Antiheroes, The Interview.

It was a gorgeous day and the ride from Detroit to Port Huron was pleasant. Danielle and I rode out in the early morning hours as we were scheduled to meet with author and playwright Sal Sulfaro of Moonbeam Manuscripts and one of the characters in the book The Antiheroes: Treatise of a Lost Soul written by her late son, Abe Sulfaro. The interview was to take place at one of Port Huron’s most charming and iconic coffee houses, Raven Cafe. It has an old world feel with dark wood and wonderful decor themed around that grand and gothic American author, Edgar Allan Poe. The cafe is whimsical, impressive and breathtaking to the senses. It not only has shelves full of so many fantastic volumes, but also has some of the finest coffee and food you will ever partake of. When Sal told me this was to be the place we would conduct our interview about the book, I was elated. I need to write another article just to continue raving about this very special place tucked nicely into a row of storefronts on the main strip in downtown Port Huron.

We met with Sally outside the cafe which presents a spectacular facade as you walk up. We enjoyed a little conversation about many things as we waited for Dayve (Watson) Disintegration, a real-life antihero from the pages of the book we were to discuss. It is a work of fiction that left me knowing the people involved. Its character development involves a deep psychological study of Abe aka Fade and his band of survivalists on the streets of Detroit’s underworld. I always enjoy the moments in time I am able to spend with Sally. She is a highly intelligent person with a soul that is as good as they come. She has a deep spiritual well inside her that is overcast with sadness. Disintegration walked up and joined the discussion out front with only the Raven listening in on this early morning street devoid of life. After introductions and some more small talk, we made our way inside. Raven Cafe is a two-story storefront of epic proportions as you wind through the first floor on the way to the staircase leading to the second floor loft. Visuals are part of the unique charm the Raven offers. At the bottom of the stairs is a gift shop-type area that offers many cute, gothic, and fun designs on shirts, cups, and prints.

As we made our way upstairs where the interview would be conducted, we took in the sights and sounds as well as the smells of Raven Cafe. There are many old books here, some of them first prints. Others are newer like the novel by Abe Sulfaro that we have come to discuss. Abe was a downriver Detroit native, musician, writer and philosopher. He was a staple at City Club in the Leland Hotel, a well-known hub for the Goth subculture in Detroit, Michigan.

As Danielle set up the equipment for the interview, we took our seats on the large, overstuffed, brown leather sofas surrounded by shelves of books. One could not hope for a better backdrop for a video interview of a book review. However, the video portion of the plan fell apart as the footage we filmed was not of very good quality. But the show must go on, so I decided to write out the interview here in an article to share with the world, to be followed by the audio portion of the interview with still photos.

I learned that Dayve, who I insisted on calling Day-vee, was pronounced Dave. Dressed in denim jeans and vest, Dayve had a punk/Goth look. He had a black bandana, pale skin, eye makeup and many tattoos. After Disintegration set me straight on his name, we started chatting about The Antiheroes and the conversation took on a life of its own. Before the interview was to start, we talked about Sal’s relationship to author Abe Sulfaro. Sally is the late Abe Sulfaro’s mother, so we discussed this relationship as well as how the manuscript ended up in Sal’s possession just before he died.

Sal goes on to tell us that not even Abe’s closest friends knew of the work—except eventually Spam, another real-life character—and yet he was pounding out these pages in the loft apartment where he stayed. When Abe was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, he chose to do alternative healing out of the country. It was on this trip that Sal was made aware of Abe’s writing. As he read a chapter to his mother, she realized it was a dark, bloody and foreboding tale with a purpose. Like Abe’s music, his thought was, “If my mom likes it, it probably is not that good.” He not only had a handwritten manuscript, but most of the book was transcribed into his computer as well.

