If you’ve checked the recent issue of The News & Observer’s high-money, high-gloss magazine, WALTER, you might’ve been delighted to notice a short story about the downtown Raleigh watering hole and rock club, Slim’s. The piece even includes owner Van Alston’s recipe for the “Slim’s Cheerwine shot” and praises the “true grit” of the place.
It’s a tad ironic, then, that the photographer wouldn’t let Alston’s “true grit” actually show. In Jason Dail’s photograph, Alston is wearing The Onion’s light-hearted “Your favorite band sucks” t-shirt. Except that Dail bowdlerized the shirt so that it simply reads “Your favorite band.” Strangely enough, Alston uses the word “suck” in the piece itself.
What about my favorite band, Van? And can you legally be old enough to handle cocktails but not curse words?
UPDATE: WALTER has updated the photo to reflect the original T-shirt and posted an apology to Facebook.
(Hat tip to former INDY staffer Peter Blackstock for pointing out the edit. This article originally appeared with the headline “Public notice: You can’t say “sucks” in WALTER.” )
