Chubby's importance is inflated
When singer Chubby Checker introduced us to "The Twist" in the 1960s I assumed that he was merely a happy-go-lucky guy who hit it big with a novelty song. So I was a little disappointed recently to see that Checker wants to have a 30-foot-tall statue of himself erected in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. (Chubby Checker wants the glory he thinks he deserves, Nov. 26, 2004)

Disappointed, but not surprised. After all we live in a society that easily worships the latest big-name performers. And we have music critics who try to attach an importance to their work that all too often is simply not there. The passage of time, however, usually reveals that most of this ballyhooed material loses its relevance and appeal after a few years. And we see that the people who created it often had trouble coping with everyday life responsibly, let alone having much to teach us about peace and love.

For example, nobody can deny that during the '60s the Beatles were among the most influential people on the planet. And to this day, people still gush about the profound influence they had on music, art, fashion, politics and culture. But it was also widely assumed that the Beatles used illegal drugs, and it is therefore reasonable to assume that they influenced many people in that direction as well. Yet, rarely do we hear anyone say that whatever merits the Beatles' music might have had, their overall influence on society was not altogether positive.

Many communities around the world have been ravaged by the effects of drug abuse. And therefore, it always irks me to read rock critics writing about people in fawning and grandiose terms simply because they managed to produce an interesting song or two during their lives. Rolling Stone Magazine probably started that silly style of pseudo-intellectual journalism, but it now appears on a regular basis in countless periodicals -- including the Post-Gazette.

If someone is genuinely interested in music, he might pick up a guitar or learn a few chords on a piano and begin to sing and play for his own entertainment. That is much closer to the way that music has been enjoyed throughout history, and any journalist who would remind us of that fact is a journalist who really does understand and appreciate the value and purpose of music.

Joseph Carducci
Mount Lebanon

Chubby was the thing
I read the article on Chubby Checker and must say for the most part I agree with him. I'm not sure about the statue, though. Anyone who remembers the Twist can attest that it did change the world overnight. You had the Kennedys, kings, queens and everyone in between twisting. To be seen twisting was THE thing.

I will never forget when my mother bought that Chubby album for me in 1961. I played it till the grooves wore out. If you listen to Hank Ballard's Twist, it is exactly the same. It took Chubby to deliver this message as I think no one else could.

Steve Kacin
Shaler

Give Chubby credit
Thank you for the kind words about Chubby Checker. I have seen him perform on stage only once. That was August of this year at a casino here in Kansas. The man was simply electrifying for two hours. It was one of the toughest rock 'n' roll shows I have seen in years.

The man deserves a huge amount of credit for his work.

It would help tremendously if his original recordings would ever get reissued on compact disc. That has been a big problem and would make for a whole separate article.

Mark Dillman
Topeka, Kan.

Hard times for video stores
All right, Mackenzie Carpenter, let the sparring match begin ("Legal movie downloads available -- for a fee," Nov. 18).

Owning one of the dying breed of independent video/DVD stores, I think it is about time the word is out about all the attacks we face while trying to eke out a living and spread a little entertainment.

As a rental business we have had to confront everything from theft of merchandise to virtual pirating. I've had customers remove the movie they rented and replace it with porn or their own bad home movies. I've put up with 20 years of abuse, attack and, as the late great Rodney Dangerfield would put it, "no respect." But to have a monetary punishment ridiculed for an avoidable occurrence is just the end.

It is really tiring when I read over and over again, "those annoying late fees." Believe me, I for one don't like them any more than the customer who has incurred them. I get no joy out of telling someone they are being punished for not listening to me when I told them when the rental was due or that I've had a waiting list for that movie. The only way I can think to soften the blow is to tell them the truth, "This money will go to buying more quality films for the store."

Catherine Kelley
Owner, C.Video & DVD (Classic Video)