The oddest behavior of University of California "hunger strikers" that Chris Colin mentions doesn't appear until the third page: They consume Gatorade, that is, food. I myself witnessed this at a UC-Irvine protest; it was one of the many California surrealities that drove me back East, clutching my head.

An equally weird incongruity goes unmentioned by Colin. In Southern California, the act of relaxing with friends while losing weight will sooner arouse envy than pity or indignation. How much more effective would a "gluttony strike" be -- hitherto svelte undergraduates, force-feeding each other corn dogs and Klondike bars, putting on pound after pound of unsightly flab ... why, it would horrify Californians into instant action!

-- Doug McLellan
New York

Sharps & flats
BY AMANDA NOWINSKI
(06/01/99)

Amanda Nowinski writes: "Unfortunately, Orbital's new record, 'The Middle of Nowhere,' will do nothing to challenge that old monotony stigma [associated with techno.]" Well, perhaps not, but I think she's missing the evocative potential of this Orbital record and the ones that have come before it. Orbital is my favorite band, but I've never really "gotten" one of their records until I've heard it at least 10 or 20 times. After enough listens it's not just music anymore, but rather a carrier of the Hartnoll brothers' ideas.

-- Allen Brunson

Nowinski's review is symptomatic of your magazine's treatment of electronic music. While I'll admit that the album falls short of the duo's glory days, Nowinski's review totally misses the point. Orbital and other electronic groups' music isn't so much about melody as about a contrapuntal relationship between rhythm and sound. It's a misunderstanding typical of rock-oriented critics in popular magazines. The repetitive (monotonous in Nowinski's words) nature of electronic music allows DJs mixing 12-inch vinyl to continuously enhance or break up the track's internal counterpoint (the groove). Dance music is in fact no more repetitive than much modern classical music, which derives much influence from the genre.

Out of curiosity, I made an excursion through your music review archives and found a generally negative attitude toward (and gross ignorance of) electronic or dance music as a genre. Dance or electronic music is a viable, self-perpetuating musical subculture, much like jazz or folk. Perhaps you could have people that like electronic music (and understand it) review it instead of disgruntled rock critics.

-- James Crouch
New Orleans

A mother defends Marilyn Manson
BY NANI POWER
(05/28/99)

Someone best keep an eye on Nani Power's kids if Marilyn Manson is what she is subjecting them to. Don't we have enough horror in this world without someone like that fool glorifying the grotesque and making a mockery of everything decent? First Amendment be damned; there is a limit to tolerance of the obscene!

-- LaVonne Otwell
Marietta, Ga.
salon.com | June 7, 1999

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