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MGMT Trainees

Aside from having two of the least rock’n’roll-sounding last names in recent memory, MGMT are a breath of fresh air in pop music [“Head Games,” November]. The guys seem to enjoy taking the piss out of stardom and understand that the last thing we need is more bands complaining about the “hard life” of debauched elevator run-ins with groupies and meeting rock royalty like Jason Pierce backstage at festivals.

I can only hope they don’t harm any puppies during the inevitable freak-outs.

MArIANNe BlAke

Albuquerque, New Mexico

I LOVE THAT MGMT’S ANDREW VANWYNGARDEN’S GOAL
IS “NOT TO BECOME A DOUCHE BAG.” HE COULD HAVE
ALSO SAID, “NOT TO BECOME ANOTHER LOU REED.”
sean tucker, Santa Barbara, California

“notoriously difficult interview” persona. But in the meantime, he’s given me fuck-all to pique my interest in whatever he’s been up to in the last 20 years. Behave like a real person, lou reed. We’ve all had to endure questioning before. I’d like to bestow the Grumpy Grandpa Award on writer David Marchese for weathering the abuse.

SCo T THoMAS

Los Angeles

pulls a lot of hot chicks. All that success must have made him soft upstairs, because he actually puts Jack Johnson “on the level of Bob Marley.” What?

DAvID BruCe

Toronto

about freakin’ time! But I hate the term “black rock” because it implies black folk came to it instead of helped create it. kinda like saying Italian lasagna.

MoNGo_SlADe via spin.com

Reed My Lips Immediately after reading the lou reed interview [The spin Interview, November], I reflexively want to toss out some dismissive statement like “Funny that lou reed is so insistent that the interviewer stick to talking about the music when, at this point, probably only a handful of people give a shit about his music,” but that’s not entirely true. Clearly, I cared enough to read the article. What I really care to do, though, is call out such ludicrously caustic behavior in anyone, musical legend or otherwise. I suppose he’s worked hard to cultivate the

I just read your lou reed interview—what an asshole!

roBer T P. GAllo

North Reading, Massachusetts

After all that tai chi, why has lou reed yet to figure out how to remove his head from his ass?

JeFF o

via e-mail

Red, White, and Phew

I want to commend the editors for not getting caught up in the presidential election hoopla. Your decision to mostly stay out of the race has been pretty cool. People don’t subscribe to music magazines to read about politics. keep doing what you’re doing and I’ll keep my subscription.

PATrICk BrAzIl

St. Louis

Good Day at Black Rock [regarding November’s “Black rock: An oral History” ]: It’s

I think “black rock” is a divisive term. It cheapens the art form and, in some cases, keeps the music from being heard. Sadly, maybe black folks still need to be educated that we do rock! Hip-hop, r&B, and gospel are always—or most often— associated with black artists. Perhaps if black people start putting as much stock into rock as they do all the other genres, the term “black rock” can be retired.

MrHAMMY via spin.com

Surf and Turf I had never heard of kelly Slater until I read about him in your magazine [“Media Horde,” November]. A quick trip to that Internet thing and I learned a bit about the dude—he’s apparently the best surfer ever and he

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16 JANUAR Y 2009 / READ DAILY EDI TORS’ BLOGS AT SPIN.COM