After reading the book and growing acquainted with the characters, I was now sitting here with one of those personas, and the first question in my head was: “Dayve, how did you meet Abe and Spam?” Dayve tells us he knew of Spam from the haunted house circuit, as Dayve himself is a special effects and makeup artist. Spam was well known in that scene, even if Disintegration had yet to meet him in person. The fateful day came when Dayve was working at The Ritz (now The Hot Rock Bar) to supplement his income. He was doing his thing as a barback when a local band, Slave to the Beautiful, was opening up for some random national act. Dayve remembers how the guys in Slave owned stage, dressed to the nines in what he describes as Goth/glam to the max. After their set, the national act, who will not be named here, took the stage. Mostly because their set was lackluster, outshined by Abe’s band Slave to the Beautiful, this unnamed band cut their set short and screwed over the venue. As destiny would have it, the manager asked Abe if his band could make another set happen. Not only did a second set happen, but according to Dayve it was somehow better than their first already amazing set.

This is where Dayve tells me that his first encounter with Abe and Spam reminded him of the scene in Dirty Dancing where Baby brings in the watermelon, and when asked who she is, she blurts out, “I brought a watermelon.” Because Abe and his band were gracious enough to do a second set, the manager of The Ritz comped them with pizza and drinks as well as their agreed upon payment. As the fellas sat around the table enjoying their food and drinks, Dayve brought over a tray of pizza, and as he was nervously serving them, he managed to say quietly, “I really liked your band.” Abe looked at him and asked him about his Type O Negative t-shirt shirt. “Is that an original shirt?” Dayve nodded that it was indeed. Abe looked over at Spam (Greg McFarland), told Dayve to “sit the fuck down,” and poured Dayve a beer. Abe, known as Fade in the novel, then noted how he and Dayve were “cut from the same cloth.” It was at this moment, talking about music and other topics, that Dayve, Fade, and Spam knew they were going to be friends.

Not long after that fateful meeting, the booking manager at The Ritz just up and quit. As he walked out, he tossed the keys to Dayve and said, “You’re in charge now.” Dayve protested, “I don’t know what I’m doing!” to which the outgoing booking manager said, ”I know you don’t.” That is how Dayve became the booking agent at The Ritz. Whenever opportunities came up and he was able to book Abe’s band on a bill, he did. After Dayve fell into the routine of booking shows for The Ritz, he started a Goth industrial night called Disintegration Disco which they did on an off night because back then there was no competing with Leland City Club Goth nights on Saturday. Dayve named the evening after the quintessential Goth album, Disintegration by The Cure. Since nobody actually knew what Dayve’s last name was, they started calling him Dayve Disintegration and it stuck.

As I read The Antiheroes, I not only recognized names and locations but also was able to visualize many of the scenes Abe created at these locations being from Detroit myself. The descriptive value of his words are a testament to his artistic genius, not just in music but writing as well. The scenes are brought to life with colorful descriptions of the surrounding areas of some very landmark places like Leland City Club. Abe’s flare for setting the scenes was matched by his skill in bringing the characters to life. Not only do you see this gang of Goths, but you really feel as if you are meeting and getting to know them. Fade and Spam are the core of the story. Fade is Abe’s alter ego in the book. These two guys are not only best friends. They are brothers and have each other’s back no matter what. This you will read and have to agree.

But these two fellas have a background that goes further back and deeper than the information provided in the pages of the book. [Unless of course you are really reading it and reading into it.--suggest deleting this sentence fragment with “iffy” meaning] Abe does not just write about their story on the surface. As a true philosopher, his lines delve into the psyche.

Sal goes on to tell me that when Abe’s father read the manuscript after their son’s passing, he was upset by the testament of what his child had left behind. “My son would never kill anyone,” Abe’s father exclaimed in sheer disbelief. Without a doubt, it was clear that Fade was Abe. Sal went on to explain to her husband and to me that the novel is fiction. Fiction or not, the adventures in the underbelly of Detroit that are talked about between the book’s covers are tales that could be fully believable in our fair city—another feather in the cap of Abe Sulfaro. His writing style was so powerful and realistic that even his own father questioned the content’s truth.

