ML Soul of Detroit

Erika sends Shawn to Las Vegas so he won’t make fun of her song selection for Room 7609, but Marc and ML pick up the slack. STRAIGHT DOPE: Shawn somehow dominates the top of the show, even though he’s abandoned the crew for Las Vegas. Marc wonders who else would be so miserable about a trip to Sin City? Erika drops in on her way to work to give ML a hard time about almost missing work on Sunday –...

It’s been 50 years since Jimmy Hoffa disappeared, and mob expert Scott Burnstein tells ML, Marc and Shawn he knows who did the hit. STRAIGHT DOPE: Detroit’s premier mob expert Scott Burnstein zooms in from Vegas to discuss new developments in the mystery we’re all still talking about 50 years later – the disappearance of Teamster boss Jimmy Hoffa. Before Scott delves into the mystique surrounding...

Soulmates, Assemble! Ryan Ermanni’s new gig keeps him from a Fox 2 reunion with ML, so the newsman is forced to grab the conch shell (actually, an empty Timmy Ho cup) and summon Marc and Shawn so the news team can assemble! STRAIGHT DOPE: Ryan Ermanni was going to stop by on his way to host his new show on WJR, but asks for a rain check because it turns out he’d rather do a great radio show at the...

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water, ML goes to Burt Lake while Erika hangs out in the basement with Marc and Shawn is lost at sea. STRAIGHT DOPE : For reasons that no one can divine, ML starts the show by picking a fight with lovely little Monroe, Michigan. Perhaps his perverse love for Toledo is a factor. In his latest naked appeal for your money, ML says Shawn has been lai...

A Detroit mayoral candidate slams her opponents, and our expert says there’s a chance of an upset in the primary. Pundit Michael Griffie joins ML and Marc to handicap the race before Shawn shows up with … snacks? STRAIGHT DOPE: The second-best candidate in recent Detroit history to not get elected zooms in to Red Shovel HQ to opine on the state of the Detroit mayor’s race. Also: Here's ML's take o...

Erika Erickson finds an amped up ML in the basement with Marc, while Shawn waits til the coast is clear to zoom in … or maybe he’s just too busy moonlighting with The Rube? STRAIGHT DOPE: A sleep-deprived ML startles Erika with his unbounded energy and enthusiastic endorsement of D-Skilz, aka Devin Scillian, who will perform at the Cadieux Café on Friday night with his band the Arizona Sun and ope...

RoboCop — the statue —is finally ready to be installed in a public place … or is it? Legendary Free Press columnist Neal Rubin joins ML, Marc and Shawn with the latest on the long-running saga about the effort to install the iconic cop somewhere in Detroit.  STRAIGHT DOPE: Shawn is late and ML is early — even after stopping on the way in to get a haircut. If you like his new ‘do, listen and learn...

Pickpockets identify ML as a mark when he lands in Lyon, France and take his credit cards, but he nevertheless has nothing but good things to say about them when he’s reunited with Marc and Shawn in Red Shovel HQ.  STRAIGHT DOPE: With his backpack, MSU t-shirt and stupid expression, hustlers in Lyon, France immediately identify ML as a ripe for the pickin’ when he hits the train station. In a stor...

After visiting Ireland, Canada, and France, Elrick has returned to the USA… and is already on his way out of town.   STRAIGHT DOPE: After two long weeks traversing Europe, ML has returned to Detroit only to head up to Mackinaw Island for the Mackinac Policy Conference.   Marc seems to be quite cynical about what actually gets done at the Conference. Elrick explains the importance of the event. Whi...

ESPN’s Dan Wetzel comes off the bench to host. Caitlin Clark & WNBA racism, Bill Belichick’s “distraction” JorDon Hudson, Trump's College Sports Commission, and Shawn Windsor’s trip to jail.  STRAIGHT DOPE: ML is bike riding in France, Shawn is covering the Detroit Tigers in St. Louis, and Erika is on the Local 4 news beat.  Thankfully, friend of the show and ESPN writer Dan Wetzel was availab...

ML Elrick skips out to Europe. Erika, Shawn, and Marc immediately turn the show into a mess. Criminals, slobs, self-loathing, and Shawn high on a couch.    STRAIGHT DOPE: ML is off to Europe once again. Or is he?  His photographic proof is unconvincing.  Ireland looks like Hillsdale.   First it was Elrick and now Shawn doesn’t want to work claiming it’s an Erika takeover.  He recently went through...

New Kwame Kilpatrick texts have Hizzoner back in the news, so ML and Marc chat with the lawmaker who says she convinced President Trump to let him out of prison 21 years early...and now regrets it. STRAIGHT DOPE: Karen Whitsett is the Democratic state rep from Detroit who says she convinced President Donald Trump to let Kwame Kilpatrick out of prison back in 2021. Now she’s fed up with Kilpatrick...

