ML Soul of Detroit

Rob Parker replaces Shawn after ML and Marc catch up on the wild Whitmer kidnap plot trial while Joe says “Stop the (March) Madness!” THE STRAIGHT DOPE: ML recaps the show’s first-ever remote podcast, where technical difficulties made him wonder whether he’s not lucky enough — or not Irish enough — to try this on St. Patrick’s Day. “Big Dan” takes the stand in the Whitmer kidnap plot trial, and te...

Tom Izzo trolls Shawn, who gives ML and Marc the backstory, while Joe waits for coach to put him in! THE STRAIGHT DOPE: Before the boys get to college basketball, they wax nostalgic for the hovels they inhabited in college. (Guess which one was the sullen housemate!) Famously friendly Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo takes a shot at famously friendly Shawn Windsor during a post-game press...

Shawn hijacks the show, just one of many conspiracies ML and Marc discuss while Joe debates whether to turn state’s evidence. * THE STRAIGHT DOPE: J-U-S-T as ML begins unraveling the tangled web that is the Whitmer kidnapping conspiracy trial, Shawn takes the boys on a wild ride that somehow involves Gene Hackman.* As ML describes some of the problems FBI agents and informants have created for the...

First, Ukraine. Now, our heads. Crazy, wee Vladimir Putin is invading everything! Then ML, Marc and Shawn debate the Rochester Community Schools controversy while Joe says “This aggression will not stand, man!”  THE STRAIGHT DOPE: The second biggest revelation about Putin’s invasion of Ukraine? He’s really short. Why does that matter? Good question! Listen and learn if we come up with an answer. H...

Homegrown hitmaker J.T. Harding discusses his career, his two dads and how his path crossed with M.L. during high school while Marc welcomes Shawn back to the studio and Joe produces like a rockstar. * THE STRAIGHT DOPE: The Dirty Show is BACK! Host Jerry Peterson, aka Jerry Vile, talks about this year’s exhibition of exhibitionists and artists at the Russell Industrial Center .* This is the 22nd...

Longtime Detroit provocateur Jerry Vile talks dirty and discusses some of his greatest (s)hits while Marc and ML listen with rapt attention, Shawn thumbs his thesaurus and Joey downloads some NSF content from Jerry’s website. * THE STRAIGHT DOPE: The Dirty Show is BACK! Host Jerry Peterson, aka Jerry Vile, talks about this year’s exhibition of exhibitionists and artists at the Russell Industrial C...

A deep dive into a politician and his a lucrative friends and family plan starts the show, before ML and Marc test a new beer — and Shawn’s patience. Joe listens while sipping his standard rain water and grain alcohol. * THE STRAIGHT DOPE: Former Michigan Speaker of the House Lee Chatfield raised $7 million, and sent a lot of it to friends and family. Craig Mauger of The Detroit News followed the...

Back when liberals were conspiracy theorists, Peter Werbe ruled the airwaves. ML and Marc ask him what he thinks about a world in which it’s the RIGHT that is storming the Capitol. He also plugs his new book, SUMMER ON FIRE, A DETROIT NOVEL, while Shawn zooms in and Joe makes plans to visit a local independent book store to buy his own copy of SUMMER ON FIRE, A DETROIT NOVEL. * THE STRAIGHT DOPE:...

ML rages at the latest evidence Detroit’s political machine will never shed its culture of corruption. Prosecutor turned defense attorney Michael Bullotta weighs in while Marc works on his law degree and Shawn Windsor waits in the wings to apologize for having nothing to say. Joe just pretends that it’s all going to be ok … someday. * THE STRAIGHT DOPE:ANOTHER Detroit city councilman admits to tak...

One reason Kwame Kilpatrick is going to be an internet preacher, and not a history teacher, is because he doesn’t like to talk about the past. ML and Marc talk to Allan Lengel, who sat down with the former mayor. Shawn is still on the DL while Joe keeps his head down. * THE STRAIGHT DOPE: ML talks to Deadline Detroit editor Allan Lengel about how Lengel helped get Kwame Kilpatrick out of prison 20...

Who’s a bigger creep, Lee Chatfield of Kwame Kilpatrick? ML and Marc chop it up with David Zeman, who edited the Chatfield stories for Bridge Michigan and the Kilpatrick stories for the Detroit Free Press. Shawn sits it out with COVID or the flu, while Joe is happier than ever to be sequestered in the fortress of Zuvitude. * THE STRAIGHT DOPE: Listeners wrote in expressing fascination with revelat...

Two disasters have one thing in common: Shawn Windsor. ML and Marc grill him on what he witnessed, while Kaleena waits for the old guys to catch a nap — and Joe just waits for it all to end. * THE STRAIGHT DOPE: ML and Shawn hit the road to watch the Spartans and Wolverines go bowling. ML asks which was worse: Georgia’s beatdown of U-M or Alabama’s beatdown of MSU? * The podcast’s golden girl — Ka...

