AADL Talks To: Hiawatha Bailey, Founder of the Punk Band Cult Heroes, Former Community Activist, and Member of the White Panther Party

Thu, 12/05/2024 - 1:42pm

Hiawatha Bailey lived in one of the legendary Hill Street houses at 1510 and 1520 Hill Street where he was a member of the Trans-Love Commune, the White Panther Party, and later the Rainbow People’s Party. In this episode, Hiawatha traces his political awakening and community activism in Ann Arbor’s countercultural heyday during the late 1960s and shares stories of living and working in the commune, including the day he hung up on Yoko Ono and got a follow-up call from John Lennon. He also takes us through his musical journey as a roadie for the local rock band The Up and Detroit's Destroy All Monsters to founding his own punk band, Cult Heroes.

AADL Talks To: Zeke Mallory, Designer & Artist

Thu, 07/18/2024 - 5:19pm

In this episode, AADL Talks To Zeke Mallory. Zeke studied Fine Art and Commercial Design at Eastern Michigan University, worked at Mr. Flood’s Party, and has been a successful graphic artist since starting his career in Ann Arbor in the 1970s. Zeke talks about some of his signs and murals around town, his experiences working as an artist, and some of the influential people in his life.

See AADL's collection of Zeke Mallory's posters and artwork here.

AADL Talks To: Skip Taube, Former Member of the SDS, White Panther Party, and Community Organizer

Sat, 06/15/2024 - 9:30pm

In this episode, AADL Talks To Milton 'Skip' Taube. Skip came to Ann Arbor in 1965 and quickly became involved in radical politics as a student at the University of Michigan. He was involved with the SDS and the White Panther Party, doing both community organizing and participating in “adventurism”. Skip recalls the people and events from his time in Ann Arbor and discusses the political and cultural forces that influenced the course of his life.

AADL Talks To: Ken Burns, Documentary Filmmaker

Fri, 04/26/2024 - 4:18pm

In this episode, AADL Talks To Ken Burns. Ken is a documentary filmmaker known for his critically acclaimed films exploring all facets of American culture. Ken reflects on growing up and coming of age in Ann Arbor during the 1960s, and how this period of intense political and cultural activity mixed with family tragedy charted his journey. He takes us down the streets we remember -- past restaurants and theaters that have come and gone -- and through a back alleyway during the 1969 South University Street Riot. Along the way, he highlights the people, places, and vibrant musical and cinema culture that left its mark on his work.

AADL Talks To: Bill Ayers, Former U-M Student Activist and Member of the SDS and Weather Underground

Wed, 04/03/2024 - 10:21am

Bill Ayers is a retired Distinguished Professor of Education at the University of Illinois at Chicago. During his time in Ann Arbor during the 1960s, he served as director of Ann Arbor's experimental Children's Community School; Education Secretary for the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS); and co-founder of the militant Weather Underground organization, which originated in Ann Arbor in 1969 as a far left-wing revolutionary party. 

Ayers traces the path of his political awakening from wide-eyed college freshman to seasoned student organizer and educator. He reflects on the tumultuous moral dilemma he and many activists faced as the Vietnam War raged on in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He discusses the factionalism within the SDS leadership that resulted in the formation of the Weather Underground; how the strands of student activism during this turbulent time were rooted in the moral agenda outlined by Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.; and his lifelong pedagogic commitment to education.

AADL Talks To: Peter Andrews, Music Promoter, Organizer of the John Sinclair Freedom Rally and Ann Arbor Blues & Jazz Festival

Thu, 02/29/2024 - 9:08am

In this wide-ranging interview from 2010, Peter Andrews recalls his varied career producing and managing local and regional music talent — from managing the Scot Richard Case (SRC) band and bringing bands like The Who, Jimi Hendrix, and the Yardbirds to Ann Arbor’s Fifth Dimension club, to booking national acts for University of Michigan student groups. He also discusses his role in Ann Arbor’s legendary Blues and Jazz Festivals, producing the John Sinclair Freedom Rally at Crisler Arena in 1971, and bringing John Lennon and Yoko Ono to town.

Articles and photos about Peter Andrews