Censor and sensibility: I just finished reading John Reidy's "Silencing Radio 1190" in the April 1 issue, and I am pissed!
Quoting CU's Betsy Hoffman: "To keep the barbarian madness of our football team from spreading to the lily-white student body who lap up the rap tunes like dogs on a dirty diaper, we've decided it best to pull the plug on the show." Are you fucking kidding me? How retarded do these people think their student body is? A student is going to hear a rap lyric and turn into a rapist? The influence of a rap lyric is so strong that the students won't be able to control themselves and will run rampant against one another? How about the "barbarian madness" of the ridiculous PC axing of a radio show in the name of protecting our poor, helpless impressionable young college students from the irresistible influences of a rap singer?
Is the goal here to attempt to rid the world of all things that could possibly corrupt defenseless young minds, to prevent them from possibly doing something bad in the future? What will people like this think if they accomplish their goal and nothing but their wholesome music hits the airwaves across the dial; only Promise Keepers-approved material ever makes print; TV only contains material suitable for Nickelodeon or ABC Family Channel, and BAD THINGS STILL HAPPEN? What will they do then? Force all people into insulated, harm-proof cells that have no chance of letting in any evil influences and never letting them out for fear of them possibly doing something bad?
This is America, "The Land of the Free" -- not "The Land of the Insulated and Censored." Have these people ever seen the results of a Catholic upbringing?
In a political advertisement a few pages before this article, a suggested option is "Move to Canada." You're goddamned right I will!
Neil Warren
via the Internet
No static at all: Okay, this is insane! This is the federal government using the FCC to ban programming and destroying freedom of speech. This is like the feds banning sports supplements because a few jackasses who were using them against printed instructions died. We are losing our American freedoms, and what is scary is that it is happening at the university level. When will it stop? Who is protecting our rights and the rights of our children? What happened to freedom and education through exposure?
CU president Betsy Hoffman must go. There is no other choice! Rather than stand by her guns, support her football team, coach and students, she cowers to the feminist groups, media and ignorant.
Now, please, how is shutting down an AM student radio station going to change college football recruiting practices that happen at almost all Division 1 universities? Are people that ignorant to think that CU president Betsy Hoffman's decision to regulate a college radio station will make more CU football prospects want to play for Colorado? What a moron!
CU alumni, Colorado residents and all with a sane mind, please ask for president Betsy Hoffman's resignation. Institute a president who is working for her school, not against it. And, please, let college radio and free thought happen.
Brent Logero
Denver
Our bad: "Silencing Radio 1190"? What the hell is this all about? According to Radio 1190, it is nothing but a joke. If it is, you need to make that a little more clear. You scared me!
Max Asher
Denver
Radio daze: I'm a DJ at 1190. Thanks to your little article, the phone in the DJ booth was flooded with angry calls last Friday morning. Brilliantly done -- apparently someone at the station got a call from a Rocky Mountain News reporter asking to do an interview...
Samuel Schatz
Boulder
Big Shaq attack: What a fantastic bit of witty references spelling out the ludicrous reality of Radio 1190's future. Where did this writer come from? The Shaq attack is in Colorado now in the form of the Great White Horse -- er, Bronco! What will his opening film song be? Twisted Sister's "We're Not Going to Take It"? If only the underground indie-rock fans of 1190 had a multibillion-dollar local celeb, then the true innovators and culturalists of the Front Range might have a 680,000-watt station to pump up the AM revolution.
Great piece. Even greater radio station! One has to hear the poetry of Death Cab for Cutie's classic song about a deadbeat dad, "Styrofoam Plates." Or if the real bastards at CU have their way, no, we won't. Oh, the irony!
Phil Lombardo
Denver
Score! "Can Elway Save CU?" was a fantastic April Fools' Day joke! You couldn't possibly have put together anything better!
Tim Kiefer
Denver
Burn in Elway: Ernie Tucker, damn you for getting my hopes up. I was excited for about twenty minutes until I actually read the Elway article and realized it was a joke. Damn you, sir.
