stevewilsononline

This story makes me particularly sad due to the fact that Fry Street was where this all started for me. I actually LIVED on Fry Street. I remember living next door to Melissa from Gropius and Neff from the now-defunct Dollybraid. The first place I played in Denton was at Ricks Place. Now, it's gone too. Let's face it friends, the bottom line is about revenue, not culture. You'd think in a place so rich with talent and culture, the elected leadership would recognize the fact that environment has direct-effect on society. The University of North Texas is, afterall, a LIBERAL ARTS school. I don't think I'm attacking windmills when I say that the environment on and around Fry Street has fostered an atmosphere of creativity for a long, long time. Now it would appear that the focus is going to be on getting the "top 40" crowd in to pay for 10 dollar cups of Hawaiian-monkey-poo coffee and maybe pick up that wonderful new John Tesh CD from the Kiosk at Starbucks. Unfortunately, this is an attitude common in the area these days. The "unofficial, but recognizable abandonment" of Deep Ellum just down the freeway, seems to be contagious. In that case however, the motive seems to be lost on me. This is, however, clearly about making money from you and I friends. Fry Street and it's occupants offered an alternative to the mainstream. Soon, we'll see no alternative and that's what they count on. Is this progress at a price or simply greed?