ML Soul of Detroit ML Soul of Detroit

Shawn was eating egg salad in his birthday suit before hanging out with some Swedes, ML was poised for action, and Marc was watching a family movie when President Joe Biden dramatically announced he was dropping out of the race for president.







STRAIGHT DOPE:Please support the show and get some sweet gear! But act fast: Our merchandise store closes soon – at 8 p.m. on Monday, July 29. Check out our new gear, as well as some old favorites, here.







Marq’s masterful production turns the trailer for Tom Hanks star vehicle “Joe Versus The Volcano” into another classic intro. But ML can’t get over Hanks’ epic mullet – and calls for its return!







t’s a question people may be asking each other years from now: Where were you when Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race? ML discusses how reporters prepared for the news they had heard might break this weekend. And Shawn says he was naked and eating an egg salad sandwich in preparation for a meeting with some relatives and a couple Swedes for a day at the lake. Don’t believe me? Just listen…







So what did ML do when Biden dropped his bomb? He wrote a column about what happens if Gov. Gretchen Whitmer leaves Michigan for Washington as a member of the Democratic ticket or cabinet. Read his column here.







Of course, Soul of Detroit listeners have been ahead of the curve on this topic for a couple weeks, after ML, Marc and Shawn discussed it on the show back on July 9th. Hear it here.







With Biden out of the way, Republicans are doing their best to make trouble for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris. The crew discuss how and why they’re making mischief for the vice president.







Is Biden’s decision to hand over the reigns to Harris the best move for Democrats? Marq says it will allow Democrats to come together. ML scoffs and says, yeah, that’s what Democrats do best: Put aside their differences to work together! Sheesh!







Did Harris orchestrate a coup? Did Biden just have an historically bad week? ML, Marq and Shawn discuss.







The best part of Biden’s decision to step aside is the torrent of imitations it inspired ML to unleash. Rightly or wrongly, he considers his Bernie Sanders imitation one of his best. Listen and judge for yourself.







Does Biden’s change of heart mean he’ll also change his mind on promising not to pardon Hunter Biden? The crew debates the merits of a presidential flipflop for family.







Changing gears, Shawn expresses his admiration for anyone who can get through law school. ML says he believes he couldn’t keep up with the reading, then marvels at the number of people who have the impressive intellect required to become lawyers and doctors who still seem like nitwits. Marq points out that his brother is a lawyer. (And his mother went to college!)







Shawn and Marq discuss the start of Detroit Lions training camp, while ML tries to be a good boy and pretend he is interested in the Leos.







ML kicked out TWO government watchdog columns last week! His first On Guard column of the week was about...

TV news legend Rod Meloni joins ML and Marq after retiring from WDIV. Then Shawn drops in and starts a fight by accusing ML of having no groove! Also, the merch store is back — but it won’t be open for long. So act fast!







STRAIGHT DOPE:Check out some of our new swag, as well as some old favorites, and get your new ML Soul of Detroit gear here.







Marq – with a Q – offers ML congratulations on a new journalism award before TRUE journalism legend Rod Meloni drops in to discuss his 43 years in news. Here’s a link to the Free Press stories on the former WDIV colleagues.







Critics are slamming the media for the early headlines that stopped short of saying Trump was shot. ML explains how early newspaper print deadlines are these days and that media organizations try to report only what they can confirm when the presses roll. Then he recalls the erroneous media reports in 1981 which said Ronald Reagan’s press secretary James Brady had been killed. Brady actually survived and became a gun control advocate before dying … in 2014.







One of the historic events that happened on the same day Reagan got shot was the start of Rod’s television news career. Rod started at a station in Bangor, Maine on the same day of the assassination, and was immediately thrown into the news mix, doing man-on-the-street interviews.







Rod grew up in Massachusetts, but you’d never know it. ML asks him if he had to work hard to lose his accent, prompting Rod to slip back into his East Coast patois.







Marc asks Rod how he became such an expert on business matters and Rod explains how when opportunity knocked, he seized the moment.







ML shares the simple tip Rod gave him when he started at WDIV that changed the way ML approached reporting and writing.







It seems like every reporter who worked in the 1970s and 80s had a cheesy mustache. ML asks Rod for his mustache story.







Rod began on the day Reagan was shot and signed off for the last time just two weeks after Trump was shot. ML asks how he felt being retired when major news broke. ML also shares what happened on ML’s own last live-shot on WDIV … and how it got him pulled off the air.







Read Rod’s farewell column here.







Read ML’s latest “On Guard” column here, in which he investigates a deal in which a poor school district wants to spend $1 million to buy a virtually abandoned building. Here’s a link.







Please support the show and join the Soul Patrol by becoming a Patreon member. For as little as $5 a month, you can enjoy benefits like ad-free episodes and video of the show. For $15 a month, you get the bonus episode. At the $25 and $60 a month levels, you get free swag and exclusive merchandise.

ML outlines the chaos Gov. Gretchen Whitmer could cause by joining the Democratic presidential ticket, while Marc remembers Bob Carmack and Shawn is obsessed with ML’s fine new threads.







