A QUESTION TO THE READERS
I'm just wondering... why do you people read this blog? I want to know. I get a lot of hits everyday and I was just wondering what people who come here like to read. Do you like finding out about new bands? Do you like reading about how many drinks i had last night? Do you like getting silly links to cute baby animals and other retarded shit i find online? Do you like reading about how i'm a crazy jew? What is it? In other words, what would you, as the reader, like to see more of on here. Feel free to answer anonymously in the comments section. thank you and good night.
146 comments:
Honestly...love the drunken stories, hearing about new bands to check out, living vicariously through a new york hipster and all the retarded shit. Keep it coming!!!
really, now that you mention it, i have no idea why i read your blog.
I read it for the bands and the drunken stories. Also because you are friends with Greg.
i have a lot of time on my hands and you've become part of my online routine. i enjoy the random posts of online things and amusing stories.
Yours is an interesting perspective on life. I enjoy.
Well to be honest, because I'm a New Yorker. You seem to be in the know. I read your blog religiously kind of like how I read the New York Post. I'm also an avid reader of Spin magazine. You have a column in there. Something about your life that I find captivating and interesting. I think it's the antithesis of my life. My life is boring. Same old. Same old. Wake up. Drink coffee. Check e-mail, answer phone calls, drive myself crazy in an office space about the size of my closet, use the n-bomb way to many times with my colleagues, go into a tiny studio every weekend and relentlessly try to complete an album I should of finished two years ago. Rinse. Lather. Repeat. God has blessed me with the good fortune of having your blog to read. Oh, and yeah, it doesn't hurt that you're an amazingly hot chick.
Awesome.
- Future Mr. Ultragrrrl
Mostly because I've actually met you and you are a genuinely kind person. I like a lot of the same bands, and I get a kick out of silly things, such as the previous post. And also, had it not been for you, I don't think I'd be going to see Donnie Darko at the B.B. (only the 8t time I've seen it), unless I had done some research myself, so thank you for that one!
-Dana
And also, it's sort of habitual now...once you start, it's hard to stop.
Well ... I original found you quite by random. Now I think I have this mad crush on you.
Oh, and I also come for the drinks and the retarded shit.
—Kenn: badinfluence.com
i think of you / your blog as one might think of a band: they like what they do and the way they do it. simplistic as this sounds it's really quite the compliment cos it means you can do whatever you want and i'll stay loyal. until you drop two bad albums in a row, which in blog terms is like a month straight of bad material which i can't see happening and anyway, i'd still listen to your old albums. praise ya ultragirrl.
i think of you / your blog as one might think of a band: they like what they do and the way they do it. simplistic as this sounds it's really quite the compliment cos it means you can do whatever you want and i'll stay loyal. until you drop two bad albums in a row, which in blog terms is like a month straight of bad material which i can't see happening and anyway, i'd still listen to your old albums. praise ya ultragirrl.
cute baby animals!
cool new bands!
great drunken stories!
you've got everything
Honestly, I've run into you a couple of times here and there, we're incestuously connected through multiple people, and I think you're one of the few genuinely nice people in "the scene." Yeah, you like all the right bands, you go to all the right places, and know all the right people, but you don't seem like you give too much of a shit. You were in the right place at the right time, and got a kick ass job, and for that I can only be semi-jealous of because you're a good person. So the blog doesn't have much substance, you know that, but it's a fun read and their isn't too much boring "I saw Carlos D take a piss in an alley" pretentious bullshit. You just want to have fun like the rest of us. So that is why I read, I guess, if that makes sense.
you are asking me to question the strange habits I have. I can go to my therapist for this shit. You have become a habit, like drinking, eating, and sleeping. If you ever quit the blog then I would definately feel a sense of loss even though I don't know you personally.
Are you not glad Gore invented the internet?
Hope this helps, I'm calling my therapist now, she wants to hypnotize me, wtf, she wants to know if I have a friend name Frank.
c-ya
i like that you speculate as to whether or not avril lavigne is engaged. and i love baby animals.
i read at first because you write for Spin magazine.
then because you like a lot of the same bands and have a nice sense of humor.
how did you get your job? one day i am going to write for Spin (i hope).
Future music journalist
Because I first read about the Killers here and now I love them to bits.
to find out fun stuff to go to in nyc.
