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Russ Smith and Ellen Willis

the breakfast table
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from: Russ Smith

Raspberry Tomatoes; Cleaning Up the Voice

Posted Thursday, Aug. 19, 1999, at 4:27 PM ET

ELLEN:

I think you're on the horse-'n'-buggy side as far as genetically altered food goes. I suspect this will be a huge political issue within a few years, and five to ten years from now, after the boycotts and hoopla, we'll all be eating very strange (as we currently perceive it) foods. A tomato that's one-fifth raspberry. Steak with a peanut component, for that protein rush. Whatever. I don't think there's any fighting it. It took me a while to get used to waiting behind someone on line at the coffee shop near work who ordered a hazelnut-strawberry latte, decaf, with skim milk.

The Bush "coke" story will be in the papers for a few more weeks. As this story has progressed during the day, in retrospect I think that instead of talking to the Dallas Morning News about not using drugs in the past seven years, thus passing an FBI test, he should've just kept to his original strategy: "Fuck you. I ain't playing your game." It'll be interesting to see what the White House is cooking up for the general election as far as Bush goes: that is, if Gore's the nominee. Deborah Orin wrote in today's New York Post that she puts Bradley's chances at two out of five. I think that's conservative, if you can believe it. Granted, I live in New York, but my many Democratic friends are all backing Bradley. And that's why I repeat that Gore is Clinton's last victim. People are just sick of the Clintons. Period. Yes, Gore's run a crummy campaign, but he's got a huge, horny monkey on his back.

As for the Voice, don't make the trek to Woodstock: The design changes are minimal. Looks fine to me; just some tinkering with typefaces, feature designs, and column headings. Michael Musto now has a caricature of him with his column. Big deal. As usual, the hype in the Post on Tuesday was misleading, with the absurd headline "Village Voice Is Cleaning Up Its Act." Editor Don Forst was quoted as saying, "We felt we wanted to have a cleaner, more unified, more modern look." The same mumbo-jumbo most editors say when there's a design change.

Some comics have been moved to the front of the paper, including Tom Tomorrow and Ted Rall, both of whom are sydicated in numerous alternatives and dailies across the country. No Nat Hentoff this week. I wonder if he's being phased out? The Voice never takes my advice in MUGGER, but what they need to do editorially to make it vital again is this: Bust the union, get rid of all the deadwood that's cramming its pages, reduce its staff by half, find some writers who have distinct views, and give Robert Christgau a gold watch. Perhaps you're a loyalist, but the Voice is far more dull than say, The Nation, even though the politics are roughly the same.

In sports news today, George Vescey had a good column in the Times begging all politicians and elected officials to stay away from baseball, football, basketball games, etc. I agree. Most presidents don't give a shit who wins or loses, and just cause huge traffic jams and inconveniences to real fans with their Secret Service brigades. Vescey makes an exception for Giuliani: "Whatever else one thinks of him, he has earned the right to wear a Yankee cap. He loves that team ... As for other candidates, wearing the ballcap of somebody else's team in somebody else's state could be the 2000 version of Michael Dukakis' Snoopy helmet in the tank."

Best,
RUSS

the breakfast table
entries
12345678910111213141516171819
from: Russ Smith

Raspberry Tomatoes; Cleaning Up the Voice

Posted Thursday, Aug. 19, 1999, at 4:27 PM ET
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Russ Smith is the editor in chief and owner of New York Press, the Manhattan weekly he founded in 1988. He writes the column "Mugger" for the paper. Ellen Willis directs the cultural journalism program at New York University. Her latest book, Don't Think, Smile! Notes on a Decade of Denial will be published this fall.
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