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FAREWELL FRIENDS
In the following letters, our readers share their thoughts on the resignations and departures ofOC Weekly Editor Will Swaim, Music Editor Chris Ziegler, and Commie Girl Rebecca Schoenkopf. A portion of the following first appeared (and can still be read) on blogs.ocweekly.com/blotter.
So now the paper is going to be a complete waste of time. No Will Swaim. No Commie Girl. No Chris Ziegler. Good work, New Times. Thanks for ruining what was once an amazing paper.
Elizabeth Nordell
Via e-mail
Mr. Swaim, may God bless you in your new life chapter . . . we all pray that the professionalism of your staff will continue the legacy that the OC Weekly has earned, with hard work and dedication, beating all odds that the politically-connected stacked against you in the OC. It is obvious that speaking truth is very powerful and the OC Weekly did it, week after week, month after month and year after year, without hesitation. Best regards to you and your family always.
The Mike and Debby Bodkin Family
Via e-mail
I love Rebecca Schoenkopf. She is brave and true and brilliant.
Commie Mom
Via e-mail
OC Weekly without Rebecca? Seems impossible. We will miss you. Thanks for all the kind words over the years. Now on to bigger and better things. You are a gifted writer and can't wait to read your next chapter. We love and admire you.
Michlene N Phil Shane
Via e-mail
Commie Girl you have been The Great Voice of snark (much, much needed snark) from the beginning at the OC Weekly. You were a primary tenet and a contributing founder of the tone and voice of this paper for the last 11 years and this reader will miss picking up the paper and going STRAIGHT to the back page to laugh my ass off at your antics and Pinochet bashing. It's made me laugh and sit in awe of your unending wry, fey, wit for years. It's a huge loss to this publication, not to mention the paragon of editors, Will Swaim. I don't have the room here to even begin to rant about that. But hey, if you're gonna go out . . . go out with a fuckin' bang wearing great shoes, I always say. Good on ya, and if I see you around, the round's on me.
Chesney
Long Beach
What's going on over at my favorite weekly rag that I have to find out from a Register columnist (props to Frankie Mick) about the upheaval at the Weekly? First Swaim, now Commie Girl? Who's next? Moxley? Lowery? Arellano? Let me guess, the new owners are going to try to gussy up the Weekly by following in the LA Times' footsteps, or worse, turn it into an OC Post clone, right? Before I know it, my Friday mornings will be spent reading page after page of Trendzilla re-posts and even more breast augmentation ads. Great. I can't wait. Hey Village Voice Media, it's obvious you guys blow. All the best, Commie Girl. I bid you a fond adieu.
Omar Ortiz
Via e-mail
Will Swaim is the Weekly for me. Man's got a heart the size of . . . something with an extremely large heart, and there's no easier person in the world to talk to. You know you had a good thing going when the highest of the high offers to get coffee for even the interns.
Doran Walot
Via e-mail
Will Swaim and his paper have been one giant pain in the ass to a county that was in desperate need of one. Godspeed, my friend.
Anonymous
Via e-mail
Rebecca was one of the best reads in the OC media. Always surprising, entertaining and to the point. Can't wait to see what you do next.
Joe Shaw
Via e-mail
Give Commie Girl a raise and make her write more about bars. If she goes, I'm moving to Hermosa Beach.
Sean
Via e-mail
ARRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!
G. Jones
Via e-mail
Congratulations, Becca. After a decade of talking the talk, you really walked that walk, and in fine style . . . straight out the door. You did Will Swaim, yourself and your many devoted fans very proud. It's hard to believe I'll flip to that last page (isn't it the first thing everyone reads?) only one more time in anticipation—and sometimes with a little trepidation if I'd partied with you that week—of what brilliant, outrageous and arousing things you had to say.
Kedric
Via e-mail
It's about time! I tried reading Commie Girl's column a few times, but her incoherent ranting made my head hurt. I liked her better the first time when she was called Hunter S. Thompson . . . at least he was funny. Commies and socialists are vile, disgusting people anyway.
Hector
Via e-mail
