This son of a bitch is ruining everything I love about Seattle.

I saw Lyall Bush interview Stephin Merritt (Magnetic Fields) at the Hugo House. Granted, Stephin is not an easy guy to chat with, but even with that said, Bush was completely inept at interviewing him.

It was painful to watch - (one thing that stands out in my memory: Bush asked what book would you bring to a deserted island?' after Stephin answered, he asked "what food would you bring to a deserted island?" Stephin answered... and then... He asked "what movie would you bring to a deserted island?" And Merritt and the audience gasped in exasperation.

I am not impressed with him at all.

I am not at all impressed with him.

“Northwest Film Forum is built on a strong foundation of passionate people working for a great cause,” said Bush. “I will be working for a great board of directors and a smart and dedicated staff. Michael’s work to bring Northwest Film Forum to where it is today, spearheading tremendous growth throughout his term, makes my work moving forward that much easier. I plan to continue that momentum while bringing my own experience and sense of organizational vision.”

Sense of organizational vision? Please. Everyone who worked with Bush at RHH (and, yes, unfortunately, I did) can testify to the fact that the man has absolutely NO idea how to run a non-profit organization, and his cultural vision is incredibly narrow. Let's hope that the good folks at NWFF are even smarter and more dedicated than Bush says they are, and that they quickly come to their senses and kick him to the curb -- PRONTO. Otherwise, sorry, dear NWFF employees. Prepare to deal with an endless cycle of abysmal internal communication, unkept promises, and outright LYING and manipulation from your new boss.

Really, folks, when you get personal, or make critiques you expect to have taken seriously, you can't do it behind an alias. You people are lower than low, and will never accomplish anything in your lives.

As for the incestuous nature of local arts institutions, check out the previous hire at this place;
http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Content?oid=29441

Sometimes the best people for the job just happen to be in your own backyard. Other times they come from the other end of the country. Either way, I really don't think at the ripe old age of 24 that you're qualified to make any statement about who should be running a non-profit, arts or otherwise.

While we're busy overreacting about things, I'll just point out that Mr. Cogswell referred to both "anonymous smack talkers and assasins" as "cowardly pieces of shit." They weren't separate categories. I still said nothing to warrant being called any of those things.

First of all, I'm posting anonymously because it's the internet and that's how it works, and I'm still a powerless peon in both organizations. Secondly, my general interactions with Lyall were via a certain program for about three years, and regular committee meetings for the last year. Now, his handling of said program was fucking inept and damn near destroyed it, so perhaps I'm biased. However, I can certainly tell you that he has some of the worst management skills I have every had the pleasure of experiencing, and while he was at the Hugo House, he managed to drastically cut or eliminate every single outreach program they have. Call me crazy for not being too impressed with a nonprofit that seemed to exist solely to offer $300 writing classes for bored yuppies and a quarterly reading series, which is what it was under Bush. And based on everything I ever heard the man say about the House, he had no realistic vision for it's future. Also, he can't write for beans and he's incredibly full of himself, but that's just personal preference I suppose.