STRAIGHT DOPEThe boys are reunited in the basement for the first time in a month and begin by discussing Bronny James, the latest nepo-baby to make a splash because one or more of his parents done good. The conversation quickly turns to Chet Hanks who, unlike Colin, doesn’t seem to have any of their old man’s talent.Shawn has been super productive, writing column after column about the Detroit Pistons, who have generated tons of interest despite their epic lack of success. Here’s one of his latest missives.







ML tries to beat the heat by wearing a fetching new (to him) linen shirt, putting to use a wardrobe tip he picked up in blazing hot Athens. Shawn becomes obsessed with these gently-used threads, which ML picked up on eBay when he got home (because he was too cheap to pay the going rate for a 100% linen shirt in Greece).







One year before he died, Bob Carmack was a guest on the show. He discussed his on-going fight with Detroit City Hall and Mayor Mike Duggan. ML and Marc reflect on Carmack and what he tried to accomplish, as well as delve into why he never quite got the job done. Hear that 7/4/2023 episode here.







While the rest of the country is wondering whether Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will replace President Joe Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket, or serve as a vice presidential candidate if Kamala Harris moves up, ML has been noodling on how Whitmer moving to Washington would upend politics here in Michigan. For starters, elevating Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist to governor could make it a lot harder for Duggan to run for governor. And that would put a lot of people who are already running to replace Duggan as mayor in a real bind if Hizzoner decided to stay home.







After starring in a Hulu documentary about the Crumbley case, Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald popped up Monday in a major story in the Washington Post, which took readers behind the scenes as McDonald and her team worked on the historic case. This kind of access is almost unprecedented, as ML explains.







Please support the show and join the Soul Patrol by becoming a Patreon member. For as little as $5 a month, you can enjoy benefits like ad-free episodes and video of the show. For $15 a month, you get the bonus episode. At the $25 and $60 a month levels, you get free swag and exclusive merchandise. Sign up here: Get more from ML Soul of Detroit on Patreon







GEEK OF THE WEEKCycling officials, who seemed to turn a blind eye toward numerous unsportsmanlike practices, are this week’s geeks for fining a French rider who made a brief stop in his home region to kiss his wife and baby during the seventh stage of the Tour de France.







ROOM 7609ML got sucked into a Creedence Clearwater Revival wormhole over vacation, as he explains while telling revealing stories about John Fogerty and the band after Marc cues up “Green River.” Send us your favorite deep cut or obscure band – and a story about them or why they mean something to you – by writing to mlsoulofdetroit@gmail.com.







FEEDBACKA reader who doesn’t like Kwame Kilpatrick seems to...

ML Elrick is out of town again. The Substitutes fill in to cover the mystery of Craig Monroe, BET & ESPN award failures, and the Brat Pack.







STRAIGHT DOPE: 







Erika Erickson is back to fill in for our forgotten host ML Elrick. She introduces us to another one of her friends- local comic Joey Hamood.







Self prescribed klutz Ericka spilled coffee all over herself right before we start reminding Marc about the time WRIF treated the Drew and Mike morning show like children by providing them sippy cups. 







Former Detroit Tiger player and broadcaster Craig Monroe was accused of some pretty horrific crimes by a women whose family he lived with while he was in the minor leagues. We discuss the accusations and wonder – Why did it take the media so long to report on the accusations? Where is Craig Monroe? Who do we believe?







Fox 2 reporter and Ericka’s friend Jessica Dupnack was the first member of the mainstream media to report on the story. 







How long should it take the media to vet an allegation made on social media? Shawn proposes that an alleged victim should never be named.







GEEK OF THE WEEK:







Cast your vote for this week’s biggest “geek”.







Choice number 1- MGM casino for not paying out a progressive Black Jack win.







Choice number 2- ESPN for awarding not-a-Prince Harry an ESPY.







Choice number 3- BET for honoring OJ Simpson.







Shawn interrupts a heavy conversation to make sure we get our sponsorships read. 







ROOM 7609: 







We received a long distance dedication for Simple Minds “Don’t You (Forget About Me)”.







The person that makes the dedication (ML Elrick) finally connects with the show to explain how he’s going to write off his trip up north.







Marc declares the documentary “Brats” on Hulu to be horrible. Meanwhile, Shawn feels that the Brat Pack films do not hold up to today’s standards. 







Elrick explains the feed back he received on his most recent “On Guard” column in the Free Press comparing Kwame Kilpatrick to Donald Trump.







We force Joey to show his comic wrap skills to work.  Check out his newest music video here.







Shawn fills us in on what he’s been writing about… and it’s a lot of Detroit Pistons news.







DONATE OR SPONSOR US:Support us on Patreon or make a donation at mlsoulofdetroit.com or drop us a line at mlsoulofdetroit@gmail.com to find out how cheap and easy it is to advertise on our show!

