Letters may be edited for clarity and length. E-mail to le*****@oc******.com, or send to Letters to the Editor, c/o OC Weekly, 1666 N. Main St., Ste. 500, Santa Ana, CA 92701. Or fax to (714) 550-5908.
SORRY, EVAN. NEXT TIME IT'LL BE ALL PUPPY DOGS AND ROSES
This is a letter to inform you on how extremely dross your OC Weakly Rag really is [Rex Reason's “Master of None,” Aug. 18]. I was contacted a few weeks ago by Rex Reason to do an interview for Aural Reports. We spoke on the phone for a good half hour about things such as my new CD, Evan Stone Sticks and Stone Vol.1 on the Red Jazz label. We also discussed the OC Music Awards, in which I was awarded Best Jazz 2006, as well as a number of positive things about what is happening in my musical career in OC and also what is happening in music today in not only OC but around the world, none of which made it into the article. It is a shame that nothing positive I had to say was mentioned in the article. Not a thing. Not a mention of my first solo release. Not a mention of the OC Music Awards. Not a mention of some of the great jazz musicians in OC who I have had the honor of playing with or some of the great venues where jazz music can be heard from my group or anyone else's. The few minutes of negative information that I spewed was the only thing that made it in the article. We all know that everyone has both a positive side as well as a negative. It is unfortunate that the entire image your paper decided to paint of me is that of the latter. I am bothered to some degree by this. Obviously enough to make me want to write to you about it. Not that you give a shit . . . because you probably won't even read this. You are too busy collecting money from the smut peddlers who advertise with you. However, in case you do, I think it should be known that some (on your staff of writers) need to be given lessons in how to write articles and conduct interviews. That was a shit article. Even the title: “Master of None”? What the hell is that supposed to mean? Did I do something or say something to piss someone off at your office? I have had several people who know me and my dry and sometimes dark sense of humor tell me that after they read it, they had a hard time believing that it came from me. They knew something was missing. Well, a LOT was missing. And although I may have been negative to some degree in my conversing with Mr. Treason, that should in no way have been made to be (not the bulk of the article, but) the entire article. That being said, if I were to have an extreme case of Montezuma's Revenge and there was no toilet paper in sight, and the only thing in the bathroom at that time was an OC Weekly, I still wouldn't put my ass anywhere near it. May shame be had on you in large quantities.
Evan Stone
Via e-mail
Rex Reason responds: I'm surprised and, sure, maybe disappointed that Evan wrote this. His comments in the article are direct quotes, and I found them insightful. The fact that he was willing to be so candid about the state of jazz in America—and about the real prospects for working musicians—impressed me. Now? I'm just bored. It turns out that Evan is a clich—in private, a tough-talking artist; in public, a businessman who hopes reporters will manufacture out of all his candor a press release that offends no one. As for the words “master of none”: Evan apparently doesn't even recognize the words he used to describe himself in the interview. If he doesn't know what the phrase means, he probably shouldn't use it.
GRANDMA AND A PHONE BOOK MAY BE BETTER ON THE EARS
C'mon, guys, time to remove your tongues from the asses of the Coach House and Galaxy. Nowhere in the article [Rex Reason's “Bargain Music,” Sept. 8] does it mention the helping hand they offer also collects money in a new twist on the old pay-to-play scheme. In a nutshell: they give local bands tickets, the band is required to sell the tickets and give the money to the club. If they sell enough tickets, they might get a spot right before the headliner (not guaranteed, by any stretch). My grandma could go in there and read the phone book if she came up with the money. Gee whiz, no wonder Matt Costa doesn't play there anymore. Please stop glorifying these opportunistic a-holes and their shenanigans.
George Fryer
Huntington Beach
WE BITE OUR TONGUE
Mr. Coker's rather repetitive “Sloppy Seconds” [Feature, Aug. 18] was in need of some humor. He inserted the hilarious line “a slice as large as a hydrocephalic infant's head,” referring to a slice of cake. Not laughing here in H.B. My son's nickname at the Boys and Girls Club is La Cabeza! You know why? He's hydrocephalic. What a knee slapper! He's 19. Last time I checked, hydrocephalus is treated by inserting a hollow tube into one of the four ventricles of the brain. Neurosurgery, CT scans and seizures are not funny. Neither are learning disabilities. Mr. Executive Editor—edit thyself. Learn what true intelligent humor is, Mr. Matt Coker, and then you won't have to write sloppy humor, you'll just have to have sloppy seconds. Oh, yeah, Christos brought me home the OC Weekly as a favor. That's called irony, Mr. Coker.
Stephanie Sanchez
Proud mom of Christos Mitchell
Huntington Beach
WTF'S THE DEAL WITH WTC NO. 7?!
Thank you for your coverage of the 9/11 Truth screening [Matt Coker's “9/11 at 5,” Sept. 8]. At this packed house community event it was uplifting to see so much interest in the day that altered our world. The gathering in Huntington Beach was merely one of the dozens held throughout the country. With polls indicating as high as 52 percent of Americans doubting the official story, it is essential we question the collapse of World Trade Center Building No. 7 and other 9/11 mysteries to clear the malaise hanging over our country and world.
Greg Revers
Fountain Valley
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