Happy 313 Motor City! Yes, Detroit takes its lumps, but it’s our city and we like it that way.
Let me relay a story from years ago when I found out I’d landed a job at WRIF in Detroit. I was with some friends riding motorcycles back home in western New York on a wet, mid-October day. We got caught in some rain and decided to pull over and take cover in a local bar until the storm had passed. One of my friends (God rest his soul) piped up and said “Meltdown, you’re dodging raindrops now. In Detroit, you’ll be dodging a .38!’ I never forgot that. The sense around the rest of the country is that the “D” is a horrible place. Yes, we have our fair share of struggles, maybe more than most cities, but it’s getting better. It’s a lot better than it was in 1995 when I first arrived.
I was just down in southern Florida, the Keys area mostly, and I’m sure I’d take to that place just fine. But there’s something about the grit and grime that the Midwest, specifically Detroit, offers. The people here are real. What you see is what you get. As Ted Nugent so aptly put it, we work hard and play hard.
The bands notice it too. I’ve mentioned this before, but it bears repeating that bands LOVE to play in our area. They just don’t tell me that in interviews, they tell me that off the air and via text message as well. They know when they come to play for you guys they’d better bring their “A” game because we’ll know if they’re mailing it in.
One last thing. When you’re on vacation and someone asks you where you’re from, what do you say? You say Detroit! Happy 313 Day!
Now enjoy some pictures from our city….
