Steve Brown
via Internet
Sad Surrender
An open letter to the 100 KRBE Radio Research Callees ["Played Out," by Hobart Rowland, April 23]:
Due to the intense firestorm of controversy generated by my letter oftwo weeks ago, I hereby resign from my position as President and CEO of Houston Radio Critics, Inc.
As you might recall, I wrote a letter labeling the KRBE research callees "a bunch of lemmings following each other over the cliff." After much regret and many sleepless nights, I have decided to step down from this lofty position. In this age of political correctness, I admit my remarks were very insensitive. What I should have said is, "Those 100 people KRBE supposedly calls for their research must be like a giant herd of wildebeest, rumbling through the plains of the Serengeti, wildly stomping on each other as they cross the river."
My deepest regrets.
P.S. I would also like to apologize to any lemmings or wildebeest that I might have offended.
John Violette
Houston
Spotlight on Todd Snider
Thank you for putting a well-deserved spotlight on Todd Snider ["Dream So Real," by Rob Patterson, April 30]. He's a helluva songwriter, a good guy and the best performer in rock music today.
Vic Camozzi
via Internet
Hey, He's an Eclectic Kind of Guy
Todd Snider seems to have the Press reviewers scrambling. The Press review of his premiere, Songs for the Daily Planet, cast Snider in the Ray Stevens mold, writing "novelty" songs. Now you've got him as a cross between Jerry Jeff Walker and Billy Graham. What's next, a mix of Up With People and Kiss? (Having seen his act this week, I'd add a little Joe Cocker. Great act, by the way, good opening group, too, the Bottle Rockets. Festus, Missouri?!)
Steve Kennedy
via Internet
What If We Still Don't Get It?
You know, it took me a while to ponder the review we received from you ["No Laughing Matter," by Lee Williams, April 30]. Everyone else in the entire Houston area seemed to get it; what happened to you? I'm sure you are a talented writer, for the most part, so why are you using Eating Raoul as your public forum on hate crimes? The show is a caricature of life in the mid-'70s, not Jerry Springer! And I loved the question about why everyone else thought it was funny except for you. Well, probably because you are in the minority, my dear! (If one person equals a minority.) And as for the comment about our cast being a bunch of Nazis, there are three Jewish actors in the show who practice their faith regularly, and more than a few Christians. We can all take a joke -- can you?
This isn't about the neighborhood the theater inhabits, or the gay-bashing in Montrose (since Body Positive came with a sold-out house to one of our previews, which Gerry LaBita so graciously donated to the cause). How come we get standing ovations? Maybe you need to take life a little less seriously and learn to laugh a little more.
I certainly am not afraid of you, but some people think your opinion holds some merit and were afraid to write to you. I credit you for at least having an opinion, I'm just not sure it is of the same things we are speaking of -- you of hate crimes in America, I of innocent comedy. And I have to wonder if your opinion of the show and the neighborhood the theater inhabits would change if we were to do the show at Stages? My dear, we are not all white, we are all different people of different religions and ethnicities doing a light, fun comedy, and doing it very well, I believe. Thanks for your time.
Jennifer Savoy
via Internet
Focusing the News
A round of applause for the author of "The Mean Spirit of Texas" article [by Tim Fleck, April 30] and to you all for putting it on your web site. The sad thing is that most likely the two men will settle instead of going to court -- after all, they have to worry about getting new jobs. God forbid that their future employers might think that they expect to be treated fairly as human beings on the basis of the relative quality of their contributions! Actually, the two men do fail to contribute -- that is, if contribution consists of generating sex appeal. The real issue here is whether the focus of the news should be to entertain or to inform, because if the news was intended to inform the viewer, then age discrimination would be unnecessary. The EEOC will continue to face cases such as that of Mr. Getter and Mr. Uhl; Houstonians will continue to have no choice but to watch local news of little substance; reporters will continue to have to compromise themselves in order to make a buck -- all of this will occur until the purpose of the news, to entertain or to inform, is decided once and for all.
Sarah Swindle
via Internet
Missed a story? The editorial contents of the Houston Press, dating back to July 1, 1996, are available on-line at www.houstonpress.com/archive/ index.html.
