Make Book, Knipfel; Szamuely's Right On/Way Off; Surfing Story Blew, Doods; More Assorted Surliness
Yes, William Repsher sucks. I've tried to read maybe 10 of his articles, and never enjoyed one. I only finished about half of that number.
Why does he suck? First of all, his writing is so clunky it just makes you cringe. Every other sentence jars you out of the scene with uncomfortable phrasing and ridiculous vocabulary.
Anyway, I hate the guy as a writer. I wish he would take an accounting course or something and stop plaguing the literary scene with his garbage.
Greg Tindle, Cleveland
No Good Deed Goes Unpublished
As a Greenpoint resident I enjoyed John Strausbaugh's take on the Patti Smith benefit for the Waterfront Task Force, "People Fight the Power" ("New York City," 3/6), but I feel compelled to point out a few factual errors. The impetus for the concert did not come from Jon Weiss as stated, but rather from a member of the band: drummer Jay Dee Dougherty, a fellow Greenpoint resident. After discussing it with Patti, Jay Dee took the idea to Jane Pool, who with Aggie Mullaney-Straus got commitments from the Polish National Home and Brooklyn Brewery, as well as mobilized the community and other local sponsors.
Unfortunately Jay Dee wasn't behind the drums that night as he's on the mend from a nasty motorcycle accident, although he did manage to make the show and even played guitar on a few numbers. We here in the Greenpoint/Williamsburg area owe him our thanks and wish him a speedy recovery.
Rich Bozza, Brooklyn
John Strausbaugh replies: I don't think Bozza's quite got the sequence of events right, but whatever. Didn't mean to downplay the role of Dougherty or anyone else involved. So let's also not ignore the role of Warsaw and the Polish Home, who put their space and expertise at the service of what we can all agree was a very successful evening.
The People Need the Power
The "People Fight the Power" article was crap! John Strausbaugh writes about women being nasty to each other on the streets and about saving-the-world bullshit. The evil power plant is coming. All you people who want to save the world from something should start at home.
In Greenpoint, they do not want the 1100-megawatt power plant. Well, shut off your lights, give up your color tv's, DVDs, computers, VCRs, power tools, dishwashers, washing machines, dryers, video games, etc. You're part of the problem! Where is all this power coming from? We as people like to waste. We like to have these things, but do not like to give up anything.
Patti Smith is a good singer, but she is out of her mind to try to stop the power plant. Her whole band needs power to play. How many watts does her record company need to cut her music? Stop your madness.
Name Withheld, Glendale, NY
Thanks for the Sharp Insight, Dood
C.J. Sullivan's feature on surfing in NYC (3/6) was pretty weak as far as giving an impression of what surfing in NY is all about.
Dave Garfinkel, Manhattan
Goldberg's Glorious Spunk
MUGGER: Thank you for your delicious skewering of Frank Rich, that silly liberal pumpkinhead (3/6). I have not had the pleasure of reading your articles before, but will now go and read your archives, then follow your work as it appears.
I am especially grateful to you for your pursuit of his lying and false reporting. He's a silly man, but very dangerous in his position at the Times. Having seen him on C-SPAN and on other television programs, he seems repulsive to me; not only for his views, but there is really something mean about him, and it just keeps on coming!
And thank you for defending Bernard Goldberg. He is a wonderful man and journalist who does not deserve the treatment he is receiving. I'd like to see him as dean of the Columbia School of Journalism!
I have a running discussion with my daughter about liberal bias. And I have always told her to stop and think about how hard it is to be an independent thinker among her colleagues, most of whom are liberal and never were exposed to different ideas. And it is true. "Other thought" is considered stupid, mean or evil. But the real fear is of being caught having a different viewpoint from one's friends. I taught school for many years and see in the newsroom and living room the same peer pressure I saw in schoolchildren. How important it is not to stick out, for then one is "cut" from the group. Just as Goldberg was. I glory in his spunk, and hope he lives long and prospers, hearing admissions that he is correct. Most media persons are not intentionally this way?you are right. But Frank Rich is a particularly odious exception, and you named well the group to which he belongs.
Michael Moore seems totally crazy to me and I wonder that anyone gives him the time of day. He does keep popping up, and I keep wondering why.
I have greatly enjoyed reading articles at Jewish World Review, and will look for you at your regular stand.
Martha Copenhaver, Tryon, NC
Searching for the Truth
Jim Knipfel: Has the book (What REALLY Destroyed the World Trade Center: Techno-Paranoia and the American Mind) been published yet? There was a reference to 9/11, but searching for the book yielded no results when I searched a couple of sites. Thanks for an informative and interesting article.