Swearing can be therapeutic, and don’t just take foul-mouthed Marc and Shawn’s word for it! Erika invites Julie Booksh on the show to drop some F-bombs like only a licensed professional counselor, teacher and healing guide can! STRAIGHT DOPE: The Detroit Free Press calls Julie Booksh the “therapist that swears by profanity to fight off self-doubt.” It’s not only a clever turn of phrase, it’s the t...

Shawn is back, bemoaning Detroit’s preference of the Tigers over the Pistons, while Marc is still amazed that ML has a new beef with the Lions. STRAIGHT DOPE: After years in the dumps, the Pistons are suddenly doing well with everybody but Detroit sports fans. Shawn says it’s because the Tigers have taken over Detroit. Marc says the Detroit Lions are the most popular professional team in Detroit....

Tax Day is no laughing matter, so comedian Mike Young tells Erika, ML and Marc some amazing true Hollywood stories. STRAIGHT DOPE: Talk about tough crowds: ML tells comedian Mike Young he just sent 8 checks to the IRS so he desperately needs some laughs. Instead, Mike regales us with stories about how he got on Leonardo DiCaprio’s basketball team. Marc asks ML why he owes so many tax bills and get...

No need for a spoiler alert, as Shawn regales us with his thoughts on "Game Of Thrones" – a series that ended years ago, leaving Marc a fan and ML put off by all that lust in the dust. STRAIGHT DOPE: Shawn admonishes ML for being out of uniform by wearing a tie, leading to a series of random recollections by ML that conclude with some advice that could save your life. Shawn spaces out on the name...

Erika Erickson is BACK! ML and Marc also welcome Shawn back to Red Shovel Headquarters to discuss matters ranging from women with beards to men whose rugs need scrubbing. STRAIGHT DOPE: Promises made, promises kept! ERIKA FRIGGING ERICKSON makes her triumphant return to the show. Some say she enjoys podcasting, but we know she really just loves hanging out in a basement with three dorks. Months af...

TRIGGER WARNING: Third Man Records’ Ben Blackwell joins ML and Marc to talk about ML’s failed city council campaign before discussing his effort to resurrect the career of obscure Detroit rocker Ted Lucas. STRAIGHT DOPE: ML confuses the Apple TV soccer coach with the obscure Detroit musician Ben Blackwell is trying to put back in circulation by pressing new records at Third Man Records. You may kn...

ML and Marc broadcast from the Cadieux Cafe on St. Patrick's Day, and ML learns why Marc hates doing remotes. STRAIGHT DOPE: After overcoming yet another technical nightmare while trying to broadcast outside the friendly confines of Red Shovel Network HQ, ML looks back on the 5th anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic and wonders whether we've learned anything? Marc offers his answer. What's yours?...

Legend Eli Zaret zooms in with some classic baseball stories and hot takes from sunny Florida, while Marc continues to fight a virulent virus and Shawn finally ends his quest for T.P. STRAIGHT DOPE: Come join us in person on Monday, March 17 for our annual St. Patrick's Day show at the Cadieux Café, where we’ll be recording live from noon to 2 p.m. Eli takes us back 50 years to tell a tale of spri...

We're revisiting a show from October. Erika Erickson is back and we’re talking with Tigers broadcaster Andy Dirks… while Shawn is cleaning his dirty drawers in Cleveland. STRAIGHT DOPE: Fresh off his appearance on the Rachel Maddow Show, ML starts the podcast with a tribute to his favorite host of the Carlos & Shawn podcast … Mr. Monarrez. Former Tiger Andy Dirks, who provides color commentary...

Devin Scillian is retired so he has nothing better to do than write for the Free Press and hang out with ML and Marc at Red Shovel Network HQ ... while Shawn looks for toilet paper in somebody else’s crib. STRAIGHT DOPE: ML welcomes fellow Local 4 (WDIV-TV) legend Devin Scillian to the show. When Marc questions why ML considers himself a Channel 4 icon, he gets a surprise answer that actually kind...

Shawn is running a little behind and has trouble wiping away his embarrassment before joining ML and Marc for a show that ML hopes you are not listening to at work … and that he prays his mother never hears (because he was reared better). STRAIGHT DOPE: As you know, Shawn is very modest, and would never brag about his accomplishments. Still, ML and Marc were surprised to hear him hobble around the...

An ambassador who wants to lead the Michigan Republican Party joins ML and Marc to talk about his plans for his party ... as well as his visit to Bird Shit Island. STRAIGHT DOPE: Joe Cella was a Donald Trump skeptic in 2015 who became such a convert that Trump named him ambassador to Fiji in 2016. ML asks him to explain how he came full circle on the president, and whether the race to become chair...

Yacht rock gets a whole lotta love when two local musicians drop in to hype their upcoming gig before the world premiere of a new music video in Room 7609. STRAIGHT DOPE: TRIGGER WARNING: ML compares one of the commercials on Sirius XM's POTUS channel with an inappropriate headline he saw in The Onion during the Clinton Administration. Marc's intro suggests Shawn is a devil worshipper. Shawn says...