Happy New Year! ML rolls out some New Wave holiday songs, good and bad, to ring in 2022. THE STRAIGHT DOPE:  If you’re sick of the same tired ol’ Christmas music that has been playing on the radio since Halloween, you’ll love our special all-music episode. From borderline NuWave group Elastica to synth pop Gods Erasure to kitschy and clever They Might Be Giants to genre chewing Sonic Youth to gold...

ML is back from Costa Rica for an underwelming reunion with Marc and Yawn special guest Kaleena enlightens the old men and Joe shows off his Meta skilz. * THE STRAIGHT DOPE:ML's Costa Rica adventure companion Sergei's fascination with crocodiles leads to a close encounter of the reptilian kind.* Even the surprise Christmas gift of a custom-made Soul of Detroit A-Type from Detroit Bikes can't turn...

ML seeks refuge in Costa Rica with the mysterious Sergei while Marc and Shawn pine away in Drew’s basement and Joe hunkers down in a safe house. * After losing badly in his bid to join the Detroit City Council, ML vowed he would never move away from Detroit. But he didn’t say he would never leave. And so he disappeared to ride motorcycles in Costa Rica with a snake handling crocodile lover known o...

Legal eagle Mike Rataj joins the crew to discuss legal issues stemming from the Oxford High School shooting. ML, Marc and Shawn pepper him with questions, while Joe takes the fifth. * THE STRAIGHT DOPE: The parents of the alleged Oxford HS shooter hired lawyers but their kid got a public defender. We ask Rataj: “What’s up with that?"* The crew quizzes Rataj on whether lawyers take cases to make th...

Big Blue didn’t blow it, so Marc, Shawn and special guest Matt Riley chop up the Wolverine-Buckeye game, while ML explains how the Spartans would have beat the Bucks … if only it had snowed in Columbus! Joe takes notes from his igloo. * THE STRAIGHT DOPE: While ML was tailgating in the snow in East Lansing, Marc was whooping it up in the stands while Shawn watched his prediction of a U-M victory c...

* Bluemaster Laith Al-Saadi from Team Adam Levine tells tales about The Voice before laying down some mean licks, while ML licks his wounds from yet another November beatdown. Shawn and Marc join Laith in looking forward to the upcoming Wolverine-Buckeye battle as Joe sits on the sidelines.* THE STRAIGHT DOPE: ML discusses the third major defeat he has suffered this month, while all of the Wolveri...

* Rod Meloni of WDIV reveals how he pulled a scoop out of a 30-year-old horror story. Before and after his appearance, ML, Shawn and Marc dance around last week’s horror story, while Joe manages the chaos from his safe room. * THE STRAIGHT DOPE: Shawn starts the show with a portentous question.* A week after ML and Shawn locked horns over whether it was fair to criticize Sean Penn — or something l...

* ML’s city council campaign is over, so let the post mortem begin! Shawn fawns, but a fight breaks out nevertheless. Marc is accused of delighting in the donnybrook, while Joe averts his ears. * THE STRAIGHT DOPE: When ML was a reporter, one of his favorite things to do was reveal stories that candidates and campaigns would not tell until after the race was over. Now he has his OWN inside stories...

* It's Election Day, so Candidate Elrick has more important things to do than hang out with Shawn & Marc. He checks late in the show with a few tales from the trail. Shawn and Marc break down the fallout form the epic MSU victory over Michigan as well as wondering where all the good action movies went.* THE STRAIGHT DOPE- The culmination of ML's quest to clean up city hall from the inside is t...

* Shawn is back in the basement … but is he back in ML’s good graces? Marc soaks it all in while Kaleena waits for a chance to plug her podcast and Joe wants to know where did all the love go?* THE STRAIGHT DOPE- Shawn takes charge immediately, using none of the language he spewed when ML’s mother sat by wondering where “such a nice boy” learned to talk like that.* Shawn shares all of the feedback...

* ML’s mom pays a surprise visit to talk politics and Carmen Harlan’s quiche. Tensions run high, and ML invites listeners to join him at a scholarship luncheon featuring former Spartan and Wolverine football players.* THE STRAIGHT DOPE: Just when things were going so convivially, ML and Shawn get into another battle. Marc tries to mediate, but ML’s mom is no help. * A listener says all the politic...

* As ML prepares for a great debate, his coach dials in to discuss strategy and political pitfalls. Big takeaways: ML has a big forehead, should not wear a tie and maybe should wear make-up.* THE STRAIGHT DOPE: Like Rocky preparing for a big fight, ML has a trainer who is in his corner — none other than Greg Bowens of Bowens & Co. He shares some strategy, as well as some tales from his long an...

* Dirty money is flowing in the race against ML, but he figured out who is behind it. Political operative TM Martin provides some expert insights — and takes a look back at notorious dirty political tricks throughout Detroit — and national — history.* THE STRAIGHT DOPE: Last week’s show was a hot mess. ML provides the back story … and the results of his latest investigation!* What does Russell Cro...