Odds & Ends

 You're Joshin' me: The 2006 Dallas Observer Music Awards voting period still has another two weeks to go, so tear the ballot out on page 74 or visit dallasobserver.com to cast your vote if you haven't already. Chances are you don't need a reminder, though, as nominees have inundated e-mail lists and MySpace accounts with plenty of pleading in the past two weeks.

But none of those bulletins has been anything like this one. Josh Venable, host of 102.1 The Edge's Adventure Club (nominee for Best Radio Show that Plays Local Music), sent the Internet voting link to his fans a little over a week ago, and underneath that link was the following (unedited):

"Here is a disclaimer I've made a bit over the past month or so. Vote if ya want. We won't be doing the full court press of years past because...I don't really care this year. I don't read the Observer anymore except for the DVD reviews occasionally. That being said, we all love to be recognized in our field. So vote for the Adventure Club in best radio show if you'd like. If not, thanks for listening anyway. xoxo, Josh."

Come on, Josh. Not even Jim Schutze's column? Really, we're not sweating his opinion--if Venable thinks coverage of Bosque Brown, the Theater Fire, Fishboy, Red Animal War, the Undoing of David Wright and other promising locals isn't worth reading, he wouldn't be the first. And for the record, our very public hatred of 102.1's dismal play list, which plays more Sublime than our college dorm neighbor ever did, has never seeped over to his Sunday night program, even after he dedicated an entire episode to Coldplay a few months back. But the whole "here's how to vote for me, but, uh, don't vote for me" schtick is pretty transparent, and he slaps some wonderful local radio shows--and fellow nominees--in the face with his posturing.

So, out of respect to the other nominated radio shows, we're a little miffed, but we're not here to start a feud--the last thing local music needs is a urinal swordfight between the big indie-rock show and the music rag--so come on back, Joshy baby. We'll have Brit-pop dinner waitin'. As the inestimable Will Smith would say, "Daddy loves you."