Letters

Depth Perception
You are to be commended on pointing out that the content of MFA’s exhibits are thought by some in the community to be lacking depth [“Deal of the Art,” by Megan Halverson, January 9]. It is to be hoped that your very balanced reporting and mild criticism will cause Peter Marzio and the board of MFA to set minimum quality standards for future exhibits. I would personally appreciate at the very least the elimination of misspellings in the exhibit plaques.

Benjamin Wilson
via Internet

Fit for the In-Laws
When I think about times I stood in front of a work of art, and then had an awestruck experience, it’s always been at a museum that has collected and curated either a specific artist, or a genre, to an exhaustive degree. The Getty, the Borghese, the Kimbell, the Walters and the Menil are all examples of this kind of institution. They’re all worth special trips: both physical and contemplative journeys.

Despite its huge endowment and political “pull,” the Houston MFA is just not of their caliber. This is because it hasn’t developed a segment of its collection worth a special trip. Instead, the MFA continues to round out the gaps with solid “also-rans” and “nearly as good as” pieces. So what we’re left with is a three-dimensional art survey course, like a coffee-table book fit for the in-laws to look through, instead of an awe-inspiring excellence.

Awe-inspiring excellence is what a museum should be about.
Scott Bodenheimer
Houston

Personal Liberation
At last! The Houston Press has made it safe for me to come out of the closet … as a Badfinger fan! Thanks for Hobart Rowland’s insightful article on one of rock’s most underrated acts and Darrell Clingman’s effort to keep their music alive [Music, “The Good with the Badfinger,” January 9].

Like Clingman, I first listened to Badfinger because the Beatles are my favorite band. But I soon learned to appreciate their music completely on their own terms — and outside of the “hit” singles. It’s a shame the “baby Beatles” tag has continued to this day.

Though their material had been out of print for years (a buddy of mine paid $40 for a worn copy of Straight Up at a convention some years back, which of course I taped for free), Apple Records has recently remastered and rereleased the catalog, including the wonderful Come and Get It: The Best of Badfinger, which is a great introduction for new fans and a fine compilation for older ones.

I also found the piece on the Velvet Elvis interesting [Static, by Hobart Rowland, January 9], since I just moved back to Houston from Savannah, Georgia, where the best nightclub for live music in town is also named … yup, “The Velvet Elvis.” Long live the King … and the kitsch!

Bob Ruggiero
Houston

Children First
I keep reading about the increase in the number of AIDS cases in African-Americans and that the majority of babies with AIDS are African-American. It is amazing to me that when the county government has a chance to improve the lives of children with AIDS, they would rather get bogged down in bureaucracy and red tape [“Unembraceable You,” by Brian Wallstin, December 26].

Let’s take care of the children, not protect the jobs of government employees by making up more rules.

Dorothy Bey
Houston