Jason Schultz
via the Internet
Elway or the highway: Loved your Elway cover story for April 1! Called relatives in Nebraska, and they actually are believing it. They can hardly wait for football season to begin so they can see Elway in Nebraska stadium. I can't decide when I will tell them the truth...too much fun!
Sandy Becker
Littleton
There's a sucker born every minute: I am sure you had fun writing the John Elway/CU spoof for the April 1 issue. You had many of us sucked in on that one.
Westword has done some of the best investigative journalism in town. Now please take the opportunity to do some real work on the fiasco at Folsom. There are more people with agendas than you can count.
Name withheld on request
Go to the head of the class: Being a big John Elway fan, I read your front-page article about the possibility of Elway becoming the head coach at CU with great interest. When I told friends what I had read, they scoffed at me and said, "No way!" They told me that this was undoubtedly an April Fools' joke.
I was pretty sure that Westword wouldn't feature such an article without a disclaimer -- if, indeed, you were joking. I'm writing to find out which it is.
The television is talking about spring training and Barnett being back at the end of April, and no one has mentioned anything about Elway in connection with CU except you. Were you just "blue-skying," or do you have facts to substantiate your statement? Did Elway approve your story? Is the comment about the dental plan an offhanded joke that refers to the Hall of Famer's toothy grin?
I'm puzzled. Is the last laugh on me?
Carol Urbanowski
Arvada
Editor's note: Hey! Just because we made up the John Elway story doesn't mean it isn't true. Only time will tell whether the University of Colorado taps Number 7 to be head coach of the Buffs. In the meantime, the date of last week's issue was the only disclaimer we felt our CU package required (although, to be nice, we should have helped Radio 1190 man the phones last Friday).
It's an ad, ad, ad, ad world: To all the restaurants, bars, art galleries, people and places: If you didn't get a Best of Denver award in the March 25 issue, you must really suck! Or maybe you didn't spend enough of your advertising budget with Westword. One thing's for sure: What used to be the hippest, most relevant annual awards feature in town now officially sucks!
Here's an idea: How about a Worst of Denver awards feature? Perhaps then your opinion might matter again.
Richard Paradis
Denver
The big-bong theory: I just wanted to take these few minutes to say thanks very much for including a Best Hip-Hop Band/Group in your Best of Denver issue this year. It means so much to the hardworking Denver underground hip-hop scene that you acknowledge our existence alongside Best Club DJ and Best Band With the Worst Name. I mean, really, mixing two 4/4 records together and philosophizing over cartoons and bong hits to come up with a band name is so up there with endless hours in a studio, constant "live" gigs and fighting to get noticed by a local media biased toward advertising dollars.
I also applaud your studious team of Denver experts that must have done minutes of research to bless your pages with such insightful elections as Best Place to See Emerging Hip-Hop Talent and Best Hip-Hop Label. However, I think there were some typos. They should have read "Best Place to See Local Hip-Hop Bands Not Get Paid for Performing While the Promoter Buys New Rims for His Car and Lets Only Minezai Open Up for National Acts" and "Best Hip-Hop Label That Focuses on How to Buy Jewelry, Get Laid and Oh Yeah, I Guess the Actual Music Is in There Somewhere." No biggie -- I'm sure it was just an oversight. I mean, you guys have your finger on the pulse, right?
Massive respect, though, for including Revoluciones Gallery and the Mercury Cafe, where real Denver underground hip-hop performs and pays tribute to all four elements of hip-hop -- not expensive drinks, fancy track suits and Jay-Z cell-phone ring tones.
I shall pour out a sip of my mocha java on the concrete to you, Westword, for once again giving credit where credit is due and pretending to know anything about "real" hip-hop in Denver. You guys are the shizznit, fo sheezy!
Selecta Roswell
Denver
Mobstyle mentality: Just sending a thanks for the Best Hip-Hop Label and the credit shown to your suburb Aurora and the hard work Mobstyle has been putting in for over seven years. It's great that the name is now getting out there. Plan to hear more professionalism from this Aurora-based label, thanks to Don Blas, a real hustler and a standup man.
Fritz G.
