ML Soul of Detroit

Shawn reads a mean email before ML’s wife reads a mean email while Marc wonders whether he’s mean email-worthy and Joe is glad to be left out of the whole mess. STRAIGHT DOPE: A Free Press reader, apparent Lions fan, and likely podcast listener, lights into Shawn about everything from his wardrobe to his verbiage, raising questions about “how subtle is too subtle?” Tresa Baldas, ML and Shawn’s Fre...

Shawn, Marc and ML discuss their brushes with the law while Joe takes the Fifth. STRAIGHT DOPE: ML is down in the dumps as the audience expresses its unbridled love for Shawn. People can be so cruel! Shawn tells more tales, including how his dalliance with a holy roller sucked Belvin into his love life. Shawn messes with the law in Texas, then asks Marc and ML whether they’ve ever been arrested. L...

Shawn comes in late but hot with stories about the Amazing Belvin, his fighter pilot stepdad, while ML and Marc try to stay on target and Joe struggles to blow the canopy. STRAIGHT DOPE: Shawn is late (even for Shawn), but steals the show with stories about Belvin, his kimono-wearing, fighter pilot stepfather who once bribed a cop when Shawn got caught driving 115 mph (which is the only speed that...

BREAKING NEWS: Minutes after we get a verdict in the Whitmer kidnap trial verdict, a former fed offers expert opinion while ML waits to talk about his latest column, Marc seeks legal guidance, Shawn shares a harrowing tale and Joe seeks justice. STRAIGHT DOPE: Minutes after a jury convicted the ringleaders of the plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, former federal prosecutor Michael Bullotta disc...

FBI watcher Allan Lengel of Deadline Detroit discusses the raid on Mar-A-Lago while ML, Marc, Shawn and Intern Patrick produce documents and Joe buries the good stuff in the cellar. STRAIGHT DOPE: ML gives a quick recap on some of the more bizarre aspects of the Whitmer kidnap plot trial. He also wrote about the alleged ringleader of the plot and how mother didn’t know best in his latest “On Guard...

Derek Kevra of Fox 2 and musician Max Prokop drop in to promote an ALS fundraiser while ML, Shawn, Marc, Intern Patrick and Kaleena bask in the reflected glow and Joe looks for his umbrella. STRAIGHT DOPE: Derek joins the show right after getting off the air at Fox 2, only to be greeted by one of the many lame jokes every meteorologist endure. He deftly deflects and shares some of the other jibes...

On primary day, ML reminisces about his time as a candidate, while Marc, Shawn and Intern Patrick debate how best to fix American politics, while Joe votes absentee. STRAIGHT DOPE: One year ago, ML dialed in to the show from the campaign trail, where volunteers on his campaign for Detroit City Council were criticized for the way they looked. Intern Patrick doesn’t vote, provoking a debate about wh...

Matt Bissonette has played bass for David Lee Roth, Brian Wilson, Rick Springfield and is now touring with Elton John. He tells ML, Marc, Shawn and Intern Patrick about his life in music, while Joey listens in … pianissimo. STRAIGHT DOPE: Warren Mott High School graduate Matt Bissonette went from playing in his dad’s wedding band, to traveling the world as bass player for some of jazz and pop musi...

Macomb County Prosecutor Pete Lucido fires back at critics as ML, Marc, Shawn and Intern Patrick try to get a word in edgewise, while Joe seeks leniency. THE STRAIGHT DOPE: When Macomb County Prosecutor Pete Lucido offered ML a job as his spokesman, he vowed he would never decline to address a controversy. Well, he’s in the middle of a pickle – and he’s not backing down. Here’s some background . L...

Motown HOF songwriter Mickey Stevenson takes ML, Marc, Shawn, Intern Patrick and Kaleena behind the scenes at Hitsville, U.S.A., while Joe keeps things humming. THE STRAIGHT DOPE- Motown’s first A&R man Mickey Stevenson – fresh from induction to the Songwriters Hall of Fame – zooms in to tell the crew how Barry Gordy convinced him to work for $5 a day and all the chili he could eat. Find out w...

ML is one vacation this week. The almighty has bestowed the assembly of the show to his Intern Patrick. Enjoy these clips featuring Al Sobotka, Sam Riddle, and Ukrainian refugee Valeria Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/ml-soul-of-detroit--5780647/support .

A young woman who fled a war zone shares her harrowing tale with ML, Marc, Shawn and Intern Patrick, while Joe works for peace. THE STRAIGHT DOPE: Valeriya Isakova recounts her flight from Ukraine with her family in February, after Russian troops invaded. It’s an amazing tale that took her through Europe to Tecumseh, Michigan. Among the many things families left behind in Ukraine are the men. Vale...

