Letters

Cover Me
Your cover stories are really lacking substance. Pure fluff. Stories about rich bankers (Mike Walker's "Jerry Green: Sports Talk Empire Builder," June 29) and inbreeds who want to be sheriff (Allie Johnson's "Urban Cowboy," June 8) should be left to trash papers like The Kansas City Star or something. Here's a novel idea: Why don't you write about stories that affect everyday people, like how the drug war is running amok, or about how the schools suck? Try finding something a little more relevant.-- John Caffrey

Kansas City, Missouri

I have to heartily disagree with Mike Walker's statement that Greg Hall doesn't give a forum to those who disagree with him on his Web site. Mr. Hall does listen to those who disagree with him and anything he says.

I have gotten onto him about things numerous times, and he has listened to me and what I had to say. Anybody can e-mail Hall, and he responds to every e-mail. While he was still at The Star, I called his voice mail and he even called me back that evening to discuss what I had to say to him. Plus, if you look at his site, you will find that he also has a forum section. Quit kissing somebody's butt and do some investigating before you print something like this. -- Bruce Diebold

Pleasant Hill, Missouri

Home of the Rave
What prompted me to write this note was Andrew Miller's excellent cover story, "Spin City" (June 22). As a DJ and promoter for over five years, I really appreciate the positive publicity he's given the scene. His article was obviously very well-researched and maturely written. He definitely spoke with the town's current key players and covered a lot of ground. Overall, a superb piece.

However, I would like to add that there is one individual whose commitment to music has been crucial in the development of Kansas City's club and party scene: Ray Velasquez. Before recently relocating to New York, Ray spent well over a decade bringing great electronic music to KC as a DJ (on KKFI and KLZR, as well as countless clubs), a writer (for the Pitch, in fact), and a promoter.

I've been living in L.A. for almost a year now, but I still read the online version of the Pitch and pick up the paper when I'm in town. I'm sure I will continue to enjoy Miller's excellent writing in the future. Keep up the good work.-- Henry Self

Los Angeles

Andrew Miller is by far the best writer I have ever read in the Pitch. Please keep him on board before some other paper snatches him away. "Spin City" gave readers the real take on raves in Kansas City as well as all over America. Thanks, Andrew!-- Name withheld on request

Kansas City, Missouri

Feet of Clay
Connie Lamka sincerely but incorrectly admonished me for employing a "closed planning process" concerning our latest light rail effort (Letters, July 6). The current light rail petition reflects not only input from hundreds of citizens we have consulted with across the city and numerous public transit hearings we have attended, but it also follows the recommendations of 3,000 citizens who participated in the city's FOCUS planning report.

In FOCUS, a clear majority stated their preference for light rail over buses, wanted light rail to connect the Plaza to Downtown to KCI, and would support a tax increase to do it -- EXACTLY what the petition calls for. The problem is that our city leaders have never carried out the citizens' mandate for light rail as expressed through FOCUS and the MARC Transit Initiative survey. Instead, the city has deferred to the special interests who oppose light rail in Kansas City.

Once again, we are offering the people a choice on how to improve Kansas City. We are not "imposing" anything on anybody. People are willingly signing the petition and can willingly vote yes or no on November 7.-- Clay Chastain

Kansas City, Missouri

As We Like It
Ah, subjectivity. For those of us who ply the stormy waters of A Life In The Theater, it is both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, subjectivity is essential to the theater. When two people view the same idea from two radically different points of view, there lie the seeds of conflict, which is the source of all drama. On the other hand, subjectivity is the very property that makes theater so difficult. So many factors affect a person's response to a performance: the temperature, the humidity, one's comfort level in the company of one's companions, hunger, the fear that one's job is meaningless, ditto one's life, one's hatred of mosquitoes, and so on. On any given night, in any given performance, actors look into the audience and see some sleeping, some scowling, some sitting forward with eyes alight.

It's surprising that a show can succeed -- on anything approaching a consistent basis -- at all. But it's extremely gratifying when it does.

It's not surprising that on any given night, there can be a wide divergence of responses to a performance. Take, for example, Steve Walker's response to As You Like It at the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival (June 29). On the one hand, there's Mr. Walker's opinion, as wittily recounted in his review of that production. Mr. Walker was apparently so unmoved by the performance that he had difficulty purging his mind of visions of Greek pederasty and The Beverly Hillbillies. On the other hand, hundreds of other audience members expressed their opinions in much laughter, spontaneous applause, and overall rapt attention. These responses have been echoed several hundred times over during subsequent performances by audiences who don't seem to be bothered about the variety of moods Shakespeare wrote into the play. They rather seem to enjoy the story and the performances, and they leave the grounds buzzing happily about the perversity and multiplicity of love in all its forms. I guess some people really like goulash.-- Mark Robbins