The Coat Puller

Our special report on Mardi Gras in New Orleans comes at a time when Spring is finally rearing her beautiful head here in the frozen northland, and our thoughts can't help but turn to one very pregnant question: why don't we start some shit like that up here? Detroit could use a few all-out street parties like no other city in the nation right now, and this with all the Bicentennial bullshit in full abound-might be the perfect time for people to give birth to a new Motor City tradition. An official celebration is being planned to commemorate Founder's Day, July 24th, 275 years after those enterprising Frenchmen landed on the shores of the Detroit River, and one would be hard pressed to think of a better time for some Wild Indians to appear on the streets of the Motor City. Not only would the maskers and their friends party their brains out in the hot July sim, hut people might be reminded of what a beautiful place this used to be when the local "lndians" were running things ... We put "lndians" in quotes because the term represents the worst imaginable form of white racism, stemming as it does from Christopher "Wrong Way" Columbus and where he thought lie had landed.

"Native Amercans" is almost as bad, since the red folks were here long before Americus Vespucci ever got in a boat, but in either case the point is that this proud race is called after some Italian's mistake, and they don't deserve that any more than the rest of the destruction which has been visited upon them since then . . . "Wild Indians" isn't so bad, since it represents a sly twist on the popular white stereotype and venerates the natives' noblest virtues at the same time, presenting the aboriginal experience as something to be emulated and restored to modern-day life. So if a few tribes of wild Indians hallucinated themselves onto the streets of Detroit to give a slightly different perspective to Founder's Day, maybe some of the many native peoples who presently inhabit the city would join in the merriment as well. Who knows, but a tradition has to start somewhere, sometime, and grow from there, and if it isn't this year then we're just one more year further behind! . . . One step in the right direction was the recent inclusion of a program of traditional "American Indian" dancing, singing, and drumming—presented by more than 30 native performers—in a Compensatory Education Conference at Cobo Hall, where teachers were being taught about the features of American life which have always been kept out of the schools . . . And Ann Arbor received a welcome visit from the White Roots of Peace, "a mission of Mohawks and other Native Americans interpreting current events, traditional views of peace, harmony with the Creation, and brotherhood for all peoples." The missionaries convened at the Union Ballroom April 4 & 5, there were Mohawk singers and dancers to lead people in traditional Native dances, the "Danzas de los Concheros" from Mexico performed, and AIM spiritual advisor Phillip Deere was on hand to keep everything headed in the right direction. Also travelling with the Roots was Rarihokwats, editor of the excellent Native newspaper Akwesasne Notes and an old pen-pal of our Kulchur Editor during his penitentiary days . . . For information on the White Roots of Peace and how to get Akwesasne Notes delivered lo your door, cali 764-7442 in Ann Arbor . . .

SPEAKING OF PARTIES, we'd like to thank everyone who made our Win a Pound of Colombian Contest Drawing, Open House, and Gala Party a smashing success, particularly the Lyman Woodard Organization and Carolyn Crawford (with the Starship Enterprise), who kept people on their feet in the Orleans Room of the Leland House March 31st - We couldn't spot everybody, but among our many honored guests were rock and rollers Rob Tyner, Jim McCarty and Johnny Bee, Rusty Day and Jody Blair of the High Rollers, Ted Lucas, LaVerna Mason. Dennis Frawley of WABX, WWWW's Jerry Lubin, Jack Broderick, Deborah Burr and GM Bobby Bass of WJZZ, Cari Arrington of the Free Press, Chris Jaszczak and friends from Probity Productions, Brian Flanigan of the Chronicle, a bunch of folks from WDET, a spate of record company representatives, Ann Arbor's favorite dentist Dr. John "Fatrock" Williams, Pete Andrews of the Roadhouse, and so many others we're ashamed not to mention their names . . . And among the many winners we found the name of one Bob Rudnick, the fast-rising Chicago deejay who is now the proud recipient of a year's supply of CooLeaf Rolling Papers . . . Thanks to everybody who participated in the Contest, and we hope the winner of the Pound will remember who his friends are when he starts rolling it up! . . . Also on the home front, the Sun's series of Blue Monday Disco parties at Ethel's Lounge has been postponed momentarily while new manager Allen White changes a few things around at the east side blues palace. Albert King was in to celebrate his birthday with an April 4th gig at Ethel's, Little Milton is on his way back in a couple of weeks, and by that time everything should be going full tilt once again . .

