In The Groove With Paxahau’s Sam Fotias
Paxahau Click the audio player to listen. CultureShift airs weekdays at 12 p.m. Stepping into a subculture and finding ways...
Ryan Patrick Hooper is the award-winning host of "In the Groove" on 101.9 WDET-FM Detroit’s NPR station. Hooper has covered stories for the New York Times, NPR, Detroit Free Press, Hour Detroit, SPIN and Paste magazine.
Hooper grew up reading the Sunday paper with his dad. That’s where he learned the basics of writing while dreaming of one day writing the stories himself. At 16, he knocked on the door of his hometown paper and asked for a job as a reporter. Since then, he's written extensively for the Detroit Free Press -- the same paper he grew up reading.
Since joining WDET in 2017, Hooper has expanded the station’s arts and culture coverage and received numerous awards from the Michigan Association of Broadcasting along the way. Nationally, Hooper was awarded a 2020 RTDNA Regional Edward R. Murrow award for feature reporting for his story “Would You Rent a Stray Dog From the City of Detroit?“ In 2018, Hooper was named the Associated Press Michigan Editors Broadcast Rising Star in broadcast journalism. He received the prestigious Crain’s Detroit Business “20 In Their 20s” award in 2014. His commitment to volunteerism was recognized by the State of Michigan in 2007.
His juggalo-inspired I.C.Pizza costume was selected by the Huffington Post as one of the best Halloween costumes of 2014.
Slurping It Up: Urban Ramen Brings New Noodles to Woodward Avenue
Melody Baetens/ Detroit News Click on the audio player to listen. CultureShift airs weekdays at 12 p.m. Urban Ramen is...
Come Sail Away: Norma G’s Brings Trinidadian Cuisine to Detroit’s Eastside
Norma G's Facebook page Click the audio player to listen. CultureShift airs weekdays at 12 p.m. Has the Detroit restaurant...
Let’s Go Nightclubbing: Tracing the DNA of Iggy Pop’s 1977 Hit Throughout Popular Music
Timber Timbre Click the audio player to listen. CultureShift airs weekdays at 12 p.m. David Bowie and Iggy Pop were...
Sweet Nothings: Michigan Comedian Brad Wenzel Talks Debut Album, Finding His Voice
Diego Attanasio Click on the audio player to listen. CultureShift airs weekdays at 12 p.m. Brad Wenzel made a name...
Beyond the Bell: Vegan “Taco Bell” Pops Up in Detroit
Courtesy of Street Beet Click on the audio player to listen. CultureShift airs weekdays at 12 p.m. Vegan food in...
Howling for a Reservation: Detroit’s SheWolf Brings Fresh Pasta to Cass Corridor
Joe Vaughn Click on the audio player to listen. CultureShift airs weekdays at 12 p.m. One of Detroit's newest restaurants SheWolf is...
Retro Bowling Alley in Royal Oak to Get New Ownership, 1970s Decor
Kelly Elliot Click on the audio player to listen. CultureShift airs weekdays at 12 p.m. Bowlero Lanes in Royal Oak...
In Detroit, “Ruin Porn” Acts as a Proving Ground for Young Photographers
Doug Coombe Click on the audio player to listen. CultureShift airs weekdays at 12 p.m. The term "ruin porn" is...
The Death of the Dive: What’s Next for Two Iconic Dive Bars in Downtown Detroit?
Melody Baetens/ Detroit News Click on the audio player to listen. CultureShift airs weekdays at 12 p.m. Some of Detroit's...
Age Ain’t Nothing but a Number: How the Michigan Senior Olympics Keeps Seniors Active
Bruce Beck Click on the audio player to listen. CultureShift airs weekdays at 12 p.m. Since 1979, the Michigan Senior...
How Alice Cooper Helped Change Punk Rock Forever
Rob Fenn Click on the audio player to listen. CultureShift airs weekdays at 12 p.m. If you were born and...