Slept in way too late and got up begrudgingly, threatened by Leigh with stern consequences. We zipped into downtown Detroit for an afternoon tour, checking out stretches of dilapidated blocks, burned out houses, caved-in buildings and other apocalyptic scenes. Not too hard to find here in Detroit. Sad to say. Whole city blocks, flattened, or close to. I try to imagine a time where those blocks were filled with houses and families and a city on the move.

We found Motown and took the tour. Highly recommended. The movie at the start of the tour is not to be missed. Some heavy history took place in that house. Incredible to think about, really. Moving.

The best part of the tour was seeing the old album paste-ups. As a contemporary designer, I can’t help but shudder at how easy we have it making this stuff. The craftspeople of those old albums…goddamn wizards. Great, great stuff.

The studio room was incredible. Thoughts of little Steve Wonder and Marvin Gaye and the Four Tops and The Supremes in their belting it out…just mindblowing. Same feeling I had when I went to Sun Records in Memphis.

We continued our little drive throughout downtown, heading up to Ferndale and Royal Oak for some record shopping. I got a sealed copy of JFA’s Nowhere Blossoms. I had it on tape as a skateboardin’ youngster. Also, got an old Hawkwind double lp, the cleanest copt of the Tender Mercies soundtrack you’ve ever seen and a little stack of mid-90s indie rock 7-inches.

We rounded out the day way out in Northville, meeting Leigh’s good lookin’ cousins for supper. I had prime rib and Leigh had half-a-chicken. Both plates were destroyed. Leigh comes from good stock, and has like 17 aunts and uncles and 1,000 cousins or something. It’s wild.

The highlight of the day was getting back to Ann Arbor to see mom and dad. They had just driven down from Traverse City for Leah’s Midwest Virtual Baby Shower taking place this weekend. Good to be reunited with the family unit. Always is.

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LITTLE STEVIE WONDER: Fingertips! 13 years old.

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KING OF THE BREEDS: “Joey’s Song” by Mr. Haley. (I miss you, little man.)

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ON THE PLAYER:

01. Negative Approach - Total Recall
02. His Name Is Alive - Stars on E.S.P.
03. Dirtbombs - Dangerous Magical Noise