It’s easy because the importance of Detroit’s past has already been proven over, and over again. It’s easy to restate the vitality of MC5. The hard part comes in drawing a line in the sand with a statement like, “Bright Eyes is as vital today as Bob Dylan was in the 60′s.” Asking a comparison like that of your readers sounds like a ploy. It’s like waiting in the weeds to pounce with, “HA! You don’t know crap if you’re comparing ____ to ____!” To me, its one of the safest paths available, that is to compare past classics with modern newcomers. As a critic you can’t lose when you laugh the comparison out-of-the-room, even if 50 years from now the comparison is proven valid, you still win! I’m not saying you were attempting to do this, but it sure sounded like you had the wolf’s costume hanging in the corner.

Who’s got a “reading comprehension” problem now? “a partial overview…” Pretty far from “whole scene sussed out” don’t you think?

“Wow. You really don’t know me. Not at all, my friend.”

No, I don’t. In all honesty you sound like a swell guy. I just took offense to your challenge. It seems to me you’re asking for the music fans of Detroit to “prove” the impossible.

“Whatever. At least you got my attention.”

Sounds like it’s more important that you got my attention, being that people like me are supposed to be telling you what to write about.

And to answer your email. I don’t hear about music through osmosis. But you weren’t simply asking for music suggestions, you were throwing down the gauntlet of modern versus classic.

“A lot of my writing is semi-tongue-in-cheek (I’m pleased that a few people DO seem to get it, based on comments I receive) but you’ll catch on eventually.”

If the original vitality comment was “semi-tongue-in-cheek” then I apologize. I wouldn’t expect you to know that much of what I wrote here and on Metro Times Music Blahg should be taken the same. It takes more than one column and a few blog posts to “get” somebody’s writing style. I hope one day I’ll be able to catch on…

No offense…but you seem to have a bit of a problem with reading comprehension. That’s OK. I’m finding a lot of people do.

For someone who seems to find me irrelevant, you do seem somewhat interested in me and what I have to say. But I just want to assure you that “insecurity” — ageist or otherwise — is the least of my problems. For what it’s worth.

>>>I just got back from tour, spending one night in a foreign city is enough time to get at least a partial overview of unique qualities and to pinpoint a few venues, bands, and/or weeklys worth paying attention to.

I think this would place you well above the norm. You’re telling me that one night in London, in L.A., hell, in Detroit, and you’d have the whole scene sussed out? Sounds rather superhuman to me…

>>>“Tell me what’s cool and respected so I don’t have to risk being wrong with my own opinion.”

Wow. You really don’t know me. Not at all, my friend.

Whatever. At least you got my attention. And thanks for the suggestions on the Metro Times blog. Some of it sounded real good.