Welcome to Yackity Smackity, Verbosity's letters to the editor(s) section. We handle all of the feedback, complaints, and legal disputes that come our way around here. If you'd like to respond to one of our articles, compliment us, flame us, or just send us e-mail for the gee-golly heck of it, we can be reached at verbosity@wiw.org. We look forward to hearing from you. Now, let's get started...
 

Uh...whoops.

Hi!

   Actually, I beg to differ on your notation on my letter that appeared in Verbosity #7...the New Monkees certainly did exist. Riding on the wave of the success of the original Monkees without Mike Nesmith, the creators of the original group decided to come up with a new quartet of Monkees for the 80's. The New Monkees were Larry Saltis (wow!), Dino Kovas, Jared Chandler, and Marty Ross. The new show, unlike the original Monkees reunion tour, was a tremendous flop. They did have a self-titled album with such songs as "What I Want," "The Way She Moves," "Carlene," and "Turn It Up," which was the opening theme of the show. I still have the album on tape, and I have a couple of episodes of the show on videotape somewhere. Just thought you'd like to know...

Jess sez: This is what I get for trying to show off my knowledge of the reunited Monkees! My mother always used to tell me, "Jess, someday you're going to run into someone who knows more about the Monkees than you." I never believed her, but Doris proved me wrong in a big way. All apologies, Ms. Wang...

Wow! More straight-edge...

Verbosity,

    I read your little article on straight-edge...and was just wondering what you were implying by it? Do you think it's just a big joke? I am not here to argue, fight, or anything, I am just merely trying to discuss this with you, because I personally don't think you know what you are talking about.

    Okay...to start off. I don't understand your attempt at saying it's either black or white...or something about veganism. Well, from the beginning of sXe, being vegetarian or vegan was not included with sXe at all...it just happened in recent times that the realization of respect for all life was brought to the surface. Straight edge kids went one way or the other, but it does not cause a form of bitterness between vegan and non-vegan kids?.So what were you getting at? There is also Hardline (you've probably heard of it) which is basically a group of sXe nazis in a way. The ideas are incorporated mainly from sXe, but also krishna, and some self ideologies like veganism.

    For example...last night I went and saw Sick of It All and there were sXe kids from all over. There were no fights, no form of bitterness. There is a strange existing bond between sXe kids. The pride for sXe is comparable to nothing, and therefore you should not compare and analyze, especially if you are not sXe, or haven't seen or met ever sXe kid in the world. I may not be an expert, but this is the way it is in my area-St.louis:

    There are very few vegan straight-edge kids...I don't know why, but there just isn't. Many of the sXe kids present are older and have been sXe for ten or more years. It is a life-long commitment. Though I don't agree with all the ideas of every sXe kid out there. They're still sXe, and that holds strong to any form of bitterness and jealousy.

    You see this is why I don't like your article. It isn't because it all around bashes on sXe; I mean, you have your right to an opinion. And, by the way, it is not yet another thing like, 'I'm different, therefore i'm cool,' or whatever you said. It is so much more then that. I have a problem with it because it generalizes straight edge as a whole, not as a secular group found all over. SxE kids are totally different from one city to the next. So, the generalization of every X'ed up kid is assinine.

Verbosity,

    Okay, my name is Dan and I read through all of your responses to the article on straight-edge. I think that you are full of s---. Straight-edge is not about being like other people; it's about being yourself and letting your mind work. Down By Law says that the punk scene is made up of straight-edgers and skateboarders, and it is. You said it is a following that punks go into and follow the crowd and I think that that comment makes you into an arrogant punk that believes that punk has rules. IT DOES NOT! What punk bands do you listen to that says you must buy CD's from small labels and you must never copy someone else. One of Bad Religion's guitarists (yeah, you don't like them, they are on Atlantic and trendy, huh?) says that they started the thing and there were no rules then, and they won't adhere to any now. So take your mohawk and shove it up your a--.

Kyle sez: I'm sorry, but all future feedback about that straight-edge article waaaay back in Issue 2 should now be directed to this address.

Sent from above...

Jess,

   You're cool man. You're cool.

Jess sez: At first, I was a little skeptical about this e-mail. However, when I noticed that the originator of the mail handled the tricky your/you're usage correctly, I began to reconsider my doubts.