Kudos To Columnists
That was a fine piece of writing by Hal Crowther on the dumbing-down of our wonderful country (“Weapons of Mass Stupidity,” June 4). Come to think of it, there have been many thought-provoking articles in CL over the last few months: worthy comments from Mr. Lazo, Mr. Sugg, and, of course, the ever-vigilant and conscientious Ms. Servatius.
By the way, a “Nationalist” is a person who truly believes that his own tribe (nation) is more deserving, and just plain better than all the other tribes. The savages who almost wrecked Europe a few years back even had a catchy nickname, short for “Nationalists.” People called them “Nazis.”
— Eric Nelson, Charlotte
From The Mouth Of Dubya
Wow, do I love Gene Lazo for this short commentary (“War of the Words,” July 2). Dubya always has some interesting things to say; this is actually one of my favorite quotes and it fits so nicely with our 4th of July theme, from our beloved President:
“Well, it’s an unimaginable honor to be the president during the Fourth of July of this country. It means what these words say, for starters. The great inalienable rights of our country. We’re blessed with such values in America. And I — it’s — I’m a proud man to be the nation based upon such wonderful values.” — President George W. Bush, visiting the Jefferson Memorial, July 2, 2001
— Lauren Arnold, New York, NY
Local Music Un-scene
Regarding “Let the Music Play” by Tim Davis (June 25), I felt something may have been missed. Club owners take serious advantage of local bands. A band struggles to get anyone’s attention at the club with numerous promo kits, and unreturned phone calls. Finally, you get someone with a pulse and they treat you like you know absolutely nothing about “the music biz” and the proper way to handle your booking. Now granted there are some newbies who are still learning, but I’m talking about everyone that I know who’s ever had to book in Charlotte including us.
The club then leaves it solely to the bands to promote their club. Flyers alone won’t do it and most local bands (original music) can’t afford radio time. Bands cannot bring out huge crowds in Charlotte without the help of clubs doing some kind of advertising (other than CL), but yet the clubs expect the band to give up the door money as well as pay for the flyers, distribute them, bring out the drinking crowds so they can spend money “in the club,” do all of the promotions, and still not make a dime.
A local rock station that claims to be the major supporter of local rock only puts on one hour-and-a-half show late on Sunday night when 99 percent of Charlotte is either at home watching TV or in bed. The cities with the most successful music scenes aren’t afraid to play local rock sporadically throughout the day or during primetime. It’s going take a great effort from the clubs, The End, and the local papers to get the word out. Until that happens, there will be no music scene here and great local bands will continue to look elsewhere for support.
–Chris Starks (from the band Karma), Charlotte
We Love Ya, Tomorrow
In the future, when there is an issue concerning space available in your publication, could you please consider retaining “This Modern World” and deleting that asinine “Slow Wave.” No one here knows anyone who finds that cartoon the least bit interesting or amusing. People should keep their dreams to themselves. On the other hand, we eagerly await Tom Tomorrow’s cartoon each week. This week we had to go to his website, and yes, it was another gem.
We appreciate your consideration.
— The Gang at RareType, Charlotte
I See Disaster
Finally, the question of “why are they are doing this?” (“Stern Assessment,” by Tara Servatius, June 18). Many actions taken in this city defy logic. Some of Tara’s theories make sense, but I expect we will never know definitely. Our elected leaders and bureaucrats seem to have taken on the mantle of “The Anointed.” No matter how foolish a venture appears to the public, “The Anointed” can “defend” it.
Without a crystal ball, I cannot see into the future, but I can predict disastrous results for the arena, the transit, and the trolley, because all three defy logic.
— Suzanne Stallings, Charlotte
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This article appears in Jul 9-15, 2003.
