...makes Sherri look good: Do Chuck Strouse's knuckles scrape the ground when he walks? Just wondering. Because the last Undercurrents penned by him (February 14) about the janitor named "Mike" is such a low, juvenile attempt at journalism that I can only imagine Strouse is a slack-jawed, gap-toothed, suspendered hillbilly whose mother is also his aunt. Did he think the references to "it" were funny? Was I supposed to learn something from this piece of "shit" (oops, I said it) column, other than the fact that janitors clean up poop for a living? I refuse to read your paper anymore while Strouse is writing for it. Fire him, and hire Sherri Winston in his place. That could only improve the reporting. My neighbor feels the same.
Albert Lagenfeld
Tamarac
Cuz that's sure what WTMI did: I have been reading New Times since I was a teenager in Miami and have always been a huge fan. I have never had occasion to write in response to an article before, but I must say that I take great exception to February 14's Bandwidth. Jeff Stratton grouped classical fans into one great big, stuck-up, old, and pretentious category. Well I, for one, am none of those things. I am just a pretty average 28-year-old member of the community who is mourning the loss of our only local classical station. Before you judge me, understand that I love techno music and have for at least the past ten years now. I have listened to it grow and evolve through the years, always with the enthusiasm and energy that the genre of music contains.
Techno is perhaps what I listen to the most, and despite my great sorrow at the apparent death of classical music in my community, I have become a great fan of the new format the station has adopted. However, I cannot help but lament the lack of culture in our society today. The music we listen to started somewhere. Music has its roots in so many genres and cultures that to pick one and snub the others is a disservice not only to the art of music but to human beings' growth and understanding of themselves and each other. While I have my favorites, that doesn't mean I do not constantly expose myself to any kind of music that I can.
Perhaps country music is not exactly my cup of tea, but there are exceptions to that for me as well. How can one truly consider himself or herself a connoisseur of music if he or she is limited to a specific genre?
The first music that I can remember truly loving is classical. Of course, I was exposed to it as a toddler, and it seemed only natural to me that such incredible sound should be admired and even loved. As I got a little older, I gravitated toward '50s and '60s music, despite the obvious fact that this was most definitely not the music of "my generation." I fell in love with music, I suppose, because I could not get enough of it. Alternative, punk, rock, hip-hop, jazz, blues, oldies, classical, Latin, dance, country, techno, trance, trip-hop --the list goes on and continues to undergo a metamorphosis, as we humans do.
Perhaps the fact that I come from a combination of diverse cultures has something to do with it. Or perhaps I was taught to have an open mind about an ever-changing art that is such a huge part of most people's lives. Whatever the case, not all of us are pompous tightwads. It saddens me a great deal that now the only way I can listen to classical music is by pulling out one of my own CDs.
I am appalled at the fact that people called to harass WPYM-FM (93.1) general manager Mike Disney. He isn't to be blamed for the change. The listeners are. Which brings me to the point where I agree with you.... Listeners should have put their money where their mouths are if they truly wanted to save the station. The fact that it's gone speaks volumes. It tells us that nobody cares enough about classical music to keep it on the air here.
My point (and I'm sure you were waiting for me to get to it) is that you shouldn't generalize or stereotype people based on the music that they listen to. I'm not the only person with eclectic tastes in music. I have several friends and acquaintances who listen to a wide range of music, and many of them love classical. It is too bad that people -- not just old but young as well -- are allowing the roots of music to die off and fade away. I'm no whiner, either. I just truly love music.
Kellyn Maillard
via the Internet
Ask and ye shall receive, sucker: After reading Jim Gaines's January 3 story, "Call Me Now! ... And Pay Me Later," I have this reaction: It's hard to feel sorry for the people who have been lied to, cheated, and duped by Miss Cleo and her employers. Since they are inquiring of soothsayers, something that is forbidden, they shouldn't be surprised if they have bad results.
Consuelo Simpson
Columbus, Ohio