ML reunites with Kwame Kilpatrick, but first Free Press investigator Paul Egan tells Marc and ML about a state rep who may have gotten frisky with a stripper before Shawn tries zooming in multiple times. STRAIGHT DOPEML returned from Greece just in time to spend an evening with Kwame Kilpatrick, who flew in from Atlanta to promote Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. But before he tells all about that memorable encounter, Paul Egan of the Detroit Free Press zooms in to discuss the latest potential sex scandal brew in Lansing.Paul and Free Press colleague Arpan Lobo have been digging into the curious case of Charlevoix Republican state Rep. Neil Friske, who was arrested by Lansing Police, setting off a flurry of rumors about what he was up to. Details are hard to come by, but rumors are flying about some kind of encounter with a dancer from Déjà Vu, a gun and a media conspiracy to take down one of the most conservative members of the Michigan Legislature.For those of you unfamiliar with the exotic arts, ML explains what he learned about Déjà Vu from his college roommates.Paul says Friske has proclaimed his innocence, even though no charges have been filed. Paul obtained a heavily-redacted copy of a police report on the incident. Just about the only words that weren’t blacked out referenced first degree criminal sexual assault. Read his latest here.ML wasn’t quite invited, but multiple people shared invitations to an event featuring Kwame Kilpatrick in Farmington so he decided to drop in. He’s planning to tell folks all about it in his next “On Guard” column for the Detroit Free Press, but he gives Marc a sneak preview – including how he came to pose for a photo with Hizzoner. Read ML’s latest “On Guard” column here.While ML was gone, Kilpatrick endorsed Donald Trump for president. He doubled down on the Trumpster as ML and a roomful of conservative white and Black activists listened intently. Hear what Kilpatrick had to say about Trump and why he doesn’t think Joe Biden is fit to lead the free world.Shawn zooms in late to discuss his column about Tom Gores being late and, somehow, misses the irony. Then he engages in an epic case of whataboutism by citing ML’s timeliness. Read Shawn’s column here.Shawn and Marc ask ML about his trip to Greece and what he liked best about his two-week sojourn. ML offers a couple tidbits, but says he treasures the best friends he met: Beer and souvlaki.Shawn thinks ML has a lot of wisdom to share from his travels. ML is not so sure, believing that the more he talks about his trips the more people will think he’s a privileged prick who spends all his time galavanting all over the globe. Tell us what YOU think at mlsoulofdetroit@gmail.com.Please support ML’s many excursions and join the Soul Patrol by becoming a Patreon member. For as little as $5 a month, you can enjoy benefits like ad-free episodes and video of the show. For $15 a month, you get the bonus episode. At the $25 and $60 a month levels, you get free swag and exclusive merchandise. Sign up here: Get more from ML Soul of Detroit on Patreon.Drew Lane makes a cameo to discuss a New Wave gem he recently unearthed and shared with ML, who says he’s afraid to play it on the show unless Drew Wave ...

Eli Zaret pinch hits for the vacationing ML Elrick. We examine how sports has become the new religion.STRAIGHT DOPE:June 17th, 1994 was a famous day in the history of sports- OJ Simpson’s bronco chase, Game 5 of the New York Knicks/Houston Rockets NBA Finals, the New York Rangers parade, Arnold Palmer’s final US Open, and more.







Unsurprisingly, Shawn had little interest in OJ’s chase and murder trial. 







Mr. Television Eli and Mr. Newspaper Shawn compare the difference in how different the mediums treated each other before the advent of the internet.







Eli examines the worshiping of sports figures. Find out why Yogi Berra was the first to collapse the hero facade for Eli. 







For better and worse, sports has become the new religion in America. Are athletes more celebrated today than 100 years ago?







Caitlin Clark has become the savior of the WNBA, but the WNBA players seem to not want her to be around. Did Babe Ruth, Tiger Woods, or Lionel Messi face this similar type of backlash? 







The 2024 US Open featured a major choke job that will haunt Rory McIlroy forever. GEEK OF THE WEEK:Former Detroit Lion & current Kansas City Chief DT Isaiah Buggs was arrested May 30th for animal cruelty in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. This past weekend Isaiah was arrested again for domestic violence and burglary. His agent dismissed the charges as  a “subversive campaign” to force the closure of the hookah lounge he owns in Tuscaloosa.ROOM 7609: June 17 is also the 20th anniversary of the Detroit Pistons’ parade celebrating their victory in the NBA Finals.  The only way to celebrate is to remember one of the best worst songs of all time- The Final Countdown by Europe. Eli remembers one of his greatest Father’s Day ever- watching Jim Bunning throw a perfect game in 1964.  No-hitters seem to be no big deal these days.College sports might be the ultimate example of sports becoming the new religion. DONATE OR SPONSOR US:Support us on Patreon or make a donation at mlsoulofdetroit.com or drop us a line at mlsoulofdetroit@gmail.com to find out how cheap and easy it is to advertise on our show! We now accept donations via Venmo (and if Venmo tells you your money is going to DaisyHouseLLC, you’ve got the right link!)







LISTEN AND LEARNFind out more about the podcast at www.mlsoulofdetroit.com, where you’ll find previous episodes and so much more!







SUBSCRIBE/SHARE/RATE/WATCH:Subscribe to the podcast at iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher or wherever quality podcasts are found! When you check out the podcast, remember to rate it (even if you hate it)!!! Your endorsement is very powerful! Get podcast news on Twitter @elrick or on Facebook at “ML Elrick”.