From You
Where Are The Voices?
originally published February 7, 2007
The last couple of years I have been increasingly frustrated by the lack of opposition to the Iraq War by the American people, residents of Georgia, and the students in our university system. My feeling is the that the majority of the people are against this war and have been for some time, but we have remained silent.
Where are the John Lennons? Where are the strong voices of our young people? In the 1960s, the student voices were astonishingly loud when America was thrust into the last ill-conceived war. I wonder if the muted response is due to the fact that we have an all-volunteer military. Therefore, the Iraq War is held at a comfortable distance by most Americans. The majority of us won’t be directly affected. We know this war is wrong. Let’s hold our leaders accountable and demand a responsible plan to get our troops home. Please.
Lookyloo (n.)
originally published February 7, 2007
Thank you for the nice review in your Dec. 6 issue [Record Reviews]. Your reviewer, however, accuses us of having an “outdatedly sexist name” and we must take exception to that assertion.
For the record, a “Lookyloo” is one that looks on without actively participating. A shopper that never buys anything is the most common example. Your otherwise friendly reviewer has a somewhat narrower definition of the term and then erroneously judges the name based on that definition. Finally, we are educated progressive thinkers who are appalled by any form discrimination and would never choose a name or write a song that was sexist or in any way discriminated against any person or persons.
The Lookyloos
Davis, CA
Panic Elsewhere
originally published February 7, 2007
I’m the only one who thinks Widespread Panic picked the lamest possible venue when they selected the Classic Center? I have absolutely no desire to stand outside and drink while the band is playing inside. If I can’t drink and watch at the same time, then screw it. I went the last time they played the Classic Center and will never do it again. This venue is more appropriate for classical shows and opera, but certainly not for rock and roll.
Townes Van Zandt
originally published February 7, 2007
Thanks for the review [“What Could’ve Been,” Jan. 17]. Personally, I loved the movie. It really stuck with me and moved me, got me writing and listening closer to the words and looking closer at the world I live in. I think the movie did show how people reached out to him and how he always seemed to screw it up when they did - as if he had to because he could not live the phony glitz of commercialism. You don’t need to know much more than that, as his first wife says, the first song he wrote was “Waiting Around to Die.” Or when his son talks about his daughter Katie listening to Townes sing “No Deeper Blue” to her from the grave. That’s flat stunning. That Townes lived on the fringes is nowhere clearer than in the fact that he went grocery shopping at 7-Eleven. Hell, I can understand that, and why! And I even tend to admire that about him.
I listen to Townes for the same reason I read the The Waste Land, the Bible and the poetry of Robert Penn Warren: ’cause I know that black streak lives in me as well, even if I try to hide it. In the end, like it or not, that was what made Townes, the very thing that broke him; that’s what makes his songs, the very thing that breaks in them.
P.S.: I think Guy Clark nails Townes in his commentary and in his toast. At his funeral he says that “he booked the gig years ago.” Not to glorify the fatalism or the drinking - but to stare the reality of it in the face is what really makes the documentary.
An Athens Farewell
originally published February 7, 2007
I think that it goes without saying that we Athenians are proud of our local heroes, our local color. Throughout the last 21 years, several of those names have graced the pages of Bissett’s payroll. And while it goes without saying that the name Don Moore could hardly be deemed “household” and his local color stature is largely unsung, he owns a place in Athens’ history nonetheless.
