Bill Burr is coming to Detroit (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Comedy Central)
After a few huge years that saw a great Netflix special, a Netflix movie Old Dads, and more, Bill Burr is coming to Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Sunday. But first, he was nice enough to call in for a funny conversation about the Tiger King, drumming, charity gigs, Opie and Anthony, Bert Kreischer, and more.
He’s one of the biggest comedians on the planet right now. We talked about one of the biggest gigs he’s ever played in his hometown, Fenway Park. He’s the only comedian to sell out that place. Check out the featured picture from that show on his website here. Unreal!
Bill is also a drummer. We talked about some of his favorites. As far as drummers go, he said, “I appreciate the guys that can go crazy on the kit and the guys who can just play the groove.” I asked Bill if he had ever seen Rush play with Neil Peart. He told me he never did and the funny reason why. He also told me about some of his favorite frontmen. Bill’s a big rock fan.
There’s an upcoming charity event that Bill’s taking part in with Josh Homme from Queens of The Stone Age. Detroit’s own Chad Smith will also be there, so I had to ask Bill if he ever met the legendary drummer. “He’s such a cool guy. You would never know he was in one of the biggest rock bands ever.”
Football came up in the conversation. Bill told me about his love for the great Barry Sanders. “No one could get a hand on him.” Growing up, Bill was a Patriots fan and loved his football.
For tickets to see Bill Sunday night, click the link here.
Enjoy the conversation below, and we’ll see you at the show!
A Visit To Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum In Farmington Hills
After hearing of the possible closure of Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum, I decided to take a trip there and see it for myself. It has been years since I was last there. If my memory serves, I believe the last time I was at Marvin’s may have been in the late 90s, I can’t recall. It had been so long that when I pulled up I didn’t realize that you can drive under the sign to parking right in front of the entrance.
Last week the city of Farmington Hills city council voted unanimously to demolish the building to make room for another Meijer store. I mean, how many Meijer stores does one region need? I guess we need more.
According to their Facebook page last week “Yes, the city voted and the mall will be torn down but from what I understand we have our space till the end of the year. We will be moving, not closing! Where? I do not know as of yet but I hope to stay within the same general area and will keep everyone posted as things progress but again WE ARE NOT CLOSING!” I hope not. Places like this are hard to find.
As I walked, I noticed a couple of things right away. First off, there were a lot of kids in sight. As I walked into the place a little more I came to realize that it was an arcade from about 8 feet down, and from 8 feet up it’s something you might see on American Pickers. All sorts of classic tapestries from years gone by. I found myself marveling at the old posters promoting everything from old fairs and circuses to sayings, to magicians, and so on. I also took note of how small the place is. Just 5,500 square feet of a step back in time of game-playing goodness.
Personally, I was drawn to the older machines. Some of them are from a hundred years ago. Yeah, there are modern games like pinball and others, but I wanted to see some of the vintage machines. Fortune tellings, to all sorts of crazy machines that came from the mind of the founder, Marvin Yagoda. In the words of his son, Jeremy, he said his father was a “very interesting character.” who fell in love with coin-operated machines when he was a little kid.
If you get a chance, take a stroll to Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum in Farmington Hills and make some memories with your family. It would be sad to see a locally owned family business disappear.
Check out some pictures I took from my visit below.
-Meltdown-
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Lots of people took advantage of the day of for President's day to check out Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum. This is the front wall part of the building. More on that coming up.
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Here you can see some of the vintage posters that adorn the walls. Plus, you can see the planes they circle the entire room. They're attached to a laundry conveyor belt .
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The front wall is packed with pinball machines. There was a Foo Fighters one, RUSH, Stranger Things and others. This may be the most "modern" section of Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum.
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Another shot of the back part of the room. You can see newer and vintage machines in this one shot. There's something for everyone.
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Everything from magicians, to Marilyn Monroe adorn the walls. Vintage airplanes to kids rides. You could walk around this place for hours and never play a game!
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I had to get a picture of Zelda the Mysterious. Anyone who's seen the movie Big knows about these things. I did not ask for my fortune. Ha!
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I'll admit, I've never seen a Vibratory Doctor before. This is in the back corner of the room, and a classic piece of arcade fun.
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This was just creepy to me. Very macabre. This is the Polka Babies. It probably wasn't meant to creep you out, but I think it missed the mark. LOL
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In a day of streaming services, why not deposit a coin into this and hear some music? This uses over 55 instruments and has over 3,000 song selections. It was made by the Ragtime Music Company in California just for Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum.
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More planes, vintage signs and more. Jeremy said his father was obsessed with P. T. Barnum. You can see the sign in the middle of the picture.
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I took this picture for one reason: how many arcades do you know that have a woman strapped in an electric chair on the wall? Pretty wild. Just another piece that makes Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum different.
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One of the first pictures I took. As you can see, there's a TON to look at in this place. I'm not even sure where to begin with this picture.
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The entrance of Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum. In today's world, it's a little like stepping back in time. Some of the machines in there are like stepping back a century or so.
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With a clock that goes backwards, and is always wrong, drive under this sign to get to Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum.
Meltdown started on the mighty WRIF on the evening of Halloween, 1995. Technically, his first on-air shift was the morning of November 1st. Moving to the Motor City from Buffalo, N.Y., he has built a career and family. Over his almost three-decade stint at RIFF, he's had the privilege to work with some of the biggest personalities in Detroit radio history. He boasts of being just the second-afternoon drive jock in the station's illustrious 53-year history.
Along with his love for rock music and attending concerts, he's also an avid Harley-Davidson enthusiast and hockey player. He plays year-round and manages to squeeze in a few charity games throughout the year. Meltdown writes about the Detroit Red Wings, rock music, and Detroit concert venues.
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