Jeff Buckley (1966-1997)
To the Editor:
Jeff Buckley is dead. I described him as "poet rock." If you didn't get to hear him live, you really missed something. He had such an unusual rapport with the audience and his banter between songs was as entertaining as his music. Maybe you've already heard this and not understood. The media last week grabbed onto a "myth-to-be" rumor that he'd simply disappeared for a while. Unfortunately, with his bloated, dead body surfacing at the foot of Beale Street, we can no longer ignore the truth.
Memphis' dead now include Elvis, Martin Luther King Jr., Chisca and Jeff Buckley. The Mississippi River keeps a flowin' as the Memphis bluffs stand their ground.
Jon Fox
Memphis
To the Editor:
I am writing in response to your article on Jeff Buckley, in which you adhered to the idea (or rumor) that he had staged an escape. Given the time span between his disappearance and the article, I feel very strongly that it was inappropriate. His mother released a statement saying she had accepted the fact that her son would not be walking out of the river, and she pleaded with everyone to do the same and not believe all the rumors. Regardless of what some people wanted to believe, this hype should have, at the very least, had a grace period, considering that his family and friends were here.
Jeff chose this city to call his home, and for a short time we were graced with the presence of a wonderful person and an extraordinary musician. It wold have been much more beneficial to everyone to write an article celebrating his life and what he brought to this city in his short stay, and perhaps to do an investigative report on the lack of signs warning people of the dangers of the river. I had hoped that this paper would have done some justice to this tragedy.
C. Gladney
Memphis
Paul Hartlage (1954-1997)
To the Editor
I want to thank senior editor Jackson Baker for pointing out that "Paul Hartlage's untimely death from cancer was at least staved off by his own courage as much as by the medical attention he received" [Editor's Note, June 12th issue].
It is the quiet courage of the lives of people of the calibre of the late Paul Hartlage that makes us all walk a little taller. And it reminds us of the courage of silent hours in solitary places, the suffering we endure alone. For there are times when we must bear the pain for which no doctor has the cure. Life is hard at times for all of us, and only courage will pull us through. It will help us to endure whatever we have to face. But courage is never alone. Like twin brothers or twin sisters are courage and faith; not one can live without the other. Paul Hartlage had both.
Arthur Prince
Memphis
The Quest For Balance
To the Editor:
Have we become a fascist society? Why is it that the only voices we hear on talk radio are right-wing wackos? Almost every hour of talk radio in Memphis is taken up by His Great White Behindness Rush Limbaugh and his hoard of copycats (like indicted criminals Ollie North and G. Gordon Liddy). We even have a whole slew of local Limbaugh ditto-heads (from Mike Flemming to Rob and Tone on the so-called "alternative" station) filling the air waves with right-wing propaganda, but not one voice, not one hour, is given to a voice opposing the New Reich. What kind of society are we going to have with only one point of view being heard?
Isn't it time progressive, liberal, and leftist Memphians demanded at least a small amount of time on local radio stations to present alternative perspectives? We should call or write these radio stations and ask for some balance on their talk shows. There are also several nationally syndicated left/progressive radio programs that local stations could offer to the public (e.g. "Radio Nation," "CounterSpin," and others). Let's call, write, and be heard!
Jim Maynard
Memphis
Caught in the Web
To the Editor:
I was in Memphis most of last month and really enjoyed your paper. Others could learn from you. I look forward every week to reading each new issue on the web site, since I'm in Florida. The web site, by the way, is also most impressive.
Well done!
James B. Flatter
Key West, Florida
via the Internet
The Memphis Flyer encourages reader response. Send mail to: Letters to the Editor, POB 687, Memphis, TN 38101. Or call Back Talk at 575-9405. Or send us e-mail at memflyer@aol.com. All responses must include name, address, and daytime phone number. Letters should be no longer than 250 words.
In a story last week about the National Labor Relations Board and The Commercial Appeal, we incorrectly identified the number of complaints which ultimatley go to trial. According to Ron Hooks at the NLRB, between 80 and 90 percent of complaints settle before going to trial.
Also last week, in a separate story, we misspelled FM-100 radio personality Tom Prestigiacomo's name. We regret the errors.