To the Editors of Time Out New York:
irst, let me introduce myself. I am Blackwolf the Dragonmaster, Duke of Talisker --- the City's first and
only Unofficial Wizard --- and, on behalf of my fellow New York eccentrics, I am writing to take offense to your magazine's recent blurb posing the question "Where have all the weirdos gone?"
My colleagues and fellow "weirdos," as you call them --- the Naked Cowboy and Master Thoth --- have taken advantage of their eccentricities to earn them, in their respective fashions, friends, fans, and admirers from all over the world. And, like myself, they have used their eccentricities in a positive and, I hope, meaningful manner. Admittedly, many of our fellow eccentrics have taken to mounting places on the Internet; for some of them, myself included, cyberspace hath proven to be a godsend, in that we have the power to do and say certain things that otherwise would pretty much get us arrested.
As for myself, I would honestly say to you that I am among the few eccentrics --- "weirdos" --- who take on their personae on a regular basis. We're not mad, we're not bad, we simply believe in the power of self-expression. Just ask Thor the Barbarian, on whose twice-weekly television show I humbly serve as Mage and Emissary. He, too, is dedicated to spreading a message of self-expression and believing in your dreams.
Your writer, who felt that the classic era of New York City weirdos died along with beloved and much-honored Moondog (Louis Hardin), should have dug even deeper before passing any judgment on the status of eccentricity in ye Byg Appyl. Indeed, I would go so far as to advise the readers and editors at TONY to take a closer look online if they further wish to pursue the question of where the great weirdos of New York have gone.
Fearlessly yours,
Blackwolf the Dragonmaster, Duke of Talisker