
Your poet tax dollars wasted, top prison chefs revealed, and track suits for a good cause keep ML, Marc and Shawn busy, while Joe seeks an iron for his velour.



STRAIGHT DOPE: Shawn is gone and Marc is back, as the Soul of Detroit revolving door continues to spin. Marc tells us what he found at Disney World while ML shares his favorite ride at Universal (spoiler alert: It involves riding a bar stool).Your tax dollars were spent on a poet laureate, even though the state did not hire a poet laureate until Clara Hendrickson of the Free Press started asking what they were doing with your dough. Read all about it here.



Mark Kurlyandchik went to prison for gourmet food. Actually, he went to meet a chef who is turning cons into cooks. And not just any cooks – kitchen magicians. He discusses the five-year journey behind his documentary “Coldwater Kitchen,” which you can see at the upcoming Freep Film Festival. ML will also emcee a panel at the festival. Learn all about it here.



Shawn makes the scene just in time to appreciate ML’s Shawshank Shwarma joke. It’s worth tuning in for.



Man-about-town August Gitschlag sashays in, resplendent in his tiger festooned track suit to discuss his charity event on April 22 at Whiskey in the Jar in Hamtramck. Here’s how to bust out your favorite track suit for a good cause.



Is “Succession” an allegory for modern life? ML thinks so, and shares the theory he worked out while taking a shower before the show (so you know it’s got to be good!).



ML’s latest investigation reveals that Geoffrey Fieger was sick for years before he suffered a stroke, and continued working as a trial lawyer after his doctor told him to stop. Along the way he sued his insurance underwriters for $16 million, claiming that being unable to try cases made him disabled. Read all about it here.



Subscribe to the Free Press and get a $5 Amazon gift card.



GEEK OF THE WEEK: George Santos. Say no more.



ROOM 7609: Ava Max’s “Born to the Night” does a double dip into New Wave music. Listen and see if you can pick the two New Wave artists who inspired her rather insipid song.



FEEDBACK: A listener wants to send ML to Flint and another questions whether he’s picking on Fieger.



DONATE OR SPONSOR US: Make a donation at mlsoulofdetroit.com or drop us a line at mlsoulofdetroit@gmail.com to find out how cheap and easy it is to advertise on our show! 



LISTEN AND LEARN: Find out more about the podcast at www.mlsoulofdetroit.com, where you’ll find previous episodes and so much more!




Poetic Justice & Prison Epicures – April 18, 2023

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Shawn comes to the studio and insists he’s more productive working from home. Then Marc plays audio of ML’s futile search for the people responsible for derailing congressional candidate Adam Hollier. 



STRAIGHT DOPE



ML’s personal crusade to get people to return to work pits him against remote work advocate Shawn who says people are more productive when they work from home. ML cites the Unabomber (a U-M grad) as someone who worked from home VERY productively. Shawn also thinks it’s swell that kids connect virtually to play video games and communicate. ML and Marc beg to differ.



In the midst of a vigorous debate, Shawn somehow works in a plug for his latest column. In classic contradictory Windsor manner, Shawn, who hates making predictions, is pleased as punch with his predictions for the outcome of each game the Detroit Lions will play next season. If you know Shawn, you won’t be surprised by the basis on which he makes those predictions. Read all about it here. 



Shawn says the modern workplace is changing and that people are more productive working from home. ML counters with two recent examples of how working in the same space with colleagues improved their work – including how a colleague helped him figure out the identity of a key player in a burgeoning political scandal.



While the fur is flying in Red Shovel Network studios, ML and Marc play a clip from “Anchor Man” inspired by the strange obsession Shawn revealed at the top of last week’s show. Patreon subscribers who pony up a measley $5 a month can watch the clip, while the cheapskates will have to be satisfied just listening.



Marc and ML discuss the scheme that may get multiple candidates kicked off the ballot. Like in 2022, when multiple Republican gubernatorial candidates got kicked off the ballot, it involves fraudulent petition signatures. This time, it could cost a congressional candidate his chance to take on Congressman Shri Thanedar and might even wipe out every Republican candidate for U.S. Senate. Read ML’s column here:.



