hand of choice is naturally my left. Am I the only one in this situation? Any thoughts about where it could come from?
A: No idea whether you’re the only person out there using his non-dominant hand when touching himself and/or others in a sexual way… and no idea where this could come from. Perhaps you started using your non-dominant hand to masturbate because it replicated, in a low-key way, “the stranger,” where someone intentionally puts their arm to sleep before masturbating. It’s supposed to feel like someone else is touching their genitals — at least in theory. (I hear people talking about “the stranger,” but I’ve never heard from someone who actually attempted it.)
: Q A white male friend has had three serious girlfriends over the last five years and each one was an Asian woman. It’s not as bad as it could be, as all three of his girlfriends were fully westernized, none were impoverished immigrants, and their relationships — from the outside — seemed egalitarian. So, it’s not as bad as it could be. But it’s still bad, right? Do I have a conversation with him about it?
A: If your friend had had three white girlfriends in a row, you probably wouldn’t
have noticed — even though a case could be made that his preference for white women was shaped by racist beauty standards and cultural conditioning. So, maybe it was a coincidence that he dated three Asian women in a row… or maybe your friend likes what he likes and policing his dick isn’t your responsibility.
: Q I enjoy sucking dick, but I have an aversion to letting my partner cum in my mouth. There have been a few times where I’ve cut off what seems to be a very enjoyable situation because I’m not ready to get a mouthful. The thought of swallowing makes me nervous but spitting it out seems rude. If I were to ever be brave enough to let him finish during oral, what could I expect? Taste? Would I get a tummy ache if I swallow? Help!
A: There’s a middle ground between spitting and swallowing: if you let your partner come in your mouth and you don’t swallow and your lips aren’t sealed around his shaft, his cum will run out of your mouth and — depending on the position you’re blowing him in — onto his crotch or onto the floor or onto your tits.
P.S. You’ve seen your partner’s loads, which means you already have a pretty good idea what to expect volume-wise and consistency-wise. As for taste, well, some tastes are worth acquiring. (Does anyone really like their first sip of beer?)
P.P.S. You might get a stomachache — you might even get the runs — because semen contains prostaglandins, which can have a laxative effect on some people.
: Q I’m a Gen X woman. I have a really basic question for you that I have wondered about for my entire adult life: Why don’t people (mostly straight men) who say they can’t live without sex just masturbate? I would get it if what they wanted was closeness and intimacy and a relationship with another person, if only for a little while — but it feels like a lot of men just want to stick their dicks in someone. Anyone. But if you’re not interested in women as human beings and you don’t even LIKE them — as is the case with a lot of men in my experience — what is the point of even bringing an actual woman into it? Why not just fuck the couch or jerk off?
A: I post a reader question every Thursday and let the commentariat at Savage. Love give the advice. Here’s a sampling of what the group had to say in response to your question…
BiDanFan: “With all the drama of relationships, not to mention the inconvenience of babies, if masturbation were anywhere near as satisfying as partnered sex, the human race would have gone extinct millennia ago.”
Ruby: “I think you have just had the unfortunate luck to come across a lot of men who just want to fuck and don’t want a relationship with a woman. They’re either
just looking for a hit and run or they just don’t have very good relationship skills. Or both. Yuck.”
Randy: “Fucking people is a lot more fun than fucking couches or jerking off. When jerking off I’ve always fantasized about sex with other people, but I’ve never thought about jerking off when fucking a real live person.”
Midcoast Person: “Another reason why society would be better off if we would just legalize & destigmatize sex work. The overly self-centered folks could have a legitimate place to go to satisfy that part of their sexual appetite which no amount of masturbation will sate. There’d be a lot less people pretending to be romantically interested in somebody when they only want to fuck.”
More thoughts about this question can be found in the comment thread here.
: Q Is flirting cheating if nothing physical happened?
A: It is not — but a distinction can be made between flirting with intent, e.g. getting on the apps, swapping pics, gaming out a time and place to meet, etc., and harmless flirting, e.g. flirtatious banter with an attractive stranger in a bar or a colleague at a work function. Now, some people who engage in flirt-with-intent behaviors have no plans to actually go through with it; those people are only guilty of fantasizing about cheating and wasting other people’s time. And there are people who wind up fucking strangers in bars and/or colleagues at work functions because “harmless flirtation” has been known to escalate quickly at times. But as a general rule, if nothing happened… then nothing happened.
: Q I’m a cis man in his late thirties living near Toronto. I have a leather fetish and love watching porn with women wearing leather leggings, leather dresses, leather corsets, all of it. I’ve noticed the majority of leather porn is Russian. Why is it? Are there other fetishes that are dominated by one place? (The reason I’m asking is because I also like dialogue in porn, and I don’t speak Russian!)
