TRUE ROCK AND ROLL STORIES: Ocean Rain, The Death Of Robin Williams, and The Dangerous Streets of Detroit

One of The Strangest Days On Record

Echo and the Bunnymen in Detroi t| Death of Robin Williams Detroit | Detroit Flood Highways | Ian McCulloch Echo and the Bunnymen Hot Metro Finds | Meteorites Echo Bunnymen Tour | Hot Metro Finds Detroit Chicago New York

DETROIT - August 11, 2014, was a strange day, to say the least. I had tickets to go see Echo and the Bunnymen play over at Saint Andrew's Hall in Detroit. This was a small venue, and I was looking forward to seeing them perform up close instead of in an arena setting. It was also the day that Robin Williams died and one of the freakiest weather events in Detroit history. As usual, I was stuck right in the middle of all of that. What I am about to tell you is flat out weird. In fact, you probably never even heard about it because all the major media stations glossed over it as nothing happened. 

I left early to go see the concert, and there was no way I was going to be late. Echo and the Bunnymen are from Liverpool, England. They were supposed to be the biggest band ever if you can believe CNN, (does anyone believe CNN anymore?). This is a post-punk band classified as New Wave or New Music depending on who you ask. Lead singer, Ian McCulloch, wore his unruly black hair like a Halloween fright wig, and dances like someone who desperately needs to piss. The songs are catchy pop more than classic rock, and they have incredibly loud drums. That's entertainment.

To be safe I traveled down 8 Mile Road in Detroit. This road is long and full of bizarre characters, liquor stores, strip clubs, and ratty motels you wouldn't want to be caught dead in. The only inspirational thing I can tell you about 8 Mile is that it always made me feel fortunate for what I have. This isn't a place you would want to get stuck in. They found a human head on the corner of Livernois and 7 Mile. That's how nice people are around here. You need to be paying attention.

Echo and the Bunnymen in Detroi t| Death of Robin Williams Detroit | Detroit Flood Highways | Ian McCulloch Echo and the Bunnymen Hot Metro Finds | Meteorites Echo Bunnymen Tour | Hot Metro Finds Detroit Chicago New York

The sky looked hazy but it was nothing out of the ordinary so I didn't give it much thought. I looked over at a dilapidated strip club that was closed for business. Wasn't this the one that the Michigan State Police shut down for hiring a 14-year-old girl? Or was it 15? I traveled down the road approaching Woodward Avenue near the old Michigan State Fairground. I saw the Ramones, Alice Cooper, Little Richard, and Chuck Berry here some years back. Right across the street is a park that is for the people of the City of Detroit. Some guy was murdered there. The story goes he was sitting on a park bench minding his own business. He could have been out for a walk - who knows. Someone walked up to him in broad daylight and blew his brains out.

Nice people.

But I didn't let any of that bother me, I was on a mission. I traveled down Woodward Avenue through the blight and ruins that is Highland Park. The rule of thumb here is to get your gas before you go into the city and don't stop. Make sure you got enough in your car to get home on. If you have to get gas anywhere make sure you well outside of Detroit city limits. That's just the way it is.

Echo and the Bunnymen in Detroi t| Death of Robin Williams Detroit | Detroit Flood Highways | Ian McCulloch Echo and the Bunnymen Hot Metro Finds | Meteorites Echo Bunnymen Tour | Hot Metro Finds Detroit Chicago New York

DESTINATION DETROIT

I took the long way to avoid taking the highway during rush hour. People drive like animals on I-75 for some reason. I think its a macho thing. "I'm from Detroit -- Detroit Vs Everybody -- Nothing Beats Detroit " that sort of rhetoric permeates down there. Maybe people are still pissed off about the 1967 Detroit Riots. Or maybe they are pissed off how the rest of the world pretty much forgot about us. We are left out of world art exhibitions, music festivals and people have left in droves especially during the 2009 Mass Exodus.

Serial killers run wild down in Highland Park like the Big Foot Killer, Benjamin Atkins. Rumor had it where he would stuff the bodies of his victims in the walls of an abandoned hotel. I am trying to stay positive as I cruise down Woodward Avenue but it is difficult because there is ruin porn everywhere I look. I know I am close to the grounds of the Algiers Motel where four young black men were murdered in cold blood by the Detroit Police Department in 1967. Maybe sometimes it's not so good reading history and not knowing the ugliness that surrounds you. 

Echo and the Bunnymen in Detroi t| Death of Robin Williams Detroit | Detroit Flood Highways | Ian McCulloch Echo and the Bunnymen Hot Metro Finds | Meteorites Echo Bunnymen Tour | Hot Metro Finds Detroit Chicago New York

I am trying to stay upbeat, and I remembering when The Olympia stadium where the Beatles played. I am trying to stay on top of it and make sure nobody is behind me too close. I am looking in my rearview mirror and watching the cars behind me. No kidding, I really am. Now that I think about it I am pretty sure The Olympia was over on Grand River Avenue but that it no longer exists anymore.

