Pete Humes, over at Richmond Magazine’s Pop Culture Rodeo blog, has a confession to make:
This might be dangerous, but I’m going to do it anyway.
It’s not really a rant, because I’m not that angry. I wouldn’t call it a commentary, because my position isn’t very well defined. And you won’t be finding any deep background research, because it’s late and I’m lazy.
But I’ve got some things in my brain that need to get out. Either I write them down or I keep chewing them into nothing. There is no other option because my wife gets sick of hearing me talk sometimes. So you, the unfortunate few, will feel my lukewarm wrath.
My beef is with downtown. Specifically this Michael Bay-sized arts complex set to open in September. I don’t get it. I never have and I’m not sure that I ever will. To be honest, it seems silly and a bit over the top. I know that sounds blasphemous and shallow, and there are a hundred different people with a hundred different reasons who would be happy to tell me why I should feel otherwise … but that’s just how I feel.
And if Oprah taught me anything, it’s that feelings count for something.
Let’s forget for a moment where the money is coming from, who promised what and how many arts committees it takes to screw in a light bulb. That’s all crazy city politics. And I’m dumb, but I’m not dumb enough to pretend I know the first thing about city politics. There are people much smarter than me who aren’t afraid to read long documents and make phone calls who can sort that kind of stuff out. Me, I’m just the guy who wants to make fart noises in a crowded elevator.
I think CenterStage is a bad idea.
Read the rest by clicking right here.
These are the money grafs:
Downtown doesn’t need high culture. Downtown needs more low culture. We need bowling alleys and blues bars and rooftop paintball. We need coffee shops and video arcades and miniature golf.
If you find me a working time machine, I promise I’ll go back in time and steal the money raised for CenterStage and spend it on go-kart tracks and outer-space theme bars. Seriously. I wish I was kidding about this, but I just created the downtown of my dreams … without even really thinking about it. How can dozens of people meet for years and raise millions and come up with just another giant building that 98 percent of Richmond will never enter?