Good Q&A with Dull Wolff; Is Tabb on Crack Again?; James Ridgeway Can't Add; More

Russ Smith and John Strausbaugh: Your interview with Michael Wolff was as irrelevant and dull as his columns are ("Media Mirages," 2/20). His latest article about how George Stephanopoulos is cute and ready to be a big tv star is an insult to all grown adults and a civilization still manipulated by a murderous government that is aided by a corrupt media that covers up millions of government scandals each year. In a better world, the Taliban would kidnap Wolff, and no one would care if they executed him. And I'm sure you guys didn't have anything more important to write about, either. But I guess you feel you must fill the fluff vacuum now that Talk is gone.

Peter Jenness, Manhattan

How Do You Know He Meant Lapham?

If Lewis Lapham is "a stuffy prick" I have to wonder if Michael Wolff knows how to read. Lapham is subtle, sly, witty and often (very often) hilarious, and that's just in print. How unnecessary for Wolff to say something so nasty and unprovoked. I am so disappointed by his meanspiritedness.

Tracy Edmonds, Manhattan

Like Yes Without Jon

I just read George Tabb's column about Jell Biafra, the ex-lead singer of the Dead Kennedys ("Music," 2/20). To even suggest the band has any merit at all without their primary songwriter and singer is insane. Jell was the Dead Kennedys! What would Tabb think if Nirvana reformed without Cobain, or better yet, his precious Ramones played without Joey? However, he seriously should entertain the thought of Furious George without him.

William Forbes, Stamford, CT

Jell-No

I cannot believe that good old George Tabb would defame such a lovable creature as Tennessee Tuxedo by comparing him to Jell Biafra. But I love George Tabb, so I can forgive him this one indiscretion. And he's right: Jell is/was/has/had a dick. Jell consistently proves he knows what punk rawk is supposed to be about and has, on his journey, become the quintessential punk poser. In the end, Jell will play out more cartoonish than Mister T. Tuxedo. As for seeing them live, I would much rather Brandon Cruz head up a DK set playing great tunes than worry that Jell would ramble off on some ungodly sophomoric antiestablishment tangent sending me to bed early. Tabb writes, "And do you know where I've been reading about this, besides alt.music.punk?" alt.music.punk? George must be smoking crack again: it's alt.punk.

Bob Lyons, Cincinnati

Dr. (k)

MUGGER: I could write to rebut almost every word that James Ridgeway wrote in his Village Voice column last week but instead I ask you to help out a fellow NYC weekly. Send over some bright high school student with a minimal understanding of taxes and mutual funds to explain to the staff over there, and to James Ridgeway, what a 401(k) is and how it works. I think if they just had someone explain it to them, very slowly, they would find out that, as Craig Gunsauley, Employee Benefit News editor, says in the second paragraph of Ridgeway's article, "Job hoppers get zero benefit from a pension plan but can build up a lot of savings in a 401(k)." Also, maybe he wouldn't confuse the terms "pension" and "401(k)" throughout the article. You might also want to send someone over to teach them some history about how Robert Maxwell and the mob have used pension funds in the past. Fidelity Investments might be taking a cut of my 401(k) contributions, but so would a pension fund manager even before he invests it with Fidelity, and Fidelity will not use my contributions as a mob bank or to finance an egotistical buying spree. And finally, I would like to add that 401(k)s do not only benefit upper management. I most likely make a lot less than James Ridgeway, but I am able to contribute 11 percent of my pretax income to my 401(k). I know, it's up to me to research and study investment options and retirement plans, but I can handle the responsibility and I think the smarter-than-anyone-who-disagrees-with-them crowd at the Village Voice could understand this too, with some help.

Finally, if you ever make it back to Baltimore for an Orioles/Red Sox game, I'll buy you a beer. I think the Sox might have a shot this year. Plus, it's cheaper to take the whole family to a series in Camden Yards than to a game at Fenway.

Ted McCarthy, Baltimore

Upchuck

Having just read the Kevin Canfield interview with Chuck D ("Music," 2/13), I was not shocked at all to see the racist, anti-Semite Chuck D refer to Sept. 11 as "an unfortunate incident."

Actually "an unfortunate incident" is the caliber of questions asked by Kevin Canfield and the wasting of valuable ink and paper on the detestable Chuck D.

Howard Ende, Queens

She-Wolf

To the nitwits: The concept of what constitutes a gentleman is clearly lost on you two morons ("Billboard," 2/13). When you hold the door for a lady you are not doing so for kudos. Your description of events belies the fact that your hatless asses are not worthy of recognition and therefore receive none. You must appear to all women with class as the scrotum-scratching idiots you seem to think you are not. Now why don't you plunk your bitchasses back on your mama's couch and wait for her to bring you some clean underwear and freshly baked cookies while you watch the Spice channel. Should I see the two of you standing in the rain without an umbrella I promise to hold the door for you.

Ilsa Jule, Manhattan

The editors reply: E-mail from a wannabe dominatrix. How 1992. Ilsa should buy an ad. We're sure her website is real spooky.

BJs Are Cheaper than Policy

Mike Signorile: Having read your article on campaign finance reform ("The Gist," 2/20), I can only say that I would prefer a "Bushie," as you call them, to the "Clintonistas" we suffered under for eight years or the dreaded "Goreites" that we thankfully avoided. Unlike you, I believe that the Republicans are not that weak, and the Democrats are not as strong as you would have them. If campaign