From You
Dead-End Town
originally published March 5, 2008
This is a response to Gordon Lamb in Threats & Promises column saying, “Athens is still the greatest place on Earth, but, like every other place, it has its share of assholes and criminals.” [Feb. 13]
If we are going to have DIY spaces in traditionally poor neighborhoods where most of the kids who go to shows there are white and most of the people in the neighborhood are black - we should expect shit to happen. And when stuff does, it is time to step back and think - not about the individual “asshole” who committed the crime, but the bigger picture. And the bigger picture in Athens is that it’s a dead-end town. Not for college folks, and not for musicians, but for poor kids of color who grow up here.
The high school dropout rate is nearing 50 percent. UGA is a foreign place for many of the poor native Athenians, that is, unless they score a janitorial position at the school. And yes, I think with circumstances like those that exist in Athens, crime is inevitable. So Gordon’s right, be careful out there, but I’d add that us white folks need to be asking ourselves what role we play in creating and maintaining the racial and class divides that exist so prominently here in Athens. When we laud Athens’ charm, we should keep in mind who gets to enjoy that charm and who doesn’t, why that is, and what we can do about it.
Condo Towers.1
originally published March 5, 2008
Thank you, Kevan [Williams], for your constructive, well-thought-out column on the issue of the condo towers on Broad Street [Feb. 13].
Condo Towers.2
originally published March 5, 2008
The shallow, narrow lot at the southwest comer of West Broad and Finley streets is largely walled and floored by almost exposed bedrock, part of the roots and the north face of the knob of granite that supports Dearing neighborhood. Nothing is there now, besides two small billboards, because the ground is unsuitable for any kind of building, but works for communication. The city of Athens could use this space to share our charm and history with others. In-town breathing space, judiciously exposed stone, sculpture made with local rock, careful planting with material that does well in similar (rocky and north-facing) areas, a historical marker, a cable car to get walking tours up to the Tree That Owns Itself would work well here; buildings, benches or large trees would not.
Multiple strands of history converge at this comer. The Broad Street side of the block is historically African-American, a mix of small residences, businesses and clubs. (The Nuwaubian bookstore up towards Milledge would make a great first story for a two- or three-story building, one of a kind for us.) The granite blocks that pave Finley Street from Broad to Dearing were probably quarried a few blocks away on Newton Street behind the Holiday Inn Express parking lot. The house occupied by the last owner of the Tree That Owns Itself, and later by the maker of Athens’ first botanical garden, is to your left as you reach the top of the hill. Some of the Dearing houses are still occupied by the families that built them; others have changed hands often and have been appreciated more with each change. A new generation of children is being born, learning to walk and biking to school here. Existing duplexes, apartment blocks and townhouses make the neighborhood affordable and diverse. Professors walk to campus, students walk downtown, dog owners walk around with plastic bags, history and landscape architecture students take notes, and tourists drive by with cameras.
At the Feb. 7 Planning Commission meeting, one of the commissioners suggested that the current zoning, two or three stories, might be inappropriately dense for the comer of Broad and Finley. I hope the commission will pursue that line of thought.
Yes, Impeach
originally published March 5, 2008
Thank you, Jack Schatz, for saying what so many know and believe and have just forgotten (or wanted to forget). Let me be the first to say to all at Flagpole, your letter [“Impeach,” Feb. 20] should be reprinted in this section every week until Nov. 4 or until it happens.
Record Review.1
originally published March 5, 2008
As a person who has worked within the music industry in some facet or another over the last 13 years, I became quite disturbed by a recent album review by Hillary Brown. Hillary seemed to take aim and fire at will towards the debut Justin Brogdon album that was recently released [Record Reviews, Feb. 13]. My complaint is mostly about the manner in which Ms. Brown reviewed the album, and not with Ms. Brown herself. In my opinion, a music critic, especially a published critic, should never base their individual reviews by what type of music they like, but on how well the album sits in its genre. If a published critic were to admit that they do not have a taste for anything but processed indie fusion, then it would be clearly understood why they don’t like rap, southern rock, country or whatever. The biggest problem is that when I listened to the album I found that Ms. Brown’s review seemed to be way off-base and extremely harsh when you take into consideration the complexities of the music, the professional level of production and most importantly the very high quality musicianship on the album. This album was produced by two of the industry’s best, Don McCollister and John Kurzweg, who in their own right have made some of the most successful albums of recent years. I think it is extremely safe to say that neither of these gentlemen need to make albums with bad musicians or bands, just for the money. Clearly they will only produce albums for selected groups that have the caliber of musicianship and songwriting that would provide them with another opportunity to make a large impact on mainstream music. That being said, I really think that if Ms. Brown would like to have continued success as a professional music critic, then it is very important for her to realize that critiquing new albums, no matter the genre, has to be done from a completely unbiased position. If Ms. Brown feels that her attachment to indie bands such as the Lolligags is so strong that she cannot actually listen to different types of music to determine their value in their own market, then maybe she should consider only reviewing music for her favorite genre. Although, unfortunately I think most publications typically look for people with open minds, the ability to have some diversity when critiquing, and a fair amount of knowledge about music and the music industry. Just my two cents.
