STRANGER: As a friend to the recently arrested KEXP DJ Matt Nichols and his now ex-girlfriend, I feel it is my duty to inform the public on one important detail about the slanderous article written by Josh Feit ["Unhappy Birthday," July 15]. Matt's girlfriend begged Josh not to publish it. Hmm. Why would she want to do that, I wonder?
People get so caught up in the heat of the moment sometimes that they don't realize the repercussions of their actions. This is the case on both sides of this incident. Matt never intended to make his girl feel unsafe and would never ever dream of causing any harm to her. Likewise, she never intended to put him in a situation were his career would be compromised as the result of an extremely overbloated and inaccurate account of how things unfolded that evening by one Mr. Josh Feit, who apparently subscribes to a Fox News style of sensationalistic journalism. Both parties involved feel it was extremely unfair and have rallied against the inaccuracies in the Feit article. Shame on you, Josh. You took a crap yesterday and I bet you didn't write an article about that.
A Friend from Both Sides
JOSH FEIT RESPONDS: In writing this article, I did more than copy the police report--I did further reporting to judge its accuracy. That was reflected in my article. I also plainly stated that Matt said the police report got some of the details wrong. Matt is an important public figure for our readership, and his private life became public when the police were called (by his girlfriend) to their home. No one has disputed the accuracy of the article. Finally, "A Friend from Both Sides," are you actually equating a domestic violence arrest with taking a shit?
WORD FROM A PROFESSIONAL
JOSH FEIT: I am a counselor who works with sexual-assault and domestic-violence victims every day. I just wanted to say thanks for your response to those who thought it inappropriate to report on the DV incident involving the KEXP DJ last week. Your response was well written and, I think, really made the point clear that hiding DV is harmful and that it's everyone's responsibility to denounce these behaviors.
Cecilia Ortiz
ARTISTS ARE PETS
NATE LIPPENS: I'm a Seattle native who now lives in Chicago. Your description of what it's like to go and hang out in the [art] scene in Seattle is fair ["Assume the Position," July 8]. I've been a fly on the wall for years in Seattle and I've found it a pretty unfriendly place. Unless you scratch their back and charm them silly, they won't give you the time of day. It's the same in Chicago, but there is one small difference: There is a sense here that the galleries and collectors need the artists. I'm not talking about "craftspeople" or artisans, but full-blown crazy artists making weird shit. I've always had the feeling that Seattle artists are like pets: They are nice to have around, and they really make the place livable, but they are expendable.
Tim Cross
THE ESTEEMED MR. SHAW
NATE LIPPENS: If anybody else asks for your credentials, I suggest you quote for them George Bernard Shaw who, upon being asked how one becomes a music critic, replied: "One finds a paper that will hire one as a music critic." That's all the credential that is needed.
Welton Jones
VAN HUYGEN, LIKE, SUCKS
EDITOR: Reading a negative review in The Stranger is nothing new. In fact, they are often entertaining and written by people with intelligent things to say who can string two (sometimes more) coherent words together. But Meg Van Huygen's recent review of Winnebago [On Stage, July 22] exposed more of her own pathetic wit than it did the show she was supposed to be reviewing. Her lame attempt at, like, a writing style made me embarrassed for her and the magazine that printed it. Next time you assign a reviewer, please make sure you send someone other than a second-string food critic whose idea of humor is a Gary Coleman "joke" to do the job.
Andrew Neel
WE DON'T HATE THOSE EVIL REPUBLICANS
EDITOR: I understand that many of the people who contribute to and read The Stranger are Democrats. I also have noticed that you do offer a Republican view from time to time. The city we live in is undoubtedly very Democratic, but it sure would be nice to see a less hateful stance toward my views and beliefs. I am a 26-year-old female who loves to go to shows, create art, stand up for women's rights, work, play, and voice my opinions. And I am a proud Republican.
I would love to see you show--or have the chance to show you--that we are not all out there picketing abortion clinics and talking with Southern drawls. To teach that it was actually a Republican who allowed and fought for civil rights. It is Republicans who want to give less-privileged kids the chance to choose to go to better schools, instead of just giving bad schools more money to make things look pretty.
Please excuse the blab; I just get so frustrated by the stereotypes. A balanced, truthful, and less emotional point of view would be such a breath of fresh air. It just might give people the chance to stop blindly hating each other just because they don't take the time, or have the opportunity via balanced reporting, to understand where one is coming from.
