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Letters

Week of September 8, 2004

Editor's note: "The Ten Most Hated Men in Rock," Mike Seely's music story last week, generated a blizzard of mail from readers nationwide. Some readers agreed with Seely's polemic, most gently begged to differ. Below is a sampling of the feedback; for more, tune in next week.

Hated Men
Rock on! Thank you for your scalding compilation of rock's current crop/crap. I wouldn't recall a single one of your nominees. Santana, Durst, G.E. Smith, Weir -- they're all so deserving! Paul McCartney sucks, but thankfully he doesn't really intrude on my consciousness these days.

As I scrolled down the page, I was excited to see you hadn't missed Dashboard Confessional. They're not the worst, but they symbolize a reprehensible type. During a small earthquake last year, I found myself in danger of being crushed by a huge Chris Carrabba billboard outside my office building. The idea of dying like that -- crushed by insincerity and soggy feelings. I shuddered and crept backwards into a more structurally sound part of the building, just in case.

I'm genuinely unsure if rock was once something special, or if it was just immortalized before it had a chance to show its utterly ordinary ambitions. The never-ending shock of those who've watched their idols betray their own shtick always reminds me of Charlie Brown's surprise when Lucy jerks the football away. Thanks again. I'll keep reading.
Sean Tejaratchi
Los Angeles

Add Byrne to the list: David Byrne? Step away from the bong. As Mojo magazine once said about Talking Heads, "It's hard to imagine that a band that seemed so relevant then could be so utterly and completely irrelevant now."

The only good thing he's done in the last twenty years is reissue the Shuggie Otis record.
Dan Carlson
New York, New York

Après Dan le deluge: Yo, dick, that article sucks, you no-talent ass clown. If you can do better, then do better. I just printed out your article and I think I am going to wipe my ass with it, or maybe line it on the floor for my dog. So let me guess: You are jealous that these artists are getting paid for what they like. They have sold millions of records and you are writing for a never-before-heard-of site. Do the world a favor and don't quit your day job. Your writing reads like a whiny little girl with a skinned knee.
Scott Wilson
Collingswood, New Jersey

But Meat Loaf didn't even make the list! Someone once said, "Opinions are like assholes; everybody's got one." But Mike Seely tries way too hard to be an asshole.

As Meat Loaf once said of a reviewer, "This guy just wanted to hear himself write."
Michael Ankelman
Webster Groves

Bring Mother Theresa into it, why don'tcha? Mikey, you have a gift. It is a gift of the old blarney. I see right through your plastic Mac. You are trying to stir up the populace. You pick the popular people, the ones a certain generation appreciates, and you dis them. For cryin' out loud, give us lads the names of your favorite groups and we'll write our own articles about their every indiscretion.

Anyone you can admire has made mistakes. Shame that you pick out the good ones and piss your stupid rant down on the pages of the RFT. Makes me wonder who the fuck they hire and why? What a jerkoff. You are entitled to your opinion, but at least be real about it. Picking out those artists all in a row, it's so obvious.

OK, here's your cookie crumb. Here's a rant you can print for the ages. You dumb bastard. Even Mother Theresa got the runs.
Rick Mason
Ferguson

John v. Paul: I'm not going to take the time to give you a Beatles history lesson, as there are a plethora of sources you could consult for the facts. I'm not going to go into the insanity of projecting the sins of a social contact on to the contacted [sic]. I'm not going to defend Paul's British sense of humor for those of you who just don't get it. And it is absolutely unnecessary to detail the accomplishments of Paul's musical career post-1970. But where in the hell do you get off insulting his current wife like that?

According to you, her youth, hair color and physical handicap are all good reasons to cross her off the decent-human-being list. For the record, Paul married Heather over four years after Linda's untimely death. Your application of the "exaggeration for impact" school holds no weight with me; it's just an excuse for lack of research.

Shall we take a look at the great John Lennon in this respect? Let's see, he fucked everything that walked while married to his first wife. Found the "love of his life" on one of these escapades, divorced his wife and married Yoko. They engaged in a lifestyle so disturbing it caused outsiders to blame her (if wrongfully) for the breakup of the Beatles. And then, oh yeah, he fucked around on her. If you want to bring up marriage as one of the factors for judging a musician, don't hold up Lennon as a comparison. You deify the dead, then blame the living for not measuring up to the golden statues you erect. I wonder what your label was for Linda while she was alive.

I encourage you to seek psychiatric assistance. Living with this much hate can't be healthy.
Heather Cook
Spokane Valley, Washington