Meet Mary Armstrong, Peter Burwasser, Robin Rice and Cindy Fuchs.

They've been covering roots music, classical music, visual arts and film here, respectively, for a combined 91 years. Armstrong and Burwasser started back in 1981 (Armstrong in the first issue, Burwasser in the second, both were part of CP antecedent WXPN Express). Rice began writing for CP in 1983. Fuchs in 1988.

Their voices and insights have helped set the critical tone for this paper's superior arts coverage. We wanted more than just to honor these legends. We wanted to get into their heads and hear a bit about their long strange journeys.

For Armstrong, a DJ at WXPN when she started up here, there was never really a question of whether or not to write for City Paper. "If I didn't do it, it wouldn't get done," she says, "meaning no roots music without my pushing it."

Burwasser has also seen his byline as a way to spread the gospel. "I Iove music, and wish to communicate my passion to others," says Burwasser. "I consider the advocacy of new music to be the most important function that I can play as a writer."

Rice remembers having to pester to write her first review ("I may have been paid $5 for it") and then nagging to let her write more.

All four worked extensively with another CP legend, David Warner, who shepherded the paper's arts coverage starting in 1987.

"David was a refreshing arts editor," recalls Rice. "One person before David's tenure would ring me up and say, 'I have a postcard here of a show that looks interesting' and ask me to review it. It took quite awhile for me to figure out that the postcards he liked all had nude women on them. Another very nice person loved Rodin violently. I don't especially love Rodin. Luckily, it's not possible to justify reviewing him week after week."

Fuchs can't remember the first time she met Warner or Bruce Schimmel, "though I do remember being impressed with their seeming agreement to disagree."

As to why they all continue to write for City Paper, despite having other outlets and other enterprises, the answers are different but similar.

"I appreciate the tone and the intelligence of the entire enterprise," says Fuchs. "I like working with Sam Adams, my very patient and sharp-eyed editor. And I like having a hard-copy venue, which is, for a variety of reasons for a variety of people, still significant."

Adds Rice, "There's a satisfaction in maintaining a kind of continuity of commentary. Though at the moment the actual words devoted to visual arts in City Paper are about 20 percent of coverage at its height, writing about art helps me understand it better and I find that very rewarding."

Burwasser says the reason he started — to advocate new music — is the reason he's still here. And Armstrong, for whom "musical diversity equals tolerance," sees it as her civic duty.

"A small number of people pay attention when I shine a light on something," Armstrong explains. "That small number then turns around and nudges a group of friends who continue with the drop-in-the-puddle/concentric-circle thing. I really do hope that beyond the joy of listening to music that the diversity will soften people's hearts."