I’ve spent most of my life in this state, and was born in
the city of Detroit some 28 years ago. Frankly, I’ve always hated this place.
There was never anything to do but go bowling or destroy property. Oh, and get
drunk. Anyway, after I gallivanted to the east coast for college, I found
myself back in the Mitten (thanks, out of state tuition). But hey, when life
gives you lemons, chuck them at innocent passers-by, amirite!?
I have to take a moment to say that my ‘hatred’ has transformed
into a passion for the camaraderie the city embodies. Something I once loathed
because of my experience elsewhere turned out to be young, pompous ignorance to
the reality of what Detroit has to offer: unique artistry, resilience, and a
stubborn love to stay in a place most people have fled. I have come to think of this place as home for
the first time in my life, and that’s due to the lack of positive attention it
has gotten from both mass media and metal (do you want me to compile a list of
how many tours avoid our city like the plague?), where fighting for its respect
has now become a mission.
Why? Because Detroit is playing a large part in the
evolution of metal these days, and I think it’s about damn time both the
industry and the fans start giving a fuck about Detroit, because we’re changing
the game whether you like it or not. Here are a couple reasons how and why,
from a native’s perspective.
Metallica doesn't give a fuck about much, but they are giving a fuck about Detroit, and that
should say something.
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| Besides shopping. Because girly-men. |
I’m sure it came as a surprise to a lot of people that
Metallica’s Orion Festival landed in Detroit for its sophomore run. I’m sure it
surprised everyone far more when James Hetfield announced that Orion would be
back in Detroit
for the next 3 consecutive years, and could quite possibly become the
festivals permanent residence. What most people are unaware of is that even
before Detroit shit the bed and declared bankruptcy, the city council was incredibly
close to selling off Belle Isle (where the festival takes place) to the highest
bidder. The island is truly a gem in the midst of decay (no really, it’s in a
shitty, shitty part of the city), and it means a lot to citizens in and out of
city proper. It’s a year round haven for
anyone with a dog, a child, a bicycle, or half a reason to go outside. By
booking such a high-profile event on its grounds, Orion Fest aided in securing
at least a portion of Belle Isle’s fate for at least the next 3 years.
Metallica did something not many others have been able to
do: they noticed what Detroit needs more
of, and that’s outsiders coming in to experience the city as it is and develop
their own opinions rather than just regurgitating the garbage the media shoves
down their throats. Just in the past couple weeks, Detroit
gave the OK to hand over the island to the state of Michigan for the next
10 years, saving the city itself 4 million a year while the state spends 6
million each year to keep it up and improve the grounds as whole. That means no
more AIDS toilets. Or at least far less
AIDS toilets.
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| "No, no don't worry. Just roll the windows down...these pants don't matter anyway. JUST FUCKING DRIVE." |
I’d like to emphasize the fact that I don’t believe
Metallica or Orion Fest ‘saved’ Belle Isle from being turned into commonwealth for billionaires
or the site for a modern day Alcatraz (you can find prison-like hell holes
sprinkled all over the city, don’t worry), but by giving music fans and
specifically metal-heads a chance to come see that the city isn’t just one big barren
wasteland, they did something really beneficial. They gave people a reason to
talk about Detroit in a new light; a reason to give it a shot when everyone
else looks at it like the red headed step-child of American metropolises….metropoli?
What-ever.
Here is where my qualm lies: people should have been talking about Orion after it took place. More
importantly, people should have been
talking about DETROIT afterwards. Because everyone I spoke to that attended had
nothing but great things to say about both the event AND the city itself. But did
anyone really write anything positive about their impressions of Detroit when
all was said and done? Did ANYONE give our city the credit it deserves? All you
heard afterwards was, “The shuttle lines were too damn long.”
Oh, I’M SORRY THE
EVENT COORDINATORS WORKED WITH THE CITY TO KEEP EVERYONE AS SAFE AS POSSIBLE
DURING A 3-DAY EVENT IN A TOWN EVERYONE IS FUCKING TERRIFIED OF.
It’s easy for anyone not living here to blurt out harsh
statements which are blown flamboyantly out of proportion. Just remember:
what has become something easy to mock is a million times harder to
defend. If the main stream media reported even half of the truth about Detroit,
people might want to come and visit for more than just gratuitous
post-apocalyptic city tours. And hey, maybe if some of you metal bloggers and
radio personalities removed your heads from your assholes you would see that
defending Detroit is a lot like defending metal: constantly correcting its bad
wrap because of its misrepresentation. If a band like Metallica - who are playing
a show in Antarctica for a bunch of sea lions and icebergs come December - are
able to correlate these similarities, I would hope the rest of you can open
your eyes and do the same.
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| For those attending the Antarctica show, be forewarned that these are the nosebleeds. |
We need Orion and we need those who traveled here to come
out and talk about their experience with the CITY, not just how cool it was that
Metallica played under a false band name one night. Ostracizing a community because
of mainstream gossip is not only irresponsible but detrimental to its recovery.
Give a shit about Detroit. Support the underdog. It’s never too late to say
nice things about Detroit. Amen.
Update: PART 2 of the series can be read here.
- Angela
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