A FAIR PUNISHMENT
RE: âBeloved Karaoke Joint Chopsticks III Shutting Down Forever This Weekendâ [Blogtown, March 16], Editor-in-Chief Wm. Steven Humphreyâs eulogy for the karaoke bar on Northeast Columbia Blvd. Chopsticks IIIâs crowd, Humphrey wrote, âwas a welcome mixture of old-timers, hipsters, drunks, lesbiansâa virtual rainbow of bar diversity thatâs hard to find in other parts of the city.â
I got beat up at Chopsticks once or twice. My tooth is still jammed into the side of the bar. A group didnât appreciate Flock of Seagulls.
FYI
WHOOPS
RE: âStephen Hawking Died, and Iâm Sorry for That Dumb Joke in This Weekâs Mercuryâ [Blogtown, March 14], an apology for the ASTRONOMICALLY AWFUL TIMING of Managing Editor Erik Henriksenâs joke in last weekâs issueâa joke in which Stephen Hawkingâs âcomputerized wheelchair sprouted chainsaw arms, murdered him, and then slowly rolled around and murdered everyone else.â That piece was sent to press on March 13. Hawking died on March 14. âAs of last night, that dumb joke seemed fine,â wrote science nerd Henriksen on March 14. âAnd like one that Hawking mightâve even appreciated, maybe?â
I think itâs fine, but I also think this is a nice apology and a great tribute to a great thinker and complicated human. (And I think youâre right that it probably would have made him laugh as well.)
Mello
OVER THEIR HEADS
RE: âThings To Do Filmâ [Film, March 14], which included Bobby Robertsâ blurb about a screening of 9 to 5 as part of the Hollywood Theatreâs Feminist March series. âThe sheer size of 9 to 5âs popularity is hard to understand almost 40 years after the fact, but it was a monster,â wrote Roberts. âIt would have easily been the highest grossing film of 1980âif The Empire Strikes Back hadnât been released that same year.â And also RE: âA Chat with Colossal Director Nacho Vigalondoâ [Film, April 12, 2017], Marc Mohanâs interview with the director of the 2017 film.
I enjoy your movie reviews, but I have noticed a trend of feminist films being poorly understood by your male critics. I just read that the popularity of the classic feminist powerhouse 9 to 5 described as âhard to understandâ and I was reminded of your previous review of Colossal, in which the themes of toxic masculinity and domestic violence went right over the male reviewerâs head. I would suggest female reviewers tackle feminist films, since they are more likely to understand the content, appeal, and themes.
Mame Redwood
GOOD RIDDANCE
RE: âHall Monitor: That Old Dusty Trailâ [News, March 14], former news editor Dirk VanderHartâs final column before he betrayed the Mercury and went to work as a reporter for Oregon Public Broadcasting. âIn my time as news editor, Iâve tried to make us a paper that talks the shit that needs to be talked, that speaks for the marginalized, and thatâs out in the streets ducking tear gas with the rest of you,â the treasonous VanderHart wrote, adding: âOkay, and just one last thing, since itâll be impossible for me to say at my new job: Fuck.â
Oh no!!!! Dirk, thanks for your years of service at the Mercury and for helping to keep Portland politics transparent. Good luck with your new job! Also, Iâm pretty sure you can write âfuckâ in an I, Anonymous if your fingers are ever itching to get back into the Mercury.
Your Hall Pass Please
Your dental sacrifice to the gods of karaoke is hereby rewarded, FYI, with the Mercuryâs letter of the weekâand two tickets to the beloved Laurelhurst Theater! Conveniently, the Laurelhurst is located right next to the former site of the original Chopsticks... so when youâre there, FYI, pay tribute. IN BLOOD.