Reframing Frida Khalo as a performance artist, taking calls from sex-hungry robots, discussing vampire incest in children’s theater, and cooking deer meat in front of the local strip club… all on this episode of the Saturday Six Pack

This past Saturday night’s episode was a weird one… and, strangely, I don’t say that because we attempted to have a serious conversation about the work of Frida Kahlo with respected University of Michigan professor Maria Cotera while simultaneously grilling illegally processed deer meat in front of the strip club next door. No, I say this last episode was a weird one because, on a few occasions, I kind of let the show get away from me. I just kind of backed slowly away from the mic and watched things unfold… which, admittedly, doesn’t make for the best radio. And, for that, I am truly sorry.

[If you would like to listen to the episode in its entirety, you can find it on both Soundcloud and iTunes. Or, if you want, you can just scroll down to end of this post, where you’ll find it embedded.]

First, there was the phone call from densely bearded local troubadour Patrick Elkins, who was standing in front of Ypsilanti’s historic Thompson block, taking questions from City leaders and members of the press about Totally Awesome Fest 11, which is scheduled to overtake Ypsilanti on April 24. Patrick’s highly amplified and distorted remarks, which he inexplicably made through a loop pedal, went on for approximately 8 minutes. And, in spite of the fact that I could only make out a handful of words during that time, like “pancakes” and “basketball,” I allowed it to continue. A more seasoned broadcaster, I suspect, would have hung up after the first 20 seconds or so. But, as I felt it was in the spirit of Totally Awesome Fest, I let it run its course, knowing that I we were probably losing listeners by the dozen. And, if give the opportunity, I’d likely do it again.

And, then, later in the show, the same kind of thing happened again, during the “Bad Combination” eating challenge, as about 20 people crammed into the studio, eating things like vegemite on circus peanuts, and trying their best not to vomit. At some point, about four rounds into the competition, having run out of things to say, I just kind of recoiled from the mic and watched. I know it probably didn’t make for great radio, just listening to people in the background yelling things like, “I think he might be gagging” and “what the hell his that,” but, by that point in the evening, I’d kind of reconciled myself to the fact that the show was no longer under my control. [below: Kyle Kipp, one of the competitors, eating a preserved duck egg covered in chunky peanut butter]

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Even with my lapses, there was a lot to love about this episode, though. I loved it when the robot called in to tell Ben Connor Barrie, who was in the studio to talk about boots and trees with me over a sizzling plate of deer meat, that he was cute. And I loved the deer meat itself. Not only was it delicious, but I really enjoyed watching Ben, on the other side of the studio window, grilling it up in front of Deja Vu, talking with the strip joint’s patrons as they made their way in and out, offering mouthfuls of meat. And I really enjoyed when, a few minutes after someone called in to interrupt the show with a recorded Bill Cosby bit, our troll who calls himself “Ypsilanti Cosby” phoned in to assure us that it wasn’t him, and to distance himself from the execution, which he said was amateurish. That’s right, it took ten episodes, but our trolls now have trolls of their own… There’s nothing cooler than being able to see evolution happen right before our eyes, is there? [below: Ben Connor Barrie cooking deer meet outside of the AM 1700 studio]

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And, of course, I loved taking with my friend Maria Cotera, who, I was told after the show, I didn’t do a very good job of introducing. Apparently, I just said that she was a professor at the University of Michigan, without saying what she was a professor of. Sorry about that. She’s a “scholar of feminists of color genealogies,” and teaches within U-M’s American Studies and Women’s Studies departments. Maria and I talked about the new Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo in Detroit exhibition at the DIA, which she had consulted on, as well as her work at Southwest Detroit’s El Museo del Norte. [below: Maria Cotera accusing Saturday Six Pack host Mark Maynard of “micro-aggressions”.]

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Theater lovers will also be happy to know that, prior to discussing Kahlo’s work, Maria and I talked at length about the Ypsilanti Youth Theatre’s production of Shakespeare’s Pericles. You should listen for yourselves, but our freewheeling discussion touched on everything from vampire incest to my love of the lead actor’s posture.

And, as if that weren’t enough, we were also joined this episode by Patrick Elkins and Jessica French, who wanted to tell us about their upcoming event, CRINGE: a night of truly embarrassing stories, and a waitress from the Wurst Bar named KJ, who wanted to left us know about her pants, and how she had problems keeping them up. Oh, and for some reason, we got into a long conversation with Ben Connor Barrie about his love of the smell made by burning urine… It was a weird show. I blame the Oberon. [below: JK telling us about how her ass sometimes comes out of her pants]

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AND NOW, THANKS TO SCIENCE, YOU CAN LISTEN TO THE WHOLE THING ON YOUR OWN TIME:

Thanks to AM 1700 owner Brian Robb for making all of this possible, and Saturday Six Pack staff photographer Kate de Fuccio for all of the images above.

[If you like this episode, check out our archive of past shows at iTunes. And do please leave a review if you have the time, OK?]

This entry was posted in Art and Culture, The Saturday Six Pack, Uncategorized, Ypsilanti and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink. Post a comment or leave a trackback: Trackback URL.

7 Comments

  1. Anonymous
    Posted April 1, 2015 at 7:47 am | Permalink

    Though definitely one of Mark’s weirder shows, I believe Mark discussing meat may have been one of my most favorite segments to date. Questions like, “do you shoot them in the neck”, ideas like “gutting day on the river” and the eventual sigh of “interesstttinng” made for pure radio GOLD.

    I would also like to note that the call around 59:00 was not a robot but rather Morrissey singing “Meat is Murder”. Delicious.

  2. Ted
    Posted April 1, 2015 at 8:23 am | Permalink

    Ypsi Cosby, if you want to shake off your imitators, you need to up your game. Have you considered piecing together individual words from Cosby’s recorded performances so that he can call in with timely insights? When you just play him singing Pac Man Fever, you leave yourself open to copycats. It’s too easy.

  3. Ypsilanti Cosby
    Posted April 1, 2015 at 8:59 am | Permalink

    You see Rudy, you got to piece together the Theo you see. Jello pudding pops. ~YC

  4. Jim
    Posted April 1, 2015 at 10:24 am | Permalink

    Get rid of the Ypsi Convention and Visitors Bureau and give all the money to the Saturday Six Pack. This show is a beautiful articulation of Ypsilanti.

  5. Lynne
    Posted April 1, 2015 at 11:31 am | Permalink

    You’ve got the best radio show in town!

    I have to admit though that I had to stop listening once the gross food part started. It grossed me out but others seemed to be enjoying it. :)

  6. Kyle Kipp
    Posted April 1, 2015 at 2:16 pm | Permalink

    I wish that egg was covered in peanut butter; it probably would have tasted a whole lot better.
    Sadly, the duck egg was plain… plainly disgusting.

  7. Kat
    Posted April 3, 2015 at 1:17 pm | Permalink

    Frida Khalo’s love letters are up for sale.

    http://dangerousminds.net/comments/frida_kahlos_love_letters_from_an_extramarital_affair_up_for_auction_and_t

2 Trackbacks

  1. […] bring you a beer.” And, if they still aren’t sold on the idea at that point, I mention the fact that someone once brought a raw piece of deer meat and cooked it outside the studio for us, and that usually does the trick. So, if you live near a strip club, keep your eyes open. You may […]

  2. […] above are Nathan Phillips (episode 15), Maria Cotera (episode 10), D’Real Graham (episode 6), and Paul Saginaw (episode […]

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