A moment of clarity

I have made a decision to end my personal boycott of the City Paper.

No, it’s not because I have decided to forgive them, and no, they haven’t reformed their ways to my satisfaction. No--this personal boycott has ended, and I have decided to soil my hands with the shit-rag known as City Paper for one good reason, a reason that was brought to my attention by one of my readers: I need to know what they are doing if I am to effectively criticize them.

In my zeal and my blind rage against the worst alternative paper in Baltimore, I set a standard for myself that was, ahem, parochial. I stuck my fingers in my ears and said “lalalalalala!!!” and thought it was my sworn solemn duty as the founder of The Parochialist to never soil my hands with City Paper ever again. And I have come to realize that this was wrong. Horribly, misguidedly wrong.

This reader noted that right wing fundamentalists are probably listening to NPR and reading alternative media every day so they can know what to criticize and how to combat “The Liberals,” and I should offer no lower of a standard of criticism in the space you have come to know and love as The Parochialist Blog. So it is with that in mind that I picked up my first City Paper in over 2 months and have darkened my door with its pages.

In addition to that reader’s thoughts, I also have noted the absolute impossibility of avoiding the City Paper in this town. I go to work, City Paper is right there, staring back at me, mocking me. I go to the Charles Theatre, I see the popcorn with the City Paper logo on it, and I want to vomit. At least one person I know and like writes for City Paper. In a word, it is unavoidable. Which I wouldn’t mind so much if it was better. But it’s not. (see the “5 reasons” of November to avoid a rehashing of the source of my rage.)

I felt that last months “5 reasons” series was especially strong because of the raw honesty of it, but also because of the fact that it was based on things I had actually seen in City Paper. I hope to make The Parochialist match up to that standard on a weekly basis. For that, I must read it.

I now must think of the City Paper as a primary source for The Parochialist. For me, as the heart and soul of The Parochialist, continuing to avoid that primary source would be like studying law and refusing to read the Constitution. So here I go.

For you, as a reader, I encourage you to do what you think is right. Avoid City Paper, if it annoys you too much (as it did to me) and come back here to read my rants and get the syndicated columns. Or read it and tell me what annoys you about it. For God sakes, just see my point about how their snarky and parochial leanings damage hard working artists (and pre-set keyboardists!) in this town. And then come back here and spend some time with me: The Parochialist.

City Paper Wednesday, The Parochialist blog making fun of it Thursday!

Last Post of the Year! Two week break ensues! See you on January 10!
Note: I am having a hard time with the link to Savage Love...I will try to see what the problem is.

Links
Political Animal
http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/11671
Movies
Charm City Cineaste
http://charmcitycineaste.blogspot.com/
A review of Sweeny Todd!

Comics

This Modern World
http://www.thismodernworld.com/newest-comic/

The Maakies
http://www.maakies.com/

The Perry Bible Fellowship
http://www.pbfcomics.com/

Music/Events

Music Listings
http://patsdistrict.com/music_scene/maryland_music_scene.html
http://www.bmorelive.com/


Michael Shermer’s E-Skeptic Newsletter!
www.skeptic.com/eskeptic/07-12-19.html

The Straight Dope
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/071221.html

Regrets…I have a few.

I used to really look forward to Wednesdays and sitting down with the City Paper. I am realizing this so much now when I am boycotting it for it’s many, many sins. I liked to sit down with a cup of coffee and read all my favorite columns, see what was new, occasionally read the cover article. It was comforting, in a weird way--like a constant friend in the 13 years I have lived in Baltimore. And now, sad to say, I have lost that friend.

I knew it would be tough to give up something that I’d been reading for so long. And I feel that I still face some sticky questions as I continue with The Parochialist and continue not to read City Paper. For example: is it wrong for me to continue to send them press releases for my shows (which they will minimize and never bother covering anyway?). Is it wrong for me to take them up on their free movie passes when they offer them on myspace? (Indeed, is it wrong to even be friends with them on myspace? One school of thought is that whole “Art of War” thing about keeping your friends close and your enemies closer--I do not believe there is anything to gain by being ignorant.)