Honestly, i read your blog because your life is a lot like mine (it seems from the blog anyway), in everything from the places we hang out to the weird obsession with odd animals. and whereas thinking about my life gets me depressed and makes me feel shallow, reading about yours always sounds utterly delightful. I mean that seriously, not as a put-down of anybody, it just reminds me that so much of life is just how you look at it (i know that sounds ridiculously corny, but you asked).
I do enjoy reading about all of the news bands that you "discover", but please do me a favor and stop writing about how great the Killers are. I've seen them live and there's just really nothing to write about except how much they suck. Get a new crush and start writing about someone else.
i read it cuz yer super cute... and because my malt liquor addiction has left me with way too much time on my hands for blog-hopping. love, ariel [www.kenandariel.com]
I like all of what you do....although I'm not a rampant baby animal lover...even those pics make for some levity in a day of cubicle monotony. Although I must say that I mainly read for new band info and to see what's going on around town during the week...never would have made it to misshapes without juh...keep up the good work....happy rosh hashanah!
i read it because i used to live in ny and you remind me of how much fun it was...and i also love interpol.
Your brilliant sense of sarcasm and wit! Plus you're pro-puppy...how can anyone resist!
What if you were given millions and millions of dollars by some random genie in a box, or awkward monkey’s foot, or rich dirty old man? All the riches you want, but scrutinized under one stern conditional: you cannot leave your house. Whatevs. I forgot my point. Maybe it’s kinda like living and experiencing something outside these windows.
k
I found your blog thru Brian B. (my biggest crush - who doesn't love this guy??) and now you're part of my morning ritual. Love the crazy stuff you find - although sometimes you have to be pretty quick-the ebay link is already invalid!
For me it's the baby animals.
I've always liked you - you're just a nice girl Sarah.
Bcuz there isnt enough written in your Jdate profile, and you are the coolest , hottest chic in Jew Land!
-Robbie
I read your blog, cuz you entertain me.
i read your blog because:
you use triple r's just like my favorite genre of music (riot grrrl)
i like learning about new post-punk/synthy new romantic bands you alert us to
you seem unpretentious
you appreciate dj-ing and having a good time
i read your blog because of a gazillion reasons. the biggest one being that i know there's always going to be something new that will make me laugh. i started reading because my friend told me to, and i can't stop because it's so good. you teach us about new bands, crazy internet happenings, and if i lived in NYC, all the wicked parties. i also am aspiring to become part of the music world, and you're sort of like someone to look to for that. like an older sister.... who doesn't know me.
i think i read this because i get bored at work. i found this blog by accident through karen's blog that i also found by accident when I was trying to see if the dark room was listed on the internet yet. i think i read it now because i also am in "the scene" (that sounds so stupid). i like the same bands, go to the same bars and attend the same parties. it's just interesting to read about it from someone else's perspective. but i have to say i am getting sick of it all. i hate that we are called "hipsters." i hate that words like "brunch" have become so trendy. i hate that you continue to write something i hate (but continue) to read.
umm because you're the coolest hottest jew i've ever come across.
yeh.
i figured reading your blog was going to be the best way to meet the Olsen twins. or at least see the cmj schedule (when are they ever going to post it???)
The tips on good music don't hurt (I love Pity Sing, and checked out their first ep due to your blog) plus I'm a DJ and I can live vicariously through someone who is actually being paid and getting gigs. Cute animals, not so much.
I read it because I like to hear about fabulous people who have better jobs, hang out with more rockstars, drink more booze, do more coke, have hotter friends and are generally cooler than me.
Also: Jews are funny. Like how some wear those crazy hats? Hilarious!
it's mostly the music tidbits and other pop culture nuggetines, although I will say that us bored cubicle dwellers find your tales of drunken, disorderly conduct most becoming..."hmm, pointless spreadsheet preparation or blogsurfing?"
oh, and new yorkers do seem to have the loveliest blogs (yours, eurotrash, maccers, gothamist et al).
Occasionally I jump from Battjer's site to yours because of the internet crush I developed.
Maybe I should have the tattoo of your face removed from my forearm, but for now it stays...
Why? Because you were linked to Lindsay, because you seem like a pretty cool gal, because you fricken love The Killers and they rule, because I have too much free time at work & most of all because I'm a crazy Jew too and we know our own. - N.
