Letters for the week of November 15-21, 2006

“WAR CRIMES OR LOCAL CRIMES?” BOTTOM FEEDER, 9/6

DISTORTING HER MEMORY
It is indeed odd that the opponents of Proposition H in Berkeley chose to identify themselves as they did in the ballot arguments. It does seem to indicate they were looking for “pizzazz” to bring attention to themselves. But I would also say it was downright rude and unseemly to use Meleia Willis-Starbuck’s name in this way. I would recommend that people try to consider common decency in identifying themselves in a public document. To discuss the concerns about local crime is one thing, but to personally adopt someone else’s tragedy as a personal identifier goes beyond what is decent.

The twist here is that Mr. Tilleman is using (and I mean USING) Meleia’s name to oppose a proposition she would have undoubtedly endorsed. How insensitive and cruel is that to her name and memory, and to those who love her. The further irony is that the argument that global issues should not be linked to local politics is made absurd by the fact that it is the culture of punitive aggression that lies at the heart of the violence we experience in our lives locally, here and now. It is all connected. On behalf of the Willis-Starbuck family, I would suggest that the City of Berkeley, the media, and other public entities not allow such a misuse of personal identification in the future.
Meg Starbuck, Alameda

“A SPELL ON YOU,” WHO READS WHAT WHERE?, 10/25

A WELCOME EXCEPTION
Thank you. Most of the Halloween coverage of my religion is awful. Your article is a welcome exception. Happy Halloween! And a blessed Samhain, as well.

Tricia Lay, Birmingham, Alabama

WE’VE GOT HOLY BOOKS TOO
Chris Ulbrich hit the nail on the head with the article “A Spell on You.” We in the Pagan community even laugh at ourselves with regard to this subject. The joke goes something like this: A Christian, a Muslim, and a Wiccan walk into a bookstore. The Christian looks around and says, “Ahah! Here is everything I need,” and buys a Bible. The Muslim looks around, says, “Ahah! Here is everything I need,” and buys a copy of the Koran. The Wiccan then looks around and says, “Ahah! HERE is everything I need,” and buys the bookstore.

I sure wish I had 19 bookcases — then I could unpack some of my book collection that I’ve got boxed up out in the garage!
Tim Money, Oneida, Tennessee

THANKS FROM A PAGAN
As a Wiccan and a member of the Covenant of the Goddess, I really appreciate you taking the time to write an article on what witches are really like. Also I’m impressed that you took the time to speak with witches who can accurately explain what Samhain is about and why it’s important to the Pagan community.

Asha Gray, Chicago, Illinois

“ADDICTED TO SEX,” FEATURE, 10/25

WOMEN ARE ADDICTS TOO
I really liked the article on sex addiction, but I wish you had included a story of a female sex/love addict as well, because just mentioning the prevalence without examples doesn’t do much to dispel the stereotype of the addiction as male, and thus impedes women from getting the help they need. I am a female “sex and love addict.” The shame is excruciating and keeps many women from admitting their problem even to themselves. I have found that the Sex Addicts Anonymous meetings I have tried included mostly men and were too intimidating for me. However, Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous meetings, which include those addicted to unhealthy relationships, fantasy, etc., have more women and even female-only meetings. I am hopeful that articles like the one in the Express will not only be helpful to the addicts but will help partners, families, and friends. Thank you for writing and publishing it.

Leslie Lemon, Alameda

ALL MEAT, NO MOTION
Thank you for your article on sex addiction. As a sexuality educator, I’m pleased to see more and more awareness and discussion of the topic.

However, I’m disappointed with how Ms. Gard approached the issue. By focusing on a few examples, she avoided looking at some of the deeper questions that are relevant. For example, why is it that some people become sexually compulsive and others don’t? It’s not enough to write that “[m]ost experts believe that the typical sex addict was either sexually abused as a child or exposed to porn at an early age.” There are more children who are molested or who see sexually explicit images than sex addicts, so it’s simply not enough to leave it where she did. To do so adds to the climate of fear that surrounds sexuality.

Ms. Gard also largely ignored the ongoing debate within the mental health field on the subject and the current state of the research on the topic. Other than a brief mention of the question of “ingestion of a chemical versus endorphins,” Ms. Gard doesn’t mention how mental health professionals in general talk about sex addiction, although it’s central to the question of how sex addiction is framed.