AROUND TOWN: After his birthday party Albert King was seen catching B.B. King's last set Sunday night at the King's Row where the Beale Street Blues Boy packed 'em in (and had to run 'em away) at $10 a head all through the weekend. Next up at. the West Chicago showplace: Esther Phillips, as soon as she gets back from Japan . . . Sonny Rollins, at the Showcase this Sunday night for his first Motown appearance since 1962, will offer students and other interested persons at MSU an afternoon workshop this Saturday, April 10, between his Friday and Saturday night concert performances at McDonel Kiva in East Lansing . . . And speaking of the Showcase, next weekend's triple bill—Ravi Shankar Friday, Jean-Luc Ponty with Mickey's Pulsating Unit Saturday, and Tom Waits Sunday —s the solidest program yet for the hard-hitting crew at Probity Productions, and the prospects continue to shine ever brighter. Look tor a mid-May date with Oregon and the Gateway Trio (John Abercrombie, Dave Holland and Jack deJohnette), and listen to the new, Probity-sponsored hour of progressive sounds on WWWWFM every Sunday night at 10 pm., hosted by the great Ann Christ and titled "Fusion 4." Ann can be heard on W4 every night during the week now too, from 2 to 6 a.m., and she gets to play a lot more jazz than they let on the air there otherwise . . . Our old pal Jerry Lubin seems to be in the driver's seat-that's the Program Director, ya'll at the big Quad Rocker, which should mean nothing but good news for local rock and roll fans. If the WWWW brass (the station 's owned by Detroit Free Press columnist William F. Buckley Jr., the high mind of the nation's far right wing) Iets Lubin do what he knows will work, the music will move off the thin white line it's held for so long and stretch out into people's minds for a change, which is just about what we need. Lubin has put up with a lot of distasteful music at W4 since he carne back from the west coast to take a job as a deejay there, and now that he's got the chance to do something about it, we should be hearing the results before long . . . Elsewhere on the air, the word is out that WJLB has fallen behind WCHB in the all-powerful ratings for the first time in years, with WCHB's new disco format getting the nod as the main reason for WJLB's sudden decline. But ratings or not, John Edwards' "Jazz on AM" show on WJLB every night at midnight thru the week is the finest thing that's happened to AM radio in some time, and they better not mess with it! . . . Our Kulchur Editor was honored recently by the inclusion of some quotes from his review of 'Taxi Driver" in an ad for the same movie that ran in the Free Press and the News, but later versions of the same layout eliminated any reference to Sinclair and the Sun. This couldn't be part of the Freep's continuing white-out campaign on our humble newspaper, could it? Or is it just another coincidence? ... We wouldn't bother you with this shit except that it means quite a bit to us to be able to reach

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the Freep's 600,000 readers with the word that we exist, especially when the old grey ghost of a newspaper refuses to offer anything of interest to the communities we serve with our Kulchur section. Maybe they think we're part of the great Red Menace or something, but it's about time they let the Sun's name appear on their hallowed pages once in a while—it's the least they could do! ... Our highest congratulations to the Feminist Economic Network Association the people behind the Feminists' Federal Credit Union and related alternative institutions on the opening of their Feminist Women's City Club at 2110 Park Avenue, downtown. Their grand opening this weekend (April 9-10) will feature a guest appearance by editorwriter Gloria Steinem of Ms. magazine and music from Ursula Walker, pianist Bess Bonnier, the Women's Chamber Orchestra, folksingers Lauri McPherson and Linda Shelvey, plus an all-woman art show with the West-East Bag and a women's film festival highlighting the movie "Very Curious Girl." Swimming, self-defense, health clinics, exercise classes, and economic planning for women will be continuing focuses of attention over the two-day affair, and the facilities will be shown off tor all to see. Call 964-2620 for more information . . . Another group of local feminists is opening up Her Shelf, a "wimmins books & crafts" store at 2 Highland St. in Highland Park, later this month, and they'll stage a Women's Film Festival at UD and Marygrove this weekend (April 9-10) to help raise funds for the store. Call Anna Tursich at 867-5764 for more information . . . Don't miss the genius pianist Cecil Taylor and his powerful Unit at Ann Arbor's Power Center April—really! . . . Two major black films, the show-biz melodrama Sparkle and the serious epic The River Niger (which was financed completely by black investors), are now playing at downtown theatres and elsewhere in the area, with Detroiter Lonette McKee featured in the former and veteran actors Cicely Tyson, James Earl Jones, Lou Gossett, Glynn ("Cooley High") Turman, and Roger E. ("Leadbelly") Mosley starring in the latter . . . Sparkle also has music written and produced by Curtis Mayfield and sung by Aretha Franklin—'nuf said.