It’s here and online. We hope you enjoy it; honestly, we’re proud of it. Feel free to comment on its contents here.
Also … if you are curious about what the very first issue of the Weekly as like … you can download a PDF of it here. (Be warned: It’s 2.6MB.) Enjoy.
This article appears in Feb 19-25, 2009.
I’m amazed by the surprisingly small amount of coverage of Attorney General Terry Goddard’s private requisition of the RTA ballots. A stark departure from the “coverage up the wazoo” so proudly claimed in the past. Perhaps the 25th anniversary took up a lot of time. Didn’t the paper change hands since then?
Oh well, at least your Hunter S. Thompson wannabe mentioned it in this week’s Skinny. In an interview with Bud Foster (KOLD) Bill Risner spells out very well the problems with breaking the chain of custody and privately examining the ballots. Still, the mainstream press appears pretty dense about this issue – even when they all attended the the July 9th press conference of last year. Here’s the link:
http://www.fatallyflawedthemovie.com/pages/executive.html
Again, Bill Risner was explicit about the problems he had with the Attorney General’s office. Jim Nintzel (the guy who likes to dress up as Hunter S. Thompson) stood about four feet away from me while I was filming this thing.
We know Nintzel is aware that the plaintiffs were ignored in this investigation. What does he do? He pulls out the “conspiracy” schtick! I got an idea. Next Halloween, Jim Nintzel should dress up as the person he really should admire – Gerry Rivers from the U of A. Now that’s a goal he can aspire to, because right now he might as well piss on Hunter S. Thompson’s grave site and get it over with.
Congrats to everyone at the Weekly on your 25th!
Where & when’s the party? ; )
any particular reason the PDF of the first issue is more than 50 percent in negative format?
Instigator: I am not sure what you mean; no such probs when I download it. E-mail me (mailbag@tucsonweekly.com) with more info, and I’ll see if we can figure out what’s up.
Dylan: The entire year’s a party!
What perfect place to party than the Meet Rack. (party all the time!)
Anyway, reading Issue 1 made me note that TW had Life in Hell (and Andy Mosier’s work) all the way back then, which brings me to this question, spurred by LA Weekly’s possible dropping of Life in Hell due to finances: as comics have been an important part of TW, is there still a good enough revenue stream to keep great work such as Red Meat, K. Rat and Random Shots in print locally?
Red Meat, K.Rat and Random Shots will not be going anywhere, as far as I am concerned. They’re a part of the Weekly as long as the artists are willing and I am the editor.
No sex ads (or even sexads) in very first issue of the Weekly. Futon ads.
Getting back to your convention, “32nd Annual Association of Alternative Newsweeklies Convention,” Tom Lee, Publisher, Tucson Weekly assures in his “A Note from the Convention Chair” that “You have my word that we’ll pull it off.” That may well be.
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But Red Star has to wonder whether the convention will include a simple announcement of selectively aggregated alternative newsweekly coverage for Kindle 2, coming “soon.” This dynamic move has been rumored for months. Or an actual roll-out of the product, good to go? Or will sly TW exclusively be the first alternative to show up on Kindle 2?
Any hush-hush info, Jimmy Boegle?
The Red Stars own 2 of these new Kindles and they are a blast. No, Mari, you may not come over and try.
Red Star, futon ads are the original sex ads in alternative news weekly world.
I know nothing regarding altweekly content for Kindle 2. Granted, the fact that I know nothing means nothing.
I know a bunch of stuff about Kindle 2 Red Star, but since I don’t get an invite I’m not telling. Thhhhpppppttth!
“Futons are like concrete after the first couple of times” promised Victoria to Red Star way back before Mari was probably even born.
As for Boegle’s comment (above), well isn’t that the whole thing with editors…
It will be interesting to see how all this turns out, come late June in The Old Pueblo what with the convention and all…
If I may be serious, for a second, Red Star: I do serve on the AAN Editorial Committee, and I imagine that if something were being done at the AAN level, I’d know about it. It’s very possible something is being discussed at the board level, or that another altweekly company (Village Voice Media, which is in many of the big markets) is discussing something separate from AAN. However, one big roadblock to any such Kindle plan: Many altweeklies technically do not own the rights to the content we publish. All of our freelancers (anybody not named Nintzel, Messina, Herreras, Borowitz or Boegle) reserve ownership rights, so we could not sell or turn over content to Kindle without each freelancers’ permission.
Jimmy Boegle gets serious and writes: “All of our freelancers (anybody not named Nintzel, Messina, Herreras, Borowitz or Boegle) reserve ownership rights, so we could not sell or turn over content to Kindle without each freelancers’ permission.”
Yes — exactimundo– and therein lies one of the problems for the altweekly industry. This problem is what Red Star, as a seasoned, scarred and active veteran of the ‘wood, has been oh so carefully driving at (no matter how much you make fun of it), for these many weeks: how to stay alt, economically viable, and not turn it all over to Lupita Murilllllo!
~~~~~~~~
Mari, sheesh! Call first, okay?
I am not following the problem you mention, Red Star. What’s the issue with freelancers?
snore.
congrats on making it to 25 but reading this blog is like listening to my grandfather prattle on about his aching low hanging butt grapes.
how about something more interesting for the other 10 people who seem to visit this blog?
like photos of all of you from 25 years ago.
freelancers included.
that could be fun.
for a minute or two.
perhaps.
dunno.
snore.
To the extent that freelancers make alt news vital and healthy *and* to the extent that freelancers are contractually excluded from hypothetical mass media such as Kindle 2 (alt news on Kindle 2 and the like are hypothetical, we are led to believe), because of “freelancedness,” there might be a problem for the industry because industry loves contracts, the whole cynical “…tie your mother down…” thing might bland it down to the FUTON OF CERTAINTY.
Figuring and playing this is the only thing goofy-looking Malcom Gladwell got right. But it was important for him.
Red: The reason why we let freelancers keep the right to their own work is because we think that’s the right thing to do for freelancers’ sake. If it were truly, awesomely important for us to put our content on Kindle, we could work it out with our freelancers.
Seems Red Star is stirring the pot of headaches and love for the altnewsweekly industry…
Stirring is good, Red Star. Keep it up.
It will take me a while to get through the 25th anniversary edition (and the conversation in this post). Even with just a skim I can tell the history and tidbits are good reads. I’m in Tucson three years; Tucson Weekly has helped me better understand and enjoy my new home. Congratulations on the milestone. Wonder what the 50th anniversary edition will look like (on a Kindle)?
I really enjoyed the 25th anniversary edition. I like how the 25 year old Kasia Zygnerska put her thoughts together. Good job, more 25 year olds like this please!