Letters From the Issue of Thursday, March 9, 2006

Therefore, at the repeated request of the artist and gallery-owner members of Artlink, the decision was made to move Art Detour back away from First Friday weekend.

This is an experiment. If it doesn't have the desired effect, then I am certain that the artists will let us know. Quarterly advisory meetings are open to the public, and the next will be at noon on March 11 at the Paper Heart, 750 Grand Avenue.

Finally, regarding attendance of Artlink arts events in general: There are millions of people in this city, so it does not seem unreasonable to think that there might be enough interest to justify art spaces opening every weekend, even every night of the month.
Vaiden Boyer, First Friday Coordinator, Artlink Inc., Phoenix

Punk'd

Antidote to metal: Thank you for the review of Venom's 25th-anniversary boxed set ("Dumb Luck," Dave Pehling, February 23). Judging from the overall tone of the review, I can safely assume the writer has never been much of a Venom fan. But, as all true Venom fans know, there have always been those who "get it" and those who don't.

Venom was never really a metal band to begin with; most of their influences were punk bands of the late '70s. And unlike metal, punk is a genre of music that was never concerned with musicianship. Venom mixed the energy and raucous sound of punk with the over-the-top histrionics of KISS, a band they greatly admired. Most important, though, band members never lost their sense of humor and never expected others, fans and critics alike, to take them too seriously.

Somewhere along the way, this message was lost to many black- and death-metal bands they influenced, as evidenced by silly devil-worshiping pyromania. Many of us long for the old days of Venom and Celtic Frost when it was simply about enjoying the music and having a good time.

Ironically enough, if you have read any recent interviews with the original members of Venom, you will notice that they are by far more thoughtful and intelligent than the majority of musicians or entertainers out there. Fortunately for the fans, Venom will be releasing a new album in the very near future that attempts to re-create the glory days of the early '80s.
John Herne, Mesa

Ethic Cleansing

Obtuse angle: Ever since I read your story about the murder on Richland Street ("The Case of the Jealous Lover Boy," Paul Rubin, February 16), there's been something bothering me. I haven't been able to figure out your angle. I assume you're trying to be fair and balanced, like a journalist should be, but that doesn't explain the sloppy, pandering, sometimes ethically offensive story you published.

At first I thought that details such as the size of the dildos or the names of the porn in the victim and alleged killer's collection would later resonate as some sort of clue to a darker secret -- but no.

Then I thought the ridiculous comments from the police would later show not just how indifferent and unprofessional the Phoenix Police Department could be, but be part of a larger commentary on the PPD's lack of respect for the gay community. That angle never came to fruition, either.

It wasn't until I got to the part about the sister, who lives here in the Valley, that I started to wonder how you could possibly publish some of the embarrassing and indecent details of the victim's life, his death and especially the casual attitude of the investigators.

It's one thing to report that her brother lived a promiscuous life, but when I read the part about the coroner sawing through his chest, all I could think of was what his sister must have thought as she read the only piece of news written about her brother's mysterious and awful demise.

How inappropriate. How unethical. You did nothing but discredit yourself as a decent, factual news organization, and discredit the police for being cold, arrogant, naive and dispassionate about their work. I feel that you owe the gay community, the Phoenix police and most of all the family of Tim Contreraz an apology.
Damon Moss, Phoenix

Name Withheld

Our bad: My name is Jo Anna Larson, and I'm the writer/co-producer/director/star of Comic Intervention: The Film (shot on video). First, thank you for the write-up in the Night & Day section ("To TV or Not TV," Douglas Towne, February 9). However, I am a bit butt-hurt!

As a writer, you can imagine the joy I felt in seeing my words quoted in print in your section. This was, of course, followed by soul-crushing, gut-wrenching dismay when I realized that it was not me, but my sexy (she really is) partner Karen Seltz, credited for "crow"-ing them.

In fact, I wasn't mentioned at all. I'm crying in my Oolong as I write this. Thank you for finding my words good enough to print. I just wonder why you felt my name was not equally print-worthy.

I'm sure it was an honest mistake, as I have been getting myself mixed up with Karen for years, and will probably continue to do so. I just wanted to set the record straight.
Jo Anna Larson, 9,000 Monkeys Productions, Mesa