The wordsmithing involved in a sentence like this in their lame press
release tells it all: "The City of Detroit remains an important part of
the planning process for presenting the commercially-owned DEMF as an
annual event hosted at Hart Plaza."
Oh yeah? Well, guess what, Carol, you LOST the bid and as we used
to say in high school after nailing a jump shot over a chump, "in your
face you disgrace!"
Now, older and more mature, I would call this an undeclared assertion
(support from the city) to a nonexistent object ("commercially-owned
DEMF annual event").
All this stuff from Carol Marvin really boils down to a demand to pay
her off so she'll go away. The Hearns thing is particularly cynical.
It's all about lawyers from now on, so if I were Derrick May and Carl
Craig I'd say, "see you in court -- if you dare."
And if the new festival can't use the DEMF name, I'm sure another
can be found, and maybe not such a bad idea anyway since it would
allow rebuilding the "brand" in a direction more true to the real
meaning and history of electronic music in Detroit.
Fred
PS On a side note, what's EFF doing mixed up in all this? I could swear
that was him I saw at the first DEMF, talking about how he's "been in this
for over 20 years and I still don't get no love," and it was definitely
clear who he was talking about in terms of his scheduled time and stage
location at the festival.
But seriously, when it comes to the rivalries and all that, I prefer to
say, "I'm a fan. Let the music play." There will be an electronic music
festival at Hart Plaza this May, I will be there, and it will all be good.