Marc is back from the Spam Museum and tells ML, Shawn and Marc about his visit to Mount Rushmore and other parts West, while Joe enjoys another staycation. THE STRAIGHT DOPE: ML discusses his daughters’ Father’s Day gift for him: An urn big enough for a 200-pound man. ML’s weight? TWO HUNDRED POUNDS!!! Marc asks ML and Shawn whether they want to be interred or incinerated when they die. A light-he...

Marc is missing so college kids Kaleena and Patrick take over the show while ML and Shawn die slowly and Joey stays chill in his cryogenic chamber. THE STRAIGHT DOPE Marc is on special assignment, find out where he went and whose head he is looking for. ML and his colleagues at the Detroit Free Press followed Dan Gilbert’s money and found a lot of it in the campaign war chests of city officials co...

ML gets stabbed – TWICE – to start the day, then gets needled by Marc and Shawn while Patrick counts the days til he gets his jaw broken and Joe is glad to be monitoring the situation from a remote location. THE STRAIGHT DOPE: The show starts off with an appreciation for Adam Sandler’s “The Waterboy,” which ML says is just as good in French. ML thought losing his race for Detroit City Council woul...

A look back at Detroit’s biggest dance party reveals that ML might have made “The Scene,” though Shawn and Marc are skeptical, Patrick is on the DL and Joe is dancing in the dark. THE STRAIGHT DOPE: Joe Spencer was the program manager for WGPR, the first Black-owned and operated television station in America. He discusses the station’s origin — and how it overcame challenges. How did WGPR — “Gross...

Sam Riddle and Monica Conyers were Detroit’s political power couple in the Awful Aughts, which landed both of them in prison. Sam joins ML, Marc, Shawn and Patrick to discuss his political comeback, while Joe takes tips on what to expect if he turns to a life of crime… THE STRAIGHT DOPE- Shawn comes back from his trip to the desert and shares the secrets he learned during this voyage of self-disco...

A man who fishes guns out of the Detroit River tells ML, Marc and Patrick us what else his magnet has attracted, while Joey utilizes his silencer … THE STRAIGHT DOPE- Shawn is gone. Find out why … and where he is. Jason Vanderwal, who started magnet fishing with his daughter to help clean up local waterways, has become obsessed with pulling objects from the muck. He tells all about how he got star...

Our new intern and NIL athlete bring a fresh perspective while ML, Marc and Shawn wonder when they’re going to “Get off Drew’s lawn!” and Joey prepares to sweep up all the clippings … THE STRAIGHT DOPE- We continue our adoration of Bill Paxton with a look back at some of his greatest films — interrupted only by a geography lesson from Professor Shawn. Our Name, Image and Likeness athlete Kaleena K...

The student journalist who exposed a predotory professor tells ML, Marc and Shawn how he did it, while Joey tries to wrap up his last homework project… THE STRAIGHT DOPE- Sammy Sussman was a music major reviewing classical music for the University of Michigan student newspaper when he heard about a predator professor. Last month, that professor was sentenced to five years in federal prison. Sammy...

Al Sobotka, the world’s most famous Zamboni driver, discusses his abrupt ouster, while ML, Shawn and Marc check their prostates and Joe schedules his first colonoscopy… THE STRAIGHT DOPE: After 51 years on the job, the Detroit Red Wings relieved Al Sobotka after he admitted to relieving himself in a drain. He tells us what happened, why he’s suing, and what he’s, er, pissed off. All kinds of rumor...

While Dan Gilbert tried to buy an English soccer team, Detroit’s hometown team hit new heights … ML and Shawn welcome Sean Mann to discuss DCFC’s latest milestone, while Marc sits on the sideline and Joe vies for Man of the Match. THE STRAIGHT DOPE Regular guy Sean Mann and his Detroit City Futbol Club were here about five years before billionaire Dan Gilbert vowed to build a stadium and bring Maj...

A conspiracy theorist and a lawyer walk into a basement … ML and Marc inquire while Joe waits for the punchline. THE STRAIGHT DOPE: Darren Beattie of Revolver News zooms in to lay out his theory that the Whitmer kidnapping plot and Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol were related, causing ML to challenge some of his assumptions. Former federal prosecutor Michael Bullotta takes issue with some of Darren’...

A reporter who scrutinized Hunter Biden’s laptop data joins ML, Marc and Shawn as they untangle the twisted tale of the First Son’s device while Joe safeguards his own computer. THE STRAIGHT DOPE: Craig Timberg was part of the Washington Post team that scrutinized the data pulled from Hunter Biden’s laptop. He details the Post’s efforts to obtain and verify the data. ML draws comparisons between t...

Jerry Springer Show secrets dominate this week before ML and Marc fight with Shawn, which really seems like the fashionable way to interact these days while Joe keeps his peace. THE STRAIGHT DOPE: This week’s show begins with a mystery: Did ML really meet Kid Rock’s drummer at the Cadieux Cafe on Friday night?  ML and Marc take you backstage for the Jerry Springer Show when they get Chris, who boo...