None of the pieces performed on the first night of the three “American Mavericks” concerts were much good, though the Copland was certainly the best and the Bates was probably the worst. Copland’s Variations for...
Read MoreI was standing around the third floor of City Hall, staring out the window, waiting for an interview with Mayor Hieftje when I heard two familiar voices behind me talking about rock music from the 70s, and playing records on a...
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“A life is more than a moment.” Hazel Bryan Massery has spent half a century repeating a curiously...
Read MoreNear the close of the third quarter in Michigan’s implausible victory over Notre Dame, a cadre of Fighting Irish fans chanted/taunted, “It-sucks, to-be, a Mich-i-gan Wolv-er-ine.” At the moment Notre Dame held...
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It is with incredible sadness that I report to you that our dear friend and awesome saxophonist,...
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My grandfather adapted easily to change, which may be why he lived to ninety-seven. He defied the...
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In 2006 I wandered the streets on all four days of the Ann Arbor Art Fairs, soaking it in,...
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Way off Off Broadway came to Ann Arbor by way of the Carriage House Theatre, a new group...
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The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins has topped the children’s bestseller list for...
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The right to bear arms gets a lot of press, but not the right to bear musical instruments. But on...
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A well-acted play where a major character declares tha his chief goal is . . . tenure is a good...
Read More“So what went wrong?” people have asked me since the news broke that the giant Borders chain has declared bankruptcy. They’re assuming that because I’m a long-time journalist in Ann Arbor, where the chain...
Read MoreForget German cars and fur coats: I’m congratulating myself on where I am in life by ordering gourmet dinner, waiting for me on my porch when I get home. Thought about it for a while, but what’s making me act is the...
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I’m not much of a mystery fan but when something by an Ann Arbor author with to-die-for...
Read MoreKim Richey’s show at the Ark on Sunday, October 17, marked a small milestone for people who keep track of such things: it was notable for its thoroughgoing inclusion of electronic sounds, provided by a keyboardist. Richey...
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A simple fall pleasure in suburban Cleveland is walking around Shaker Lakes listening to Michigan...
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For those of us who like cities, Ann Arbor can sometimes feel too lofty, too sanitized–we...
Read MoreMany people talented in the sciences also play musical instruments. Hence the creation, nine years ago, of the U-M Life Sciences Orchestra. Its eighty-some members include physicians, med and dental students, engineering alums,...
Read MoreThe weirdly named play Two Point Oh at the Detroit Repertory Theatre (until May 29) was a trip in more ways than one. It meant my leaving Ann Arbor’s fabled “28 square miles” to drive into the “real...
Read MoreAbout fifteen years ago I attended, in Chicago, a meeting of the International Wizard of Oz Club. Similar to Star Trek gatherings, these conferences attract devotees of both the 1939 classic film The Wizard of Oz and the series...
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