As I looked about the Raven Cafe, I felt a strange sense that I belonged. This is a feeling that doesn’t often happen to a strange mutant like myself. Yet sitting here with Sally whom I cannot stress enough how much I adore, was Dayve Disintegration, another mutant like myself. He may never realize how much I relate to him.

As I look over the shelves of great literature and modern masterpieces, the more I feel that the Raven is a fantastic place to be. The atmosphere is amazing and the staff is top notch. The one reason for good, happy, and cheerful staff is Sadaat Hossain, the owner and operator of this fine establishment. His attitude as a leader is reflected in the way his staff acts towards the patrons.

So drifting back into the now, as I often drift out, Dayve was about to discuss how much of this book is real and how much is a work of fiction. Most of the time we are left to wonder, as the lines are blurred between fantasy and reality. Dayve told us that during the writing of the manuscript which would become The Antiheroes, there was a situation across the city with rival drug gangs setting up and robbing each other Dayve continued to tell me that Abe always had his finger on the pulse of the city and not just on the entertainment side but also local politics,

economy, and Detroit as a whole.

“Dayve, we need to talk.” These are words that no son wants to hear, but after his father finished reading The Antiheroes, those are the words that Disintegration heard. His father had concerns about the content he read in Abe’s book. The outlandish stories about violent and ridiculous behavior have the reader grimacing, smirking, giggling, and at times full out laughing, but these are the times when the truth about real people, places, and happenings shine

through. This we will call fiction? The realism triggered feelings deep within my soul. Those words also set off alarms that unsettled not only Abe’s father but Dayve’s as well. Dayve assured his dad that the murders never actually went down, and then Dayve went on to tell us that he had lied to his father before. It broke the seriousness of our current topic as we all got a good laugh out of his last statement.

Sally made a point, after the laughter settled, that she had to change some of the names in the original manuscript to protect the innocent, perhaps the guilty, or at least those who wish to remain unnamed. Some of the folks we learn about had mental illness, whereas others would not want to reveal such intimate details to the public. But for Abe, his alter ego Fade, it was balls out, full throttle, no brakes, and no apologies.

The heartwarming, fun times are not in there just for character development. They are there as a testament to how Abe felt about his friends…a legacy that will live on long after they are no longer part of the physical realm. In his writing, Abe Sulfaro gave his friends the greatest gift anyone could ever give. He gave them and himself immortality. Abe gave the world a documentary from inside his head: his thoughts, feelings, and his relationships—nothing ever perfect, a bit romanticized, but including the deep, dark feelings we all have had about

ourselves and our loved ones. Abe penned brutal honesty with unforgiving emotions. He captured the dynamic between himself and each of his friends and the women he loved and lusted for. As the character Fade, he beat himself up. He saw himself in plain view. No facade, no cover-ups. This was the raw, naked truth he saw and felt.

For anyone who has ever lived, or in my case still lives life on the outskirts, pushing it to the edge, reality is oftentimes ruthless. Fact is that if you are unable to look into that mirror and reconcile the good, bad, and truly depraved parts of yourself, you will live a lie. The lie will eventually unravel itself, as the truth always comes to light. But in that unraveling of lies, you find yourself becoming undone. This is ultimately what will destroy the humanity that is in each of us.

Unfortunately I can say you will, without a doubt, find a lack of humanity in Detroit. The sun sinks low and the moon is the only light that illuminates the streets of certain parts of the city. It is in these shadows that lurk the truly irrational, violent, and lunatic fringes of society. It’s where society ends and one must be ready to live as an outlaw…here under the streetlights that light nothing, in the shadowy alleys. This is the place that separates those who can survive and those who cannot. Stepping from these shadows, Fade stands tall in all black, his hair, makeup

and clothes immaculate. He is no fool, understanding that here he is part of the food chain. Fade has no delusions that he is always at the top. He knows that he is the hunter as well as the prey, a simple constant that he must remind Spam and the others in his circle. Fade is a mythical creature, seldom seen in the streets and around Detroit. No one really knows who he is, sometimes even himself. The name matches the character as he truly “fades” into the cityscape of Detroit.

