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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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Polos, Price, and Patrons
To the editor: I guess you might think that the music scene is nonexistent in Fort Worth, and from reading the Weekly, I can only agree with you, considering that every time that I read Hearsay it is about John Price, Colin Herring, or some other run-in at the Moon that happened to be “cooler” than any other music going on in the city. Now don’t get me wrong, I like John Price. I have seen him a few times, but since you labeled him as the Metroplex’s “best rocker,” I think it is ironic because he only plays the Aardvark — that’s it!
There are so many other bands that need the little tidbits of publicity that you could give them in Hearsay. But I suppose Price and the other pretentious “rockers” need that desperately since they are so deprived of patrons who will “really listen” to their music. Besides what did you expect from the crowd at the Aardvark? It is a TCU bar; that’s the way Danny Weaver wants it, anyway —he is only concerned with making money.
And by the way, I was at the Wreck Room and I thought it was wonderful that there were guys with “orange polos” at the show. At least there is a little diversity. Does everyone have to be a “dirty little hippie” to enjoy Spoonfed Tribe? The only thing they are concerned with is if you dig the music. Get over yourself and realize there are other bands playing all over the Fort Worth area; maybe you should read the Weekly.
J.D. Shellnut
Fort Worth
Y’all Talk So Funny
To the editor: I had to chuckle after reading Mr. Johnson’s complaint that you were “mocking” the thousands of folks in Foat Wuth and their “heavy Texas drawls.” It’s nice to know folks in other parts of the country are as hypersensitive as we are here in Minnesota. When the Coen Brothers’ movie Fargo opened several years ago, many of the folks here in the Great White North felt like their heavy Minnesota accents were being mocked, dontchaknow? As one co-worker said to me after seeing it, “Jeez Louise! We dunt talk like that.” All I could say in reply was “Uff da! That was sure some bad deal, you betcha!” BTW, I grew up in Arlington and rather miss those heavy accents, dontchaknow.
Jeff Cawhorn
Minneapolis, MN
Boogie Profilin’
To the editor: I’ve enjoyed Ken Shimamoto’s music coverage. He seems to have prior knowledge of music, a sophisticated perspective, interest in a lot of styles and genres, talent for writing, and he’s quite prolific. My one complaint is the sociology implied between the lines in the “Boogie Chillun’” cover story (Oct. 24, 2002). It’s kind of antiquated to emphasize the same old clichés about the black blues scene — that’s it’s mostly about sex, booze, and stubborn stupidity. That there’s something primordial about it. That the lesser-known performers are equals to the greats, only they didn’t care about fame so didn’t get discovered. And so on and so on. Please, next time you do the blues, do a little more shaping and a little less profiling. Thanks.
Michael Pellecchia
Fort Worth
Roots of Ronald
To the editor: I was initially shocked by your article of Sept. 12 (“Ronald’s in the Hospital”), and then later quite amused by the nurse from John Peter Smith Hospital who attempted to defend her employer without even addressing the blatant disregard for health that McDonald’s restaurants represent. The initial shock of learning that our local county hospital has a built-in McDonald’s quickly subsided when I recalled a good friend’s number-one rule: “Most people are idiots”.
Popular debate relating to health these days focuses on HMOs, prescription drug plans, and comprehensive medical insurance. I submit that the emphasis seems to be on symptoms rather than causes. One need only do a little extra research to discover that our mainstream agricultural and food industries are adversely affecting our health and, hence, are a major source of our expensive medical system. The school district my children attend apparently believes that a lunch entrée can consist of cheese nachos or a “chili mac,” and most of the high schools have vending machines that openly sell Cokes, Fritos, and candy bars to our children. To meet demand, feedlot cattle are forced to full maturity in 16 months, resulting in beef from our grocers laced with antibiotics, growth hormones, and other chemicals we should not be consuming. The excess sugar, hydrogenated fats, and chemicals have all recently been linked to diabetes, heart disease, and other immunodeficiency disorders.
The only glimmer of hope is that some professionals are finally beginning to admit the so-called nutritional USDA food guide pyramid is definitely out of whack. We’ve got a long way to go, and if we’re going against the grain of the USDA, FDA or the giant pharmaceutical companies, we’re going to face a lot of denial along the way. On the other hand, I guess you can’t blame JPS for endorsing a food source that helps keep the hospital in business.
David B. Hamre
Fort Worth
To the editor: Regarding your story about the McDonald’s at John Peter Smith Hospital: Your paper probably improved the place, and they didn’t need any help in damaging their reputation. I’ve been boycotting “Peter Smith” for years. Being treated there due to no cash flow back in the early days is probably what motivated me to get a real job with health benefits — although I might have gone back for a burger and a FREE copy of the Weekly.
Terri Berthelsen
Roanoke
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