Further, the article makes no mention of the difference between sexual compulsion and a high sex drive. What looks like too much to one person may be just right for someone else. The ultimate question is one of well-being. At what point is it too much, and how is that decided? Unfortunately, rather than exploring such topics in order to examine the real issue, Ms Gard created a one-sided image that oversimplified sex addiction and offered little substance.
Charlie Glickman, Oakland

ADDICTED TO EGO
It’s pretty clear from the words of these “addicts” what their real addiction is. They have an “addiction” to their egos and sex is the means of feeding that addiction. Addicted to sex because it makes you feel good about yourself, not because it feels good? You’re addicted to your individual ego and are a servant to its whims and an all-encompassing insatiable appetite for self-glorification. All in all, a supremely selfish and self-serving “addiction.” Stuff that in your psychiatrist’s pipe and smoke it.

Justin Kittell, San Francisco

A PLEASANT SURPRISE
I rarely read an article on sex and love addiction that covers all the bases. I am very impressed. There is so little real information out there. Thank you for a job well done.

Kay Hogan, Pleasant Hill

AND THE POINT?
When a music scene is faced with as many challenges as the Bay Area’s is, it flummoxes me why an alternative news weekly would slam a homegrown live music event based on … voting record? Chris Owen and Budget Rock do a lot of good for the local scene. If a music writer likes it or dislikes it, he should do so on the merits of the event, not on the basis of an upcoming election. It’s a strange article. Someday, when clubs in the Bay Area only play DJ dance music and wacky ’80s cover bands, maybe I’ll look back on it and laugh. Until then, I don’t see David Downs’ point.

Owen Bly, Oakland

MY MUSIC IS PUBLIC, MY POLITICS PRIVATE
As the music editor of a weekly paper with at least a few thousand weekly readers, you really owe it to yourself to think about whether you’re the right man for the job. In the limited time we had together to discuss this coming weekend’s Budget Rock V festival, I wanted to talk about music. It quickly became clear that you had no working knowledge of rock ‘n’ roll and were totally disinterested in learning about the types of bands playing at the event. Incredibly, in the published piece you seem disappointed that I was more interested in talking about the music festival that I am organizing than I was in talking about the upcoming election.

I don’t know why this necessarily needs to be explained to you, but voting is a personal thing. In fact, I asked you to keep the many non-music-related subjects we talked about (how much I pay for rent, where I work, etc.) off the record. You either ignored that or felt that not mentioning these things would have held you back from writing the article you had obviously already preconceived before we even spoke.

You misquoted me all over the place and generally misrepresented who I am and how I feel about almost everything because I didn’t want to discuss certain topics with you. This suggests to me that you’re uninformed, prejudiced, a bad listener, and an even worse reporter. And sorry to blow your thesis, but I filled out and sent my absentee ballot two days after you were a guest in my house. Not that this requires any justification, but let me make it clear: I just didn’t want to fill out my ballot with you.

While I’m on the subject of full disclosure, it might be worth mentioning that you, the music editor of the East Bay Express, not only live in San Francisco but also have never been to the Stork Club. Not only are you evidently ignorant about music, but you are wholly unfamiliar with the East Bay music milieu.

In your abortion of a Neil Young piece a few months ago you attempted to make the case that music itself has no political power. I repeatedly told you this specific kind of music is by nature apolitical, but you seem to think that makes me apathetic. Do you see the contradiction? Do you see where perhaps in the absence of any worthwhile commentary on the music or information you could have provided people with, you simply projected your own bullshit? Some new confused bullshit that doesn’t even jibe with your own confused bullshit from a few months ago?

Finally, Clark (aka “The Dude”) wanted me to mention his car is a ’68, not a ’63.
Chris Owen, Oakland

THE NEW GINA ARNOLD?
Wow, another political piece hidden under the guise of rock journalism. I’m curious, is your paycheck in direct correlation to how many pieces of hate mail the Express receives on your behalf? That would at least make some sense as to your style (or lack thereof) of writing. I’m not sure if you still had notes left over from your Neil Young hatchet job, but Christ, man, the title “music editor” means you should really try and write about music for a change. The political angle is tired, and you should know because you singlehandedly killed it a few weeks back.

