The Silver Fox

Readers loved our June 7 issue, which was devoted to Henry Rollins. Jennie Vasquez particularly liked Ben Westhoff's interview with the punk-rock legend (“Henry Rollins: The Interview!“). “The interview was a good introduction for newer fans, and you finished with some current questions that I think many of us wonder about Henry from time to time,” she writes. “I really liked the article.”

Spiritsoncall063 wants Rollins to know that readers appreciate him: “Thanks Henry, for all you contribute. I'm a fan who enjoys what you do. Keep doing it as best you can. We, your fans, will keep showing up.”

Djdruemitchell adds of Rollins, “His article and radio show are both beyond brilliant! He is sometimes a little bit of a Debbie Downer — like the 'I'm stuck in Hawaii' article; geez, lighten up dude — but consider the source. Props to L.A. Weekly for carrying his works. This is a great piece. Thank you.”

Pride Goes Before …

An LAWeekly.com piece by Patrick Range McDonald questioning the state of L.A. Pride generated a tremendous amount of buzz last week — earning more than 7,200 Facebook “likes,” 130-plus tweets and a rebuttal from Gawker (“Is L.A. Gay Pride an Outdated, Adolescent Mess?”).

Danosc agrees with McDonald. “I have never understood why L.A. Pride doesn't include the contributions of gays and lesbians to culture and the arts, and instead resembles a gay version of frat weekend. Why not a gay and lesbian arts festival to coincide with Pride Week? Gay men and women have been powerful forces in the artistic life of Los Angeles. Why not celebrate that?”

Paul Florez disagrees. “To get straight to the point, why can't we accomplish all the things this article cries for without dismantling Pride? I keep seeing this fight over and over again, and it seems completely unnecessary.

“First of all, Pride no longer represents the gay community as a whole. It has become an expression of the sexual liberation movement, which not all gay people are a part of. Gay-pride participants are not forcing you to attend, nor are they claiming that you are just like them. Don't blame gay-pride participants for making you look bad. If you don't identify with a group, that's not who you are, and when someone tries to tell you who you are, give them pushback, not the other people they are trying to lump you in with.”

Finally, says whnd, “Let me explain Pride to you. It is NOT about making 'straight folk' take us 'seriously.' It's about us saying that we are NOT like them, and yet we still have the same rights they have. Well-behaved women seldom make history, darling.

“So, if you want to be a prude, and sit there judging the rest of us having a good time, hey, gurl, knock yourself out. But don't kid yourself thinking that you are somehow more evolved or above the rest of us 'adolescents' out there having fun.”

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