As I get closer to the city of Detroit I notice that the roads are blocked off. I put on the radio to get a better picture of what is happening and there isn't anything being said about it. I am now trying to get closer to Saint Andrew's Hall or find a parking lot that is close by. I can hoof it for a few blocks I don't need to have curbside service.

I ended up driving around the heart of the downtown area and was unable to get in. This can only happen to me. There are thousands of people who want to get out of Detroit, and I am the only guy who is TRYING TO GET IN. Surely, I must be mad. 

I looked up at a bridge and I saw military vehicles cross over the bridge near the John King Bookstore. They look like they are information for a mission of some sort. Luckily they don't see me and nobody tries to stop me and send me off. There still may be a chance for me to beat the odds and see this show.

I have no choice but to drive down near Cobo Hall but find that the exit ramps are blocked off. I ended up getting on the highway somehow and am now leaving Detroit. Hmmm.... that wasn't supposed to happen. How in the world did I end up in this strange situation? The only solution is to turn my car around and rethink this. 

Echo and the Bunnymen in Detroi t| Death of Robin Williams Detroit | Detroit Flood Highways | Ian McCulloch Echo and the Bunnymen Hot Metro Finds | Meteorites Echo Bunnymen Tour | Hot Metro Finds Detroit Chicago New York

I get on Michigan Avenue and started to head towards Mexican town. Now I am paranoid that if I get pulled over I won't be able to see the show. We could be at war or under terrorist attack and I am more concerned with missing Echo and the Bunnymen. Now I know I am totally mad. This is insane.

I don't see any more armed forces, military police, or city cops, and I proceed to turn my car around. I slowly drive down the red brick streets of Corktown and thru Mexican town, and by the old vacant train station. I get closer to the venue and now I am in the heart of downtown. I snuck into Detroit so now I can cross that one off the list. There is nobody downtown, and there is zero traffic. I ended up going down a side street and found a parking lot that only charged me $10 bucks. The world could be ending, but this Middle Eastern guy wasn't going to close shop just yet and he accommodated me. From here, I was on my own and I trotted down to the venue and found no line to get in

Echo and the Bunnymen in Detroi t| Death of Robin Williams Detroit | Detroit Flood Highways | Ian McCulloch Echo and the Bunnymen Hot Metro Finds | Meteorites Echo Bunnymen Tour | Hot Metro Finds Detroit Chicago New York

Okay, this is weird but there isn't a crowd waiting around outside. I can just walk right in. I had my ticket in my pocket and I went right in with no questions asked. The people inside had no idea what was even happening, and I wasn't about to say anything. There was a light rain starting to fall as I walked into Saint Andrew's Hall.

I was there early and I made my way down to the Shelter, the club in the basement, to grab a beer. There was nobody there but only a few people. I grabbed a cold draft and sat down when the DJ interrupted the music on the sound system. This never happens and what he said knocked the thunder out of my heels. The DJ said that Robin Williams had died and the room around me fell silent. He was found dead in his big multi-million dollar house, and there wasn't much more news on the subject.

Echo and the Bunnymen in Detroi t| Death of Robin Williams Detroit | Detroit Flood Highways | Ian McCulloch Echo and the Bunnymen Hot Metro Finds | Meteorites Echo Bunnymen Tour | Hot Metro Finds Detroit Chicago New York

It didn't seem real. Actually, none of this seemed real. The Echo and the Bunnymen concert went along without a hitch. It was for the Meteorites album and there wasn't anything out of the ordinary about it. They are an extraordinary band but my mind was focussed on the weirdness outside. I got this text message from home telling me not to come back and to grab a hotel room. The rain had been coming down like a monsoon and the heavens had opened. The highways were all flooded which was something that I could not wrap my mind around. This weather thing was freaky, and I was reminded about Echo and the Bunnymen's album Ocean Rain.

Run Run Run... All The Way Home

The concert let out, I made my way out of the hall, the street had torrential sheets of rain. I walked back to my car slowly getting thoroughly soaked. There was no point in running and the skies were not going to let up. I gave up the idea of looking for a hotel this late, I didn't believe that the highways were flooded with water and that there was no way out of the city. First, I couldn't get into the city of Detroit now I couldn't get out of it?

I left the parking lot and headed down highway 94 and sure enough, the here was a lake under the bridge. Getting out that way was going to prove pointless. I slowly backed my way back up the entrance ramp. I thought about taking I-75 back to Novi and was pretty sure I could get home that way. To my surprise, the rainwater had gathered there too and the underpass was unpenetrable.

Echo and the Bunnymen in Detroi t| Death of Robin Williams Detroit | Detroit Flood Highways | Ian McCulloch Echo and the Bunnymen Hot Metro Finds | Meteorites Echo Bunnymen Tour | Hot Metro Finds Detroit Chicago New York

I get to I-75 and there looked like I could get through the underpass. The water didn't look too high, and I could see a car trying to drive up the embankment and thru to the other side. That car was having some trouble getting thru all that water, and put his emergency lights on. So I had to turn around drive backwards up the entrance ramp back on to Woodward Avenue.

