The Way We Was

A reporter in the United Kingdom called today to opine that Banjo Jones is “the first weblog martyr.”

What’s going on down there in Texas?

“It’s a long story,” sighed Banjo, already punchy from an afternoon chat with KNRC radio talk show host Alan Pell in Denver, who tells listeners his show teeters on “the cusp of mediocrity.”

Be careful.

One morning you might wake up and say out loud, as I did to Scooter, my wife and assistant, “It’s a lot more fun being Banjo than (name withheld by request).”

Then, a few months go by, and you really are Banjo Jones. Suddenly, people in positions of responsibility would like an explanation.

It all began with a bad dining experience at Denny’s. The pancakes were cold and the service was bad. It was comical, really. People were walking out...

Type, type, type.

Post and Publish.

Then, in the course of daily events, other observations of life’s rich pageant are offered.

A link is posted by a weekly paper’s Web site.

Words of mouth are passed.

Emails fly.

The gals in the courthouse typing pool are chattering, logging on every day.

Banjo this, Banjo that.

Hey, this ain’t such a boring burgh after all!

Didja read...?

Twang, twang, strum, strum.

The reaction on the street, by and large, to news reports about the Brazosport News and its creators is, “Hey, what about freedom of speech?”

What about freedom of the press?

This leads to a discussion. Yes, there are those freedoms, and then there is the right not to employ those who part their hair on the left.

Twang, twang, strum, strum.

“I’m proud of you, son. You’ve made my day,” telephones a reader in Alvin. “You’ve got balls, big balls.”

Balls for brains, suggests the Denver talk show host perched on the cusp of mediocrity.

“We enjoyed what you had to say!” writes a Lake Jackson businesswoman, using the quaint approach of pen and paper. “Good luck in the future. We’ll continue to search for the ‘newsmaker’ that turned you in. We’ll miss you!”

Like O.J.’s search for the real killer? OK, get back to us on that.

“The dunderhead running the Hearst seed catalogue should hire that Banjo Jones dude to replace poor (name withheld by request). After all, Banjo seemed a lot smarter than (name withheld by request),” writes manifique@hotmail.com.


“I see from Dave Winer's site that you've lost your job due to your weblog,” writes a sales manager from out of state. “ Well, keep it up. America needs more webloggers and fewer people who don't
appreciate the first amendment. Getting fired in this economic time is not conducive to a low-stress
lifestyle, I understand. I wish you all the luck in your future endeavors!”

“Say it ain't so jo-nes!” emails another fellow. “ Tell me the presses will roll again.”

Like the Warren Oates character said in The Wild Bunch, “Why not?”


Andrew Orlowski article in The Register, a UK site

Houston Press News Hostage column

Wash. Post Media Columnist Piles On (Last item)