October 2005
Dear Readers,
In the wake of the mind-bending chain of events in the four years since 9/11, most people who are honest with themselves will acknowledge that their political and social beliefs influence their outward behavior more than in the past. I was not around for McCarthyism; I was a child during Viet Nam, but I imagine the elevated tension between co-workers and neighbors with differing viewpoints is similar to the mood that divided Americans in those other times. Never in my lifetime have I heard people so commonly characterized by their political affiliation. “Joe in accounting? He’s okay, but he’s a conservative.” “Lisa down the street? She’s an MPS teacher, so you know she voted for Kerry.”
I did not believe in God on September 10, 2001. I had never felt a Presence, and therefore didn’t believe “the faithful” had, either. I was angry at organized religion for the dogmatic subjugation of congregations by both fear of hell and the promise of moral superiority (okay, I’m still pretty pissed about that). But on September 11, when the planes rained fiery death on thousands of innocent humans, I felt, through my whole body, a great tearing, a sucking loss of life force instantly filled by a rushing wave of intense sorrow stronger than I could ever have imagined. In the days that followed, I could see my own reflection in the faces of everyone I met. We all wanted to help, to fix the horrible thing that had happened. We all wanted to cry, and we did – in our cars, at our desks and in our living rooms. Living through this, I came to understand the nature of God.
Picking up Vital this month, you may have noticed our new look. It started with deciding to do a whole issue dedicated to rock and roll music. To convey the emotion and energy of rock on the printed page, we brought visual imagery more to the fore and we liked what we saw. This may seem obvious (a picture’s worth a thousand words and all that), but most of us are writers, so allow us our “Eureka!” moment. Anyway, this led us to rethink the whole look of Vital and how we express ideas on the page. This is version 1.0 of our new direction. We hope you like it, and that you’ll send us your feedback as we work to constantly improve the magazine.
Taking on a subject as broad as Milwaukee’s music scene is a daunting task. Anything as comprehensive as a band guide is impossible to do well (not to mention boring). There’s no way to give equal love to every venue without leaving someone out, and there’s no breakout act or musical movement du jour around which to center things. So we took a higher level view. Inside this month’s Vital, you’ll find stories written by and about people who love music. Veterans Blaine Schultz and Deone Jahnke team up for an incredible photographic retrospective on the early days of the local live music scene. Liz Phair grants Vital an interview in advance of her upcoming Milwaukee show (of which we’re proud sponsors). Three of our town’s foremost poster artists tell us what inspires them. Haven Langhout lifts the lid on local music’s best friend, the MSE Project. Vital staffers and others give their Top Five Records in the category of their choice, and most of our columns this month have a musical bent. [And to E.S., the “frightfully liberal” Donald Kaul will return next month.]
One last thing. We’re increasing our circulation again (it’s not 1,500 as Milwaukee Magazine reports this month, but 15-thousand) by 20-percent over the next two issues. We’ve grown so much that it’s time for a new survey of our readers. We’re keeping it short and sweet, and giving away concert and theater tickets and other prizes for participants. Please take a minute to visit our website (www.vitalsourcemag.com) and help us out. We need to know who you are, so we can give you what you want.
Peace,
Jon Anne
