Outraged Payback Time reader demands to be spoon-fed

You force the music section to wave a pride flag at a Michelle Shocked concert, and we reward you with a Payback Time T-shirt and two tickets to a Live Nation club show of your choice taking place in Vancouver within the next four weeks. Here’s this week’s winning whinge.

Dear Payback Time: I am disgusted with the underhanded way in which several excellent gigs have been slipped into the schedule without my knowledge, resulting in my missing out on said concerts.

First, Alt-J popped up while I was in the U.S., then the xx slipped in under the radar. Because you didn’t deign to contact me personally regarding these gigs, I was unable to obtain tickets when I finally found out. Thanks a lot, Georgia Straight. Am I supposed to turn to page 54 like all the other plebeians just to find out about new gigs? I don’t think so.

> Alex Bale

Steve Newton replies: Dearest Alex—As the guy in charge of the Straight’s concert listings for quite some time now, I take serious umbrage (whatever that means) to your complaints about not noticing the gigs by Alt-J and the xx.

First off, who the hell cares about them? If you had any taste in music at all, you’d be way more concerned about missing the Wishbone Ash show at Venue on March 19. Dude, the band led by original member and Flying V fanatic Andy Powell played the 1972 Argus album in its entirety! Where the fuck were you? And it encored with a 14-minute version of “Phoenix”, the closing track off its self-titled debut album of 1970. Dual-lead-guitar harmonies up the yin-yang, my friend.

Get with the program, and quit living in the present. You’re missing out big-time. 

You can voice your impotent rage by snail mail or by sending an email to payback@straight.com.

Comments

1 Comments

Martin Dunphy

Mar 27, 2013 at 3:17pm

"Didn't deign..."?
"Plebeians...?"
"Umbrage..."?
Ooh, la-de-fargin'-da!
Aren't we getting all William Effin' Buckley Jr. on us...
Who?
Ah, never mind...