ML hit the streets in search of two people at the center of the petition problems that might end Adam Hollier’s congressional campaign. Hear what happens when he lands on the doorsteps of the places where they claim to live.



Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has been very careful to protect her image as an elected official above partisan politics. But her decision to endorse Hollier could become a problem for Michigan’s top election official. ML explains why.



Shawn asks Marc if the benefits of binge watching outweigh losing the communal experience of watching movies together. The discussion leads ML and Marc to offer their reviews of “Sugar,” the AppleTV limited series starring Colin Farrell. If you haven’t watched it yet, pay close attention to the countdown before ML and Marc reveal massive plot twists.



“Sugar” may be sweet, but nothing is sweetering than joining the Soul Patrol by becoming a Patreon member. For as little as $5 a month, you can enjoy benefits like ad-free episodes and video of the show. For $15 a month, you get the bonus episode. At the $25 and $60 a month levels, you get free swag and exclusive merchandise. Sign up here: Get more from ML Soul of Detroit on Patreon




Office Politricks – May 21, 2024


The Synanon cult had a branch in Detroit where addicts played “The Game,” which Amelia Benavides-Colon describes to Marc and ML while Shawn waxes poetic about the squirrels in Ann Arbor.



STRAIGHT DOPE



On her way to a gig in Washington, D.C., super Free Press intern Amelia Benavides-Colon revisits the show to talk about ANOTHER cult in Michigan, this one created to help people get off drugs. But first, Shawn explains how he uses the interaction between students and squirrels as a barometer for social norms.



Synanon started in California before heading to Detroit, where it had its only Midwest chapter. But before we get to that, a discussion about the appropriateness of Red Hot Chili Peppers’ frontman Anthony Keidis’ relationship with a 19-year-old dominates the conversation. ML suggests not dating anyone whose parents might have been your classmate, then shares a former roommate’s brush with Flea in East Lansing.



The cult is the subject of a documentary on Max, but first everyone does their Jerry Seinfeld impression while discussing the Duke University students who walked out on Seinfeld during his commencement speech.



By the time Amelia FINALLY gets to talk about the Synanon, she explains its ties to Alcoholics Anonymous and its unusual approach to helping people kick their drug addictions by playing “The Game.”



“The Game” doesn’t sound like much fun. It could last for days and involved hurling insults. It was a lot like this podcast, only longer.



All this addiction talk inspires Shawn to ask Marc if he’s ever taken heroin … and a whole bunch of other drugs. Listen to learn Marc’s answer.



Marc then launches into the weighty topic of whether it’s worse to be murdered or (fill in the blank). If you think “murder” is the obvious answer, you might be surprised by what you hear.



Synanon founder Chuck Dederich finally got in trouble with the law. So he put a snake in the mailbox of a prosecutor. Learn more about charming Charles, including his shifting position on the importance of marriage among cult members.



Read Amelia’s story here.



Amelia wrote many amazing stories this year, and ends her stay at the Free Press with a humdinger about roadside attractions. Read it here.



ML also has a new column, this one telling the story of a man who helped get Mike Duggan elected Detroit mayor in 2013 who is now at the center of a petition fiasco that could get multiple candidates thrown off the ballot. Read On Guard here.



Skip the cult and join the Soul Patrol by becoming a Patreon member. For as little as $5 a month, you can enjoy benefits like ad-free episodes and video of the show. For $15 a month, you get the bonus episode. At the $25 and $60 a month levels, you get free swag and exclusive merchandise. Sign up here: Get more from ML Soul of Detroit on Patreon



GEEK OF THE WEEK



ML considers naming Duke students who booed Seinfeld or the guy who punched Steve Buscemi GOW, but instead comes up with a scheme that allows him to say the name “General Booty” over and over.




Detroit Cult City – May 14, 2024


James Crumbley’s attorney breaks her silence to describe a prosecution that often seemed more like a smear campaign, while ML and Marc dive deep into defense strategy and what it’s like to represent the reviled.



STRAIGHT DOPE



She might not be a lot of fun at parties that don’t involve deep discussions of constitutional law, but Mariell Lehman is still mighty interesting to anyone who wonders what it was like to defend James Crumbley, the father of Oxford High School massacre shooter Ethan Crumbley.