The fact that Chris Owen and Budget Rock have found a new home in Oakland is story enough and would have made for a great piece if you hadn’t felt the need to impress your journalism teacher from Diablo Valley College with all of the other peripheral bullshit (sorry, that’s a cheap shot to anyone who attended DVC).

By even discussing the Original Sins, the S.L.A., the Morlocks, or any of the other bands participating in Budget Rock V, you would have given the readers, or new fans of garage rock, some insight into the music and what the festival is all about. Instead we get you telling us how apathetic the voting populace is (wow, really?) and basically blindsiding Mr. Owen, who (I guarantee you) felt you were there to talk about his music festival and not politics.

Some things to try as a music editor: Listen to music. Go see live music. Champion the bands that don’t have a media outlet. Get laid. Quit taking yourself so seriously. Leave the political angle in the editorial page. And please, never refer to the patio at the Stork Club as the “skanky slit.” I hate to say it, but that term should only be used when describing from whence you came.
Parker Gibbs, San Francisco

BAD
I think the article on Chris Owen brings up some points I would never have thought of: number one, absentee voting + garage rock = bad stuff; number two, putting on a local music festival for young or offbeat non-major-label bands is really bad, too; number three, the Stork Club … bad; and number 4, a Dodge Dart … is bad. Now that I have this knowledge, can I ever be happy again? Did Chris Owen put the Strokes in the well, too? That wasn’t very nice either. Good story, kind of reminds me of “Paper Tiger.”
Jay Rosen, Oakland

“KOOL KEITH CD SCAM EXPOSED,” PRESS PLAY, 9/27

SAUSAGEMAKING AIN’T PRETTY
I have been involved in making several albums, and I do not know of one that wasn’t finished with blood, sweat, arguments, and tears. All that ultimately matters is the end result. Return of Dr. Octagon is an incredible album, and who can blame anyone for keeping Kool Keith at arm’s length. I mean, shit, he’s not exactly the most together dude around. In a band I’m in, we have an organ player for whom we are designing a flight case — just so we can get him to gigs and back again without any grief. It doesn’t mean he’s not in the band, nor that he ain’t amazing at playing the organ. I mean, surely these days it’s just amazing that people all over the world can share ideas and make music with people they have never met rather than being criticized for not sharing toilets. All this bloody bollocks and slagging off, it’s about music, nothing else, and music is not made by everyone being very chummy with each other and it all being a piece of cake. You’ve got to push it to the limit. And if you somehow are still friends at the end of it, you are very lucky indeed.

Stop slagging off One Watt Sun; I don’t know anyone barring Dangermouse who has pushed production that far on a computer, and however it happened, they should be loved and applauded for it. It really pisses me off that this has become such a bloody big story about nothing, and you aren’t actually bothering to say what an incredible piece of production it is. How cool it is that it happened — however it happened. If someone found the greatest work of art man had ever made buried deep in the ground years after its creation, do you think it matters that the two painters almost killed each other making it?! It simply matters that it exists. The interesting thing about this record isn’t Kool Keith, it’s One Watt Sun. They are the real talent at work here. Kool is cool, but those boys did something no one else has done at the moment, and they deserve a musical medal for it. Yeah, yeah. Some people hate it because it’s not like the first one. But some people absolutely love it, and that’s a sign that it’s something pretty special. And in fact it is like the first Dr. Octagon, which pushed boundaries of production and scratching. So does this, and grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Grow up, stop gossiping, and listen to the damn thing.

No, actually, you know… you’re right. You shouldn’t buy any amazing piece of art that has a nasty story behind it … that didn’t necessarily, wholeheartedly, pan out in a nice happy clappy way. For that matter, why don’t you empty your fucking cupboard and tear off your sweat-factory clothes, smear yourself in hippie shit and listen to some wacky happy music. Shit.

I would love to know the story behind the first Dr Octagon; I bet it ain’t that pretty.

Stupid flabby monkey, oh … sorry, I mean … ‘gorilla’ bollocks. … Stop bitching and start praising the coolest thing put out in years.
Andy Oury, London, England

“THE PLANT THAT ATE OAKLAND,” THIS WEEK, 10/25

IT MAKES GOOD VODKA, TOO
Either Kelly Vance or the artist Ellen Jantzen got it wrong. The plant in question is not a grotesque pepper gone wild, but a Buddha’s Hand, a citrus-family fruit used aromatically or for decorative purposes. You can buy them at Monterey Market when they’re in season. Mother Nature makes no mistakes!