A: I’m a gay man living in Seattle, and it took me all of two minutes — less than two minutes — to find porn featuring women in leather who were speaking English. The porn you seek is out there, and it’s not hard to find.
: Q I’m a circumcised gay top on PrEP. I find I don’t usually cum when I’m a fucking a guy —maybe 10% of the time, unless I pull out and jerk off a bit to get closer. Is that a function of a less sensitive penis or is it situational? The last time I bred a guy’s ass I was really turned on, so the situation clearly makes some difference. Thanks for any thoughts!
A: Look at it this way: needing to pull out and give yourself a few strokes to get
there — needing to get yourself to push yourself to the point of orgasmic inevitability before pushing back in and breeding a guy — means you’ll always last as long as the bottom you’re breeding wants you to. Whether it’s a function of a less sensitive penis (due to having been circumcised) or not, you can choose to regard it as a superpower and not defect.
P.S. Please don’t become one of those guys who is angry about being cut. I know lots of cut guys who can come without pulling out and giving themselves a few strokes, so your superpower may or may not be related to being circumcised. Cut guy to cut guy, please know that can oppose the routine circumcision of male infants which continues to fall in the U.S. without being self-pitying, tedious bores about it.
: Q I’m lucky enough to be parenting an amazing trans teen. They are in their first serious relationship — also with a trans teen — and they have nowhere to go for actionable sex ed information that in age appropriate and focuses on safety and pleasure especially when your current body isn’t what you want long term. I’m married to a trans guy and was a peer sex educator, but they like to get sex ed information from somewhere besides their mom/significant other’s mom!
A: The best resource you could give your trans teen — who’s lucky to have you as a parent — is a copy of Let’s Talk About It: The Teen’s Guide to Sex, Relationships, and Being a Human by Erika Moen and Matthew Nolan. It covers everything a kid needs to know about sex, pleasure, porn, kink, etc., and it’s trans-inclusive.
: Q Why do some men build consistent communication, emotional connection, and even physical chemistry with a woman only to suddenly withdraw or ghost instead of communicating where they stand? It just happened to me. This wasn’t a casual or surface-level interaction, and mutual interest was confirmed days before the switch so I’m trying to understand what typically causes that shift from a psychological or behavioral standpoint.
A: The short answer: Because some men are assholes.
For the longer answer, I brought in Dr. Jennie Young, author of Burn the Haystack: Decode Dating, Torch the Duds, and Make Room for Men Who Matter
“What’s happened to you is incredibly painful, and incredibly common,” Dr. Young wrote in an email. “It’s happened to me too. It’s tempting to engage in some post-game analysis that might go on forever, but the truth is that you don’t even have access to the details of that game, let alone its history, and it’s better to cut your losses and move on. I know that’s easier said than done, but it’s true. Try to sit through the discomfort of not knowing, and over time
that discomfort will dissipate. It’s a wacky universe, and we’re just never going to have all the answers, to anything, unfortunately. I find that oddly comforting, and I hope that you might too. Be well.”
P.S. There was a lot more to Dr. Young’s response to your question — but it was too long for a Quickies column. I will share the rest of Dr. Young’s response to Q17 in this week’s Struggle Session at Savage.Love. Follow Dr. Young on Instagram @word_ case_scenario.
: Q I was wondering if you could do a contest to redefine “TRUMP” like you did for Rick Santorum?
A: Someone suggested I redefine Trump back 2016 and I declined. Not because he didn’t deserve it, but because “trump” already has an alternate (and very apt!) meaning: in the U.K., a “trump” is an audible fart.
: Q I’m a woman who enjoys double vaginal penetration with a condom question. My primary partner and I don’t use condoms with each other, however he wears a condom when we do double vaginal with him and another man, because our rules state that “sex with someone else” is an activity that requires condoms. I have heard that when one man wears two condoms it increases the likelihood of breakage. Would it be safer for my partner not to wear a condom when we engage in vaginal DP with another man? Or is it better that they both wear one?
A: Putting two condoms on one dick doesn’t provide extra protection, it increases the likelihood of a condom failing because they rub against each other, causing friction that could lead to tears or breakages. Seeing as a lot more condom-to-condom friction is generated when two condom-covered dicks are sliding across each other in one hole, being a stickler about using condoms when you have “sex with someone else” is putting you at greater risk. If you were getting double penetrated by two strangers, I would recommend condoms on both dicks and perhaps swapping them out for fresh condoms every once in a while, if you’re going at it for a long time. But in your case, you’re safer with your partner going bare and the other dude wearing a condom.
