I just read the PG's appreciation of Bo Diddley (June 3) and was struck by how on target you were about his feeling he was never "properly compensated." Maybe one of you had an experience similar to mine.

We employed Bo Diddley to play for Calhoun College. The Master of our College, B. Davie Napier, was a highly respected and scholarly minister who always managed in our senior year (1964-65) to impress us with his receptivity to our social agenda -- as unconventional by that day's norms as some thought it was. In his distinguished home he hosted our "social committee," Bo Diddley, and Bo's band. It was a cordial reception that included a brief duet between Our Reverend and Bo ... but it was clear Bo was sizing us up.

I don't think he'd ever played Yale before and certainly not one of its colleges of about 300 guys with their dates, not one of whom was black. After the reception I invited Bo back to our room; he became infatuated with a slot machine that belonged to one of my roommates who was descended from one of our Declaration of Independence's signers -- it was a real slot but the nickels that it ate were recycled for others to use. It was a photo opportunity and a real let-your-hair-down event ... but he was sizing us up.

About 30 minutes before his first set was to begin he took me aside and asked for the $600 he had been promised before he would start playing. I knew nothing of this. A quick call to the agent through which we booked him confirmed that sometimes he made demands like this before playing -- so we should get him $600 and then settle up with her afterward. We didn't have that cash and on a Saturday night long before ATMs we could not think of any way of getting that amount of cash.

As an act of good faith -- inspired I'm sure by the duet with our reverend -- Bo Diddley agreed to do the first set while we found his "bread." The cadence of his beat to which your editorial refers was THAT sound ... his lyric was "I want my bread, I want my bread ..." That's all he sang for the first two sets.

Fortunately, our classmates and their dates were either hearing impaired or otherwise disabled because no one mentioned this to anyone on the social committee. We found $600 and counted it out small bill by small bill to Bo who just grinned.

His third set was a classic and he did an encore set that was absolutely unforgettable -- almost an out-of-body experience, some said.

He was not just a master of his music or an inspiration to other musicians but he taught some privileged youth what made him play and what was to be respected!

Jim DeAngelis
Paulhan, France

So the wife and I get to the theater 20 minutes early to beat the crowds for the new Indy movie. There were no crowds. But for 35 (!) straight minutes we were "treated" to: four hip-hop songs masquerading as commercials for Verizon Wireless, eight straight-up commercials for lots o' junk we ain't gonna buy, and seven previews for movies we ain't never gonna see.

Take me now, Lord! To riff Michael O'Donoghue, of old, old, SNL fame, "I will take two 18-inch steel knitting needles and plunge them into my eyes." (And two 12-inch knitting needles and plunge them into my ears.) I kept hoping I'd have to go to the bathroom, but unfortunately my bladder was good for the long haul.

As for the movie ... we've all gotten old. Harrison Ford has lost a step, Karen Allen has lost a step, John Williams has lost about three steps, and when did Stevie Spielberg lose his ability to tell a story? His stuff is still visually interesting; all the bells and whistles, all the effects; but is this the same guy who gave us "Duel," "The Color Purple" and "Schindler's List"? (Full disclosure: I've lost about eight steps.) Still, it was nice escapist fare.

Glad we went. But I couldn't help but think back to the fun it was when "Raiders" first hit in 1981. Can't go back, and I'm delighted to be much wiser, smarter, more thoughtful ... and able to grab some senior-citizen discounts now. Ah, 60.

But ... life in 1981 was different, simpler ... no Tutsi-Hutus, no global warming, no cell phones, no Darfur, no Internet, no 9/11, no al-Qaeda, no security lines, no Bill Clinton (No, I'm not equating him to 9/11 or al-Qaeda. I just detest Bill Clinton.), no second-term George Bush, no 140-buck oil wrecking the lives of poor people trying to scrape by ... and lots more. And I have to bemoan the increasing solipsism of American life.

Of course, some of the things have been wonderful (Internet, cell phones), but 1981 life was just simpler, less complicated. Like Simon & Garfunkel sang in "Old Friends/Bookends": "A time it was, oh! what a time it was, it was ... A time of innocence ... A time of confidences."

James F. Cataldi
Moon

How stupid are we? Every TV station plays every commercial louder than the program/movie/sporting event or whatever their normal programming is. They even make the picture more sharp and vibrant than the TV event that we are watching. How stupid do they think we are? We can't see this?

And for whatever normal programming they are showing us, they have to show us their network brand in the corner of our TV screen. Obscuring whatever is behind their all-important logo! Isn't it enough that we have already tuned in to their station? Obviously not! They have to insult whatever intelligence that we have with their omnipotent logo!

Nothing is more important to the TV stations than their network brand, except their commercials! Why do they stop their logo-displaying during their commercials? Obviously, their commercials are more important than our TV program. Not the news, be it birth, death, murder, tornado, hurricane or earthquake; [nothing] can displace their trademark. Only their commercials!

I thank God every night that I have invested in a DVR, upon which I can fast-forward through every commercial that they throw at us. I haven't watched a commercial in over two years. I even record the sporting event that I am watching and watch it 15 minutes later and am still able to fast-forward through their endless list of commercials!

Well, all of us aren't as stupid as they wish us to be!

Charles Rodgers
Shaler

I just saw your story ("A 'Nu' idea," June 9) and am appalled. Many other publications and reporters were considerably more respectful and fair to the Nubrella. All others clearly recognized their role was to merely bring awareness of the product to their readers and not discourage anyone from purchasing the product.

I don't know who you think you are but if we were seeking a real product review we would have insisted Nubrella be tested in the environment it was designed for, to allow for a fair assessment of its functionality. People like you quite frankly disgust me.

Alan M. Kaufman

Founder/CEO Nubrella

Editors note: The Nubrella was tested in the rain.