Detroit

What Dallas Can Learn from Detroit

Every once in while I can't resist inflaming the tri-cornered hat don't-tread-on-me set out there by saying nice things about Detroit. Whenever I sing praises to my hometown of many yesteryears, I get such a nice bounce out of the people who need Detroit to serve as their 21st century version of Dan ... More >>

Pop Diner is Now Open in the West Village

After months of anticipation, Pop Diner (3600 McKinneyAve.) has officially opened its doors to the West Village. The 24-hour diner, located next to Max's Wine Dive, celebrated its soft-opening this morning. At quarter past eleven, owner Nik Gjonaj boisterously announced to his staff (who'd been dart ... More >>

Romney's Lies to Auto Workers Show He Doesn't Get the Modern World

So here we are at the door to election day. In the nation it all comes down to Ohio. In Ohio it all comes down to the auto industry. And Mitt Romney is betting his marbles on TV ads that say he's the one who wanted to save the industry and President Obama's the one shipping jobs to China. Man. As ... More >>

Shape-Shifting Mitt: From Blue Blood to Blue Collar. That's a Laugh.

I had a private little laugh and moment of startled disbelief while my wife and I were watching Mitt Romney's acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention last night. Romney described his father as having started out in life as an apprentice "lath and plaster carpenter," a term so arcane ... More >>

Chrysler's Back. Government Works. Fairies Aren't Real.

Wonderful story for an old Detroit homeboy in today's New York Times chronicling the incredible comeback and stunning success of Chrysler. Since emerging from bankruptcy and repaying all of its government loans, Chrysler Group LLC has leaped ahead of global competitors, according to the Times: "On ... More >>

A Modest Proposal for Clearing Dallas' Filthy Air

I try. I keep offering. Dallas doesn't have any problems it couldn't solve if it just looked to more advanced cities. I make suggestions. Dallas gets pissed off. I don't know what else I can do. Recently I pointed out that Dallas could resolve its seemingly intractable 15-year-old standoff on what ... More >>

The Great Suburban Anschluss: Don't Worry Plano, You're Safe. For Now.

Oh, ouch. That was a liberal ouch, by the way. Even as a liberal, I can see this as the Next Bad Idea snouting its way up over the far horizon: telling the suburbs they have to bail out the cities. Ain't ... gonna ... happen. David Firestone, a young hotshot reporter in Dallas back in the day, now ... More >>

Freak Me Baby: Listen to A.Dd 's Valentine's Podcast

Following up their holiday podcast, local hip-hop duo A.Dd once again nails it with this Valentine's Day edition with DJ Sober. They really need to do one of these for every holiday: Arbor Day, Earth Day, Flag Day, etc. However, I realize they're sort of busy taking over the Texas rap game. Still ... More >>

Why Does Karl Rove Hate America So Much?

Oh, boy. Another chance to say something good about Detroit. Nothing gets a bigger rise out of a certain element among you loyal Lawners than when I utter anything even faintly complimentary about my hometown. For reasons I may never fully understand, I would incite less mouth-foaming if I sang the ... More >>

Mark Pirro on Finding a Place to Plug In, Other First Show Experiences

Mark Pirro has been around the Dallas music scene for more than two decades as a member of Tripping Daisy, The Polyphonic Spree and currently Menkena. As a preview of The Spree's New Year's Eve show this Saturday at the House of Blues, we wanted to ask him about his first times at shows, including t ... More >>

Bob Seger

Saturday, December 17, at American Airlines Center

The City Has Three Finalists for Library System Director, and Two Come with Some Baggage

​Back in late August we mentioned that the city had hired a search firm to find a permanent (well, you know what I mean) director of the Dallas Public Library System. Corinne Hill's been serving as interim director since Laurie Evans retired in June 2010, and by all accounts she's done a bang-up j ... More >>

Nachos and Baseball at the Stoneleigh P

The Stoneleigh P's red neon sign serves as a beacon for those driving by. It also casts half the ambient light inside the bar, echoed in the burgundy painted walls. The televisions show the baseball game but not many are watching; the jukebox is filling the space with a mix of '70s pop. Two cooks ... More >>

Look Now, Morning News, Dallas's Problems Aren't Detroit's. Get It?

​Colleen McCain Nelson debuts a new political column today on the op-ed page of The Dallas Morning News in which she holds up my former hometown, Detroit, as the arch example of what Dallas needs not to be. She's writing about Mayor Dave Bing's initiative to withdraw scarce city services from ... More >>

Seriously, Has Nobody Seen RoboCop? Dallas Has Been "New Detroit" For Years.

​Apparently a whole lot of people around the country took a look at the very strange campaign advertisement for Debbie Georgatos that Wilonsky posted here Sunday morning -- a video to promote her unsuccessful campaign for chairman of the Dallas County Republican Party. Judging by the comments, ... More >>

Look Out, Motor City. Here Comes Big D.