Aurora
Station break: I was disappointed to find no winner for Best Internet Radio Station. I was expecting to find a competitor in that position, and I found nothing. So I wonder: Is Westword affiliated with Clear Channel? Is Westword slipping in its old age? Best of Denver includes things like the Best Place to Take a Crap, but it does not include my station that plays Colorado music and is gaining a new listener every day with minimal promotion. My station gives worldwide exposure to local artists.
Like the music industry, Westword is becoming a dinosaur. The former underground mag needs to be replaced. Wake up to the 21st century, Westword. Other than that, great job!
David Parks
Bennett
Rock on: Thank you for mentioning progressive rock with the Best Prog Label. It's great that this genre of music is finally getting the respect it deserves. Dave Kerman has produced some amazing music here in Colorado, and it's great to see him recognized.
Phil Satterley
Littleton
The light stuff: The person who didn't get mentioned that irritates me is the light man at the hi-dive on Wednesday nights named "Phil the Fan," who's the icon of lights in this town. The hi-dive won the Best New Club because of his hard work on Wednesday nights. I've seen people dancing in his light show in complete and utter joy. I want him to receive his much-earned award. He's one of the smartest and most dedicated artists I know in this entire town.
Frank Winters
Denver
Thanks for the memories: I sure enjoyed reading Patricia Calhoun's excellent "How the Best Was Won," in the Best of Denver issue. I couldn't help but reminisce about downtown Denver as it was thirty years ago. Calhoun mentioned the Denver Tearoom housed in the Denver Dry, which my family used to frequent and which was a real treat. It would definitely qualify as the "best of the best" by Westword standards. The exquisite ambience was never rivaled by any other place along 16th Street.
The "new" Woolworth's at that time was also a nice place to grab a delicious turkey sandwich and a soft drink. I don't think they had that horrible-looking pizza back then!
The streets were lined with very exclusive stores like Neusteter's, I. Magnin, Fashion Bar and the Denver, just to name a few. I miss these businesses so much. "They" should have left well enough alone and not built the mall. I'm sure a lot of others feel this way, too -- especially natives of Denver, like myself. Did the Wellington Webb crew come up with this idea, or was it Federico Peña?
People always use the cliche "That's progress." Is it really?
Rosemary McManis
Denver
Seek and ye shall find: Great Best of Denver issue. The only thing missing is a more convenient way for your readers to get all those recommendations. (It is difficult to keep that massive volume intact in a car and at home.) How about a PDA version that is searchable? For example, when my wife and I are out for a movie and looking for the Best Sushi recommendation, we would have that and all the rest at our fingertips. You could probably charge a small download fee and sell advertising. Millions own PDAs now...
Lee Kramm
Denver
Man with a plan: I love your Best of Denver edition and look forward to reading it each year. I am hopeful that a full listing of the 2004 winners can be made available in pdf format. Also, it might be worthwhile to show the Best Of winners on a map of the city with a corresponding legend, so that visitors can make plans when visiting an area of the metroplex!
Thanks again, and great job on another great issue of Westword!
J.T. Capps
Highlands Ranch
Editor's note: That's it -- the rest of the Best (not including dozens of thank-you notes). For those who missed the issue, it's now archived online at www.westword.com; we'll also look into our readers' suggestions for PDA/pdf versions. For those who won awards, the Westword office is working on your plaques; [email protected] for an ETA.
A glass act: I read Patrick Osborn's "Drunk of the Week" every week. He is truly great! I sit here in my place of work usually laughing my arse off while I am reading his column. He hits things right on the nose most times, and I loved the March 18 piece. It sounded just like me and my fifteen-year-old, who I am trying desperately to keep as my little girl. Keep up the good work.
Dana Parrott
Denver
Funny money: I was going to send Stuart Steers a critical e-mail until I saw that he wrote about the funding that Dick Lamm received from Richard Mellon-Scaife ("It's Not Easy Being Green," March 18). Having read David Brock's Blinded by the Right, I consider him to be one of the most vile people in America. If Lamm takes money from Scaife, it's irrelevant, but when the Sierra Club accepts money from anonymous donors, then that's a major campaign issue. I don't think Lamm is racist, but he is illogical at best and hypocritical at worst.
Thanks for an article that, unlike Fox News, was fair and balanced.
Jim Wilkinson
via the Internet
