This statement is on behalf of both blogs, mine and Jake's.
Here we go again (see comments there).
A short while ago Jake posted this story on Cassette's gig at Logo which also talked about a police visit there which affected the show.
In the latest issue of City Weekend, 2010 May 20- June 2 The Volunteer Issue, music writer Lisa Movius has decided to weigh in on the matter.
It should be made clear that Movius and all staff at CW involved with writing or editing articles on music/nightlife know our blogs and are perfectly aware that we reported the Logo story there.
Here's what Lisa wrote in the article in the Shanghaiology section (interesting cool name for the section) - which deals with the music scene raids in general.
The saga started the weekend of April 16th with word that police had raided music dive Logo and shut down a performance there, ostensibly stating the reason as "the Expo". However, according to the Logo owner Tai Bei, no such drama unfolded. I've had a lot of people asking about it," Tai Laughed. "It's strange, it wasn't us, just Yuyintang."
Tai laughed, nice touch, Lisa.
Here's what happened leading up to the posting of the story by Jake. The gig was scheduled to start at 10 at Logo with three bands, Pinkberry, Stegosaurus and Cassette. I had talked to Stegosaurus about covering the show and Jake (independently of me) was in touch with Cassette as he had encouraged them to come down from Beijing to play here.
I received a call from Josh (Stegosaurus) and, separately, Jake received a call from Cassette singer Tearpixy. They told us the same story. Police had been to Logo saying they had to check "for the Expo". The posters and flyers for the Sunday show had been confiscated and the gig was not supposed to go on.
After talking further with the staff at Logo, they decided to put the show on anyway, but postpone the time in case the police popped their heads in. The show finally started around 11. Pinkberry manager and drummer Lezi also confirmed he had this same story and the band pulled out of the show because of the later start time.
Finally, me and Jake both went to the show and confirmed all this in person.
The only way it was somehow untrue is if the staff at Logo conspired to play some bizarre prank on the bands. If anyone wants to re-check our sources they can contact the bands through their douban pages.
But really, I wish City Weekend would stop and think before publishing thinly veiled smug judgments on other writers. And, come on, you know where that story appeared in the public domain, right here. Movius's article basically implies we are liars. Unfortunately for them, it is the CW article that has not done the proper checking. And also, the whole laughed thing? Implying that the writer and the interviewee are sitting there shaking their heads at these silly bloggers. Go fuck yourself, CW.
Remember, there are writers that need to get paid :-)
True story. I was there.
Sure. Just don't make out that me or Jake just plain make stuff up. It's simply not true.
We have just under 600 articles between us now. You have more than that at CMR. There's plenty to write about.
Oh, that comment was in reply to Archie.
Hi Bren. Yes exactly. In case of people reading the comments for further enlightenment - Bren is a member of Stegosaurus.
Is it possible that the police asked Logo to stay hush-hush/in denial about the shutdown in exchange for being allowed to reopen?
Maybe Micah, I don't know.
I just don't like to open a mag and see something that refers to a story we wrote, with details, by a writer familiar with the post, that says in not so may words that we made it up.
Hi guys, I never claimed you and the bands made it up, or ever meant to insuate that. I was repeating what the owner of Logo said, and how he said it. I was frankly quite surprised by his comments and tone, as a fan of this blog.
Was Tai Bei spinning me? Possibly. I know and trust you guys and this blog better than him and many other sources, but one must give a venue's owner some weight. In a 400 word piece that I get paid not much for (Archie's comment was accidentally hilarious, because one does not write for local media for the money) I had neither time nor space to interview multiple people over one incident at one venue. I relayed the story as described here and elsewhere, and I relayed Tai Bei's rebuttal.
You have read into the article a tone that was not intended by either me or by the CW editors. The person laughing it off as an unfounded rumor was Tai Bei. I wasn't there, and I don't know what happened. I'm sure it is probably an honest difference of perspective, perhaps he was not there that night, or perhaps cops drop by often enough there that he considered it a non-event, while it seemed a much greater concern to the band. I don't know.
I have great respect and affection for this blog and its authors, and regret that you read the article as an affront. It was never, ever intended as such.
Plenty of other venues I contacted for the piece said they weren't free to talk to the press, or talked to me off record. There are some glaring omissions from the article, made at the request of the owners of venues struggling to stay open. Yuyintang, whose closure was more dramatic, spoke opening. Logo certainly had the option of declining comment or talking off record. They didn't. They said what they said, and if it was wrong your issue should be with them.
Fair enough Lisa and thanks for the reply,
The fact of the matter is you did know the story and the writers (me and Jake)and the three bands involved.
The quote said it never happened, so it logically contradicts anyone who said it did. Surely you understand that.
It wouldn't have taken a minute to e-mail one of the bands, or Lezi or whoever to check.
As for the tone, referring to the story as 'word' and then painting a picture of the bar owner dismissing it with a laugh has a very obvious and clear tone. Anyone with a reasonable grasp of the language can see that.
As you can confirm easily, and one of the involved band members has already confirmed above, it DID happen. I wonder if CW is above some kind of correction or clarification next issue?
interesting stuff, but jake I don't think lisa was implying you guys were lying, she was just reporting what tai bei said. I was surprised by what he said though, because I'd read what you'd written about the raid and it clearly happened - maybe lisa should have made this clearer - I have to go off and fuck myself now