Our cover story this week was on the sad trend of indie bands bypassing Houston for greener, or at least greenerish, pastures. To illustrate it we had the noted artist Uncle Charlie draw a rocker flipping the bird to our fair city.
The date on the issue was July 10, 2008, but from the reaction it got it might as well have been 1958.
24-Hour Fitness pulled it from its gyms. A Kroger store on the south side did, too.
Someone from the Pelican Grill near Nasa Road 1 called to say someone "had left your trash in my restaurant."
We don't deliver papers to that restaurant, and it looks like we won't anytime soon. "If someone tries to deliver it here I will call the Seabrook Police Department and have them arrested," the guy said.
Also interesting was the call from some mother.
"I've got kids over here. Can you tell me why this is on the cover?" she said.
"Did you read the article?" said the Press staffer who took the call.
"I don't care what the fuck the article is about," she said.
Frankly, we were offended.
Press editor Margaret Downing had this to say:
Our cover was a cartoon character in an irreverent pose. One more time: a cartoon – in a pose replicated in comics, in movies and on Houston’s freeways countless times in any given day. It is hard to believe that this drawing by the renowned Uncle Charlie for a story about indie rockers dissing Houston would give this city a case of the vapors.
-- Richard Connelly
It would be interesting to know how many of the offended parents ("oh my stars!! think of the CHILDREN!") bought their kids the latest version of Grand Theft Auto.
As for the haters-- fuck 'em.
Posted at: July 11, 2008 2:56 PM