L.A. Weekly
KATE & RODNEY
Re: “A
Man Out of Time” [cover story, June 13–19]. Kate Sullivan’s article gives
Rodney Bingenheimer the kudos he deserves and informs a mostly unaware public
of a DJ who has touched all of our lives by helping to create and shape rock
& roll history. It’s sad and frustrating when execs in entertainment conglomerates
have the power, but neither the creativity nor the balls, to back new stuff,
when they rely on being trend followers rather than trendsetters and frontiersmen.
Thanks, L.A. Weekly, for always speaking up, speaking out and helping
us keep our groove on.
—Sue Jones
Glendale
Kate Sullivan wrote a great story about the Rodney Bingenheimer documentary,
but everyone I know agrees with me that the issue had the creepiest cover
photo in the history of the L.A. Weekly. I think you did Rodney no favors
with that picture, even if he approved it. My girlfriend brought it home, and
it scared the shit out of me!
—Shaun Mason
Silver Lake
PETER & CHRIS
Why don’t you let Peter Fletcher write just one more
puff piece about Chris Carter
[“Do Look Back,” June 13–19]? That way, he’ll have written not four but
five Weekly pieces kissing Carter’s ass since January 2002. Carter has
been one of the biggest self-promoters in L.A. rock circles, for longer than
Coyote Shivers. He’ll certainly continue with the latter activity just so long
as there are fine Los Angeles journalists like his friend Peter Fletcher placing
stories about him in the Weekly.
—David Meyers
Los Angeles
HILLARY & MARTHA
Re: “Iron Maidens”
[On, June 13–19]. I was sorry to see John Powers use so many political clichés
in his article about Hillary Clinton and Martha Stewart. I don’t believe most
men are “unnerved” by strong women. I sort of like Martha. Does that make me
part of the Wall Street right wing Mr. Powers refers to? I respect that she
built a business, created jobs and appears to make her own decisions. Unfortunately,
her decision to lie to the government is a mistake she shares with Hillary.
But I can see why Hillary has support: Any person who can play so many roles
and turn a $1,000 investment in cattle futures into a $100,000 profit overnight
need not reveal her gender at all.
—Frank DeSimone
Redondo Beach
CHERUBS & RUGRATS
Re: “Decapitating
the Friedmans” [June 13–19]. I could have done without the bit in Ella Taylor’s
Capturing the Friedmans review describing children as “firm and round
and perfectly formed.” Is this generalization useful to anyone besides pedophiles?
Children are also sometimes funny-looking, bony and smelly. I get that the film
and the reviewer are both trying to raise issues of sexuality that don’t get
dealt with enough — and I’m fully in favor of that. I just don’t see why one
has to make blanket, pointedly titillating statements in the middle of an otherwise
engaging review. Looking over the other L.A. Weekly capsule reviews,
I find a few other references to “youthful beauty” and “spectacular tits.” It
seems that shameless superficial ogling is the one questionable behavior that
the Weekly consistently allows itself.
—Dominic Mah
Los Angeles
SHRINERS CONTENTION
Re: Stephen Lemons’ “Dear
God!” [June 13–19]. Thank goodness I’m not the only one who considers the
so-called shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe at the Plaza of the Cathedral of
Our Lady of the Angels an insult to that sacred personage, as well as to those
who revere her. She belongs inside the cathedral, in a properly appointed chapel,
with flowers and candles — and I don’t mean in one of those cubbyholes they
call a “chapel.”
If the Latino community is not offended by this treatment of this, their most
sacred of images, then they should be. Officials from the archdiocese claim
that the Virgin is outside because they don’t want to “keep her from the faithful.”
How is placing the sacred image of the Mother of God in a place of honor inside
the cathedral going to keep her away from the people? This is an outrage. Thanks
to the L.A. Weekly for bringing this issue of the Blessed Virgin into
the public eye. She deserves our love and support.
—Georgina Heath
Santa Monica
Reading Stephen Lemons’ article, one gets the impression that the new Cathedral
of Our Lady of the Angels has some serious shortcomings when it comes to recognizing
the diverse cultures of Los Angeles Catholics. I want to offer my point of view
that the cathedral is an incredible monument to diversity and inclusivity, a
bold recognition of the Virgin’s position as patroness of the Americas (as declared
by Pope John Paul II). The shrine is a very important place of prayer for pilgrims
and a key attraction for visitors, Catholic and non-Catholic alike. The great
bronze doors at the entrance to the cathedral reveal different images of the
Virgin from the visions that have been passed to us through various cultures
represented here in Southern California. These include the Immaculate Conception,
the Pietà, the Mater Dolorosa, the Virgin of Pomata, the Virgin of the Rosary
of Chichinquira, the ‰ Divine Shepherdess, the Virgin of the Cave, the Virgin
of the Candlestick, the Virgin of Mercy and, yes, the Virgin of Guadalupe. It’s
worth noting that none of these other than the Virgin of Guadalupe enjoys a
permanent shrine at the cathedral.
From my point of view, the art committee and Cardinal Mahony, in their years
of discernment, have accomplished something beyond expectations in their presenting
and balancing of symbols of faith important to all Catholics in the most ethnically
and culturally diverse archdiocese in the world.
—Ray Bianco
Marina del Rey
THE FACE BEHIND THE BEHIND
Re: “Dixie’s Chicks” [A
Considerable Town, June 20–26]. Hey, thanks for putting a picture of my
butt in your publication! And thanks for the great article on the Miss Exotic
World Pageant. You really captured the day perfectly. It’s nice to see intelligent
coverage of the burlesque-revival movement from people who actually “get it.”
—Sparkly Devil
Detroit, Michigan
TWIN TWEAKS
Regarding John Payne’s otherwise excellent piece “Rhyme
of the Century” [June 20–26]. Composer Daedelus’ real name is not Alfred
Hawkins, but Alfred Weisberg-Roberts. You’ve nominated him for Best DJ Mixmeister
in this year’s L.A. Weekly music awards, so you really should know better.
—Alicia Weisberg-Roberts
London, England
Re: Sara Catania’s “The
Bright Ages: Stargazing With Big-Buck Chuck” [A Considerable Town, June 13–19].
Being an amateur astronomer, I really enjoyed this article, until the part about
the tiger. I’m from Africa, where the only place you will find a tiger is behind
bars in a zoological garden. It is a common misconception that tigers have found
their way across the Indian Ocean onto the plains of Africa.
—Richard Hammond
Los Angeles
CORRECTION
In his article about arts funding during the state budget crisis (“Shipwrecked,”
July 25–July 3) Steven Leigh Morris wrote that, in 1995, a $5 million allocation
for the Museum of Tolerance amounted to about 10 percent of California Arts
Council budget. Actually, according to CAC figures, that year’s state arts budget
was $13.6 million (not $56 million, as Morris wrote), putting the museum’s allocation
at more than 30 percent.
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