LETTERS

Did you ever send us letters, dear readers. Millions of missives, it seems, over the years — sometimes laudatory, more often critical, and a few that were just plain weird.

DEAR EDITOR:

I was walking down the corridor at school the other day when I noticed your newspaper. So I picked one up, and I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading your first edition of L.A. Weekly. The section called "Insights" was of extreme interest to me. Your newspaper is very unique, and a lot of fun to read. I liked the "Films" section and have never seen one like it. The "Neighborhood Movie Guide" was great.

I enjoyed all of the articles, and read the paper from cover to cover, twice. I think I can truly say that this is the first black-and-white newspaper I’ve seen that has color.

Keep up the good work.

—Steven Hodge

A CSULB student

May 17, 1979

DEAR EDITOR:

Thank you for the space, the thought, the eloquence and the authority that you gave to your review of the television adaptation of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.

Of course, part of my gratitude springs from selfishness, but please accept it and overlook the source. But the more important part of my thanks arises from the fact that you lent your eloquence and authority to encourage the television industry to offer America a fuller and profounder view of black life than it has so far.

It has been a dream of mine long deferred. I pray that what you wrote may prevent that dream from dying and shriveling "like a raisin in the sun."

—Maya Angelou

Los Angeles

May 15, 1981

DEAR EDITOR:

Thank you for having the courage and good sense to print "Don’t Read This Article" by M. I am a big-time academic (feminist theory, the politics of health care, capitalism and social control . . .) and a smalltime cocaine dealer (for my nose, not my pocket). I have been doing cocaine for three years, but have never tried freebase. After reading M.’s article, I believe I never will . . .

—Maud MacLaren

Silver Lake

April 23, 1982

DEAR EDITOR:

It seems schizophrenic to see your clearly leftist journalistic viewpoint interspersed with blatantly narcissistic ads promoting status and snobbery as virtues.

Why do you persist in depicting black people as simplistic Roots-like stereotypes? Grant them some humanity; let them be villains, too.

As for your astrology column — if you want to be taken seriously in the forum of reason, you couldn’t do much worse than parade medieval superstition across your pages, could you?

A progressive publication is foremost a credible one. By the way, I loved your recent cover cartoon, "Nuclear War?! . . . There Goes My Career!"

—Patrick A. Kittle

Culver City

November 5, 1982

DEAR EDITOR:

I am writing to compliment your courage. Greg Goldin’s article and your presentation of Central American facts well-known by all the media demonstrates two things. One: We need the L.A. Weekly. Two: We live in a country where a press, if not balanced, is at least "free." Your value and interest to our community depends on a continued independence. Keep it up.

—Haskell Wexler

Malibu

December 10, 1982

DEAR EDITOR:

I would like the readers of the L.A. Weekly to know I deplore the idea that "I don’t care" about people who forge my artwork, as stated by Louis Walden in an article entitled "Bohemia L.A.: Inside the Casa Real." Louis Walden’s use of my quotes from German art critic Rainer Crone were taken out of context. My statements in Mr. Crone’s book about my work were purely theoretical and were never intended to be interpreted as a "go ahead" to forge my work, as Mr. Walden implies. His technical adviser, Michael Jaeger, was never employed as an art assistant to me at any time, nor were any of the others in the story. Mr. Jaeger’s statement that his forgeries of my work hang in the Metropolitan Museum of Art is pure fabrication. Any attempt by these people, or any others, to market and sell forgeries of my artwork will be dealt with in the customary legal manner, with the proper legal authorities informed. I appreciate having the opportunity to correct the erroneous information contained in your article on Louis Walden. I appreciate the fact that your newspaper deplores such proposed illegal rip-offs of my artwork. I would be glad to authenticate any artwork by me in question.

—Andy Warhol

January 28, 1983

DEAR EDITOR:

This is to inquire if other readers have noticed a strange slant creeping into the Weekly’s once-excellent editorial coverage over the last year or so, something one might call "the cult of personality reporting."

While other local rags contrive to publish interesting issues virtually devoid of star-status bylines, the Weekly seems determined to thrust its pet reporters — specifically, Ginger Varney, Michael Ventura and columnist Harlan Ellison — at us in a manner so brazen as to put even Ben Stein or Andy Rooney to shame . . .

As you can probably tell, I read the Weekly. I read it every week. And it makes me goddamn mad that some of it is very good while so much more is garbage.