Comments by jayallen | San Diego Reader

Jay Allen Sanford

Jay Allen Sanford is a Reader contributor. See staff page for published articles.

Party Crasher Returns - elsewhere

Josh Board sent me the following email and asked me to post it - everything below this line is from that email, which I'm pasting unedited in its entirety, other than adding clarification in front of each quote as to who said what: JOSH SAYS: Hey Jay, Can you post this entire email in your link about the Crasher? I just logged on to post a comment, and I see that the Reader has closed my account to even comment on stories. I figure, since you didn't tell me about this blog of yours, it's the least you can do. Thanks: JAS SAYS: >>Tho the Reader's Crasher column existed before Josh Board wrote it (Daniel Ridge had the gig until late 2003), Josh seems to have taken the column name and format with him to sandiego.com -- meanwhile, the Reader revived its own Party Crasher column on March 3rd, with new columnist Chad Deal. http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2010/mar/03/cr… JOSH: You say the Crasher column existed before I wrote it, that's true. But ya know what? I think Daniel Ridge only wrote 6 stories. That's hardly "existing" before I arrived. And, to use the band analogies you use later in your post, I'll use a few. This would be like saying the Beatles had a drummer before Ringo, or Rush saying they had a drummer (and even an album released) before Neil Peart. Sure, they did, but who remembers them? Off the top of my head, I remember two columns Ridge did. One was about going to wrestling in TJ. Nothing about a party in that story. Another one was stepping in dog poop at a crazy party. He called me months after I started doing the column, to tell me that entire column was completely made up (not that that matters or means anything), but my point is...he did maybe six columns before I showed up. JAS: >>>I'm retiring this blog after this edition, to focus on the Rock Around Town blog. But I figured I'd post on the Crasher's return, and invite comment - does the Reader hold a trademark on the Crasher name and concept? JOSH: TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION: no and no and no. But, to be both on the safe side and because I'm still on good terms with our boss at the Reader, one of the few lawyer friends I have said to me before I launched the column over there: "Josh, 75% of the legal questions I have, I don't need to go research on. I just call the business up and ask them, and my question gets answered. Contact the Reader, and ask them."
— March 10, 2010 2:16 a.m.

Pre-gaming

RE #28, that IS interesting, the Reader's solicitation for "Party Animal" submissions. First I've seen it. That would seem to be the same column as "Crasher" - perhaps Chad Deal can inform? Was this week's Crasher his one-shot submission? Chad also has a solid Blurt in the new issue - that column is always open to fresh-blood freelance submissions. It looks like the Reader considered renaming Crasher "Party Animal" and sought public submissions, the same way the record review column went from staff-written to an entry-level open door column. As of this week, however, THIS column still appears to be called Crasher. I'd like to see the Reader keep the well-established Crasher name intact, and ditch "Party Animal" as an alternate. And Chad's above column is so well-done that I think he'd be a fine full-time Crasher. That said, tho, I'm a big supporter of the Reader's increasing willingness to publish freelance submissions under existing column mastheads - what better way to discover and nurture the A-list full-time staff columnists of tomorrow? Perhaps one of the commentators above should crash a party and submit their account and photos to the Reader, in case the Crasher column HAS become open-door? It's a paycheck AND a chance to demonstrate what you think does and doesn't make for a good Crasher column ----
— March 10, 2010 1:28 a.m.

Pre-gaming

RE "I don't think it is my imagination that you were promoting Board's new crasher elsewhere." My apologies for apparently being unclear, but that's absolutely incorrect. My own job security depends on the success of the Reader, in print and online. I've never been shy about being a company man - my indebtedness to the Reader in general and to Mr. Holman in particular dates back to a bout of near-death illness I suffered around the turn of the century, during which the Reader helped me out in ways that I still credit as akin to lifesaving. Hence my fierce loyalty and defense of the Reader when I see it or its publisher or its columnists attacked -- I proudly wear that particular bias on my sleeve for all to see and consider. So I'm the last guy to "promote" a competing publication on this website - I only posted the link to the "new" Crasher column because one cannot (or at least shouldn't) discuss a topic without examining what sparked the discussion. With so many newspapers struggling, it's no secret that "As goes the website, so goes the Reader" - for the record, anyone who likes the Crasher column and concept should support the Reader's version over any copycat incarnation in the same market. The column began here and belongs here - regardless of any consideration as to who's writing it at the time. Luckily, Chad's take on the Crasher concept is off to a stellar start! Kudos to him... ...and Viva la Reader!
— March 9, 2010 11:29 p.m.

Party Crasher Returns - elsewhere

RE #6 "Jay is trying to draw attention to the fact that Josh Board has a new home." Not exactly - the topic I wanted to discuss was that the Crasher column itSELF now has TWO homes. Regardless of who wrote each, what I'm fascinated by is how a columnist (ANY columnist) is able to take an assigned masthead from the publication which created it (under a different writer), to a competitor in the same city. I'd especially like to know whether sandiego.com knew that Josh didn't create the column, or whether ANYone knew the Reader would relaunch it at the same time, resulting in competing Crashers. I'd posit the same queries if, say, Ed Bedford suddenly turned up writing Tin Fork for Revolt in Style, during the same week a new columnist takes over that decade-old Reader column. Has little to do with the writers and/or how I do or don't feel about the individuals. I'm not even that interested in which Crasher writes a better column, a purely subjective call after all. I just wanna know how it works. Or IF it works - The Crasher column is well known in San Diego - the three writers who've worked on it, not so much. Just like Overheard in San Diego is well known now (after 15 years of weekly strips), but I doubt two in 500,000 San Diegans know my name, and even less will remember the half dozen other artists who've collaborated on the comics. So, if one of my former inkers turned up at CityBeat with a weekly Overheard in SD toon, I'd sher as Heckle want the public to chime in on that one! After I talked to a lawyer, anyway, since I own that 'mark ----
— March 9, 2010 10 p.m.

Pre-gaming

Strong thread here - I'm not "promoting" anything, other than topical discourse. Chad's debut Crasher is very strong indeed -
— March 9, 2010 9:30 p.m.

Pre-gaming

Wait, so now there are TWO Party Crasher columns in SD? Josh is doing it again at http://www.sandiego.com/crasher/party-crasher-omb…, and the Reader has revived it with Chad Deal. Daniel Ridge was the Reader's Party Crasher in 2003 - late that year is when Josh took over the column, which he did for around six years. Are there really enough parties in SD to keep TWO Crashers busy?? It'll be interesting to see!
— March 9, 2010 5:46 a.m.

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Jay Allen Sanford

Party Crasher Returns - elsewhere

Pre-gaming

Pre-gaming

Party Crasher Returns - elsewhere

Pre-gaming

Pre-gaming

Party Crasher Returns - elsewhere

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