Into the Pink

A pretender to Robert Hilburn’s throne of comparative musicology?

Chris Willman uses Johnny Rotten to support his contention that Pink Floyd’s recent show at the L.A. Sports Arena was a “mostly meaningless spectacle” (“It Looks Like Pink and Sounds Pink, But Is It?” Nov. 28).

Johnny Rotten? Johnny and the rest of the punkers would do well by elevating themselves to half the level of Pink Floyd’s meaninglessness. If they could play music, that is.

Willman plummets blindly forth, exposing Pink Floyd’s extravaganza as “lost in space” when compared to the majestic and yet socially relevant music of U2, Peter Gabriel and Sting.

It appears to have escaped him that Pink Floyd was majestic and socially relevant when Sting and U2 were still trying to land record contracts and Peter Gabriel was singing “Harold the Barrel” with Genesis.

As for trashing the value of the Pink Floyd show because of the “silliness of the special effects,” one wonders what Chris feels the purpose of a live show is if not entertainment.

CRAIG SIMMONS

Van Nuys