Erratum

In last week’s “Off the Cuff” column, the wrong photo was used for the Barry Ladd interview.

Hey, Man, Back Up

Regarding Rachael Gordon’s little interview (“I’m a ’70s Girl,” August 27) in respects to her backing band, well, she doesn’t have one! Also, I am not and have never been, or will ever be, part of her musical endeavors. I did help her record her only album to date, which was 50 million years ago and took a lot of patience on my part. Ms. Gordon has not been part of the San Diego music scene in decades, so why the interview now? The Reader should focus on true current talent like Diana Death, Regina Leonard, Maren Parusel, Los Sweepers, Dave Humphries, and a host of others.

Hector Peñalosa
via email

Jay Allen Sanford responds: Gordon was “backed by” Peñalosa, as the article accurately states, and he confirms re-recording her — the phrase “backing band” is never used. In addition, Peñalosa and his brother are both credited as playing with Gordon in recordings by a short-lived band called the Very Idea (Gordon, the Peñalosa Brothers, A.J. Croce, Bart Mendoza, Mike Kamoo, Billy Lovcki), and Peñalosa is credited as the bass player on Gordon’s single “Rock and Roll Girl.”

Peñalosa’s list of notable locals is solid, though one is his girlfriend (Diana Death), another is an ex-girlfriend (Maren Parusel) who once fronted a tribute band (Wild Weekend) to Peñalosa’s old punk group the Zeros, and Peñalosa is currently recording with both Regina Leonard and Dave Humphries, making his citation of their inkworthy merits seem less about admiration and more akin to shameless (and undisclosed) promotion.

Gordon’s most recent album (not her first, nor her only) was in 2006, somewhat less than “50 million years ago,” but Peñalosa’s faulty grasp of numbers was already evident in a “Blurt” report (“Zero Plus 37 Equals 45,” April 13, 2006) that revealed he was at least eight years older than the date on his MySpace profile, which would have made him around eight when the Zeros made their first record.

Xtreme Tiddly

I thought that I was the only one that ever wrote anything about tiddlywinks (“Sporting Box,” August 27). Actually, I turned it into an extreme sport. You can read “The Tiddlywinks Blues” at bergenbugle.com/page2.html#ShortStories.

Ed Coonce
via email

Clarified Bitter

You have a “Stringer” story called “Pedicab Crackdown” (August 27). I’m a pedicab operator and have been doing this for over four years. I have never had an accident, but I can’t say the same thing about getting ticketed by the police. The only difference is that I must pay because I live here or go to jail. The foreigners don’t, so they can do anything illegal and not have to suffer the consequences.

As far as overcharging, there is a different mind-set between Americans and most foreigners. We want to get the people in the bike, charge them a fair price, give them a good time, in hopes that they will call back. The mind-set many foreigners have is this: Get the people in the bike, overcharge them, because we will never see them again. I hope this clarifies the information for your readers.

P.S. A lot of foreigners wait until the police leave the scene, then throw the citations away. I have witnessed this, so I’m all for the new regulations!

Brian E. Johnson
via email

An Error On The Throw

Re “Get the Union-Tribune — For Almost Nothing” (“City Lights,” August 20). I might have gotten a deal for six months ($36.36), but is my frustration worth it? After several complaints, my carrier still can’t seem to get the paper in my driveway. Instead, it is thrown in the driveway of a vacant unit. Perhaps that’s why it has been MIA on occasion. If I wasn’t paying this special price, believe me, I would have canceled it by now, which I will as soon as my six months are up! So deal or no deal, you tell me?

Emily Beitler
via email

Good Stuff

I just wanted to call and give you guys an attaboy for your story “Hope for the Hopelessly Drunk” (Cover Story, August 13). I myself have been clean and sober for 22 years, but this program wasn’t out there when I was. Just wanted to thank Mr. Joe Deegan for his coverage and the Reader for presenting this kind of newspaper writing. We could stand a whole hell of a lot more of this kind of good stuff. Thanks a lot, guys. I appreciate it, and I know other people did too.

James Kaminscky
via voice mail