: Q Met a guy on Sniffies three years ago who’s into no-recip oral. I’ve been swinging by his place two or three times a year ever since. He sucks me off, then I kick him in the balls and tell him he’s a bad cocksucker. (He’s good at it, he just likes being kicked in the balls and told he sucks.) I’m seeing someone now and we’re getting serious. I’m going to see this guy one more time before having a DTR convo with my new guy. Do I tell the Sniffies guy that it’s our last time?
A: It would be the courteous thing to do… but it doesn’t sound like this man is
really interested in being treated courteously. And if you’re only availing yourself of his services two or three times a year tops, I can’t imagine you’re the only guy he services. So, while your dick is sure to be missed, I don’t think he’ll be waiting in the window for you, wondering where you (and your dick) have gone. If he reaches out to you in a year and you’re still with your new boyfriend, you can tell him then.
: Q My boyfriend of one month can’t come with a condom on. No luck with blowjobs either. He’s been single for eight years. Help!
A: If your boyfriend didn’t have sex for eight years — if he was single and celibate he might’ve gotten used to his own right hand and it’s going to take a minute for his dick to reacclimate to vaginal and oral stimulation with or without a condom. It’s only been a month! Give him a minute! And if this is how his dick works — if he needs a few strokes to get there — that means he’ll always last as long as you want him to. Again: Superpower! Not defect!
: Q Is scheduled sex in a long-term relationship too much to ask?
A: It is not.
: Q 19. My wife recently came out to me as pan and wants to open our relationship on her side only so she can explore her sexuality. This doesn’t seem equitable but I’m not sure what to say.
A: “No.”
P.S. If your wife wants to explore her sexuality with other people, you should be free to do the same.
: Q Heading to London! Any gay bar recommendations? Dark rooms?
A: “London’s gay heartland has shifted out of Soho and there is now a ‘gay triangle’ in South London,” said John Thomas, a man who has lived long and hard in London. “When the weather is good, I enjoy drinks outside The Rising (Elephant & Castle) and Arch (Clapham). You can expect entertainment there too, as well as the historic and legendary RVT (Vauxhall). If it’s sex you’re looking for though, it’s probably Vault 139 (Fitzrovia) you want to go to. The sexiest club nights are run out of Electrowerkz (Angel) and Roast has a great darkroom, and Hunter a well-equipped playroom — maybe you’ll even find me there…”
For all things John Thomas — Instagram, Twitter, OnlyFans, and more — check out his LinkTree @lovejohnthomas.
Got problems? Yes, you do! Email your question for the column to mailbox@savage.love!
Or record your question for the Savage Lovecast at savage.love/askdan! Podcasts, columns and more at Savage.Love
CULTURE
Free Will Astrology
By Rob Brezsny
ARIES: March 21 – April 19
When naturalist John Muir wanted to experience a storm, he climbed to the top of a 100-foot Douglas fir and rode it for hours through gale-force winds. He later reflected that the danger, in his judgment, was “hardly greater” than staying under a roof, and that the exhilaration and sensory richness justified his experiment. I’m not counseling you to be exactly like Muir in the coming weeks, Aries. Please don’t take foolish risks. However, I would love you to explore what truths are available when you put yourself in the path of intensity.
TAURUS: April 20 – May 20
Soil biologists say a teaspoon of productive soil may contain billions of living organisms. These bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and nematodes work in cooperative networks, generating a hidden abundance that ensures everything above ground thrives. Your immediate future has this quality, Taurus. Beneath the visible surface of your life, beneficial processes are generating fertility and possibility. You don’t need to see the miracle to trust it’s happening. Your role is simply to have faith as you maintain the conditions that allow this mysterious abundance to do its work.
GEMINI: May 21 – June 20
I suspect you would benefit from engaging with a friendly devil’s advocate or two in the coming weeks. Your clarity and understanding will deepen in just the right ways if you converse with affectionate skeptics who like and respect you but also want to help you grow. I realize that such people may be hard to find. If you can’t locate any, you could hire one. Or do the next best thing: Argue with yourself. Entertain lines of thought that are contrary to your usual ideas. Don’t let your habitual self get away with its usual rationalizations. The benefits of this exercise will be unpredictably huge.
CANCER: June 21 – July 22
In the Northern Hemisphere, the North Star holds a fixed place in the sky. Also known as Polaris, or the Pole Star, it hangs in almost the same spot throughout the night while other stars rise and set. Because of this steadfast presence, it has long served as a trusted marker for
navigation, especially for sailors at sea. Over time, it naturally came to represent an inner compass or a guiding ideal. In your own experience, Cancerian, what serves as your symbolic North Star? What’s the steady, orienting force that helps you decide where and how to move next? Now is an auspicious moment to tend to and revitalize your bond with this central source of direction.
