Unpacking Detroit

The Sins of the Father ► A Pastoral Letter

Dear Pastor Kenny: It was great seeing you last month, as unexpected as it was. Almost immediately after the Not Now Silly Newsroom officially announced there would be no Sunrise to Canton Road Trip for Research this year …. What’s that old Jewish expression? “If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.” Since God and I are not on speaking terms, I have absolutely no idea how He might have learned of my plans to stay home this year. ...

Montgomery Bus Boycott ► Nostalgia Ain’t What It Used To Be

Dateline December 5, 1955 – Rosa Parks and E.D. Nixon began the Montgomery Bus Boycott. It lasted for just over one year. This is something that happened within my lifetime. It’s ...

Unpacking The Aunty Em Ericann Blog ► Shit Just Got Real

Pictures in the public domain stitched together by author From time to time I like to unpeel the onion and reveal a bit of what it takes to put this blog ...

Harry Houdini’s Last Performance

Dateline October 24, 1926 – It was on this day that illusionist and escape artist Harry Houdini gave his last performance in 1926 at Detroit’s Garrick Theater. He was to die of ...

Happy Labour Day ► Thank A Unionist

As the Right Wing relentlessly attacks Unionism, Labour Day is a the very best day to remember just exactly what we owe to Unionism. It is no stretch to say ...

Unpacking My Detroit ► Part 5.1 ► The 1943 Riot

Late last month I wrote about Detroit’s three major riots, one of them being the 1943 Riot. I am currently reading an amazing book that adds a bit more context ...

The Detroit Riots ► Unpacking My Detroit ► Part Five

12th Street, Detroit. Michigan, one week before the 1967 Riot. That’s Pops’ store way down the block on the left: Astor Furniture. When people hear I am from Detroit, inevitably they ...

Unpacking My Toronto ► Iconic Buildings I Have Worked In

While I blather on and on here about Detroit, I do so more as an anthropological study than as a tribute to a once great ‘Merkin city. However, the place ...

Happy Birthday Roger Ruskin Spear ► Bonzo Dog Band

It wasn’t all that long ago that I celebrated the birth of Dennis Cowan, a founding member of The Bonzo Dog Dada Band. Today let’s all press our trousers for ...

The Music of Detroit ► Unpacking My Detroit ► Part Four

The BBC produced a nice little documentary on the music of Detroit, Michigan. Includes contributions from Iggy Pop, Alice Cooper, George Clinton, Martha Reeves, John Sinclair and the MC5, among ...

Henry Ford’s First Ford ► Unpacking My Detroit ► Part Three

Henry Ford driving his Quadricycle in 1896 Dateline June 4, 1896 – Henry takes his 1st Ford through streets of Detroit. From that moment forward ‘Merkins have adapted to the automobile, as ...

My Days With John Sinclair ► Nostalgia Ain’t What It Used To Be

John Lennon wrote very few songs about REAL people, and when he did he disguised the name of the subject, like “Sexie Sadie,” who was “Maharishi” in the original version. However, ...

Unpacking My Detroit – Part Two

Detroit, once the fifth largest city in ‘Merka, is home to some of the greatest architecture among ‘Merkin cities. It’s sad to see it today. The decline of Detroit began as ...