Frank Uhle Talks to Dallas Kenny about Campus Cinema and the Matrix Theatre

Fri, 10/10/2025 - 8:54am

Dallas Kenny currently runs a global education consulting business. But back in the 1970s, he was committed to Ann Arbor's cinema culture. Kenny helped found the non-profit New World Media Project, the umbrella organization for the New World Film Cooperative, which showed film on and around the University of Michigan campus. It oversaw Venus Productions, its printing and promotional arm, and the Matrix Theatre at 605 E. William Street, where New York Pizza Depot is located today. Frank Uhle, author of Cinema Ann Arbor: How Campus Rebels Forged a Singular Film Culture, talks with Kenny about his unique role in Ann Arbor's cinema culture, from his collaboration with other campus groups to promote community programming, to the rise and fall of the Matrix Theatre. 
 

Check out the Dallas Kenny Collection of historical film posters, schedules, and other documents. 

Read Frank's book here or check it out from our collection.

AADL Talks To: Bill Lynn, Former Member of the Mojo Boogie Band, Retired Musician and Auctioneer

Mon, 08/11/2025 - 12:10pm

Bill Lynn is a musician who lived in Ann Arbor during the late 1960s and 1970s, where he was part of the popular Mojo Boogie Band. Bill recalls living in Ann Arbor during the heyday of the counterculture movement. He reminisces about friends, band members, anti-war protests, draft dodging techniques, the Ann Arbor Blues & Jazz Festival, favorite local venues, the changing national music scene, and tells stories about friendships and colleagues, including John Sinclair, the Tate Brothers, JC Crawford, and musician Andrew Williams. Additional stories can be found in the Bill Lynn Collection.
 

AADL Talks To: arwulf arwulf

Tue, 02/18/2025 - 2:22pm

In this wide-ranging conversation, local radio personality and cultural historian, arwulf, recalls the many Ann Arbor institutions, icons, and events that shaped his life. He discusses the impact of Ann Arbor’s counterculture during his youth in the late 1960s, from an early introduction to 1950s-1960s blues, rock, and jazz; psychedelia in its many forms; and Ann Arbor's anti-war movement, to his artistic awakening through film, theater, art, and radio. He also shares memories of his interactions with members of the Rainbow People's Party, his work as a Psychedelic Ranger during the legendary Ann Arbor Blues and Jazz Festivals, and Ann Arbor’s experimental alternative education movement. 

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: Stephen Cain, Award-Winning Investigative Reporter for the Ann Arbor News

Fri, 07/19/2024 - 8:10pm

In this episode, AADL Talks To Stephen Cain. Stephen, now retired, was an award-winning investigative journalist for the Detroit News, Ypsilanti Press, and Ann Arbor News. His stories from his fascinating career in southeast Michigan include hair-raising undercover operations; exposing corruption in the newspaper, labor, and criminal justice system; reversing wrongful death row convictions, and inspiring sweeping changes in the health industry. Stephen also talks about some of the changes he's seen in Ann Arbor over the years and the loss of the city's original Ann Arbor News. Stephen’s recent book "Relentless: The Making of an Investigative Reporter,” is available in hardcover and softcover from Amazon.com, or locally at Schuler Books in Ann Arbor's Westgate Shopping Center. For a signed copy, e-mail the author at Cains1001@bellsouth.net.

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.