Every year, in late April, a free, all-ages, multi-venue festival of weirdness called Totally Awesome Fest descends upon the sleepy little midwestern hamlet of Ypsilanti. There’s no escape from it. No one is immune. Like it or not, you will experience beauty and magic. It permeates every element of village life. Walking through town, one […]
Tag Archives: Patrick Elkins
A rooftop visit from Patrick Elkins, announcing the opening of Totally Awesome season
John Sinclair on his efforts to bring down the U.S. government, superintendent Ben Edmondson on the state of Ypsi schools, and musician Cash Harrison on the inspirational power of heartache… on episode 49 of the Saturday Six Pack
The last episode of the Saturday Six Pack is now available online. If you’re so inclined, you can either scroll to the bottom of this post, where you’ll find the Soundcloud audio embedded, or just click over to iTunes, were you can download it in podcast form. I know it doesn’t mean much coming from […]
The Disinformants, Crime Victims and Nick Zomparelli usher in Totally Awesome Fest 2016 …on episode 45 of the Saturday Six Pack
Every year, in late April, a free, all-ages, multi-venue festival of weirdness called Totally Awesome Fest descends upon the sleepy little midwestern hamlet of Ypsilanti. There’s no escape from it. No one is immune. Like it or not, you will experience beauty and magic. It permeates every element of village life. Walking through town, one […]
The ongoing influence of Ypsilanti’s Pleasuredome
A few nights ago, Linette wanted show me something in the book that she was reading. “It’s the new book by poet Amy Berkowitz,” she said, “and it mentions the Pleasuredome.” She handed me the book, telling me how, among other things, the narrative centered around fibromyalgia, chronic pain, and noise music… Here, for those […]
Hijacking a local karaoke night, the reclusive Patrick Elkins announces his intention to take Totally Awesome Fest international this year
Every year, at about this time, Patrick Elkins, the director of Ypsilanti’s Totally Awesome Fest (TAF), calls a big press conference to formally announce the coming festivities. And, every year, invariably, I’m the only member of the professional press to show up. This year’s press conference, which took place yesterday evening during a hijacked karaoke […]