This weeks' letters to the editor:

DEAR DRUM,

I just wanted to express my disappointment towards some promoters that seem to always put on the same support bands for the same type of shows. If there is an international psych-rock band touring Australia you can bet your bottom dollar that the support band is going to be Black Ryder (ex-Morning After Girls). It seems that every time The Dandy Warhols and the Brian Jonestown Massacre play in Australia these guys get the support slot. I just found out The Warlocks are touring here for the first time Š guess who's supporting them? Black Ryder! They're also supporting BJM and I bet when the Dandys announce their next tour Black Ryder's name will be on the poster. It's not isolated to this genre though. Ever noticed that nearly every single time we have a hard rock band touring (Alice Cooper, Sebastian Bach, Paul Stanley, Supersuckers, Hardcore Superstar), it's The Hell City Glamours?

It may surprise you that I actually like both Hell City and The Ryders, but I am just a bit over seeing them play the same type of support slots again and again. Why not give other up and coming bands a go? There are plenty of great options for supports out there and it would be great to see promoters giving these bands a fair go.

Ah well.

COURTNEY ANTON

Via email

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DEAR DRUM,

Seeing that you had Devo on the cover of issue # 913 I'm encouraged to ask your readership for their suggestions about science fiction music. In November I'm holding a free entry weekend to discuss things of interest to science fiction and fantasy readers (the 2008 Sydney Freecon) and I would like to include a discussion of music used to tell science fiction stories. I'm looking for your readers' suggestions on local and overseas artists and albums to mention, as well as people who know a bit about the topic to serve as discussion panellists at the Freecon. Some that come to my mind include Filk, The Eurhythmics' 1984, Hawkwind, Devo, David Bowie (Spiders From Mars era).

I'm probably a bit dated in my musical experience and there are probably many more that your readers could suggest.

Once upon a time all you needed for science fiction (or sci-fi) music was a theremin for the spooky "Woo Woo" backing track, but things have moved on a bit since then. Just Google my name and 'science fiction' and you will find out more about the Freecon and the Sydney Futurian SF discussion meetings.

Wishing you well in all things.

GARRY P DALRYMPLE

Earlwood

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DEAR DRUM, People posting goddam events on Facebook and not telling me can lick my innards! Posting a stupid event invitation on Facebook is not the same as personally inviting someone to an event. Especially if you think your stupid event has any kind of importance to people who have a life and are not permanently glued to their stupid portal to indistinctness. Personally, I refuse to subscribe to the madness of bloody selling each other or other stupid "figure out which Egyptian deity's pet you were three lifetimes ago" applications so I have a screen full of useless shit along with a bunch of dull party invitations from so-called friends I should have never accepted, which means that real invitations donÕt belong here. This is also known as spam, so unless you consider your friendship as spam, posting your event invitation here doesn't count, unless the only patrons you want to your little occasion are wannabe it-girls and social ladder-climbers that have no real friends so rely on the stupid friend counter to try and up their imaginary social stature.

Ergh, you people make me sick! Real friends donÕt let real friends find out about their shindigs through social networking sites. If you have my number or my email, you owe it to me to make more of an effort than that!

Personal regards,

JENNY FROM THE ROCK