LEO: July 23 – August 22
In the mid1950s, researchers developed reliable methods for creating synthetic diamonds in the laboratory. Since then, advances in technology have made it possible to grow large, highquality diamonds from small seed crystals in a relatively short time. I invite you to make this one of your operative metaphors, Leo. In the coming weeks, the forces of destiny will align with your efforts if you experiment with nurturing and expanding the parts of your life that are most like a diamond. Facilitate the development of your valuable beauty.
VIRGO: August 23 – Sept. 22
Scientist Stuart Kauffman theorizes that living systems are healthiest when they operate near the “edge of chaos.” There’s a critical zone between rigid order and unstructured randomness where complexity and adaptability can flourish. Too much organization creates brittle stiffness, while excessive chaos prevents coherence. Life thrives when it has some of both. I invite you to ruminate on these themes in the coming weeks, Virgo. According to my edgy analysis of the astrological omens, you’re being invited to cultivate and foster your own personal “edge of chaos” territory. Your interesting task is to create sweet spots where structure and spontaneity synergize. Locate these happy places and abide there for a while.
LIBRA: Sept. 23 – Oct. 22
Choose two small and specific ways you’re going to stop pretending. One example might be how you respond when someone asks how you’re doing. Another may be an opinion you’ve been softening to keep the peace. Or maybe there’s a desire you’ve been downplaying because it feels impractical or too revealing. Here’s the name of this experiment: Incremental Precision Liberation. The key is to do it casually, with no melodrama or self-consciousness. If it’s successful, you could try another round in two weeks.
SCORPIO: Oct. 23 – Nov. 21
Scorpio primatologist Frans de Waal devoted years to watching chimpanzees reconcile with each other after enduring discord. He was fascinated by how they rebuilt trust through elaborate rituals of appeasement, grooming, and
kind gestures. Once the chimps stopped fighting, he marveled, they actively repaired their connection, which often emerged stronger than it was before the dispute. I hope you will borrow their primate wisdom in the coming weeks, Scorpio. Do your best to navigate through conflict or alienation, and then instigate generous acts of rebonding. Don’t sulk, be evasive, or go silent. Be creative as you work to replenish what was damaged. The renewed relationship could be closer for having weathered the difficulties.
SAGITTARIUS: Nov. 22 – Dec. 21
The wandering albatross harnesses the wind, enabling it to travel vast distances with minimal effort. There’s an initial effort that leads to big energy savings. The bird climbs into strong winds and then relaxes as it gets transported, surfing the air currents. I mention this, Sagittarius, because I suspect you’ve been trying too hard and working too much—unnecessarily so. Less strenuous exertion, more gliding, please! Ask yourself what flows are already streaming in your favor. Could you catch a ride on existing momentum? Here’s my advice: Figure out where life’s tides are already moving, then position yourself to get carried along.
CAPRICORN: Dec. 22 – Jan. 19
Ethnomusicologists studying throat singing know that Tuvan singers can produce two or more tones simultaneously. The human voice, it turns out, has the ability to harmonize with itself. Most of us never discover this because we never try. What other multidimensional capacities are you not using because you’ve never investigated them or tested their limits, Capricorn? The coming weeks are ideal for experimentation. What unexpected capacities might you get access to if you explored possi-
bilities you’ve assumed were beyond you? You may be able to develop aptitudes and acquire gifts you haven’t discovered yet.
AQUARIUS: Jan. 20 – Feb. 18
Cartographer Gerardus Mercator created his famous world map in 1569, enabling sailors to plot straight-line courses across oceans. But his technique dramatically distorts the size of landmasses. Greenland appears larger than Africa, when in reality Africa is 14 times bigger. And the truth is that every map privileges certain truths while distorting others. This is a key teaching for you right now, Aquarius. Examine the mental maps you’re using to navigate your life. Might they be hiding or warping reality in any way? Consider whether you would benefit from redrawing your inner visualizations of the wide, wild world out there.
PISCES: Feb.19 – March 20
Perfectionism has increased dramatically in recent decades. Young people are especially affected. But here’s the twist: The compulsion for perfection rarely improves performance. It’s more likely to undermine achievement by triggering paralysis and excessive self-criticism. Now is a favorable time for you Pisceans to rebel against the trend. I encourage you to cultivate a relaxed devotion to being “good enough” as you enjoy yourself thoroughly. Do you know the difference between cheerfully seeking excellence and grimly striving for perfection? Move away from what demands your obsessive rigor and focus on what requires soulful completion.
Homework: Imagine you’ve time-traveled to a favorite place in the year 2035. What do you see?
