Michigan Top 40, Day 8 | TEDxDetroit 2011: Bobby Smith

Bobby Smith of En Garde! Detroit was one of my favorite speakers at TEDxDetroit 2011. Carve 20 minutes out of your day and be inspired.

Michigan Top 40, Day 7 | Are the Bad Boys Back? [Double Shot]

Need4Sheed thought my favorite Piston — nay, athlete — of all time, Bill Laimbeer, would enjoy Greg Monroe’s “Bad Boy” attitude. But can Monroe learn to be this bad?

Michigan Top 40, Day 6 | The Water of Pure Michigan

Michigan Top 40, Day 5 | Coach’s Pregame Playlist

The Detroit Lions Jim Schwartz is the hardest rocking coach in football — hard hits in the headphones and on the field. I especially love when he jams to Michigan music, like Jack White’s The Dead Weather.

On the way to Lambeau: Daughtry "It's Not Over",The Cult "Lil Devil", The Dead Weather "Blue Blood Blues"

— Jim Schwartz (@jschwartzlions) January 1, 2012

Michigan Top 40, Day 4 | A Toast with Larry Bell

As a toast to today’s Michigan Winter Beer Festival in Grand Rapids, I offer up this poetry reading from Larry Bell of Bell’s Brewing, brought to you by Kalamabrew. Baudelaire and beer, what more could you ask for? 

Unfortunately, I won’t be attending this year’s festivities, but I’ll be there in spirit. Last year a typo in a blog post turned “beer fest” into “Beef Rest,” and I encourage readers to keep the dream alive with the Twitter hashtag, #BeefRest. Cheers.

Michigan Top 40, Day 3 | Armstead Snow Motor Vehicle

Would the Armstead Snow Motor Vehicle be handy for your for your snowy commute, or what?

This screw-propelled vehicle was designed to cope with difficult snow and ice terrain. Instead of tracks, the vehicle is moved by the rotation of two horizontal cylinders fitted with a helical flange that engages with the snow surface. The Armstead Snow Motor was developed in the early 1920's. Leading Detroit automobile makers had organized a company entitled "Snow Motors Inc" to put out a machine that would negotiate the deepest snowdrifts at six to eight miles an hour. The vehicle consisted of a tractor power-plant mounted on two revolving cylinders instead of wheels. 

Check out the Snow Motor Vehicle patent (#1431440). — via Seeking Michigan

Michigan Top 40, Day 2 | Detroit ‘67 — Sam Roberts Band

The Sam Roberts Band flat out jams, and this group of Canadians offers up some fantastic vintage footage of Detroit. But when I listen to "Detroit '67" what comes to mind more than anything for me is that the album "Love at the End of the World" was released four years ago, shortly after I moved to the east side. It’s incredible how much the mood has changed, how different the city’s spirit is today. As the lyric says, "I can’t tell you how this old story ends."

Unfortunately I had to embed the "Red Wings" version, but I recommend checking out the official video, Detroit '67 — Sam Roberts Band.

Michigan Top 40, Day 1 | Roaming Through Michigan

For the next 40 days I’m giving up on giving up on my blog. I’ll be posting my top 40 hits from the Michigan Internets. For day one we revisit Ol’ Spikehorn Meyer at Sleeping Bear Dunes.

Pączek is Singular, Pączki is Plural

Photo by Steven Depolo

Plural, please

Bonnie Jo Campbell Chats with Michigan Beer & Book Club

Bonnie Jo Campbell’s Once Upon a River paired well with Corner Brewery’s Ypsi Gypsi at the most recent meet-up of the Michigan Beer & Book Club. Chris Lindsay, book club co-founder, interviewed Campbell following the evening of Michigan beer and literature.

If you’re interested in the Kalamazoo River and the literature of the Great Lakes, give it a listen at Critical Wit Podcast #47.

Find out more about Bonnie Jo at bonniejocampbell.com and on Twitter @bonniejocampbel.