Fun House

Fun House was the Stooges’ second album. “No Fun” can be found on the band’s self-titled debut.

Few things tweak the tender heart of nostalgia like the sight of a Ferris Wheel rising from the blacktop of a high school parking lot. It’s even better when the Ferris Wheel beckons from the high school parking lot of Ann Arbor’s own James Osterberg.

The wild dervish who sang “No Fun” on the Stooges’ debut album can sleep easy tonight. Fun surely will be had at Pioneer High School once the chain link gates fly open at Iggy Pop’s old stomping grounds. We’re talking corn dogs, hot dogs, and chicken tenders. The Scrambler still abides. And in case you hadn’t noticed, the Wacky Shack awaits. If only Iggy were there to greet you at its wacky threshold.

The Scrambler

Of course, it wouldn’t be opening-day for a parking-lot carnival in Michigan unless it happened under stormy summer skies. But we all know how it goes around here. Rain on Halloween. Lightning at the Tigers game. Any aficionado of the Ann Arbor Art Fair can predict to the nanosecond when the next extreme weather event will wreak havoc on our town.

Higher education has been on its own carnival ride for quite some time, and we’re tired of eyeing those dark clouds with daily dread. Most of us are ready to flip the switch and stop this crazy thing before all the funding disappears, all the critical research is blocked, and all the smartest people we know lose their jobs. Iggy may have had a point after all. It’s “No Fun” when the carnival is under such dire threat from above.

(Image: D. Holdship.)

Listen, we come to the Fun House for thrills, not disasters. And we look to higher education to keep the (Ferris) wheels turning, not to get to stuck at the top of a janky ride that hasn’t seen service in several seasons.

In his latest message to the U-M community, President Domenico Grasso reminds us of the joy inherent in discovery. If that doesn’t sum up the purpose of a university, I don’t know what does. Teaching brings joy. Learning leads to joy. Pursuing knowledge is the very essence of joy.

So, grab a corn dog and meet me at the Wacky Shack until the storm passes. You can even see the giant Block M at Michigan Stadium from here. And once the sky clears, we can reclaim our equilibrium, recalibrate our mojo, and refocus on the priorities that make higher education and our University of Michigan the most thrilling and joyful place to be.
 
 
(Lead image: D. Holdship.)