SMOKE FREE
Although I’m thrilled with the new movement in town to ban smoking at more clubs (“A Breath of Fresh Air”—February 2011) and enjoyed the article about this in OffBeat, I take issue with the statement that “While the decision to go smoke-free doesn’t necessarily make a profit….”
Simply stated, there are many people here who will not go to a club filled with smoke from people smoking cigarettes. Besides the health concerns, the most-often cited reason is returning home with clothes and hair totally smelling of smoke. So, when a club or bar decides to ban smoking, it indeed may profit from its decision because people who would otherwise not go to their establishment now will go there and spend their money.
On the other hand, as proven in the large number of states that have long ago banned smoking in all their establishments, smokers still will patronize the bars and clubs and go outside to smoke. When legislation in California and New York was proposed long ago to ban smoking in restaurants and bars, owners of their establishments protested that this would hurt their businesses. They were proven wrong.
—R. Dusk Lipton, New Orleans, LA
MIRACULOUS
I am spending my Saturday morning at a barber shop waiting for my turn to get in the chair. I am reading OffBeat Magazine and the article “Culture on a Pedestal” was right on! The creativity in this city is worshiped worldwide, and I think most of the people coming up with the “ideas” don’t even know how much of an impact they are having on society.
In regards to music—music is a way of life, even a language in our city. We communicate through music. When I go to other cities, I realize how unique our culture is. When I come back home, I fall more deeply in love with the “sounds” of our streets. In any neighborhood you may hear a horn or a drum randomly out of nowhere. In the high tourist areas, you come across people playing music just to get by in life, to eat, to live! You hear music in our city as much as you hear taxis blowing horns in Manhattan.
It starts at a very young age down here. Before middle school, kids are introduced to music and that is the beginning of another generation for our city. You really don’t have to dig deep into the roots of music in New Orleans to see how miraculous it is. It’s in every neighborhood, in every school, every venue, and is visible to the nation and the rest of the world. It is so visible and so perfectly unique that it is taken for granted—even by our own people!
—Claude Flot, New Orleans, LA
MUSIC LEGACY
This is in response to Jan Ramsey’s blog post where she questions why the city “doesn’t have a place where locals and visitors can see why this city is important musically.”
Thank you for your vigilance. And you’re absolutely right; New Orleans’ singular music heritage should be promoted, protected and supported by both local and state administrations. As a career music publisher with extensive global experience, I can state with confidence that few regions of the world enjoy the music legacy that belongs to New Orleans. HBO is investing millions of dollars in producing the Treme television series because its administrators are keenly aware of this fact.
—Don Williams, Encino, CA
SUBSCRIBER CD
Although I enjoy OffBeat immensely and renew my subscription every year, the last compilation CD I received was years ago.The subscription CDs I received have provided me with hours of enjoyment, opened my eyes and ears to artists I didn’t know, and have promoted the varied talents of New Orleans musicians.
——Rick Nelson, Ipswich, MA
We apologize for not producing an OffBeat subscriber CD for the last two years. It has become difficult to find sponsors for our annual CDs. In this economy, private industry and state and city governments lack the resources to finance these projects. We want to help our subscribers discover new music from Louisiana and are exploring downloading options for the future. In the meantime, we don’t plan to pursue further physical OffBeat CDs.—Ed.
