JustThinking.us

If you are a Detroiter of a certain age, you have very distinct memories of hustling home after school to catch your favorite musical group lip sync their newest hit on Detroit's version of American Bandstand, Swingin' Time hosted by WKNR then CKLW disk jockey Robin Seymour.

They were all there as all of Motowns greats appeared, Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels, The Amboy Dukes, Question Mark and the Mysterians, Parliment, The Stooges and I'm pretty sure the MC5 along with most of the national acts that came through town.

Dick Clark was wishing his show was so cool.

Long before the Silver Bullet Band was even a glimmer in Bob Seger's eye there was Bob Seger and the Last Heard and then the Bob Seger System.

This is a very young Bob Seger on vocals and cheesy organ, Pep Perrine on drums, Dan Honaker on bass and I'm pretty sure that's Carl Lagassa on guitar, performing what is in my opinion one of the greatest stories in the history of Rock and Roll and Bob Seeger's first local hit record.

Bob Seger and the Last Heard.

East Side Story.

We have about 57 partially finished posts and no gumption for finishing any of them.

Our friend Richard Nolle just posted a Dexy's Midnight Runners cover of Van Morrison's Jackie Wilson Said.

One of the youngest Roanboy's favorite tunes.

Inspired, I figured we should just go with the genuine article.

Here's Detroit's own, Mr. Excitement, live in the studio, effortlessly hitting notes dead on that mere mortals can only dream about.

The great Jackie Wilson.

(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Highe and Higher.

Quite possibly the youngest Roanboy's favorite song. The youngest being a good deal more soulful than his brothers.

I've no idea where these guys came up with that Mr. Soul thing.

They may have come out of Boston, but if you're a Detroiter of a certain age, you know for a fact that The J. Geils Band is ours.

I don't even know how many times I saw this band, for a while there it seemed like they were in town nearly every week.

Here is J. Geils on guitar, Seth Justman on organ and piano, Stephen Jo Bladd pounding the drums, Danny Klein on bass, the always magnificent Wooba Gooba With The Green Teeth, Peter Wolf on vocals and the great Magic Dick on his lickin' stick.

One of the surest things in the history of Rock and Roll, this is J. Geils live, at the height of their powers in 1979.

 Whammer Jammer/House Party.

"Let me hear ya Dickie."

We have deemed our project to spruce up the site to have been a glorious success, as not one of you including even the most irascible among you, has contacted us to tell us how much they hate our every idea ..... at least as it applies to the decorating ..... yet.

And since we're practicing avoidance with regards to a couple of posts that either we have promised and have not yet completed, most notably a post on health care reform we promised Madelyn M. and ..... somebody else, or posts that are finished but are in truth so ugly to contemplate we'd just rather not for a while longer.

Here's a little more art to brighten your day.

The following are some photo's of the Court of Industry at the Detroit Institute of Arts.

In 1932-33, that well known mexican, marxist, muralist, Diego Rivera with the unbending support of that well known capitalist, industrialist and rich white guy, Edsel Ford, painted one of the greatest works of the 20th century on the walls of the Detroit Institute of Arts.

And while the caca did indeed hit the fan, fortunately none of it got on the mural.

Click each image for the DIA's wonderful interactive on each of the four walls holding the 27 panels that comprise this treasure. 

We'll get serious tomorrow.

Maybe.

Over at the Facebook site, Georgia D. has a complaint, the new light bulbs cost more and don't work as well.

Which caused me to think of Lawrence Cantor, the single most reviled man in the long history of the city of Detroit.

More hated by Detroiters of a certain age than even Kwame' Kilpatrick .............. seriously.

As always click the bulb for the whole story, well told by "Detroit History Examiner" Patrick Bernhardt at Examiner.com Detroit

The end of free lightbulbs in Detroit

Each year millions of lightbulbs are purchased in this nation, maybe even in this city alone. At one time, despite the massive amount of bulbs needed, only a small percentage of them were bought in the store; instead, residents took advantage of Detroit Edison's ongoing program: free light bulbs.

This program, which had run for so long, was finally ended by one man: Lawrence Cantor.  This man was a Detroit drug store owner who brought suit because Edison's program denied him the ability to sell lightbulbs in his store.

What a maroon!!!!!

Whoa, is all I gotta say about this one.

I believe that I've been honest and up front from the very beginning of this little adventure in disclosing repeatedly the fact that I have the attention span of a two year old.  This thing goes for an hour and twenty minutes, I only got up once (had to pee real bad).

If you're from Detroit or anywhere near Southeastern Michigan it's worth every second.

The stories you already know from the Purple Gang through STRESS to BMF, with everybody in between.

Good history from a different perspective.

Very well done.

If you're a Detroiter, find some time.

Seriously.

Even if you're not.

Thanks again to Evan.

From Parrish Redd, Ben Scott and Al Profit.

Murder City: Detroit (One Hundred Years of Crime and Violence).

A new term, gaining popularity across the country was coined in 2007 by Jack Mchugh of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy located in Midland Michigan.

"Detroitification" - The process by which the private sector is hollowed out to prop up an unsustainable government establishment.

Mr. McHugh also edits Michiganvotes.org.

Both organizations are highly recommended.

 Can Farming Save Detroit?

Fortune Magazine

by David Whitford, editor at large December 29, 2009: 11:37 AM E

How is this possible ??? 

August 6, 1945

                              Detroit                          Hiroshima

1946

2009

Must be John Engler's fault !!!