The End. And no, I’m not telling where the bodies are buried

Key West’s controversial, beloved and hated Blue Paper–Key West the Newspaper–is dead after 17 years. Like DEAD dead. And the owner and publisher, Dennis Reeves Cooper, is dropping out and moving to a remote Amazonian rainforest village. I’m glad to see he’s doing that, too, because he’s been dreaming about it for a long time.

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I pretended I had big plans to expose the specific hypocrisies I encountered while working as associate editor for Dennis at KWTN. You know, sort of the way he would, without question or hesitation, lambaste anybody else in a similar situation. Who knows, he may expect nothing less of me. I hope he’s not disappointed.

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In moments of less clarity, I even outlined a series of stories (in my head) starring a villainous, disingenuous Dr. Cooper.

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“I got your ‘journalism as a contact sport’ right here, Cooper,” I laughed darkly in the privacy of my office.

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But I’m not going to do that, no matter how you beg. Listen, if I learned one thing about myself in my years at KWTN, it’s that I’m really no Dennis.

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Factors contributing to my FINAL DECISION NOT TO TELL YOU why Cooper would have made a perfect target for his own front page Blue Paper stories include:

• He’s doing the right thing by closing shop.
• Digging up the bodies won’t help anybody right now.
• As pissed as I was about some of his decisions, I’m not perfect, either.
• Although he has no idea, he is an old man. And sometimes old people just get a pass on some things, for no good reason. Even if they’re the type who launch really big rocks from fragile glass temples. I hope I’ll get the same courtesy someday if I need it.
• I want him to retire with his dignity intact. Because despite the last couple of really weird, desperate years, his paper helped bring a lot of change to Key West over the last two decades.

So, the Blue Paper as we knew it is gone, but some of your favorite contributors are busy doing their thing around the island.

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Matt Gardi is writing for Konk Life and doing a radio show every Friday at noon on the Konk Broadcasting Network. His blog, Naked Conch (www.nakedconch.com) is also very Blue Paperesque, in all the best ways. You’ve got to check out the responses he got from school board members he challenged to take the FCAT.

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Rick Boettger is also doing a radio show on the Konk Broadcasting Network (www.konkam.com), Wednesdays at 10 a.m.

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Kimberley Denney’s “Bitchin’ Paradise” has been picked up by Konk Life. And I’ve heard Guy DeBoer won’t sterilize it, either.

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Scott McCarthy’s “Gayfly” will appear in Konk Life, too.

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Art Winstanley was the art director at KWTN for twelve years. His “Key West the Blog” was recently recognized and recommended by National Geographic. He takes intriguing photos around the island and blends them with just-right commentary. Hard not to feel good after perusing his blog (www.keywesttheblog.blogspot.com).

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“Key West Reactor,” David Lybrand, hasn’t committed to another paper yet, but you can find him at www.davidlybrand.com/blog.

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Hal and Sally O’Boyle were long-time staples of the Blue Paper in many ways. You can find Hal at www.haloboyle.com  and Sally at www.fiftytolife.com.

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Let’s not forget the best, most reliable film columnist of all time. Phil Mann’s excellent column is still available on the Tropic Cinema blog at  www.tropiccinema.com/blog

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And me? I don’t know if I’ll ever go back to working in the bowels of a newspaper. I won’t stop writing, though. For now, my column has morphed into this blog, mainly because I can’t commit to a regular deadline at this point. But I plan to be back in print sometime, somewhere around the island. I’ve gotten a couple offers. And then there’s that book thing. . .

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