Nuts for Kinky: What a treat to pick up the Dallas Observer and find your article ("Seriously Kinky," by Robert Wilonsky, June 30). I was one of the 200 present June 17 at Kinky's book signing and had on my Kinky button yesterday when I came across your story. (My son thinks I'm nuts now.) God knows there have to be some changes in Texas. I have lived many places, grew up in the U.S. Army, and I moved to Texas 12 years ago, falling in love with this area. Great article! It is so refreshing to pick up the Observer every week and read what's really going on around here, especially Jim Schutze's articles.
Jackie Buffalo
Dallas
So long, Mr. Perry: I would just like to say that I have long enjoyed Robert Wilonsky's movie reviews, even though sometimes I feel I must accompany them with a Webster's at my side. His article on Kinky was excellent. I was turned on to Kinky a few years ago, and I have since read several of his books. I am definitely supporting him in '06, and I hope that more Texans take a serious look at Kinky, because I can't handle another four years of that Mr. Perry. Adios, mofo!
Mike McCoy
Dallas
Dirty Politics
Where's the outrage?: I have been avidly reading Jim Schutze's missives on the state of City Hall and about the state (ahem) of Dallas in general. Thank you, Jim. I can't help but think that the absence of any outrage or discussion in the Letters to the Editor may back up the fact that we were unable to vote in a change to the mayoral role. In fact, the letters imply that all of Dallas cares more about the state of our music scene than our political integrity. Where's the outrage? 'Cause I gotta tell you...I am angry at our elected officials.
Julie Hallstrom
Dallas
Edge Gripefest, Cont.
The Edge is exceptional: In regard to your recent article concerning the level of support that KDGE 102.1 The Edge gives to local music (That Infernal Racket, by Sam Machkovech, June 23), I feel a need to respond. I'm not in a band. I have a son who is. My son is a member of the local band Minority. It is an interesting position from which to view this subject.
My experience has been that we have had extended to this local band an amazing amount of attention in the local market and beyond. In large measure, this attention has been legitimized by the radio airplay on The Edge, the on-air interviews and mentions on The Edge, and the KDGE-sponsored live shows we've been privileged to be part of.
I would never predict that the music Minority creates is going to be everyone's cup of tea. The kids are 14 to 16 years old and, quite frankly, they're not angry at anyone. That automatically limits their audience. But in an environment where one station carries the load of pleasing a broad demographic, we've been honored to have more than one personality on The Edge go to bat for this band. I'm sure it took guts to stand up for a group of kids and give them the breaks they've had. Ayo, Jessie Jessup, Chris, Josh, Jagger and the entire crew of The Morning Edge, Travis the promotions guy and Duane the PD have gone beyond the call for our guys and many other local bands that we've been privileged to be exposed to through this radio station. They work hard at keeping their finger on the pulse of the D-FW music scene.
Dallas is an interesting town in which to try to carve out a niche for any band. The parents, as managers of this local band, consider what The Edge does for local music to be exceptional in a day and age when margins are thinner, audiences are far more diverse and "the money" is not in promoting local talent. We look at what The Edge does for Minority as very speculative. It is serving an audience that may just be a blip on the radar screen of commercial viability by some measures. But by the same token, this demographic is the customer of tomorrow for every merchant in the marketplace. It would be an unrealistic pipe dream for us to wish for any more attention and support than what we have experienced from a radio station positioned as it is in a market like D-FW. Thank you, KDGE!
John Russell
Plano
The Edge a complete wash-out: First and foremost, Sam hit a home run this time out. KDGE has been a complete wash-out since 1994. It is patently absurd that the station is still, over 10 years since he's been gone, trying to ride the coattails of the legendary George Gimarc and the other brilliant folks who were in large part responsible for turning me on to good music. What Paul Nugent failed to mention in his rant against Sam's article (Letters, June 30) is that six of the bands that he name-dropped broke more than 10 years ago when the station was still good, a fact that he knows well, because he helped break both The Nixons and Deep Blue Something. Paul posed an interesting question: He asked whether or not bands in L.A., New York, Chicago or Boston had it any better than in Dallas. The answer to that question is yes, each of those cities has radio stations with meatier playlists than KDGE, and those stations all support local artists vigorously. Of course, I can understand Paul's vested interest in excluding all this information. He is, after all, in the business of getting KDGE to play his artists' records. The Edge, by virtue of its existence, is not deserving of praise. Praise has to be earned, so the proposition is clear: KDGE needs to roll up its sleeves and get to work. Anybody who says anything else is selling something.
Derrick White
Frisco