Mariell spent 2½ years representing James Crumbley in a case that she says was unlike just about any other she’s ever handled. For starters, she said Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald began making decisions about the case long before the evidence was in. Mariell says it was part of a pattern that seemed more about ruining the Crumbleys’ reputation than administering justice.



Mariell offers lots of revelations — including that she originally wanted to be a prosecutor and that she really likes James Crumbley.



Marc asks Mariell whether she has been targeted by people outraged about the Crumbley case. She shares stories about the keyboard warriors (who ML prefers to call keyboard cowards).



The Crumbley case made history because of the charges filed against the parents, but there were plenty of other unusual occurrences, such as the judge waiting until the last minute to announce whether mom Jennifer Crumbley or dad James Crumbley would go on trial first. Mariell discusses how she handled all the curve balls.



Did Jennifer Crumbley’s decision to testify in her case – and her conviction – impact Mariell’s strategy for defending James Crumbley? Listen and learn.



ML asks Mariell what happens to the pets, the homes and anyone or anything else dependent on people who get locked up? Mariell says life – and a lot of sales – goes on.



Mariell says the prosecution’s agreement not to prosecute school officials came as a surprise to defense attorneys – and had a significant impact on the way they handled their cases. She explains why.



Another potential blow to the defense was the judge’s decision to move the cases forward even after Ethan Crumbley’s last-minute decision not to testify in his parents’ case. Mariell explains why that was a big deal – and how there was nothing defense attorneys could do to stop it.



The judge issued a gag order early in the Crumbley case, but it’s not clear whether the prosecutor’s decision to give a documentary film crew access to her team may have impacted that gag order or the case itself. Mariell gives her take, while ML wonders whether the judge expressed any concerns. This also gives him a chance to work in this week’s Kwame Kilpatrick reference.  



Listen for some instant classic Shawn drops from last week’s episode with Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports that capture Shawn’s feelings about a former lover … and, quite possibly, how he feels about his podcast partners.



Marc asks a deep question about innocent victims of Luke Skywalker’s assault on the Death Star, inspiring ML to trot out his lame imitation of Mark Hamill’s spot-on imitation of Harrison Ford.



Please join the Soul Patrol by becoming a Patreon member. For as little as $5 a month, you can enjoy benefits like ad-free episodes and video of the show. For $15 a month, you get the bonus episode. At the $25 and $60 a month levels, you get free swag and exclusive merchandise. Sign up here: Get more from ML Soul of Detroit on Patreon



GEEK OF THE WEEK



Crumbley Lawyer Speaks – May 7, 2024


Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports stops in to talk about an epic FBI fail and Detroit’s epic performance as host of the NFL Draft while Marc joins in and ML types Shawn’s national sports writing award.



STRAIGHT DOPE: We start this week’s show trying to celebrate Shawn, whose outstanding work for the Detroit Free Press was honored with a third place award for sports opinion writing in the prestigious National Headliner Awards. Shawn tries to downplay it but, like Ron Burgundy, he really IS kind of a big deal. Read his superlative work here.



Dan returns to the basement just in time for ML to inadvertently revive the Caitlin Clark discussion when he makes the mistake of mentioning that Burt Reynolds, in this week’s intro, is wearing 22 in the movie “Semi Tough,” then noting that it’s the same number he wore in “The Longest Yard.” As luck would have it, 22 is also Clark’s number.



That conversation turns to controversy stirred up when a sports writer for the Indianapolis Star rather awkwardly welcomed Clark to Indy, where she landed as the top pick in the WBNA draft. Read his apology here.



Dan and Marc bemoan the fact that more people are paying attention to that tempest in a teapot instead of another huge story out of Indianapolis: The FBI’s agreement to pay more than $100 million to Larry Nassar’s victims.



Dan discusses how the FBI did virtually nothing to investigate or stop Nassar from abusing young gymnasts – and may have even prevented other authorities from stopping the diabolical doctor. Read his column here.



Detroit is still basking in the afterglow of a successful NFL Draft. Dan, Marc, Shawn and ML discuss what went well, and why Detroit could reap the benefits of throwing a great party for years to come.