Robin Silberman, Oakland

KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK
The blurb describes “a handful of grotesquely shaped garden peppers,” when actually it shows something entirely different. “What is it?” asks a baffled art director, alias for your writer Kelly Vance. It’s a couple of Buddha’s Hands, i.e. the citron, a member of the citrus family.

I get it now. You’re not really a newspaper! You’re a serial memoir of a deluded hipster teenager. That’s why you flit illogically from unfairly racist profiles of people you consider superficial, bonehead pseudo-artists (which sound like jealous, shit-talkin’ gossip) straight to superficial, bonehead art blurbs that misrepresent the art. I mean, come on, a simple fact like that would take 30 seconds on the Internet to look up — anyone — editor, assistant editor, writer, intern, the janitor.

Do you guys research anything? Do you edit anything? Do you have any idea what you’re talking about? I’m certainly looking forward to your upcoming feature about KALX, my personal favorite local, grassroots, non-commercial, racist community media source. The endless contradictions are so exciting and always keep us guessing! Keep up the good work. Keep printing unresearched gossip and/or completely irrelevant blurbs and reviews and maybe one day, darling, you will get all the attention you want!
Victoria Meza, Oakland

“THE MOONIES AND THE SHARKS,” FEATURE, 7/12

OVERFISHING FOR PROFIT
These people have a religion, all right. It’s capitalism wrapped with a classic Asian perspective on natural resources: Consume them and profit in the process. There is no religion with these people. I live in Massachusetts and am an avid, lifelong recreational salt water angler. I have seen firsthand what has happened to the Atlantic blue fin tuna fishery; it has been crushed. True World Seafood distributes 80 percent of the sushi sold in the US, and God knows (or Moon knows) how much more is exported to Japan and other Asian markets by church fronts. Good news: Unlike other marine fishery concerns, we know who the culprit is!
Loki Stowell, Charlestown, Massachusetts

“SMOOTH CRIMINAL FINGERS,” PRESS PLAY, 10/11

IF LEGAL IS THIS HARD, ILLEGAL IS HERE TO STAY
I am the owner of a music lyrics Web site I started in October 2005 called LyricVault.com. I started it because I wanted to provide the public with a place to find song lyrics without the spam so commonly seen on most lyric Web sites. I was shocked to learn later that the song lyric sites may indeed be breaking copyright law, and the last thing I wanted to do was to create a legal problem for myself. So I started to call a number of the publishers and received no response until a gracious writer, Jason Lee Miller, wrote an article titled “Don’t Sue Me, Just Pick Up the Phone.” After the article was published I received a call back from Jay Morgenstern of Warner Chappell. During that conversation I remember him saying, “I don’t know why but I have multiple messages on my voice mail to call you.” Let’s just say the power of the press made quite a difference for me. I had numerous conversations with Jay over the coming weeks and in the end he told me I should speak to yet another company to accomplish what I needed in regards to a lyric license. Jay was helpful but in the end he told me that Warner Chappell wasn’t the correct company to talk to about the type of lyric license I was attempting to obtain. I contacted Dave Olsen of Alfred Publishing several times and received a couple of calls back but in the end, they were not yet prepared to provide a lyric license for their catalogue.

It was yet another dead end.

You can tell the music industry is pretty tight, though, because as soon as Jay started taking my calls, so did other publishing companies. The most comical was Universal, where Melinda Mondrala actually told me I would need to send a faxed request for each song for which I wanted to obtain a lyric license. I told her that it would be for hundreds of thousands of songs, and she told me that I would need to send a fax for each one. I had this same conversation with her multiple times and was so frustrated by it that I was quite tempted to set up a script on my site that would allow the users to hit a button and send a faxed request to Universal. I stopped short of doing so simply because I didn’t want to waste the money to have it programmed.

There was a shining light, though, at the end of the dark tunnel, thanks to conversations I was having with EMI’s team. They were actually technically capable of accomplishing what I needed, but they were very adamant about me contacting another company we’ll dub “Company A” and speaking to them versus partnering directly with EMI. I found this frustrating but at least it seemed as if there were some source of lyric licenses in the industry. Company A and I are still in negotiations regarding our contract, and it would be counter-productive for me to release detailed information about those negotiations.

