I enjoy playing alphabet games where I free-associate and think of words from A to Z. If I want to be tricky, I go backwards from Z to A. Here’s a humorous example from one of my puppet shows from 2020:
I’ve done alphabetical poetry too. Sometimes, it’s a good game to play when you’re trying to get to sleep. You can try to think of fruits or vegetables for each letter, A to Z, or you can just play it freeform style.
This was recently taken apart and taken down it was up for around 30 years, with various changes and rearrangements.
I posted this in late November but still got the December date. I’ll just add more photos and text to it throughout the month. It should be completed by Christmas.
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I haven’t posted photos from my artifacts collection in a while. These are mostly papers and objects from my own collection.
My dad always cut my hair himself. It was brush cuts for my brothers and I. I’ve only been to a barber a few times in my life as I ended up just letting my hair grow and grow.
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For at least ten years, I had this bird nest seller tacked onto the front door of my house along with a Helen Levitt photo, this one:
https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/works/242.2023/
Take better photos, please!
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https://historicdetroit.org/buildings/metropolitan-building
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https://historicdetroit.org/buildings/goeschel-building
https://historicdetroit.org/buildings/trinity-episcopal-church
Cass Community United Methodist Church, near Selden.
https://dia.org/collection/kresge-court-detroit-institute-arts-101772
Here are some of my photos from 2017 six years ago. I selected some from my old “best of the year folder” for that year.
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Here are a few of my photos from 2017, nine years ago now. I selected some from my old “best of the year folder” for that year.
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This was only visible a few days before it was painted over: Detroit, maybe ten years ago?
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A close-up:
Here are a few photos that I took ten years ago, in 2015. It’s another diverse and interesting sampling.
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I started to visit the Cass Corridor in the 1970’s when I was in college. I went to the University of Detroit on the west side of Detroit, but my social life was downtown. I’d hang out in downtown proper a lot and at the Main Library and at the Detroit Institute of Arts. But the corridor had its own special brand of bohemia. I’d go to art galleries like the Willis Gallery and to films at Cass City Cinema (at Cass and Forest).
After I graduated from college, I’d still visit the Cass Corridor. In 1985, I started work at the New Center Crowley’s Department Store. I’d hang out in the neighborhood after I got off of work. In 1992 I moved to the New Center side of Fourth Street, near Wayne State University. My block was the home of the annual Fourth Street Fair. I’d walk to work and then walk all over the neighborhood, exploring it and getting to know it.
I soon joined the Don’t Look Now Jug Band. In 1988, I started doing a series of comical one-man puppet shows. I’d read my poetry in public. In 1998 I joined the Spaceband. This enabled me to perform at various venues. Many of these were in the Cass Corridor.
On Cass, there were a lot of great places to visit including the Song Shop Saloon. This was on the block which later hosted the late, great Cass Cafe. I went to Cobb’s Corner a few times. I was involved with the Freezer Theatre, circa 1980. It was a forum for poetry, music and theatre. The community concert series at the Art Center Music School was quite good. I performed there a few times. Later, I’d go the Gold Dollar.
On Second there was the Ho Ho Inn/ Grinning Duck Club. Zoot’s Coffee had a lot of great shows, both films and music. The Zoot’s building formerly housed the Trobar Gallery, where I exhibited my artwork and did my first puppet show.
Up the street, there was the Circa Saloon and Alvin’s. Further toward downtown, there was the Old Miami, the Temple Bar, Jumbo’s and the Bronx Bar. Some of these places are still open. There was a great art gallery/ performance space at 55 Peterboro. Around this time, one of my sisters lived on the block, so that gave me a reason to visit.
There were many so-called dive bars but only a few dive grocery stores. The TOMBOY was the best known of these. You had to inspect your purchases carefully and pay attention to the expiration dates. I shot this photo of the store with the second O and the Y both burned out so that the sign read TOMB. This was more obvious once it got to be a bit darker out.
The Willis Gallery was really amazing. I’d meet artists there who I’d get to know for years like Stephen Goodfellow, Eric Mesko, and Aaron Ibn Pori Pitts. People like MC5 singer Rob Tyner would hang out there and sometimes perform there. Collectors would come in from out of town. I met William Dufty there. He was married to actress Gloria Swanson and co-wrote the book Lady Sings the Blues with Billie Holiday. In 1991, I had my own solo show there called More Than Meets the Eye.
On Cass and Willis, there was a party store. I think it was called the Rayis Brothers. Everything was behind bullet-proof glass. You’d tell them what you wanted and they’d get it for you and once they got their money they’d place your purchases in the spinning delivery door for you.
One time, when I was walking home from downtown up Cass, it seemed a bit scarier than usual. I witnessed some drug deals and was approached by a few prostitutes. As I walked on, I went into my “crazy man act” singing and talking loudly to myself. I was a large burly, bearded long-haired guy. This strategy seemed to work well, the few times that I felt it best to employ it.
In the year 2000, I got a job as a census taker. Most of my work was in the Cass Corridor. I went into several apartment buildings such as the Coronado.
It reminded me of hitchhiking. You never knew who your next ride would be and you never knew who was going to open their door or who was going to refuse to talk to you. I got to meet a lot of people and most of them were nice and polite. I did have one woman who was convinced that I was specially sent there to persecute and harass her. She was quite angry with me. I saw some extreme poverty, especially when I went into a group of housing projects. Being a census worker did give me a new perspective on the neighborhood.
In the last 25 years, I’ve had further adventures in this neighborhood. I performed at the Dally in the Alley a few times. In 2006, I designed the poster image for the Dally.
I’ve seen the Cass Corridor area undergo many changes. It’s very different today.
404 Willis:
https://www.thesouthend.wayne.edu/archives/article_04cbd184-e1b4-55f3-af08-45af7aded984.html
Related Information:
Whitmer strips the name of slavery advocate Cass from Michigan office building
Adventures and Resources 