(I also have you linked on my live journal, hope you don't mind being peeked at by my weirdo friends. - http://www.livejournal.com/users/garbo77/)
Darko! That's it! THAT'S how I got here the first time!
I've been hooked since. I swear if I'm ever in NY ...
—Kenn
all the above. but I particularly like the new band angle.
i like when you writte about your dailys. not only because of the whole voyeur thing internet allow people to have but because you seam to have the whole lot of cool things going on with the bands and the drinks and all those blog things. i don't know.
I read this blog for the saddest reason possible. Jealousy. That just about sums it up for me.
I wish I lived in NYC and knew hip people like Greg, Karen, Lindsay, Brian, etc. I wish I met famous people. I wish I could leave a trail of drunkeness and debauchery everywhere I go and be sexy while doing it. I wish I knew about secret parties and concerts with secret people at secret places. I wish I were in the MisShapes gallery. I wish I worked in rock journalism. I wish I had thousands of adoring fans.
But above all, I wish I were as infinitely cool as miss Sarah, because it gets kind of boring be only as cool as miss Jasie.
-Jasie
http://www.jasietarae.com
I read because I like to have my daily slice of the old 'hood injected into my life once a day.
Man, how many people have proposed to you on this thing? That's just creepy and bad.
-Kyle the (former) Intern
Because I'm still waiting for the MAry kete and ashley story
I read your blog beccause I've got a fever. . and the only perscription is more ultragrrrl !
cause everyone else is doing it, so why shouldn't i?
ive been reading your article in spin for as long as ive noticed it there..then i decided to look you up online and this was the first link from google...you remind me of my best bud in nyc..and youre definately hot
because you hear things through the grapevine and occasionally slip and write about them. don't act like you're doing the world at large a public service. You tend to favor shallow, half-assed bands, and I know that any event you write about favorably will be teeming with people who want to be famous. I'd expect a little more insight and eloquence from someone who snagged an enviable position at a major publication; but perhaps that's why I don't read spin anymore.
What would I like to see from Ultragrrrl in the future?
1) More oh-so-transgressive pseudo-lesbian pics involving Ultragrrrl and her fugly friends.
2) More barely readable prose praising talentless, derivative, fashion-plate pop hacks.
3) More of her fascist brother, whose pernicious conservatism, ironically, dovetails quite nicely with the hipster mentality Ultragrrrl typifies. Fuck Bush! Down with the estate tax and the smoking ban, man!
4) More of her hilarious Donnie Darko theorizing. Pauline Kael Ultragrrrl ain't; she's not even Lou Lumenick.
5) More descriptions of her DJ antics. Which Franz Ferdinand single will she play in her next set? Stay tuned!
Don't change, Ultragrrrl. If you take even one half-step toward intelligence, you might resemble certain of your Spin colleagues (Klosterman, Sheffield, etc.), pathetic old men who could never embrace mediocrity with your brand of booty-shaking effervescence. Thank you for the meaning you've given my life.
I read your blog because I just moved to SF and a) I miss the east coast and b) I can pretend I'm doing all the things you're doing in NYC here, even though I really just sit around.
You lead a fun life, have (usually) good tase in music, write well, and are fun to look at.
i bookmarked one day when looking for ny blogs. now its just there to click on when i'm bored at work. ocassionally i learn about something i might wanna do by reading it.
i have to add that you being a cute hipster music writer helped my choice in bookmarking it in the first place. why do we want to read things attractive people write?
Reading blogs breaks the monotony of life. If I'm at work, but not working, I'm usually reading a blog.
I read your blog because you're hot and you seem cool. I even recorded Donnie Darko because of this blog. I could only watch 30 minutes of it though, it was terrible.
i read your blog because a bunch of people i used to be "friends" with really didn't like you and so obviously you had to be extremely cool.
nah, i'm totally kidding. mainly i read it because it's funny, we have very similiar taste in music, and I see you just about everywhere I go but you're way way coolar than I am. your blog is actually one of the main reasons I started my own
because my name is sarah too, and because i read and love spin and the music you in particular talk about, and because it's strange to think that someone who lives in new york city would bother to keep a blog, and because i am generally fascinated and envious of people who live anywhere other than the midwest but especially new york, and because i know of people who want to make out with chuck klosterman, and because i secretly covet your job, and because i am also going to be a whore right now and post my webjournal address and hope that i can steer people who have more to positive things to comment than "fuck your life.":
http://www.obfuscatedgirl.com
you update your blog frequently with random shit, and that's a most excellent way to pass the day. you post shows and other events I'm too lazy to find on my own. You got me into franz ferdinand and generally find our music tastes compatible. You live in my hood, and I've never seen you.
