Charlie Le Duff's flat black Checker cab hooptie...

After having seen Charlie Le Duff chauffeur Anthony Bourdain around Detroit in a flat black Checker cab sans seat belts, I'm wonder if this hooptie has been Charlie's signature ride for sometime or something new with him. I was also thinking that 30 was the cut off age for wearing hipster-like white tee shirts in public.

Who is Charlie Le Duff working for these days? I'm no longer in the SE Mich media market and don't follow DET happenings on a regular basis.

How was the feedback around DET on Bourdain's visit? I gave the CNN segment on DET to be largely entertaining and, er...hopeful?

There was a fair amount of backlash about the show, which you can see here:

http://www.detroityes.com/mb/showthr...own-in-Detroit

Charlie still works for Fox2, as far as the checker cab? who knows. Those things were tanks and damn near indestructable

We need pictures. :)

I found a couple of related articles from 2009:

• Thinking Checker Cabs of Michigan
• Rust Belt in a rusty Checker Cab

Le Duff was trying to make it seem like Detroit was a 3rd world country where we all drive around Havana like vehicles and eat hog mawls from road side stands.

First time I met Charlie was the morning Kwame was indicted the first time. I was at the Checker Bar downtown with a couple of dyes forum members and a small clutch of local reporters. He asked me for a couple of quotes which he couldn't print and then talked for awhile. Mainly about everything else but Kwame.

when the convo turned to cars he told me about his Marathon. It was parked out front so we took a look see. He bought it in LA a half dozen years before and had driven to Michigan and back a few times.

it isn't a real whooptie. It's a bit rough but it ain't terrible. So, the Checker Marathon is not a new acquisition, I reckon he has had it for 10 or more years. It does have a new black paint job. The original color was a muted red.

Having gone to school in kazoo I had a small working knowledge of the brand. Simple, good on gas and really roomy.

I know he drives a cadillac from the 80s'.

Are there a lot of "hipsters" wearing white t-shirts?

^^^ Not during the winter I hope.........

He didn't have to drive him around in that monstrosity. I'm sure he could have got a better car from somewhere.

the Checkers are some of the best cars ever made, in my book. its basically a beefed up Chevy truck that has been forced underneath the body of a sedan. theyre designed to go hundreds of thousands of miles. there is no car like it being made today, and probably never will be again.

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Originally Posted by noise

Are there a lot of "hipsters" wearing white t-shirts?

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I love hearing what everyone's perceptions of hipsters is. Every single person has different thoughts and just generally seems to point their finger at "People who do things I do not understand".

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Originally Posted by motz

I love hearing what everyone's perceptions of hipsters is. Every single person has different thoughts and just generally seems to point their finger at "People who do things I do not understand".

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No, that's a teenager

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Originally Posted by motz

I love hearing what everyone's perceptions of hipsters is. Every single person has different thoughts and just generally seems to point their finger at "People who do things I do not understand".

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This gave me a laugh and just about sums it up.

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Originally Posted by motz

I love hearing what everyone's perceptions of hipsters is. Every single person has different thoughts and just generally seems to point their finger at "People who do things I do not understand".

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Skinny jeans, skateboards, expensive bikes that look like crappy bikes, coffee, Pabst, Altes, or other ironic ales. They use ironic a lot like it is something to be proud of.

When I was their age I too was someone few understood. At that time however it meant hanging out at City Club, having a weird mullet/shaved/ pompador haircut, baggy pants [[but not fall off yo ass baggy, Morris Dey baggy). I came to realize I was a d-bag when I was in an elevator at the DMC and these ladies refused to get on it as I looked kinda scary.

Therefore hipsters are folks who have not realized that what they are doing is being d-bags. They will grow out of it sometime, maybe.

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Originally Posted by DetroitPlanner

Skinny jeans, skateboards, expensive bikes that look like crappy bikes, coffee, Pabst, Altes, or other ironic ales. They use ironic a lot like it is something to be proud of.

When I was their age I too was someone few understood. At that time however it meant hanging out at City Club, having a weird mullet/shaved/ pompador haircut, baggy pants [[but not fall off yo ass baggy, Morris Dey baggy). I came to realize I was a d-bag when I was in an elevator at the DMC and these ladies refused to get on it as I looked kinda scary.

Therefore hipsters are folks who have not realized that what they are doing is being d-bags. They will grow out of it sometime, maybe.

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Originally Posted by motz

I love hearing what everyone's perceptions of hipsters is. Every single person has different thoughts and just generally seems to point their finger at "People who do things I do not understand".

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That sounds about right.

Any photos of Le Duff's Checker after the black paint job? A couple of small Soviet flags above the headlights and wide whitewalls would make it.

credit for below pic. http://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_114775-...12-E-1965.htmlhttp://www.imcdb.org/i114775.jpg

The man makes enough money to have the automobile properly restored!

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Originally Posted by p69rrh51

The man makes enough money to have the automobile properly restored!

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A friend of mine had the exact same thought as you and we were told, "Charlie doesn't want to have it "properly restored". So...I guess we were "told".

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Originally Posted by agirlintheD

A friend of mine had the exact same thought as you and we were told, "Charlie doesn't want to have it "properly restored". So...I guess we were "told".

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The mechanics are probably all up to snuff, he just don't want it stolt.

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Originally Posted by DetroitPlanner

The mechanics are probably all up to snuff, he just don't want it stolt.

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From what I remember from the show the Checker was not exactly in tip-top running condition.

Check looks like an upgrade from a Soviet-built ride.