You say party,
we say kill the Junos

[Re: “All you need is XXXX,” Music, Nov. 5, 2009] For some reason I found myself watching the Junos over the weekend, thinking how god-awful they were and wondering why the Canadian music industry is just so bad in general. Then I heard about Devon Clifford, You Say Party! We Say Die!’s drummer who died on Friday. Now, here was a band that didn’t have a lot of support but were talented, hardworking and about to embark on a European tour, and the poor guy dies of an aneurysm on stage. Anyone at the Junos mention it? Don’t think so, they were too busy kissing Chad Kroeger’s ass again, just like they do every year. Lame, lame, lame, lame.

>>G. Hampton

The Vatican cult

[Re: “The Vatican’s blame game,” Insect, April 15] Good for you for making the Pope Insect of the Week. Think about this: What would you call an international ring of influential and powerful men who regularly rape and abuse children, and then use their positions of power and influence to not only avoid persecution, but actually cover up the crimes and help offenders escape justice by sending them around the world where, unknown, they are free to rape, abuse and molest some more? If you say “the Roman Catholic Church,” then you’re right.

>>Anonymous

Crusty criticism

[Re: “Punx not junk,” Riff-Raff, April 8] Who does this Raf think he is and how is he still around? I’m reading this past week’s article and I think I’m officially done with this dude, whether he’s cool enough to wear his stinkiest sweater vest out to the poshest punk bar and ask an Ottawa punk about crust punk jackets in Montreal or not. He’s not funny, not clever and certainly not literate (“sleeping in ATMs”—how does one sleep IN a machine... this is how one proofreads themselves out of a job).

As a Montreal native and friend of a few so-called “crust punks,” I am so very confused as to how this dumbdumb hipster priss managed to say, “It’s funny that the spirit of punk is that you’re not supposed to care about superficial stuff, but punks put so much deliberate care and time into hair and jackets, it’s like an old lady spending hours in curlers and then lovingly knitting a quilt” without getting his face kicked in.

I used to date a girl who would have given him a fully literate grilling about counter-cultural identity and the intentionality of self-representation, before properly destroying his face (this girl got a concussion from a bar stool to the temple last time she got in a fight). That’s “crusty.” Conclusion: Riffity Riff-Raff consulted a not-so-smart, no longer so angry and essentially, possibly, over the hill crust-punk. The final product was poor, boring, irrelevant writing.

>>David Bradford

Let the buskers play

[Re: “Leave the buskers alone,” Letters, April 15] There is nothing more embarrassing than having to listen to bad buskers. Irritating, pathetic and downright, make-my-skin crawl, force-me-to-the wall, revolting.

But I think enough is enough when it comes to city hall taking bread out of our mouths. The blind clarinetist who would sit next to her golden lab and belt out “We all live in a Yellow Submarine” (where did she go?) gets a pass. Spoonman is irritating as hell (in my opinion), but a competent musician. Saxophone on stilts is a good shtick and it seems to be paying the bills. String quartet vs. downtown traffic, fight on!

And clear tenor saxophone reverberating against Ste-Catherine plate glass in the crisp morning breeze gets a toonie if I have it.

>>F-X. Sarrazin

Decreasing anti-Semitism

[Re: “Zionism, not the best thing ever,” Letters, April 15] Thank you Mira Khazzam, of Independant Jewish Voices, for your solidarity with Palestinians. By showing that not all Jews are callous Zionists who support Israel’s crimes, you also help decrease anti-Semitism. This is in stark contrast to the likes of Simon Wasjer (“Dirlik taking up Raf’s space!”) who only reinforces anti-Semitic stereotypes with his breathtaking arrogance, hysterical personal attacks on Israel’s critics and utter disregard for the suffering of fellow human beings.

>>Samir Omer

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