i would agree that for a hipster bloggerati you seem to be genuine and unaffected. once i emailed you for a track listing of xmas tunes that i could burn onto a mix cd for a xmas party i was having and you got back to me with a kickass mix in like 15 minutes. thats very cool in my book. plus im over 30 and find it harder to catch the best new bands coming up and you always seem to know the pulse.
and yes you are indeed very hot. not in a tradtiional hot way but defo smoldering.
They got me locked up in this system. Faggot ass crackers have me detained. I ain't do nothing wrong. I be innocent. All I have is a couple of cut-outs of your fine white ass and a computer in my cell block. I'm up for parole in 2008. Holla. micreaction@blackplanet.com
- Angry Black Man
Yours is one of many I read while at work, what better way to kill 8 hours...I agree with alot of the other posters, I find your entries amusing, your life interesting, and would love to hear more stories of drunken debauchery. More pics would be cool too.
I raed your blog cause it let's me know that:
1. NYC is the new LA
2. The NYC music scene has sputtered out.
3. hipemoelctropunkdiscohoprock is the new Grunge
cuz i wanna know how you do it! how you have 10848 "profile views." what's you're secret?
7 Reasons Why I Read Ultragrrrl's Blog:
1. To keep abreast of NYC nightlife.
2. To keep abreast of new rock music.
3. As a supplement to Heeb Magazine.
4. As a supplement to Tricia Romano's Village Voice column.
5. To access links to party & club photos.
6. For behind-the-scenes news of music events (eg. SXSW, MTV Awards)
7. Photos of Sarah being drunk and disorderly.
I'm not crazy about the animal pics, but I understand that other people like them.
-Gina M.
Do I like finding out about new bands? Do I like reading about how many drinks i had last night? Do I like getting silly links to cute baby animals and other retarded shit i find online? Do I like reading about how i'm a crazy jew?
Yeah! All that shit! Esp. the drinking part.
P.S. Sorry I blogged mean stuff about your Misshapes set the other night. I'm doing "bitchy" a lot recently.
Three words. Drunken baby jewanimals.
I read 'cause I like your stuff in SPIN. More of the same, plz.
i like the music stuff. if it was for your writing, i'd probably never have checked out the killers.
yet, i like the whole scene.
i have a few questions for you, sarah. why did you start this blog? did you think people would care about what you have to say besides what we read in spin? are you asking why people read this for justification or support, a drive to keep on writing? someone i know thinks that starting this blog is a pretentious, narcissistic way to expose yourself, especially as you do also write for a major magazine and post pics of yourself. also, it seems like you've dropped something...oh look, it's a couple of names. i'm sorry of this is really dick of me but i don't like having alot of the places we both hang out (LES, E.V.) exposed on the internet. while i know it's not "underground", there's a certain culture to it. and people wonder why we got the name "hipsters." we know you are cool. i'm cool too. i just don't feel the need to write about it.
i have a few questions for you, sarah. why did you start this blog? did you think people would care about what you have to say besides what we read in spin? are you asking why people read this for justification or support, a drive to keep on writing? someone i know thinks that starting this blog is a pretentious, narcissistic way to expose yourself, especially as you do also write for a major magazine and post pics of yourself. also, it seems like you've dropped something...oh look, it's a couple of names. i'm sorry of this is really dick of me but i don't like having alot of the places we both hang out (LES, E.V.) exposed on the internet. while i know it's not "underground", there's a certain culture to it. and people wonder why we got the name "hipsters." and we also wonder why frat boys are suddenly popping up at places like lit. we know you are cool. i'm cool too. i just don't feel the need to write about it. i think you even think this is stupid and that's why you are asking.
i have a few questions for you, sarah. why did you start this blog? did you think people would care about what you have to say besides what we read in spin? are you asking why people read this for justification or support, a drive to keep on writing? someone i know thinks that starting this blog is a pretentious, narcissistic way to expose yourself, especially as you do also write for a major magazine and post pics of yourself. also, it seems like you've dropped something...oh look, it's a couple of names. i'm sorry of this is really dick of me but i don't like having alot of the places we both hang out (LES, E.V.) exposed on the internet. while i know it's not "underground", there's a certain culture to it. and people wonder why we got the name "hipsters." and we also wonder why frat boys are suddenly popping up at places like lit. we know you are cool. i'm cool too. i just don't feel the need to write about it.
