ann arbor is overrated. » Blog Archive

A2 Grave Robbers

Randy Cohen’s “Ethicist” column grapples with the particularly thorny question of an Ann Arborite who wants to steal roses from Chopin’s grave.

24 Responses to “A2 Grave Robbers”

any one know ken whittaker….old ann arborite from back in the day???? looking to contact hime desperatly
posted by spoon on December 27th, 2004 at 3:25 pm
You mean Ken “I hate spoon” Whittaker? Don’t know him.
posted by George on December 27th, 2004 at 9:27 pm
Zing!
posted by js on December 28th, 2004 at 1:15 pm
well, you are a helpful bunch…it’s been ten years since I have lived in candyland there and well was just wondering if anyone is still alive, aparently not.
posted by spoon on December 28th, 2004 at 3:11 pm
Only one person I know that uses the term candyland. Wut up?
posted by ypsidweller on December 28th, 2004 at 3:33 pm
heh, I used to do a ‘Zine that was called Adventures in Candyland…was all about A2 and the scene there. As I said, it has been awhile since I have been back to A2, I was actually thinking about moving back to the area, wich is why I am trying to contact some old buds….
posted by spoon on December 28th, 2004 at 3:55 pm
Speaking of buds, our kind host has presented us with a fragrant posy of ethical considerations that is actually a shining example of hideous Midwestern crassness–note the peculiarly Ann Arborish combo of name-dropping (not any old graveyard, no sir) and abysmal “manners.” (Shudders).
posted by Anonymous on December 29th, 2004 at 2:56 pm
switchboard.com has a ken whittaker in linwood…don’t know if that helps.
posted by OFW insurgent on December 29th, 2004 at 4:41 pm
An ethical question — why did the bars close so early on Xmas Eve. I blew through town figuring I’d be able to shut something down at 6:00 with whomever I ran into. Casey’s closed at 3:00 and they were doing a decent business. There were no other bars open. I wound up catching last call at Champion House. Is Ann Arbor going for the Ned Flanders Olympics or something?

BTW for future reference — on Christmas Eve, does liquor need to be off the table at 6:00? Or is it last sale at 6:00, off the table at 6:30?
posted by A Different Jon on December 30th, 2004 at 11:40 am
For future reference, fuck off.
posted by fred on December 30th, 2004 at 1:25 pm
I think that it’s partially that business slows down to the point where being open isn’t wise,and part of it is that many of the local businesses like to get their employees home for the holiday.

For us it’s the latter.
posted by todd leopold on December 30th, 2004 at 1:34 pm
Happy New Year y’all!
posted by AAIO fan on December 30th, 2004 at 6:40 pm
Back at ya, AAIO, and our collective whatever! I think it’ll be a lot more fun for me this year–last year my paycheck from Don Carlos (the same) bounced, as it did every other week, leaving me broke for last New Year’s… *sniff*

And it really was that awful.
posted by Lazaro on December 30th, 2004 at 8:11 pm
Heh. I remember being surprised that Don Carlos was taking out full pages in the Ann Arbor Paper while they owed us a couple grand. Then they went under and it made more sense.
posted by js on December 30th, 2004 at 9:17 pm
Thanks for the info, js–I didn’t know. One more nugget to add to the DC folklore. A book should really be written; that was probably the tip of the iceberg…
posted by Lazaro on January 2nd, 2005 at 2:46 pm
In today’s NYT Magazine (1/2/05), we are, perhaps, redeemed– with Current’s food writer Charmie Gholson getting the full-page Lives essay on the last page. Go Charmie!
posted by Andy on January 2nd, 2005 at 9:10 pm
Laz- Confirm my suspicion (unfounded as it is) that coke led to DC’s collapse? Maybe it’s just my bad luck, but I never worked for a restaurant in AA that didn’t have a cokehead manager (or owner) sniffing the profits. Of course, that isn’t to discount the many successful cokeheads in the local restaurant business (rumor has it that the whole Main Street Ventures is blown out, and I know that a good portion of Mongolian BBQ is too…)
posted by js on January 4th, 2005 at 1:49 am
Coke is what powers most restaurants in the US. Without the Ypsi dealers, there’d be no restaurants open past 7pm in AA. Sad.
posted by Leighton on January 4th, 2005 at 7:01 pm
Charmie Gholson…she’s the one who worked cleaning houses in A2 and wrote about how she wasn’t dusting some woman’s U of M knickknacks enough.

George - a belated “heh” at your “i hate spoon” comment.
posted by ann arbor is overrated on January 4th, 2005 at 11:31 pm
Leighton- Heh. The Elbow Room is the only place in Michigan I’ve been offered coke by a stranger (at a Great Lakes Myth Society show no less).
posted by js on January 5th, 2005 at 1:07 am
Coke at an AA-centered show?…what a surprise. Was the hooker from UoM trolling Deja Vu’s parking again that night? Convergance!
posted by Leighton Mann on January 5th, 2005 at 2:09 pm
js–sorry, I didn’t notice your question just there.

It was pretty much the universal opinion of DC employees (at least on Main Street) that “the Don” was enormously strung out, and possibly other members of management as well. If I remember this right, someone actually walked in on him doing lines in the (here we go) women’s restroom. The final blow (sorry) came when the Washtenaw location was hurriedly evacuated of everything my former boss and his cronies could trundle away before the eviction notice was acted on the next morning and the place was shut down. My only regret was that I wasn’t there to see it.

I understand it’s now a coin laundry (hee, hee!) with, better yet, a huge sign that says “COIN LAUNDRY”. Somehow that sweetens the pain.
posted by Lazaro on January 8th, 2005 at 12:38 pm
But it’s COIN LAUNDRY with “WI FI HOTSPOT”.
posted by Leighton on January 9th, 2005 at 11:18 pm
Leighton- Nope, it was some black dude who swore he was a regular, but I haven’t seen in there since. The guy I was with seemed to think that 30 for a gram was a great price, but I didn’t really want to, y’know, buy coke from a stranger at the Elbow Room.
posted by js on January 12th, 2005 at 5:00 pm