Letters

Sorry for Saying Steven, Seven
Though it may mean yet another year of being misspelled by your publication, I must respond to Jeff Stark's item "Ethical Laundry" (Riff Raff, Oct. 29), wherein you attempted to dig up dirt in the San Francisco Bay Guardian's back yard, using my band, and its management, as your shovel. The backbone of your article was that you found it "kind of weird" that a review on my band would be written by Lorn Dittfeld (mistakenly listed in the Guardian masthead as music/national account executive) instead of someone on the editorial staff. In hindsight, your "big scoop" would have been nipped in the bud had you done your research on the masthead listing before you proceeded to call me and my manager. Alas, there was no scoop, and no backbone. The fact that you would choose to believe that my band would be written about for any other reason than basic appreciation is insulting. My question to you, Mr. Stark, is this: Where is the subversion in someone feeling strongly enough about a subject to record an article and pursue having it published? Kind of "old school journalism," don't you think? Existing in a business where more attention is paid to a buzz than to actual talent, it is refreshing for me to see that at least a journalistic id can exist without a bureaucratic superego governing its every move. As music editor, perhaps you should spend more time supporting local talent than sitting at your desktop fabricating scandal, covering your own journalistic weaknesses by attempting to uncover weaknesses in your competition.

Let it be known that not all of my reactions to your article were negative. It was refreshing to see that SF Weekly spelled my name without a T, my manager's name with an E, and my band's name without a W -- the last two being of frequent occurrence in your publication. And before you toss this letter into your waste can, call to mind a few quotes from the same Society of Professional Journalists' Code of Ethics from which you quoted in your article. It states that the journalist must:

* "invite dialogue with the public over journalistic conduct,"
* "encourage the public to voice grievances against the news media," and
* "support the open exchange of views, even views they find repugnant."
Seven Harkey
The Lomaxes
San Francisco

Editor's Note: SF Weekly stands behind the item Mr. Harkey complains of, which spells his name, and the name of his band, correctly. We apologize for previous misspellings.

Awful Bloody Sarcastic, Greg
Jack Boulware's article about bloodletting rituals ("Hemoglobin Goblins," Oct. 29) was an eye-opener. I once had the experience of lying in the S.F. General emergency room, bleeding profusely from the mouth, and hoping that I was not going to die. Had I known that I was having a sexual experience, I would have enjoyed it.

Gregory Morris
Lower Haight

What About the Fall of the Roman Empire, Dave?
Ain't nothing goths do that matters ("Hemoglobin Goblins").
David Hartic
Sunset

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