WE DON'T USE THE "N" WORD
DEAR SIRS: I must voice my opinion in the whole John Callahan/Patti Smith cartoon debate. Shame on you! Will we never get over the use of the "N" word? As the chairman of the Portland Association of Guilty White Liberals (PAGWL), I demand that you issue a formal apology to all of the progressive latte-sippers who were offended by your callous--HUH? The WRONG weekly?
Oh, jeez, you're the NEW guys in town. Sorry. Welcome to our humble burg. I read your first issue today and loved it. Good luck in Portland...you're gonna need it. You're gonna hafta deal with a lot of the above!
Scott Oullette
SHOPPING RAG FOR A MORE
TATTOOED GENERATION
TO THE EDITOR: Where's the content? Hey, I like your attitude but are you going to give us some real meaty alternative politics and culture coverage to back it up? You've got a good start in this town thanks in part to Willamette Week's paranoia. You've already driven them to drop their yuppie shopping guide and put in more content. Well done. Now, where's yours? If all you offer is attitude and sassiness then you're just a shopping rag for a younger, more tattooed generation.
David Lichtenstein
BANGKOK, SHMANGKOK
DEAR EDITOR: Had I read Katia Dunn's Bangkok Kitchen review [Last Supper, June 1] a year ago, I would have said, "Damn, that's my favorite restaurant, now I'll never get a table." And it WAS my favorite restaurant. I loved everything about Bangkok, until last April. One visit was enough to let me know that it was under new management--the food is a sketchy outline of what it used to be.
My deepest hope is that I'm totally wrong; that the owners have returned from Thailand to rebuild Bangkok Kitchen into the greatest Thai restaurant in Portland.
P.S. Welcome to Portland. It's time the paper that thinks it's too cute, clever and irrelevant, er I mean irreverent, had a little competition for those ad dollars.
Thai Noodle Fanatic--Medium Plus Please
A ROYAL WELCOME
DEAR MERCURY: Congratulations on getting the Portland Mercury off the ground. It has been utter hell trying to sift through the Willamette Week bullshit to find out who's playing where, or who's show is where, or what movie is where. Thankfully, no more! I picked up the first issue of The Mercury last night and read every single word (or thereabouts). It's great. Keep up the good work.
Royal Stuart
DILDO ARTIST WANTS RETRACTION;
GETS THE SHAFT
PORTLAND MERCURY: It was assumed your interest in the project I'm initiating "Guns in the Hands of Artists," was to serve the public's interest [News, Arming Artists, June 1]. Unfortunately, the headlines and misattributions in the article are worse than I anticipated, and may have served to derail this project before it started.
Chief Kroeker and I discussed the risky nature of what artists can create, as well as the media's capacity to "spin" and customize content. I created a prosthetic sculpture (for "instant manhood") as a critique of the worst of gun culture. Regrettably, this piece saw the light of day in a salacious tabloid setting rather than in the context of a viewer to an art object. To feed your diet of steaming scoop, I'm afraid I can't promise "controversial" work from the over fifty artists who are waiting to create sculpture, video, dance, photography, and poetry from the destroyed weaponry. My dealings with the chief have been honest and sincere, and he has so far been forthcoming and willing to engage with this project. I can assure you that at no time during my interview with your reporter did I joke about Chief Kroeker, as quoted, and I want a retraction.
Brian Borrello
News Editor Phil Busse responds: Before the article was published, the City Council approved the ordinance to transfer guns to your art project. So: How did our article derail your proposal? We explicitly put forth Chief Kroeker's position: He is not flinching at the potential controversies. Also, we won't be retracting the quote attributed to you. According to our reporter and a witness, you joked that one of your art pieces was a gift from the police chief. If you're concerned about your art being perceived as salacious, don't happily wave your dildo around reporters.
