Detroit Lives

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The Motor City has been declared dead more times than Rasputin. But over the last few years, while The News Media (and Dutch tourists) were hemming and hawing over a few neglected streets that had started to look more like meadows, a bunch of creative badasses were quietly buying abandoned 9-story buildings, filling them with everyone they knew, and making Detroit actually pretty fucking incredible. Our old buddy Johnny Knoxville paid a visit to the D to explore for himself.

From: Vice.com

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34 Responses to This Documentary, Leave Your's?

  1. Scibelli said on

    To claim John Lee Hooker is from Detroit is pretty weak. Ruined the movie for me.

    Reply
  2. Andreas Hajnoczi said on

    Its really over the top IMO, a good bit of propaganda. 

    Yes most of the stuff is pretty cool but it is bias to the extreme. They said “ohh, what a great city” like 2 times every minute. I dont think it has anything to do with the city itself but just shows a bunch of hipsters that think they are better than the rest of the world.

    Reply
  3. Unnar said on

    Does anyone know the name of the song that starts at 3:21? Went through the song credits but can’t seem to find it

    Reply
  4. Trina4mayor said on

    Hipsters that think they are better than the rest of the world. Who are they to tell everyone what Detroit needs? Like that one broad that says the city needs more artists instead of sports team etc. NO, sorry hun, there needs to be more things for the children growing up on these streets, staring at your paintings on the wall does nothing but glorify yourself. Unlike these narcissistic hipsters, I am from Detroit. I applaud their efforts, but am offended that they try to be the faces of the city. 

    Reply
    • Bemused said on

      I agree with Tina4mayor, I’m not from Detroit, but I have seen this same scenario played out in Brooklyn for over a period of forty years…first, local,state and federal government allows a community to go down via no employment, drug infection, poor schools, poor police presence, rundown housing and no recreational facilities…second the few White who remain in the community, if any will move out and the Black who can will also. Now the community is left with only the very disenfranchised. Then gentrification began to roar…young Whites, mostly artist, comes into the hood, where their parents would have never have thought of even getting close to within a 2 miles radius. So these young hipsters with the use of their parents monies for the most part, will start doing their entrepreneurship thing. Third…they will start businesses which mainly serve their interest and slowly but surly people of color who are still there will be price out , because housing will go up, once big corporation notice that these hipsters have something that they can make money from, the million dollar condos will go up and the disenfranchised will stay the same…This is a vicious cycle, which our government doesn’t want to change.

      Reply
  5. krud said on

    screw that…how about knocking some of the old buildings down and planting a few trees and some grass seed?  don’t preserve what clearly isn’t working

    Reply
  6. fuckniggers said on

    white people with no education ruined detroit!!! haha typical stupid nigger couldnt be more wrong

    Reply
  7. madeline said on

    Some of you people need to get over yourself. Some of you are labeling a group of people…no…hipsters are NOT trying to be the face of Detroit. They don’t think they are better than the rest of the world, either. Geez…people shooting down others that are tying to make a change. What are YOU doing for the city? And I live in Detroit…for the past 10 years…and you know what, these 20-30 something white kids you label as Hipsters…at least they are doing something to make a positive change to the city. Give me a break….

    Reply
  8. f said on

    most inspiring documentary ive seen in a while, detroit seems like a wonderful truly inspiring place. raw, young, energetic, lawless.. no one is giving it much attention, its off the radar, big corporations dont want anything from it and because of this it is a truly free place and its lovely to see that good people seem to be taking advantage of this. reminds me of berlin a bit, bit bigger, more industrial.

    Reply
  9. Rhythm Sector said on

    Well good documentary, although I was a bit dissapointed with Knoxville in some parts……. ”Elton John is from Detroit?”… I mean, realy?? Looks like such a vibrant city, with diverse culture and people. Would love to be a part of it!

    Reply
  10. DJ DARKMATTER said on

    Looks like a great place for all types of artist.It is extremely hard to find places were you can take your time to make something unique.

    Reply
  11. A_guest said on

    I can’t understand stand why there has not been a larger growth in urban gardening. A little substaibable living, better health, & more community..Usually there is a community in collected areas. I guess lives can get off-track through, hard times. Everybody needs a little love, called humanity.

    Reply
  12. Guest said on

    This was freaking incredible. As someone who was raised in The D I so appreciate the efforts of Johnny Knoxville, the owner of Slo’s

    Reply
  13. as someone who grew up in detroit, this movie has made me so crazily stoked about it. thanks for doing it! can’t wait to see what is next for the D!

    Reply
  14. I moved to Detroit in July of 2012. I would say that all the good stuff depicted in the flick is really better (and they left out a lot of good things — like beautiful well kept neighborhoods) and the bad stuff has gotten better. No better place to move to if you are an entrepreneur.

    Reply
  15. gaboora said on

    Nice short film. This is not ‘pick and choose journalism’ if you realize that only the trouble spots were in focus here. It’s amazing that the owners of these abandoned buildings don’t demand some overhead from the squatters. There is lots of opportunity in Detroit, if you’re creative. I’d love to visit.

    Reply

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