As a quasi-resident of Seattle, I always pick up The Stranger to read Dan Savage's column and to get my weekly dose of really bad journalism. Savage can't write, and clearly he can't edit a newspaper. He has no sense of humor. When he tries to write serious journalism, it is absolutely awful. What an embarrassment!
I can't imagine what [publisher Tim] Keck was thinking when he asked his "old friend" to be editor of his paper. Why would he subject a talented staff to such a mediocrity? On the other hand, Keck is not the sharpest tool in the shed.
Happy Birthday.
David Schneiderman, Publisher, Village Voice Media
Publisher Tim Keck arrived from the Midwest 10 years ago, and changed our views of what an alternative weekly could be. The early Stranger was not only a breath of fresh air for Seattle, but it inspired entrepreneurs in other cities to also start publishing. Unfortunately, as the paper grew and prospered, so did its ego. The most common complaint about the paper is, "The Stranger hates everything." While this obviously isn't true, it's understandable why people say this. Even articles that seem to highlight something new and exciting in our city are often laced with cynicism, and Stranger writers often try to get in a punch below the belt. Yes, this can be funny, but unfortunately it also gives one an overwhelming feeling of negativity when reading the paper.
Early issues of the paper highlighted fringe-type events--underground artists, new bands, local films, and smaller activist causes were considered valid forms of expression and given equal weight to more mainstream coverage. Covering under represented people and events has always been a reason why people turn to alternative weeklies; The Stranger has proven that one can succeed without doing this. Despite such detractors, the paper has grown up with Seattle, and become part of its culture.
Surviving for a decade is an amazing accomplishment. The growth and success of The Stranger deserves our congratulations!
The staff of Tablet newspaper
[EDITOR'S NOTE #2: The following voice mail is in response to Brian Goedde's news article running in this very issue ["Afterschool Special," page 10], making it the fastest response to an article in the history of journalism.]
"HI BRIAN, THIS IS RICE. Umm, I spoke to Shane and he spoke to some other people and heard a little bit about the article. Actually, I had it read to me and ummm, I think that there are some pretty fundamental things that you're missing about what it means to be a human being and live in a community with other people. And it seems to me that perhaps you'd rather hear more about, you know, fucking bitches and stacking riches and other things of that nature that you seem to love so much in consumption in consumer hiphop and maybe when you get a little bit more mature as a human being, and you have children possibly, and have to live in a community and you actually have to be responsible for loving people and creating a loving atmosphere, hopefully then maybe you'll be able to appreciate a little bit more what you thought those kids in my class are trying to do. Because not only are they trying to do something for themselves, they're also trying to create a better place to exist in, a better society for everybody so....
Thanks for doing the article, I appreciate talking to you, appreciate seeing your vantage point, teaches me a lot about, I guess, what it is to be a member of American society at this point in time. I guess I'm just sorry that we can't bridge the gap so that we can just find a better way of articulating the circumstances of our lives so we don't have to escape into a fantasy world of just... degradation. Fine then."
Rice Baker-Yeboah
via voice mail
SOMEONE LIKES US
EDITORS: In response to Gordon Whitlow's letter comparing The Stranger to Denver's (historic) Westword [Letters, Feb 21]: The Westword started in 1977, and has grown to be one of the larger weeklies in the country. The fact that Gordon finds it an ignorable weekly is surprising. The writers are undynamic, and the content is tamed down to insure it will never offend. Not risk-takers, their publishers.
The only viable alternative in Seattle is Tablet, whose predictable bitterness never fails to leave an unsavory taste. We don't happen to need smaller weeklies here, since The Stranger has everything from educated reviews, to funny-as-hell social commentary, to strong local art support. After years of skipping over almost every article in the Westword in search of the music listings, all I can say is long live The Stranger. You all rock. You can write a seemingly bland article about an artist (see Jeff DeRoche's piece on Nelly Furtado in the "Yes Logo!" issue), upon which closer inspection reveals to be an exacting diatribe about why mainstream culture is so unrewarding. That's what Gordon doesn't seem to get. If you cannot look a little deeper, then you need a mainstream weekly that will spoon-feed you opinions and viewpoints.
