We Read the Weeklies: Old vs New Seattle
Welcome to another week of the pitched battle between Old Seattle and New Seattle, playing out in high resolution in the alternative weeklies. We have to give both of them this: their editorial control is pitch perfect. Outside of a tip of the hat to the other side here and there, each publication follows true to their Seattle View in article after article.
The Stranger is very proud of Last Days this week, particularly Schmader's item on a Starbucks corporate event. It's obvious these guys have spent very few, if any, days in Boardroom Land by the tone of their shallow insights into the ludicrous "entertainment" that plays daily on downtown's upper floors. Haven't they ever seen the Ballmer video? Anyway, here's the link to the Jefferson Starbucks song.
They follow with their standard solid material in the City section where they scream their New Seattle-ness at the top of their lungs. Maybe they should start bringing in someone other than the near-embeddedd Josh Feit to do the Counter Intel column. What's "counter" about Feit fawning over the mayor? It's actually decent stuff that questions whether Nickels will relapse into his "Seattle Way" mode rather than the big-city mind set they think he's been in lately (which the Weekly should be referring to as "Seattle Pay"). It just doesn't belong under the Counter Intel banner.
Amy Jennings' feature on lesbian events in the city may as well have printed in 40 point type, "SEATTLEST DOESN'T KNOW WHAT IT'S TALKING ABOUT." Earlier this week we did a post that vaguely commented on the fact that the city has only one lesbian bar. Thanks for straightening us out, Amy. The recent upturn in lesbian event nights in the city led Amy to write, "Not long ago, the Wild Rose was just about the only lesbian social scene in town. Now, it looks like lesbians are taking over Seattle, one club at a time." At least we're up on "not long ago."
There's a bunch of arts coverage in there as well, and most of it's great. Nightstand (which we have a love/hate relationship with) describes a scrabble game involving Jonathan Raban (who we have a love/love relationship with). The game was for the prize winner of the Strangercrombie "Famous Author Scrabble Game" and if we knew the famous author was going to be Raban we would have mobilized Seattlest Financial to get us into that game.
Not a lot to say about the Musician's Directory except to point out that it's a great thing the Stranger does (and it probably makes them a ton of money... Stay tuned for the Seattlest.com Music Directory!). The Poster of the Week is also really cool.
And the challenger after the link:
The Seattle Weekly throws down with a big cover story on gay marriage's pending visit to the state Supreme Court. This behemoth of an alt-weekly feature spans nine pages. Nine! That's like three sections! Go read it right now, though. We know it's difficult to read long articles online (thus our format), but seriously, go. We'll even understand if you have to take a break afterwards and don't come back to Seattlest until later today. We'll be here. This is probably the most complete article on the subject from any Seattle news source to date.
It's good to know that the Weekly doesn't believe gay marriage falls into the New Seattle realm, as much as the Stranger may claim ownership of the issue. The Weekly ran over to the Stranger's momma's house and tagged right on the front door "Seattle Weekly was here, beatch" with this piece. See how they can take digs at the Stranger just by doing good solid writing on the Stranger's turf, instead of resorting to the Stranger's anti-Weekly antics?
If only the Weekly could have just run that piece and called it a week... Knute Berger stamps and snorts in his fortress of Old Seattle in Mossback as usual. We agree with some of it, but it just doesn't seem very effective wrapped in all that cantankerousness.
There is, though, another great article by Tim McNulty on an archaeological find in Port Angeles. The Weekly is definitely kicking it on their own turf with this one and it works well. Unfortunately in the same section is a panicky Monorail piece: "Are the wheels coming off America's biggest monorail commuter-train experiment?" That's the first line - Read no further.
We know it seems like nit-picking, but we were really turned off by the Food section ripping Sideways. If you want to criticize the movie, fine. Do it in the film section. What business does any food section in any publication have complaining about Sideways? Please.
We missed this feature last week, but we really hated that music industry "article" the Weekly ran. It's hard to believe the same editors that printed that also did this week's issue, and the Weekly's letters page seems to agree with us. People also took issue with the midwife article and Gnute's dissing of Hunter Thompson and...man, did last week's Weekly suck. We're going to have to stop thinking about it, though, because we're about to hand the Seattle Weekly its first win on Seattlest.
That's right, this week's Weekly shone just a bit brighter than the Stranger, which was also very good. All in all a great week for the alt-weeklies in Seattle and we commend them both on a job well done.
UPDATE: @ 1:20pm: The Seattlest "We Read the Weeklies" team has recieved a legal and binding request for a recount and the vote has been reconsidered: The Stranger wins again! Apparently, we read the weeklies, but not closely enough to spot ourselves on the Stranger's cover. In retrospect it is obvious that this week's Stranger was vastly superior to the clunky, backwards-looking Weekly. I have personally appointed a commission whose duty it will be to look into the events leading to this oversight and make recommendations as to how it can be avoided in the future. Please note for the time being that the "We Read the Weeklies" fact checking department has been suspended without pay and, should they ever be allowed to return to their posts, will be encouraged to read every single word printed in both the lofty Stranger and the lowly trash rag Seattle Weekly. I humbly request that Gnute Berger return the plaque awarded to the Weekly this morning to Seattlest headquarters, or, if he doesn't mind, taking it over to the rightful owners at the Stranger himself.
