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A D V E R T I S E M E N T
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T
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But They’re Our Morons
But They’re Our Morons
To the editor: As a fourth-generation Texan, let me tell ya something. The reason we pull on our boots and dust off the Stetson once a year (“Fake Cowboys and Nubian Goats,” Jan. 28, 2004) is a little thing called tradition.
Let me offer these words of inspiration, attributed to Betty Dooley, Washington lobbyist: “I’ve come to believe that the morons, thieves, and cutthroats who, with their women, settled Texas have passed on a spirit of independence, courage, and tenacity which has given me an edge over these defeated, pessimistic, and cynical Easterners.”
So, Mr. McGraw, if you don’t like our traditions, then spit on the ceiling — anybody can spit on the floor. On second thought, do the words U-Haul, Ryder, and Mayflower mean anything to you?
William B. Massey III
Fort Worth
Getting in the Grit
To the editor: I like the grit that Jeff Prince puts in his features (“Putting the Mex in Texas Music,” Jan. 28, 2004) and I’m anxious to tour the Fort Worth area so that I can share a little more ’tude than was exposed in the minute and a half segments allotted on Nashville Star. If I don’t lose five pounds of sweat by the end of a show, I feel like I’ve cheated the audience. You’ll be one of the first to get a copy of the album. Vaya con Dios,
john Arthur martinez
Marble Falls
Well-Painted Artists
To the editor: I read the article “Painters to the Court of George II’” (Feb. 4, 2004) and came away wanting to meet the Gentling twins, These men were brought to life with a mixture of humor, in the retelling of the boyhood interests and pranks and respect for the artists they have become.
Mr. Hudson paints with words the way Stuart and Scott use their brushes. I look forward to more articles from him.
Jan Manire
Fort Worth
To the editor: Samuel Hudson did a bang-up job in his article on the Gentling twins. I have lived in this area most of my life and was unaware that they even existed. Mr. Hudson has opened my eyes to art that is being produced right here at home. Lengthy articles with some meat are what is missing in the daily and what I look forward to in the Weekly. Keep ’em coming!
Jason Miller
Fort Worth
Eat What You Dish
To the editor: Shouldn’t someone who makes a living criticizing others be able to shoulder a little criticism himself? If HearSay’s job is to “talk shit,” as you so eloquently put it, I would think you’d be used to eating a little once in a while. (“Riverbloat Shamblers,” Jan. 14, 2004). By your logic, Mike Wiebe’s opinions don’t count because he doesn’t get paid for them, which, frankly, is a ridiculous statement. Meanwhile, you’re forgetting that many people pay to see the Gamblers not only for the rock, but also the entertainment of hearing Wiebe express himself. (Also the inevitable bloodshed, but that’s another story. ...)
For the record, HearSay got one thing right. Your condescending sarcasm aside, it’s true: As a writer, to express one’s opinion in a “reader-friendly” way is bad. It’s boring. If you have something to say, then say it. And if you can back it up, then a little stage ranting won’t rattle you.
Gosh, Mister, I may be just one of the “dumb-and-growing-dumber public” that Fort Worth Weekly, guardian of journalistic integrity that it is, tries so hard not to pander to. So maybe my opinion doesn’t count. But, for what it’s worth, I’ve only known Mike Wiebe to be intelligent, thoughtful, hilarious, and talented. One might describe him as articulate, funny, and erudite. The day he becomes “reader-friendly” I’m gone.
Darci Ratliff
Editor, kittenpants.org
New York City
Critiquing the Venice Exhibit
To the editor: I have communicated to the Kimbell Museum the wide dissatisfaction about the display of Turner’s paintings by artificial light during the London showing of the Turner and Venice exhibition (Calendar, Feb. 18, 2004). They have so far been unable to say whether they will take any notice of that. The exhibition also includes a pair of paintings from a private collection that look over-restored. These were restored a few years ago by John Bull, a brother of David Bull, whose restoration of Turner’s “Rockets and Blue Lights” has been controversial for its extremely radical nature. After being shown in London, the exhibition was to be shown at the Metropolitan Museum in New York and then in Venice. Why the Met dropped out has never been stated. Two museums in Venice (the Fondazione Giorgio Cini and the Peggy Guggenheim Museum) have declined to take the exhibition.
Turner and Venice should have been one of the most spectacular exhibitions of the decade, but there has been so much bungling that the opportunity has been lost.
Dr. Selby Whittingham
The Independent Turner Society
London, England
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