Please join the Soul Patrol by becoming a Patreon member. For as little as $5 a month, you can enjoy benefits like ad-free episodes and video of the show. For $15 a month, you get the bonus episode. At the $25 and $60 a month levels, you get free swag and exclusive merchandise. Sign up here: Get more from ML Soul of Detroit on Patreon GEEK OF THE WEEK: Shawn finished third in the national sports writing competition. The person who keeps finishing number two a Dearborn cemetery is this week’s geek.



ROOM 7609: DJ Dan introduces us to a side of the Thompson Twins by booking “Squares and Triangles” into the New Wave suite. Send us your favorite deep cut or obscure band – and a story about them or why they mean something to you – by writing to mlsoulofdetroit@gmail.com.



FEEDBACK: Shawn on NPR, Lee Chatfield faces criminal charges and revisiting the Super Bowl XL murder is on your minds. We welcome all your comments – and constructive criticism – atmlsoulofdetroit@gmail.com



DONATE OR SPONSOR US: Support us on Patreon or make a donation at mlsoulofdetroit.com or drop us a line at mlsoulofdetroit@gmail.com to find out how cheap and easy it is to advertise on our show! We now accept donations via Venmo (and if Venmo tells you your money is going to Daisy...

Detroit Wins the Draft – April 30, 2023


Did Detroit sweep a murder under the red carpet it rolled out for the NFL during Super Bowl XL? ML, Marc and Shawn discuss a cold case that police officials once described as a “delayed arrest.” Even if that was a legit law enforcement term, the delay is now going on 18 years.



STRAIGHT DOPE



The entire city is amped up about the NFL Draft coming to Detroit, and ML has a story about an 18-year-old cold case including interviews with cops who worked the case and the victim’s family, so of course Yawn Windsor gets the show started with musings on people who take trips by themselves. For the rest of the world, here’s a link to ML’s On Guard column.



ML’s mention of Tecumseh – the hometown of a 24-year-old woman murdered in downtown Detroit during Super Bowl XL – reminds Shawn of a story he did with Jim Schaefer back in 2006 about a creepy high school coach from the small town that includes the epic line: “…how you going to play the Dizzle like that?”



When the conversation FINALLY turns to ML’s latest investigation, he and Marc get caught up on the case of Kyle Smith, a 24-year-old woman who was shot to death on Woodward Avenue a day before Super Bowl XL. ML and Marc discuss Smith’s fascinating life, which included a heroin addiction and a brush with one of the most notorious cops in recent history: Robocop.



Smith was standing outside the Good Life Lounge when she was shot by a man she bumped into around 1:30 a.m. on Feb. 4, 2006. ML discusses what happened next.



Police had a suspect in Smith’s murder, but couldn’t break his alibi. Smith’s family wonders whether Robocop might have been involved, since Smith testified against him in one of the biggest police corruption cases in recent Detroit history. The jury didn’t convict any of the officers, and Smith slept with a sawed-off shotgun under her mattress out of fear Robocop might seek his revenge.



Marc asks whether the killing could have been a hit. ML shares some details from an investigator on the case that suggest it could have been more than a random shooting.



ML shares some homicide statistics that reveal how murders have gone down since 2006, then shares one statistic that hasn’t changed.



Marc asks about the other person shot when Smith was killed. ML shares what the man’s father said about the aftermath of the tragedy.



Not everyone ML contacted would talk about Smith’s murder. Two people who blew him off were former Detroit Police Chief Ella Bully-Cummings and current Detroit City Council President Pro Tem James Tate, who used to be a police spokesman. Listen and learn why ML thought they had something to share.



Please join the Soul Patrol by becoming a Patreon member. For as little as $5 a month, you can enjoy benefits like ad-free episodes and video of the show. For $15 a month, you get the bonus episode. At the $25 and $60 a month levels, you get free swag and exclusive merchandise. Sign up here: Get more from ML Soul of Detroit on Patreon



GEEK OF THE WEEK



A Chipotle customer who shot a employee in a dispute over guacamole is this week’s geek.



ROOM 7609



Music for Pleasure checks into the New Wave suite to spend some “Time.” Send us your favorite deep cut or obscure band – and a story about them or why they mean something to you – by writing to mlsoulofdetroit@gmail.com.



FEEDBACK

Poetic Justice & Prison Epicures – April 18, 2023

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