SOUND OF SMARTS

JONATHAN ZWICKEL: I just finished a short article I believe you penned for The Stranger about the sax and trumpet ["Sax Blows," April 26], and absolutely loved it. Music is a driving force in my life, and I simply cannot get enough of thoughts like these. What makes our sounds so lovely? How do you explain with words what can only be felt through music? I'm not sure how, but you did a killer job in that piece. But I suppose you are absolutely correct, Miles is impeccably cool; that's a fact. Good work, man.

Graham

NOTE FROM A TRUMPETER

HEY JONATHAN: I've been enjoying your writing since you started at The Stranger, but this week's article was stellar. I'm a trumpet player myself in local indie-rock band the Preons. We do not have a horn section, just a trumpet (me). For us, trumpet = guitar. It works well... exactly as you described it in the article.

For a trumpet player like myself who isn't really into playing jazz and would prefer to play the music I grew up on—Van Morrison, Joni Mitchell, the Beatles, Miles Davis—it is the perfect arrangement. Plus, trumpet is delightful to play through effects, wah-wah, delay...

I have one minor correction. You say, regarding the trumpet, "It requires less technical mastery, which means it attracts less wankery and more innovation." I would have to disagree. The saxophone is more like a melodica; you blow through it, put the right key down, and you're good. Plus, I've known plenty of trumpet-playing wankers.

Regardless, keep up the good work! It's nice to (finally) see someone with your perspective writing for The Stranger.

Brad Nelson

CASUALLY TASTELESS

EDITOR: I was pleased to see Jen Graves's cover story "Art School Confidential" [April 26] about Seattle's beautiful little secret, Gage Academy of Art. My wife is a full-time student there, and we found the article to be generally excellent and accurate.

However, one thing disturbed us very much: Graves referred several times to art critics who have compared artistic realism to Nazi art. This unwarranted association is apparently based on the well-known fact that Hitler liked realism in art. Evidently, the quoted critics think that since Hitler liked artistic realism, then realistic art must be Nazi-like. I would like to point out that Hitler also liked dogs; therefore, according to the reasoning of these critics, dogs are like Nazis.

As an Orthodox Jew, my wife and I found this part of the article to be highly offensive. Realism in art is a point of view, one of many possible approaches to give expression to an artist's creativity. As such, realism is ethically and artistically neutral. Tying artistic realism to the diabolical mind of someone who murdered six million Jews is unforgivable.

Baruch Shalom Clement

ART FART

MY SWEET EDITOR: I was quite pleased with Jen Graves's article on art school; it had a certain "I-don't-know-what." Unfortunately, midway through the article I began to have my doubts as to whether a debate over art can have any usefulness or meaning whatsoever.

It's a bit like a bunch of cheerleaders sitting around and discussing the merits of "The Herkie" versus "The Side Hurdler." Such a discussion borders on the absurd; no one gives a damn as long as we get to see your little white underpants.

In order to prove the thesis of this letter (which exists), consider the following: Yesterday, I was interrogating my cat in French, and although she could answer all of my questions satisfactorily, her accent was execrable. Such is life and as such, such is art.

Adam Sorini

MANY MISTRESSES

STRANGER: Way to go, [copy editors], for using the best possible plural form of "dominatrix" [i.e., "one of the dominatrices puts on a fake beard," Party Crasher, April 19]. Several alternatives made themselves available, but y'all saw straight to the heart of the matter. Here's to good diction.

Dave

FALLEN ANGEL

EDITOR: I read it once, twice, three times before I came to the sad realization that you were actually trying to make a joke of the fatal crash of a Blue Angels pilot last week [Last Days, April 26]. Yeah, yeah, we all know that you're an edgy, cooler-than-thou, and unabashedly pretentious free paper. And I love you guys. Until this! Just because the guy was in the military, he's suddenly fair game for your stupid "it's okay to consider this item good news" comment? Grow a pair and try making a crack about all the people killed at Virginia Tech. Nothing's sadder than a publication that takes a horrific tragedy and tries to make it into witty fodder.

Ann E. Koepke

Go to the Slog archives for Monday, April 30 (slog.thestranger.com/2007/04/29-05), to read David Schmader's response to this complaint and the conversation that ensued.