I first went to Detroit in 1962 when I was 5 years old. My Uncle Steve was on his Mormon mission there. All I remember is that he'd wired stereo speakers into the bowls of two toilets in the living room of his apartment.
My second visit was in 1998, when I stayed with Dave Walker in River Rouge. The first night I got there was the closing party for Dan Bell's Seventh City distributor, and so I basically drove from Iowa City straight to 7th City. That was where I met Dan Sicko -- and Alan Oldham, and DJ Teep, and Brendan Gillen and a whole slew of Detroiters. Dan always strikes me as one of the friendliest funniest people you'd meet. He might look like an accountant, but he's wicked smart, a great guy, who may be Detroit's best techno ambassador. Through the years I always ran into Dan every time I came to Detroit. Sure, he literally wrote the book, but Detroit Techno is a small family, and everyone knows and loves Dan, not so much for what he's accomplished -- which is amazing -- but for who he is. When Techno Rebels first came out Dan's biggest regret is that he hadn't been able to track down the people behind "Shari Vari," A Number of Names. A few years later, through (I think) the good offices of the Burden brothers at 430 West, A Number Of Names was playing live on the main stage at DEMF. I didn't see Dan during their performance (though A Number Of Names were nearly upstaged by Eddie "Flashin" Fowlkes dancing in the puddles in the middle of the arena, but I know Dan was somewhere -- backstage probably, grinning like a fool. I'll be holding Dan and his family in the light, and I hope he's still able to have some joy as his illness plays itself out. I'm sure everyone who knows Dan is feeling devastated right now, but it's also important to recognize what a joyful, accomplished positive life he's led and is still leading. He's made every moment count.
