Detroit, Fuck Yeah!
I was born in Detroit, a fact I’ve never, ever been ashamed of.
My mom would say it’s a technicality; the hospital is just across Mack Avenue from Grosse Pointe, where riverside real estate is still in the “if you have to ask, you can’t afford it” price range. But it is Detroit, and I spent half of my childhood in East Detroit, which is a stone’s throw from some less than savory parts of the big city. I grew up living and dying by Detroit sports, steeped in Detroit politics, and like most people in the metro area, thinking of myself as a Detroiter no matter the name of the town I lived in.
I earned instant cred with one of my roommates in Iraq, who himself was from Indianapolis, the day I came back from the PX with a copy of Motown 1’s. “You like Motown?” he asked. I laughed. Motown-Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, The Four Tops-were like mother’s milk to me. Turning that album up on the iPod these days is like an instant nostalgia trip. Takes me back to driving through the city to get to my grandparents’ house in Dearborn, with Motown half of all they played on the local radio station my parents favored. (The other half, oddly, seemed to be Billy Joel. Such are the vagaries of memory.)
That is all to say that I find myself deeply invested emotionally in how Detroit fares. The occasionally defiant tone that Mitch Albom takes in this column resonates with me. Whether or not I like their creative output, I find myself rooting for Detroit-based artists; every success for Eminem feels like a vindication for the city, and if the city could have a rap anthem, it would be “Lose Yourself” the Oscar-winning (Fuck Yeah!) song from the 8 Mile soundtrack. On top of that, or maybe nearer the base of it all, my brother owns a business based in Detroit. It’s beyond obvious that I want to see him succeed, and he’s going to have a hard time doing that if the city otherwise collapses around him.
So I’m glad that there seems to be a surge of renewed interest in Detroit. I’m geeked that The Urbanophile has a soft spot for the city. Time is up to something interesting, with Sports Illustrated and CNN Money, buying a house in Detroit and reporting extensively along the news-sports-money axes. I’m beyond happy that we have one of the only teams in a real playoff race, which ensures lots of air time on ESPN. Even if it means a nail-biter of a race.
I just hope that the rest of the world is still watching when Detroit-and the rest of the state-gets its shit together.
Mirrored from Bum Scoop.