It was then that I received a call from another company that I cannot name due to an NDA I have signed with them. They also claimed that they could provide me with song lyric licenses. I cannot discuss the details of that relationship due to my NDA, but suffice it to say that I am still waiting for them to release a platform that is actually usable. I continue to speak with them on a near-monthly basis, and I am anxious to someday receive word that they can accomplish what I need at pricing that is on par with what Company A is offering.
Brent D. Payne, Lyric Vault, Orange

“BUILDING THE BOMB,” THEATER, 10/18

BLOOD ON WHOSE HANDS?
Lisa Drostova’s review of Copenhagen was fairly well written but contains a couple of questionable statements. First, she says that atomic research was slow to gain traction in Germany because many of the original researchers were Jewish. Does she want us to believe that Jewish researchers are somehow slower than non-Jewish researchers? What? Second, she implies that Niels Bohr somehow has “blood on his hands” because he escaped to Sweden in a mass nighttime exodus of Danish Jews. Does she want us to believe that the man murdered people to get on a boat? What?

Larry Lowenthal, Cooper City, Florida

Lisa Drostova responds
The questions raised are not mine, but playwright Michael Frayn’s, and neither is as anti-Semitic as I believe Mr. Lowenthal fears. First, Frayn suggests that the physics that led to the development of weapons were slow to gain traction in Germany and German-occupied countries because many theoretical physicists and chemists were Jewish and fled the Nazis, taking what they had discovered to Britain and the US. Indeed, the implication is that non-Jewish German scientists were the slow ones, because they didn’t see the potential in theoretical physics in time to get a working bomb together. The second point is not that Bohr killed anyone to get on the boat, but that he was the one who transmitted Lise Meitner’s news that the Germans were working on splitting the atom. This spurred the development of the Manhattan Project, which Bohr joined after he left Denmark. In Frayn’s play, Bohr struggles with whether having worked with the Americans after leaving Denmark means there is blood on his hands.

“BLACK DIAMOND GOES DARK,” WATER COOLER, 10/25

SEE HIM IN COURT
What you wrote about Black Diamond Living is the truth. I personally heard Alfred Igbodipe talk about the “ownership-partnership” offered to Wanda H. and Debbie M. They worked just as hard as an entire newspaper staff as we, the sales team did … with Igbodipe’s excuses of “trade” for advertisements at “our expense” to chop our commissions … or verbal promises to pay upon a signed contract with a client to keep us on the BDL team … but then only paying a portion until he received full payment, even though these were large corporations signing his contracts. Then he fired us for his own fabricated reasons, which will be brought up in court.

Rebecca Bartlett, Corning

DESERVING BETTER THAN THEY GOT
I too was affected by the recent events at BDL Publishing. I was contracted by the publisher to do photography for the magazine. My compensation was to be ad space in the magazine. I was always very impressed with the look and quality of the magazine, and thought it would be a real boost to my business and ego to be seen in such an upscale publication. At the time of the shutdown I had completed no fewer than 25 assignments. I did receive ads in two issues, but am still owed one more ad. I contacted the publisher, and his first response was to offer me HALF of the value of the ad. I asked him why he felt my work was only worth half; he said, “I’ll get back to you.” To date I haven’t heard back from him. The entire staff at BDL was professional and just a real pleasure to work with … I think they all deserve better than what they got.

Steve Nosanchuk, Brentwood

“CONSERVATION IS FOR THE BIRDS,” CITYSIDE, 10/25

SPEAK OUT FOR EAGLES
I am outraged by this decision! First of all, I believe that the Superior Court judge should have recused herself in this case since it was a relative who made the initial ruling. I hope that the Center for Biological Diversity will see fit to appeal this decision. Unless the public speaks out against the wind farms, we will continue to lose more of our majestic raptors. It is only when people speak out that business tries to find a way to redesign their towers and blades to reduce the impact on golden eagles and other wildlife.

Eugenia K. Larson, San Ramon

“TROUBLE IN THE AIR,” FEATURE, 10/18

MY DAILY STRESS
As a twenty-year veteran of air traffic control who has worked as a tower controller, approach controller, and an en route controller, I found your article to be informative and thought-provoking. I disagree that the rehires have improved the quality or safety of air traffic control. I hope your article has given the public a small piece of understanding of the stressful lives controllers live.

Rodney Merrill, Layton, Utah