​Really interesting story in yesterday's New York Times about my hometown, Detroit, where the population is now half what it was when I bailed in the late 1970s. It seems Detroit is now on the cutting edge of the "shrinking cities" movement, and I wonder if Detroit may have valuable ideas for ... More >>

Clearing Out The Mailroom: Tuesday, June 22, 2010.

​We've got quite a backlog of CDs we've never gotten around to, so we're going to try to chip away at the pile with this regular feature. The plan: to take a few at a time and play each CD for as long as I can stand it.Sugar and Gold (San Francisco)Get Wet! (Antenna Farm)The second full-length ... More >>

Clearly, Snow Big Fan of Trinity River Project

​Trying to get to my post at Unfair Park. Big weather issues here. See photo. Huge branch the size of the Sears Tower fell on wife's car. Worse: I had inadvertently left money bag containing $1 million-plus in rubles on top of car, part of inheritance I received recently from little-known uncle in ... More >>

Why Is Dallas City Hall Trying To Bury The Burgeoning Farmers Market Movement Under A Morass Of Municipal Regulation?

North Carolina, Meet John Wiley Price

After we watched the county commissioner's temper tantrum yesterday (again and again and again), Patrick "Buzz" Willliams declared it awfully "bush league." We talked about how it was like one of those council meetings you see excerpted on newscasts across the country during which the anchor stares ... More >>

Wednesday's Unverified Fact About Oakland

​The 'Boys host the silver and black on Thanksgiving. A final "fact" about the city that keeps Detroit off the bottom of the 'best places to live' list before we turn our attention to New York...Raiders owner Al Davis stays alive by eating a bizarre diet of puppies, spotted owls and organs donated ... More >>

Why Blame The Food?

​I think it was last week when I came across an AP story detailing the efforts of the San Antonio Restaurant Association to encourage healthier cooking at the city's Tex-Mex and Mexican eateries. Seems the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention listed San Antonio behind only Detroit, Memphis a ... More >>

Today In Music News: Eminem Loves Detroit, Kanye Loves Marty and Simon and Garfunkel Love Touring

Your daily dose of national music news for Tuesday, April 7, 2009... Eminem stars in a video pick-me-up for his beloved Detroit. Kanye West has his own Nike shoe: Air Yeezy I shit you not, that is what they are called. It's the first time a major musical artist has a shoe that is completely their ... More >>

Death

For the Whole World to See (Drag City)

Really? Kwame Kilpatrick's Flying Private Planes to Love Field and Living in Southlake?

WXYZ-Channel 7/DetroitEx-Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick talking to reporters at Love Field Tuesday eveningThe Detroit Free Press has footage of disgraced ex-Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick boarding a LearJet Tuesday afternoon, which departed Willow Run Airport in Ypsilanti for Dallas. WFAA-Channel 8 ... More >>

First George W. Bush, Now Kwame Kilpatrick. Dallas, How Lucky Can One City Get?

The Friends of Unfair Park know what's happening. Just this morning, one of them hopped on a four-month old item about Detroit's disgraced ex-mayor, Kwame Kilpatrick, to warn Dallas about his impending arrival -- just as soon as he gets out of the joint. Unfair Park had reported last September that ... More >>

Man Punches Pole! Then Sues Pole! (Actually, He Sues Dave & Buster's.)

Ask a Mexican

Where’s the Mexican love for the Motor City?

Plano Finishes Dead Last!!!

Architecture in Helsinki, Glass Candy, Panther

Tuesday, November 13, at Hailey's, Denton

Detroit Cobras

Friday, August 10, at the Palladium

Crumbs in the Crowder

Adult, Parts & Labor

Saturday, April 21, at Hailey's, Denton

Oh, Sweet Irony

Mo' Comerica

Detroit Cobras, Taylor Hollingsworth

Saboteur, Dropsonic, The Hard Lessons

Friday, November 18, at the Cavern

Wolf Eyes

Saturday, October 8, at Hailey's

Sufjan Stevens

Illinois (Asthmatic Kitty)

Secret Soul

Recent compilations unearth the hidden history of funk

The Locust

February 18

O Brothers, Who Art Thou?

If you don't know who the Soledad Brothers are, you should

Rhythm and Bruise

Dirtbombs singer Mick Collins on why black people hear the rock and white people hear the soul

Multiple Artists

Our writers clean out the CD bin

Sing Sing Sing

Travis is happy to remain The Invisible Band. As long as people sing along.

Jay Dee

Welcome 2 Detroit (BBE)

A Legend in the Making

The Blond Bomber flies from Waxahachie to Alan Freed, with a Strat as his sole defense

Wax On

The Waxwings are the best band you've never heard of, even if you've heard it all

KISS-ed off

Don't lose your mind over Detroit Rock City

Out There

KISS rock 'n' roll over again