I used to have a bad impression of you, I thought perhaps you were the new Chantal (the fat girl who used to be at Tiswas all the time and is now in Morningwood) but I realized quickly that isn't the case. I probably saw a link to this site one day and became fascinated with reading it. Sure I don't always care for the music you love (Franz Ferdinand) but there are times you and Karen can be right on (Bloc Party). It's too bad that there are people trying to jock your style (Popfrenzy!).
"Booty-shaking effervescence" ain't so bad. I'll take that over detachedly ironic (post-ironic? I'm not up on my theory) smarmery anyday.
And, more pseudo-lesbian makeout pics, please. They can be as transgressive as you like.
I'm voting for the aforementioned crazy jew angle.
Yes, animals and drunkeness and jew-ness and all that is good, but your actual writing style makes it funny too.
Dear Sarah,
If you find yourself in LA and you are directed towards Silverlake, turn around and go home we don't want you here, we already have a guy that goes around ruining our best bars and events by "promoting" and "posting" his exploits much like you do.
sincerely,
concerned "hipster"
i read it so that later on i can mock you with my friends. we think you are a stupid bitch.
it was really awesome when you were djing the killers show and you played their single before their set. i mean it wasn't.
it's funny are posting negative comments, yet they still read your blog. idiots.
anyway. you're a great dj. and i always have such a good time out with you.
www.MisShapes.com
loveleigh
I read your blog because I'm a crazy Jew who likes to read about other crazy Jews.
Sara/Raised By Bees
http://www.herjazz.org/sara
Memo:
To: Sarah
CC: Sarah's DJ Groupies
Pressing start and stop on the turntable is in no way considered DJing.
Post mo pics of yourself you hottt lil firecracker you. And I don't care if it's wit a boombox over your head or rubbing up against a musician. You're such a hottieeeh!
Prediction.
One day some major record label is going to recognize you for all the A&R talent you have and hire you full time and pay you lots of money to put out even more buzz driven derivative 80's shyte while paying you way too much money for basicaly doing nothing. Then you can actually screw dudes in bands in more ways than just one!
ummm well... mostly because i have nothing better to do... i like reading about music, and new york nightlife..., the rock shows.. and stuff...
i think...
I remembered you from Buddyhead and thought you were pretty cool.
You seem to be unerring in pointing me to great bands. Plus, you have this "I'm gonna take my city by the balls tonight!" attitude that's pretty inspiring. Makes me want to get in trouble. What can I say? You're the cat's pajamas.
Because everyone here in LA secretly wishes we were as cool as you New Yorkers. And because you are a hip kid who hasn't sacrificed your sense of fun.
Sarah's completely missing the point about the music world: it's not about what you like that's important, it's what you disdain. It's about knowing what sucks and not liking it, and letting everyone else know it in no uncertain terms. I hardly if ever hear about what you hate. You get no indie cred that way. Also, wanting to actually share your enthusiasm with the non-hipster world at large or anybody at all is verbotten. It's a closed world, the indie scene. You need enough exposure so people can see you and envy you. Too much exposure and they'll find out you're like anyone else or worse. You're supposed to be the disaffected kid at the back of the show sneering at anyone who thinks life is worth engaging with in any way, or that there's any fun to be had at all. Sometimes it's ok to nod your head in time to the music if it's a band that less than 20 people have heard of yet, just to show that you're clued in. When that number hits 25, it's past its expiration date.
Your taste in music is supposed to be all about how knowledgeable you are about the scene, and nothing else; actually enjoying the music for its own sake might fuck you up 'cause you might forget to stop pretending you're into it.
Also, your fondness for baby animals is way too sincere and nowhere ironic enough. You could be some housewife from Ohio, God forbid.
In summation: bored = too cool for school. You smile too much, like you think life's actually ok or something.
your blog is fun. and its not as strict as Xanga dont have to sign-in to check out peoples blog.. love the fun music news especially
I read because I care.
awwwwwwww...
