Dear Mickey,

Thanks for your letter, which will be published online at
www.thestranger.com in the forthcoming issue, to be published
this Thursday.
I just wanted to pass along a brief response to you as a gesture
of respect to a career musician--or, if you would prefer, an
Entertainer--from one who considers that profession to be among the most difficult and noble ones in the world. I'm a musician and independent label owner myself, and I know how frustrating stupid reviewers can be.

It's true that the tone of my review was flippant, but it's a
bit of a stretch to call it scathing. It wasn't my intention to injure
anyone's pride or cause offense to any of the performers represented on the disc, living or dead, and I certainly didn't mean to be inaccurate. I was trying to comment on the radical difference between the style of TV performance for popular musicians then and now, of the quantum shift in what was visually acceptable in the early '70s--in terms of looks, sound, relative fame, and general production--and what is demanded now, in the age of MTV. I can see how, for someone who was involved in the show, and obviously has an emotional attachment to the experience, as well as to the bands themselves--many of whom made music I enjoy quite a bit (including Withers, Croce, and even The First Edition), but few of whom I would imagine are particularly relevant to/beloved by/ or even familiar to most of the readers of this paper--would bristle at reading my review. For that I apologize. I did, however, as you noticed, encourage people to seek the DVD out, and I meant it. I hope that counts for something.

So, in summary, I apologize for any offense I caused, and wish
you continued success as a Las Vegas record holder, drummer, DVD spokesman, or whatever other pursuits you may pursue.

Sincerely,
Sean Nelson
Associate Editor, The Stranger