To the editors:
Best of Chicago voting is live now. Vote for your favorites »
Couldn’t help but notice somebody being mad at Bill Wyman & his XRT article, (Ted Romne, 7 Dec. 90–Letters). Hate to jump to a critic’s defense, but it was a pretty good article; the history of the station alone made it worth printing. However, Ted makes an interesting point which underlines the contradictory nature of “alternative” music. In 1963, the Beatles spearheaded the alternative movement, re-working various forms of American & British music, clothing it in nice suits, & creaming the record charts. Remember, they were turned down by every major British label before finally being signed; most labels found them “too coarse”, “not marketable”, etc . . . the same kind of stuff most musicians hear from the labels today. Of course, now the Beatles are the staple of every classic rock format in the world.
Pat Brennan
