The Good Life
I love to read ACE. Just let me say that and be honest. I love what you guys are doing in the little sleepy town of Lexington.
I wonder why ICHTHUS got no mention from ACE? I wonder.
ICHTHUS was a huge music festival this past weekend in Wilmore Kentucky. It is the oldest festival of its kind. It is also one of the biggest. There were over 25,000 teenagers there from all over the nation. Yet, ACE, the sassiest paper, the one that knows all and sees all … MISSED IT.
Is it because it is predominately a Christian type of thing? ACE doesn’t seem to have any problem opening their pages to all kinds, then why not someone doing something good? Something positive. Something to encourage teens to live a good life.
I know that the demographics say that teens don’t read ACE but their parents do. Don’t they? Yes, we do.
Please, at the very least mention it. I don’t know. Just thought ACE was open to everyone.
Any response?
Charlie Wolf
via email
Thanks for writing Charlie, and for calling us Sassy. And for saying you love to read us. We’re getting all verklempt. Ichthus wasn’t purposefully ignored. It certainly should’ve received a mention in the ACE List if a press release had reached us by deadline. We’re certainly not anti-teen (just did a CityBeat on Skateboarding, which isn’t necessarily an exclusively teen activity-but it’s usually not a geriatric fave anyway. We also chose Gary Bibb as one of “This Year’s Model [Citizens]” at the end of 97, primarily for his artistic work with youth in the community. (And as far as I know our demographics don’t say teens don’t read us. Our ad staff could give you better figures, but I think the editorial terminology is that “a lot” of teens read ACE, judging from the number of internship applications we get from them all the time. As for music stories, again, space is tight, and when we’ve landed interviews with folks like Shawn Colvin and Foo Fighters (to name two recent entries), we have to run with them. But as requested, here’s your mention, on our popular Letters page. ACE IS open to everyone; but we do have deadlines and space restrictions. And we still love mail!
A Heart? Us?
Dear Ace,
I received the last issue of Ace. Though it’s always full of good stuff, Reality Truck is the one column I ALWAYS read. Your sentiments and memories in [“Memento Mori,” Apr 15]-what a tribute for a friend to make! For him, for [his family], let me just say I was so very touched.
Maybe you try desperately to hide it, but your sweet side is transparent to those who get a chance to know you.
Just wanted you to know what a harmonious pleasure it is to your audience/fans when your tremendous talent and good heart converge. P. J. Schaefer
Michigan, via email
This was an extremely painful column to write. I wanted it to be a special tribute for those who knew and loved this man (and the list is endless), and yet still respect the privacy of the family. For those who didn’t know him, I guess I simply wanted to communicate the universal theme that we are all in danger of taking too many special people in our life for granted.
Let me also say that I, in no way, managed to do full justice to his memory, his generosity, his humor-and the loss that all who knew him still feel and will be feeling for years to come.