People who read this book and have lived in or visited the city of Detroit will easily recognize the images painted in their heads of many well known locations. Some of the places Abe described in precise detail are Leland City Club, Temple Bar, Bleu Detroit and other locations. Many of the places in the book are still there, perhaps not in the same capacity as when the story takes place but there nonetheless. Abe had a deep connection with the city and the places within. He romanticized Detroit the way one is only able to do when absorbed in a love affair with the city. I know because Detroit is my mistress as well. I will never love another city as I have grown to love her.

The Gold Coast bar up on Seven Mile is no longer there. It was a gay bar that Fade visited. In a parallel universe, I was the only one eager to take deliveries there when I worked at Nono’s pizza in Warren, as I was not homophobic and knew that the tip would be good. The cop hangout called The Lincoln Bar has been demolished. The descriptive scenes within these buildings are spot on if you have ever been inside, but I digress. Abe is definitely able to bring places, people and feelings to life. The characters and emotions are as endearing as they are reprehensible. Survival is based on necessities, those necessities depending on the creature’s particular needs. Some need food and shelter, whereas others need to escape their own reality. But you are never able to run from the places created in your own mind, so it becomes a desperate fight to balance what you need to feel alive and what you need to stay alive. You walk a tense tightrope on tiptoes above the wreckage of your life…the life you created in pursuit of the aforementioned necessities.

For Fade, the internal conflict involves his freedom, a freedom never truly felt as he is trapped in a constant battle within himself, and his sense of control. He’s emotionally and morally conflicted, always fighting to reconcile his ruthless deeds with his empathy and kindness. Fade uses cocaine and women to soothe his tortured soul. He’s not looking for love. Sex is just another high and a way to feel alive, even as his inner spirit is dying.

Unlike Fade, Spam uses humor to deal with the stark realities of the brutal lives they live. Also unlike Fade, Spam wants a companion, love, and intimacy. He’s a romantic who wants women to be what he idealizes, but reality is never as good as fantasy.

Disintegration is searching for his tribe, and he finds them. He is from a home where his father does not accept him. He’s an outcast, wanting to belong without giving up his identity. Then he finds acceptance in this group of antiheroes with Spam and the others who orbit the force that is Fade.

In the end, none of the antiheroes want to fit into mainstream society, but they do want to at least be able to live without the passive-aggressive comments and the judgments that make them feel poorly about themselves. All this, combined with Fade’s empathy, his pursuit of social justice, and years of being made to feel less than others, creates an angry outcast. Eventually everything he has bottled up comes to a breaking point. In the closing chapters of The Antiheroes, we read and watch the events leading up to the last and most tragic moments in

Fade’s life when Spam and the boys follow him into the abyss. The reader does not wonder why because when they were at the gates of hell in their world, Fade was right there with them always.

The climactic end of the tale woven by Abe Sulfaro is sadly prophetic. In a way, it imitates the real life of the author. They were living together, Fade and Abe, for so many years and not many would notice. But tales of loss, destruction and success are strange and sinister revelations to Abe’s family and even his closest friends. It was time to say goodbye, and the author and his alter ego did it with a lasting impact that will resonate with those close to him as well as with strangers that he would never meet.

Abe Sulfaro left this material realm on 08 June 2014. He was more than a writer, poet, philosopher, musician, business owner, lover of Detroit, and Goth. He was brother, son, and friend to many. I don’t know why or how Abe’s mother Sally and I were brought together, but I feel the better for it. Her energy is powerful and her aura bright. There is a deep sadness that is suppressed by that light as she works to preserve Abe’s memory and his legacy.

I for one was moved after reading The Antiheroes. I feel a bittersweet entanglement with Abe. To those of you who are reading this article about the book, I encourage you to get a copy. It is a page turner and one that you will want to have in your home or office library. I thank Sally, Disintegration, Sadaat Hossain at Raven Café, and all who were part of this interview.