RE: One Day at a Time [weekly], in which author Ann Romano recaps the previous week's events and gossip.
DEAR MERCURY—It baffles me how [Ann] Romano still has a spot in your paper after quite literally writing slight variations of gossipy news shorts about America's already overly talked about pop stars. In a town that is "supposedly" progressive, it would be nice to see less paper wasted on nothing more than mainstream celebrity drama. Please no more Chris Brown, please no more Miley Cyrus, please no more Justin Bieber. Please make it stop, please.
Max Binet
RE: "Pixies at Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, Tues Feb 19" [End Hits, Feb 20], a live review of the show.
I got backstage for their show at the EMU Ballroom on October 31, 1989. Hung out for a couple of minutes until their manager kicked us out. Someplace there is a photo of the band and me and a couple of friends, with Kim Deal sitting behind me, resting her chin on my head. I enjoyed their show at Sasquatch! in 2005, but now that Kim's gone, I must say Pixies Is Dead.
posted by Paul Cone
I don't blame Kim for quitting after a 10-year reunion tour. I've seen them a few times during that span and they generally just stand around and play, they aren't a showy band and apparently they never were. A good crowd and a good room are the keys to a good Pixies show.
posted by Tornado
RE: "Traces of Fluoride" [News, Feb 19], regarding the fate of the city's water system and who controls it.
DEAR MERCURY—Why are you idiots still whining about Portland voters rejecting fluoride contamination of Portland's water system? Your pro-fluoride side lost the election because the people of Portland would rather keep our high-quality water instead of adding toxic waste to it at ratepayer expense. If you want to help the teeth of Portland's children, then support a ballot measure to get dentists into schools, so that children who need dental services can get them, but my organic garden, my family's health, and the endangered salmon can avoid toxic fluoride byproducts of the phosphate fertilizer industry. We were never promised pharmaceutical-grade fluoride in the water system, which is what dentists use on teeth and is the only fluoride acceptable to use topically on children. Even the CDC and ADA are finally warning people about using fluoride-tainted water in infant formula, because it is harmful to infants. Like the "scientific" benefits formerly attributed to refined sugar and white flour, we are learning that better and newer science doesn't back up the claims of the pro water fluoridation lobby, and the Mercury looks like a bunch of tools for continually complaining about Portlanders wanting to keep toxic waste fluoride out of our water and away from our infants. If you love fluoride so much, be my guest and move away from Portland to a city that wants to leave your teeth with brown spots and cracks. We won't miss you.
Sara L.
MERCURY EDITOR-IN-CHIEF WM. STEVEN HUMPHREY RESPONDS!: I guess we keep bringing it up because you're so nice and reasonable and not crazy at all about it.
RE: Up & Coming [Dec 18, 2013], a preview of local garage-punk outfit Rotties.
HELLO MERCURY MUSIC STAFF—I just wanted to say that as a female musician, most reviews and blurbs of projects I have been involved in mention or critique gender. I find this incredibly frustrating. I was thrilled at your short review of Rotties, my current project, because you failed to mention gender entirely. It is a wonderful feeling to read a review that focuses solely on the content of the music instead of the gender of the musicians. Keep up the good work!
Ellis Burnheart
WHY THANK YOU, Ellis, for taking the time to let us know. Because you are the ONE PERSON with something nice to say this week, you win the Mercury letter of the week! You get two tickets to the Laurelhurst Theater, where gender is pretty constantly mentioned onscreen.