Donald Moore was born (along with identical twin Ronald) on Sept. 1, 1947. He grew up in Augusta, GA and moved to Athens in 1967 to pursue an undergraduate degree in English at UGA. Don began his restaurant career in 1970 and worked at a host of establishments (including Krystal, where, at the time, table service was offered) before beginning a 20-year “stint” at Harry Bissett’s in the spring of 1987. Don got rid of his last automobile, a 1956 Chevy, in 1975. In 1976, he moved into what would be his home for 30 years, an apartment in a converted Victorian house on Boulevard. And, since Athens has garnered a well-deserved reputation as a “music town,” here’s a secret: Don is surely one of the most (if not THE most) avid collectors of jazz and classical music in town; through years of second-hand and local record store browsing, he has amassed a formidable library containing over 2400 records and almost as many CDs. For the last 20 years, Don has walked down Prince Avenue, rain or shine, to and from Harry Bissett’s. Surely, anyone who has lived in Athens for any length of time has driven, biked, or walked past him at one point or another. He has decidedly become a fixture at Harry Bissett’s. We’ve changed our menus, our chairs, table settings, our floors and bathrooms; our staff rolls over constantly; meanwhile, Don has become so synonymous with his table section that when another server works those tables on “the balcony,” we call whoever he or she may be “Don.” Don is one of the last of a dying breed here in Athens (and probably elsewhere), a truly professional server and a credit to the industry. Don is moving to Tennessee at the end of January to provide assistance and care for his parents. His presence will be more than a little missed at Harry Bissett’s and surely on the streets of Athens as well.
Genius
originally published February 7, 2007
In Defense Of Grub Notes
originally published February 7, 2007
While enjoying my lunch, I happened to open the latest issue of the Flagpole (Jan. 31) and scanned the Letters section only to find the most scathing responses to Hillary Brown’s Grub Notes. Somehow, I had missed her article, so I went back to my office and read it online. I have enjoyed Hilary’s Grub Notes in the past and am always interested in learning about new restaurants in the area. I saw nothing in her article that (1) deterred me from visiting Saving Grace Café or (2) would provoke such an attack on her personally or her abilities as a writer. My feelings from the seven letters that were published in response were similar to parents who overreact to suggestions that their children are somehow not the most perfect beings on the face of the Earth.
I am in business for myself and I find that other people’s viewpoints about my business are a valuable part of growing and adapting to the needs of the community. While it might be hard to hear criticism, it is often what other people are thinking but not expressing to you. Maybe the signage is hard for some people to see. Maybe the hummus is a little to bland. These are all observations that can help improve the restaurant and attract more patrons. These comments should not be used to promote a personal attack on the writer. Keep up the good work and thanks for your reviews and insights, Hillary.
Sidewalks...
originally published February 7, 2007
I wonder how much the taxpayers of Athens had to fork over to line the sidewalks of downtown with brick pavers, only to have the bar and restaurant owners tear them up installing the stupid railings around their sidewalk café tables. These installations are for the most part crude and amateurish, as though they sent the dishwasher out there with a sledgehammer and a bag of Quickrete. Surely there is some sort of ordinance regarding appropriate installation and materials for these railings which, after all, are on our property, not the businesses’! Why brick, by the way? Is it easier to clean up the vomit, urine and blood splattered all over the place? I haven’t noticed any business owners cleaning up the sidewalks in front of their establishments (which are responsible for causing the stinking mess every day out there!).
By the way, the exception to the aforementioned business operators would be Chef Lamar Thomas, who can be seen almost every morning hosing and bleaching the sidewalks in front of East-West Bistro. Thanks Lamar!
Radio Notes
originally published February 7, 2007
Pete, you gave me far more credit than I deserve [Pub Notes, Jan. 24]. Someone could write a dissertation or at least a thesis on the history of bringing public radio to Athens. I believe NPR began about 1970 or 1971, but you know how long it took for the University of Georgia to have an NPR member station. Jill Read, who then held a local government position concerning the arts, started a petition to convince the administration that there was a demand for public radio in Athens and she deserves much of the credit.
It still bothers me that WUGA is such a low-power station. At one time it was supposed to have 25,000 watts at another frequency, but before it began broadcasting, the FCC awarded to a religious broadcaster the frequency it was slated to have had. I now wish WUGA and WUOG could exchange frequencies (and power), but I think that is unlikely to happen.
When I heard (before WUGA began) that WABE’s power was to be increased to 100,000 watts with an antenna on Stone Mountain it seemed that that would fill our need, but the FCC prevented that, too, by requiring that the antenna be aimed toward Atlanta instead of being omnidirectional. I have discovered though that at times when WUOG is off the air, WABE comes in loud and clear. The people at WUGA do an excellent job, but I wish their signal could be received over a wider area.
If you are having problems with the site, or have questions or suggestions, please contact us here. Thanks!
Care to comment on this article? Click here!
3 people have commented so far.