by A. Birch Steen
Stranger Ombudsman & OSHA Board of Governors Member
Not noted in Jeff DeRoche's fine feature on the Long Winters are the numerous CONFLICTS OF INTEREST that may have colored the writing and editing process. Indeed, the very selection of the Long Winters for a feature article in The Stranger smacks of favoritism. To facilitate the drafting of outraged letters to the editor, I have been asked to identify each instance of COI. · Mr. DeRoche's article is about one JOHN RODERICK, lead singer/guitarist/songwriter for the Long Winters. Mr. Roderick has, in the past, been an occasional contributor to this paper. · The Stranger's film editor, SEAN NELSON, is also a member of the Long Winters, and Mr. Nelson was once the lead singer for the band HARVEY DANGER, which featured EVAN SULT on drums. Mr. Sult, like Mr. Roderick, has occasionally contributed to this paper. Additionally, Mr. Sult is the co-owner of 10TH AVENUE EAST PUBLISHING, a local publisher that recently released a book by Strangercalendar editor BRIAN GOEDDE (This World Is Yours, $10). · Continuing along the Mr. Nelson vein, Mr. Nelson once worked at Metro Cinemas with BRADLEY STEINBACHER, with whom he now works with at The Stranger. Mr. Steinbacher's former ROOMMATE used to date John Roderick who, readers will recall, is the subject of Mr. DeRoche's article. Mr. Steinbacher's former girlfriend, STEPHANIE PURE, went to high school with BO GILLILAND, former member of Western State Hurricanes, Mr. Roderick's former band. Additionally, Mr. Nelson's grandmother, the late Evelyn Barrows, was a Polish Jew. POLAND is a country in EUROPE, and Europe is the continent that Mr. Roderick WALKED ACROSS; Mr. Roderick's walk across Europe is the central metaphor of Mr. DeRoche's article. Mr. Goedde studied in Madrid, a large city in Europe, and Harvey Danger toured Europe, but did not play Madrid. · The drummer for the Long Winters, MICHAEL SHILLING, a Jew--like John Roderick, a Jesuit-educated Protestant, and Evan Sult, also a Protestant--has written for The Stranger. CHRIS CANIGLIA, the keyboard player in the Long Winters, once wrote a strongly worded letter to Mr. Nelson regarding something Mr. Nelson wrote about Mr. Caniglia's then-girlfriend, a known lesbian. Mr. Caniglia's letter to Mr. Nelson appeared in the letters section of The Stranger. · Moving on, The Stranger's former editor, EMILY WHITE, is married to RICH JENSEN, the former PRESIDENT of Sub Pop, the record label that courted John Roderick's previous band, the Western State Hurricanes. Current Stranger editor DAN SAVAGE, his partner, and their child briefly lived with White and her husband. Mr. Savage edited the feature in question, including the sections that dealt with SUB POP. Moving along, KERRI HARROP, a former SUB POP EMPLOYEE, is now the booking agent for CHOP SUEY, the music venue formerly known as THE BREAKROOM, where the Western State Hurricanes played their FIRST SHOW, as mentioned in Mr. DeRoche's article. The aforementioned show was attended by EVERETT TRUE, former Stranger music editor. Mr. True is quoted in Mr. DeRoche's story in reference to this incident. On several occasions, Harvey Danger appeared at the Breakroom. · Mr. DeRoche's feature was copyedited by SARA DeBELL, who once wrote a gossip column for The Stranger under the name of Shirley Rodell-Szyzmyjek. In her column, Ms. DeBell, a.k.a Ms. Rodell-Szyzmyjek, made fun of both Mr. Nelson's former band Harvey Danger and Mr. Roderick's former band Western State Hurricanes, as did KATHLEEN WILSON, former Stranger music editor and current It's My Party columnist. Ms. Wilson is a recovering alcoholic ["Now You Don't Because You Can't," Jan 3], as is Mr. Roderick. Mr. Nelson's mother and three of Mr. Savage's grandparents are/were alcoholics. · Mr. DeRoche's article was designed and laid out by The Stranger's production department. AARON HUFFMAN, former member of Harvey Danger and known associate of Mr. Roderick, is a former employee of The Stranger's production department. Mr. Huffman attended the recent Long Winters show at the SUNSET TAVERN, which was mentioned in Mr. DeRoche's article. · The publication of Mr. DeRoche's article was made possible by the efforts of The Stranger's advertising sales department. RACHEL FLOTARD, a Stranger ad representative, is also the guitar player and singer for the band VISQUEEN. Ms. Flotard's band practices in the same rehearsal space as Mr. Roderick's band, the Long Winters. That rehearsal space is also shared by JASON FINN, who played drums on the Long Winters' debut LP. Mr. Finn was once the drummer for Presidents of the United States of America, which once recorded a song entitled "The Stranger." Mr. Finn is not openly homosexual. · Finally, the aforementioned Mr. Gilliland, who is, as already noted, a former member of Western State Hurricanes, is currently the boyfriend of former Stranger contributor (and current associate editor at the Seattle Weekly) LEAH GREENBLATT. Ms. Greenblatt has a pretty sweet ass, as does Mr. Roderick.
- "Harm's Way"