This is C.J. from Roses on Her Grave. I wrote a similar email to Scott at Cat Dirt and he told me to write you. I'm not really sure what to make of this whole blurt thing, it is very frustrating.
Amazing what editing can do. Basically, alot of the article was left out. This interview started out as a result of one of our songs, "She Gotta Gun" being picked up by the national paint ball association for the next national tournament. Ken took us out to dinner, got us drunk and once the interview started the conversation immediately shifted from that. All he wanted us to do was talk shit about other bands (in particular GOP). Somehow my statement about "this city is ready to burst" (meaning there are alot of kickass bands right now); GOP, Bloody Hollies, Transfer, Scarlet Symphony for example, was turned into "nothing is going on in this city." People now take this article as I think The San Diego music scene sucks. This is very far from the truth. I am out at at least 10 local shows a month at different spots around town supporting and enjoying local bands and clubs. I'm not really sure what to do and hope that people know that Blurt is really only about starting controversy and NOT ABOUT MUSIC!!I'm just frustrated so I called Tim Pyles and he said a good step might be to write you an email. I am far from a controversial person in life and if you were ever to meet me you'd immediately know this. I love playing music. I love playing music in San Diego. I feel VERY fortunate to be where I am at with Roses on Her Grave and I do not take this city for granted in any way. Let me know if you have any suggestions.
I have no suggestions, CJ, except that you, and everyone else, should steer clear of Ken Leighton, as tempting as press can be. He bites off any slight controversy, takes news tips and claims them as his own (whereas Jay Allen Sanford has paid me for info he's gathered from my site) and thrives off any slight bitching anyone might have and escalates it to stir shit up. Thank you for your e-mail and I hope that by merely posting your e-mail, people can see your point of view. By the way, has anyone ever actually seen Ken out on the town, at any show, ever? I'm guessing not, so the true question is why is he even allowed to report on the local music scene at all anymore?
3 comments:
Ken is only one of several Blurt writers, tho he is the most prolific among us. Not all Blurt items are like the one discussed in this post - not even all of Ken's items are akin, let alone Blurts by me, Dave Good, Pat Sherman, Josh Board, Stephanie Howell, Larry Harmon, Bart Mendoza, and others who are similarly non-confrontational and rarely controversial. Ken's Blurts become topics here and elsewhere precisely because he zeroes in on things the rest of us don't or rarely cover. That makes him a very ideal Blurt writer, notwithstanding how some interviewees complain about his writeups.
As someone who's written a Blurt in every weekly column for years now, I have somewhere near a hundred emails from subjects thanking me for their own Blurt writeups. I get requests from former Blurt subjects just about every single day, asking for new coverage, in a new Blurt column. Not everyone hates being in Blurt. I daresay most people like and appreciate their coverage in the column. But those aren't the folks you hear from to quote - you only get to pickup on the bitchfests, which may or may not have just cause behind them.
There's room for many different voices in Blurt - your own work, Rosey, would certainly be considered, if you'd care to submit a Blurt or three sometime!
Sorry, JAS, you're right. I should've been clear that most people don't have issues with Blurt, it is specifically pieces done by Ken (as you and I have discussed before.) I think you're right, the ensuing "drama" by most of his pieces insures that he'll continue to keep doing what he's doing and in his defense, the argumentative comments by bandmembers on the site leads me to believe they really weren't all that misrepresented.
I rarely read Blurt. I'd rather read SDCityBeat's Notes from the Smoking Patio - or SDDialedIn.com.
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