Letters

Phil Lucht
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Sweet Crybaby Dana: Small-Town Psychologist's Invaluable Advice
John Floyd's article made me remember why I don't live in a big city any more. The guy is obviously very unhappy. There are a lot of bands and musicians I don't like, but I don't go around bashing them. As Floyd said, James Taylor's concerts are usually sold out. That must tell Floyd something -- or is he that ignorant? He is a very unhappy person and should get help.

Dana Kraft
Libby, Montana

Sweet Crybaby Geri: One Precious Reader Gone Forever
I'm not sure why anyone would give John Floyd a voice in any publication, or why I should waste my precious time reading him. I'm sorry I did, because he clearly doesn't understand much.

I'm thankful that New Times can't possibly reach as many people as James Taylor's incredible contributions can. I will never again read anything in New Times as long as Floyd has a voice in it.

Geri Lancaster
Melbourne, Florida

Sweet Crybaby Diane: Don't Quit That Day Job, Floyd!
Shame on John Floyd. He considers himself "sensitive"? I think not. Although everyone is entitled to his own opinion, I cannot conceive of how he came about his perceptions.

"Banality"? Who was he listening to? Is this attempt at a review intended to be inflammatory and attract some attention to his byline? Did he refer to his dictionary and thesaurus to come up with some of his inane verbiage?

Unfortunately, I suspect he has a snowball's chance in hell of attaining "love-sick-sucker" status. (Perhaps if the word love was subtracted from the phrase, he would qualify.)

Certainly a reasonable person, regardless of musical taste, could not conclude that a talent like James Taylor is an "asshole or a jerk." Wish I could say the same about Floyd the quasi journalist. My rating of his review? Less than zero stars. Hope he has a day job.

Diane Thomas
Cary, North Carolina

Sweet Crybaby Kathleen: Sheesh on Floyd
Come on, John Floyd, tell us what you really think of James Taylor. Sheesh!
Kathleen Taylor
Redfield, South Dakota

Sweet Crybaby R. Rene: Do We Detect a Teeny-weeny Insecurity Here?
Obviously John Floyd has no life, no friends, no talent, and no dick. Perhaps, as he puts it, "no one is calling James Taylor a jerk or an asshole," but I feel the same cannot be said of John "No Dick" Floyd.

Jerk and asshole don't begin to cover dickless John Floyd. The "review" I read was nothing more then a baseless, hateful, jealousy-laced personal attack on a fine and talented artist and man. I don't have the time or the inclination to counter or argue Mr. Eunuch's pointless criticism of James's voice, talent, songwriting, et cetera. (I'm surprised he didn't critique his attire.)

I have seen James and his siblings perform numerous times and own everything I can find on CD, record, tape, and video (they are all very talented and accomplished musicians), and I must say, from my point of view as a musician and recovering alcoholic, James's and his brother Livingston's music has had a profound effect on my life and helped me survive some very dark moments.

As to the penisless Mr. Floyd, he obviously is not familiar with James's whole catalogue, just his "hits" (which are also great). He doesn't know what he's missing. Meanwhile, perhaps he can find a good surgeon to attach a dick, or perhaps one of those implants, or maybe he could buy a strap-on. But even with a dick he wouldn't be half the man James Taylor is.

R. Rene Patenaude
East Otis, Massachusetts

Sweet Crybaby Dave: James Taylor Can Too Play Guitar
I am a big James Taylor fan, and I don't necessarily disagree with John Floyd's general comments about Taylor's somewhat tiresome diatribes regarding love. But some of us actually appreciate Taylor's musicianship. He's a helluva guitarist and has a much better command of song structure than 90 percent of his peers. His understanding of passing chords and other devices usually found in jazz harmony leave the majority of singer-songwriters floundering in his wake.

Dave Fairall
Baltimore, Maryland

Sweet Crybaby Scott: James Taylor, Tragedy Magnet
I think Mr. Floyd overlooks much of Taylor's life -- his hard-core heroin addiction, his two failed marriages, his Greatest Hits album (the best-selling greatest-hits album of all time, according to Billboard), and his pain.

His album Enough to Be on Your Way is about the death of a close family member from alcoholism. Perhaps it is easy to stereotype Taylor because he was the first one. He has played with great performers like Neil Young, Jackson Browne, and Garth Brooks. In fact, Roger Waters of Pink Floyd fame admits that the "Dark Side of the Moon" song and album were partially inspired by Taylor's "Carolina in My Mind."

Mr. Floyd is hostile, and I bet younger readers (I am only 26) eat up the simplistic barbs and cheap shots, but perhaps we will see if the bands of today are still selling out tours and having gold albums, which Hourglass is -- almost double by now.