Record Review.2
originally published March 5, 2008
Well it looks like you’ve done it again, Flagpole. Let me start by saying I have been reading the Flagpole religiously for many, many years. When I was forced to leave Athens for a significant time period, loved ones sent recent copies of the Flagpole to me across the country. There is no publication more important to me than Flagpole, I read it cover to cover every week. Through five bands I’ve enjoyed the support of the Flagpole; seeing your band’s name in print adds legitimacy to any project. It is a valuable part of this community and I thank Pete for his hard work keeping the operation going - I know it ain’t easy. And the progress and evolution of the publication is undeniable. The complaint most commonly and justifiably overheard is the unnecessary constant negativity of the music reviewed in the mag. “Don’t send your record to the Flagpole - they’ll just bash it.” This is how every musician I know feels. I’m not naive enough to think that your critics could only review music that they liked and blow sunshine up everybody’s ass, nobody listens to enough music to only review positively - the amount of stuff y’all receive to review is staggering I’m sure. And I’m sure y’all do get a lot of stuff that really is not very good. But for the love of God the pretentiousness of your critics is insane. And I’m not writing as a musician who got dogged or whose friend got dogged - this has been the tone of your writers for over 10 years. In school when your work is criticized it’s because the educators are certified as critics and they fucking have degrees to teach and shape their students into what they signed up to be made into. Does a job at Flagpole justify y’all shitting all over someone’s heartfelt efforts? Maybe Flagpole doesn’t realize how much people look forward to seeing what the publication will print about their work. If musicians don’t give any validity to your opinions, then they shouldn’t care what y’all think, but, don’t underestimate your impact. It’s the Flagpole - it stings a little bit. And a good review is wonderful. Gordon Lamb - you’ve said some of the nastiest unnecessary shit I’ve read in Flagpole to date, and I’ve heard your music, Gordon - you ain’t Radiohead. Do you feel the slightest bit strange or unfounded about trashing somebody? You come across like a five-time Grammy award winner. But the most recent offense that really got under my skin was Hillary [Brown]’s review of Justin Brogdon’s self-released record that I know he put many hours of blood, sweat and tears into [Feb. 13]. Of course, not surprisingly, you started the review with a negative: “Justin Brogdon needs an editor.” Then you say he’s got too many thank yous in the wrong place. Are you fucking kidding me? Why the fuck would you care how many thank yous someone puts in their self-released record? If there were 12 pages of thank yous it’s really their choice. Are you a music critic or a liner notes critic? Maybe you criticize both; criticizing seems to be what y’all like the most. That’s the kind of unnecessary, right out of the gate negativity that permeates all your reviews. Your defense to this is that y’all just give a record an honest review whenever asked to and you don’t sugarcoat anything, and I understand that. All I’m asking is: how about making an honest effort to send a little more praise and encouragement towards what makes this town great, which is artistic efforts - efforts at absolutely any level. Your critics are on an annoying high horse and, week after week, keep throwing stones, all the while not realizing that the glass house they’re living in was built as a result of true unbridled rare genius, genius that is rare and emerges at this level in literally no other small town on this planet, and genius that none of them really had shit to do with.
TO: ACC Commish
originally published March 5, 2008
Open Letter to ACC Commissioners:
We are the citizens who invited you to the Feb. 13 meeting to discuss the proposed National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility. We felt that a meeting with our elected officials would be helpful in preparing for the Department of Homeland Security’s return visit. Unfortunately, our window for scheduling this event was severely narrowed when the DHS suddenly announced its Feb. 19 meeting. We wish more of you could have participated, but because we could only offer an eight-day notice we anticipated that some of you would be unable to attend.
The purpose of this letter is to answer any questions concerning this sudden, impromptu meeting. Evidently the stimulus for this meeting has been the source of much anxiety and speculation. Rest assured, there is no hidden agenda. We simply needed to hear from our elected officials on a matter that affects us all.
Instead of infighting, opponents and proponents alike need to focus on addressing the serious questions raised by this proposal. Why not approach this controversy with the confidence that good people on all sides of this complex issue are working to determine and accomplish what they believe to be best for everyone?
Thank you all for your hard work.
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