I had no idea that all of Detroit, the best of my estimation, was on low ground. So I decided to go down Woodward avenue in bumper to bumper traffic while my gas was getting low. This was scary and weird. The whole night was weird and to top it all off Robin Williams had died. I had no idea how that could have happened and later found out he had killed himself. The mood outside was ugly and the weather was not letting up. How in this world was I going to get out of this mess?

I had no choice but to pull over and get gas in a ghetto neighborhood. Of course the pumps wouldn't take plastic and I had to go up to the window. There was bulletproof plastic around the cashier station and plenty of bums outside. Who the hell hangs out at a fucking gas station at 3 AM in Detroit? What action could you possibly find in a gas station? I tried to play it cool but this is how people get their heads blown off in Detroit. It's always at a gas station on the news. People are immune to it. Just another statistic on the 6 o'clock news. 

Echo and the Bunnymen in Detroi t| Death of Robin Williams Detroit | Detroit Flood Highways | Ian McCulloch Echo and the Bunnymen Hot Metro Finds | Meteorites Echo Bunnymen Tour | Hot Metro Finds Detroit Chicago New York

I paid my way and was heading back out to the car, and I hear a voice yell out "Hey you want me to crack your head open MOTHER FUCKER?". I turned around, and it was this skinny black guy with three top teeth missing and a Skoal baseball cap. I am not making fun of him yet I am just describing his physical appearance. He looked deranged and he had these giant pop out eyeballs like Barney Fife, er.... you know, Don Knotts. I got back in my car and didn't think anything of it and tore off into the black rainy night. I didn't even respond. I wanted to keep the karma in a positive light and make it back home safely. I knew I was in a bad place.

There were parts of Woodward that were flooded and the road was impassable. So I took side streets and hooked my way around strange neighborhoods filled with ravaged homes, abandoned cars, and washer and dryers just thrown into the street. I had to drive around this crap and keep my focus. There were times along the way where I got lost. Roads came to a dead-end or were flooded.

My GPS wasn't much help at times because of poor tower coverage. I was off the beaten path and now I was concerned that I might have to sleep in my car until morning. I only had a few hours to go until daylight. I told myself that I was going to get home no matter what. 

Echo and the Bunnymen in Detroi t| Death of Robin Williams Detroit | Detroit Flood Highways | Ian McCulloch Echo and the Bunnymen Hot Metro Finds | Meteorites Echo Bunnymen Tour | Hot Metro Finds Detroit Chicago New York

I went through more scary neighborhoods and saw ratty bars, shoddy funeral parlors, thugs walking in the rain, and no sign of any police. I looked up one road and could see a red stop light way up in the distance. From that vantage point, it looked like the street was clear of any lakes. I placed my bet on that road and took it to the light and ignored my GPS.

Then after I turned the corner I could see another clearance on my immediate right. That road looked really clear too so I took it. I ended up seeing some fast-food restaurants, they were all closed at that hour but could tell that I was getting near civilization. I could now see bus route signs which signaled that I was near the main travel route.

By some miracle, I finally ended up back near the old Michigan State Fair Grounds. Now I was reminded of another incident involving the Flying Wallendas high wire act tragedy. The Wallenda Family were a circus troupe and had been performing at the State Fair back in the '60s. They were piled up three high with poles and chairs on a high wire act and they all fell. Everybody in that show saw them fall to their death. This city is loaded with history if you know where to look and what to look for.

I could see the flooding had not come out as far as Royal Oak, Michigan. The roads looked pretty good from there. I took the Woodward down to 15 Mile Road and then started heading back to Novi where I lived at the time. There was a good chance now I was going to make it home but now I was extremely tired. I then drove through Birmingham, and West Bloomfield, Bloomfield Hills, Commerce Township, and finally I was back in home territory. I had made it back by 4 AM.

AFTERMATH

Echo and the Bunnymen in Detroi t| Death of Robin Williams Detroit | Detroit Flood Highways | Ian McCulloch Echo and the Bunnymen Hot Metro Finds | Meteorites Echo Bunnymen Tour | Hot Metro Finds Detroit Chicago New York

So by now, I bet you are wondering was it all worth it? Was all this crazy rock and roll life all that? Was it worth chasing down this pop culture wonderment only to face life and death and an uncertain ending? Well, as usual, I have an incredible story to tell. The truth was I never really knew how serious in trouble I really was That water looked deep but I had no clue to how deep it was. The next day in the news they showed pictures of people going down I-75 in canoes! Only in Detroit right? Where else are people going to do something that outrageous?

Sometime after I got home Robin Williams was all over the news. We later found out that he had committed suicide and was suffering from Parkinson's disease. It was a horrible loss and Hollywood had lost one of its biggest stars. I never did find out what that military maneuver was all about and nobody I knew ever heard of it. I have had many strange rock and roll adventures but this one ranks right up there as one of the weirdest.

 

 


TRUE ROCK AND ROLL STORIES !!   

 

Echo and the Bunnymen in Detroi t| Death of Robin Williams Detroit | Detroit Flood Highways | Ian McCulloch Echo and the Bunnymen Hot Metro Finds | Meteorites Echo Bunnymen Tour | Hot Metro Finds Detroit Chicago New York

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