The last 4 weeks, I have soiled my fingers with it’s pages just long enough to note that there is no mention of me in it, and even during those few seconds I still find shit that annoys the hell out of me--the same snotty and elitist attitude that drove me away from it in the first place. I see the screaming headlines of this snotty attitude and I just shake my head and wonder what I’m doing by even looking at it for that long.

I hate the City Paper for a reason (actually, 5 of them--if you read my blog last month) and I don’t want to feel like hypocrite. If I’m to lead this movement, I need to walk the walk.

I really like free movies, but not at the expense of my soul. What do you think?

--Davey G., founder and editor of The Parochialist.

Links, nosebleeds, stuff you can read.

Political Animal
http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/11548

Movies
Charm City Cineaste
This week, CCC puts up his thoughts about the future of the Baltimore Independent Cinema houses (all two of them)
http://charmcitycineaste.blogspot.com/

Comics

This Modern World
http://www.thismodernworld.com/newest-comic/

The Maakies
http://www.maakies.com/

The Perry Bible Fellowship
http://www.pbfcomics.com/

Music/Events

Good music listing sites.
http://patsdistrict.com/music_scene/maryland_music_scene.html

http://www.bmorelive.com/



Michael Shermer’s E-Skeptic Newsletter!
www.skeptic.com/eskeptic/07-12-12.html


The Straight Dope
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/071207.html

New!
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/071214.html

Special Note: there will be a two week break from new posts from December 27 to January 3. You can still come back here to use the links, I just won't be putting up any new links or new content. Please don't cry, but even The Parochialist needs to take a break once in a while.

The Parochial Awards.

A quick perusal of the City Paper the last 3 weeks have reaffirmed my reason number 1 of reasons why I hate the City Paper: no mention of the new Davey G and the Keyboard CD. (I sent it to them, and now it certainly feels like I wasted my postage.) No matter. Of course, there is still time to see if they will ever review it, and then…to see if they can find new and obnoxious ways to say that they hate it, even if they actually like it, because that’s what they do.

The Parochials: I feel that as we reach the end of the year, it comes time to reward those people and businesses whose spirit and actions stand in defiance of the small-minded mentality that envelops the city (and the City Paper.) So to that end, whenever I feel like it, I will be awarding the first ever Parochials: The award for consistent anti-small-mindedness.
Please send in any nominations, comment back to me in this space. Let me get the ball rolling with a few places I feel are deserving of mention:

Reptilian Records. They have been in business since 1989, rode the highs and lows of the Baltimore scene, and still they stand, selling punk rock at reasonable prices. Those guys have carried Davezine since 1998, they carry my CD, and have been about the straightest shooters in town. And, dammit, they are known across the country as a premier record store.
http://www.reptilianrecords.com/


Atomic Books. Ditto for them. Good folk, they carry whatever you can give them, and I have always, always been happy with how they treat me. Good non-parochial behavior.
http://www.atomicbooks.com/

Anyway, those are two off the top of my head. I also like the Hamilton Arts Collective, for all their wonderful wonderfulness. But these are just my choices, and yes, they are all places I have done business with. What I really want to know is, what people do you know who exemplify the open-minded (yet angry and bitter) spirit of The Parochialist?

--DGK.

Links to things the wanks at City Paper link to, and other things they don’t link to because they are too busy being wanks.

Political Animal
http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/11417

Movies
Charm City Cineaste
http://charmcitycineaste.blogspot.com/

Comics

This Modern World
http://www.thismodernworld.com/newest-comic/

The Maakies
http://www.maakies.com/

The Perry Bible Fellowship
http://www.pbfcomics.com/

Music/Events

A good music listing site.
http://patsdistrict.com/music_scene/maryland_music_scene.html
http://www.bmorelive.com/


Michael Shermer’s E-Skeptic Newsletter!
www.skeptic.com/eskeptic/07-12-05.html