-sam
Your sweet and sexy, you keep us informed, I'm very bored at work, I've also got a fascination with strange animal photos and reading your blog keeps me from going to temple.
because I'm coming to NYC during CMJ and if you know of shit that's more interesting than some of their shows (or want to highlight one of the events) I'll be checking your blog for advice. That much credit I'll give you.
On the other hand, I have grown tired of the Killers (loved them April/May, saw them, doin alright without them now) and only consider Franz Ferdinand's pomp worth listening to in moderation, like one song every two weeks. They're good, but there's not much variety in their album and it gets old.
i read every so often to laugh and remind myself how cool i really am...and how dorky sarah and her friends are. trying to make up for lost time in high school...trying so hard to be ms. popular but never admitting it..name dropping like its your job (oh wait, maybe it is).......
but there is nothing obsure or random or even ecentric about you....you are a product of marketing, commercialism and fads. you and your other fat friends can keep on telling each other how cool you are (as we all know you all live in one big dust ball that travels around...promoting each other)....but its very apparent to the rest of us....what you are and aren't.
and for the love of god...being a DJ does NOT mean bringing your beat up stinky records and hitting play! you and karen SUCK as DJs...i saw your set. do you even know how to mix a beat? no..haha. what a sad world.
im done with this blog...adios.
I came upon your blog from Brian's ikeepadiary.com, I think it is so funny. I read it everday because it is something new and it always makes me laugh. I enjoy hearing about the new bands that you like and I really enjoy reading about your drunk nights out. Plus I have seen you on VH1 so its like you are a celebrity and by reading this I can say yeah I know somebody semi-famous.
I live all the way in San Diego, thats why I read your blog....
***ULTRAGRRRL HAS FAN'S FROM AUSTRALIA***
tis, right. ultragrrrl, you have deveoped a cult following all the way over here in australia. we love your random posts, we make crazy references about you. please, give us more gossip. eg. you met the olsen twins at the VMAs but you didn't end up posting what happened. more gossip please!!
sarah-
i read your blog because your stories are hilarious and interesting. you are funny, hot, and awesome. all i want is more of the same.
i really hate when people leave nasty comment in their blog. i really hope you understand that they are just jealous that people love you and nobody love them. my worst fear is that you'll change to try to please them and then all my/our fucking fun will be over- we want you to stay exactly how you are and write exactly what you write. i really wish that i knew who they were so that i could stab them in the face.
sarah-
i read your blog because your stories are hilarious and interesting. you are funny, hot, and awesome. all i want is more of the same.
i really hate when people leave nasty comment in their blog. i really hope you understand that they are just jealous that people love you and nobody love them. my worst fear is that you'll change to try to please them and then all my/our fucking fun will be over- we want you to stay exactly how you are and write exactly what you write. i really wish that i knew who they were so that i could stab them in the face.
Personally, this was the first time I'd come here...I happened to be looking at the "recently updated blogs" list, and the title of your blog just caught me and drew me in. But now that I'm here, I'm feeling a little wheezy...oh well....
Well you answered your own questions! Everything from your animal postings to recaps of your crazy nights is what makes this blog so wonderful. You connect to your readers and write well which keeps me clicking back for more.
- AlexisT.com
Because it's nice to escape from my boring existence and hear what's going on in NY. Oh, and you're hot.
If she hasn't already, I suggest that Ultragrrrl read these comments carefully. If she does, she might get a glimpse of the harsh truth existing outside her hipster bubble: New York City in general has no love for her, her vapid culture, or her insufferable friends. The majority of the positive comments on this thread have been either from non-New Yorkers indulging some nightlife fantasy or from members of her own social circle. The negative comments have been penned by New Yorkers who are outraged by the fact that a figure with such a powerful lack of any real talent has ascended to a position of "underground" importance. (Next to her, Nick Catucci starts to look like Lester Bangs.) Once there, of course, she promotes others like herself rather than seeking out the interesting or the worthwhile. People like her, who got where they are through shameless socializing and prodigious brown-nosing, essentially shape the current NYC music scene and are primarily responsible for its horrible decline. It's not jealousy, but outrage, that fuels this backlash.
And this outrage is justified. It's our culture and community above which Ultragrrrl and her ilk squat as they piss all over good taste and artistic standards.
Ultragrrrl: Learn your limitations. You cannot: a) write; b) dance; c) drink responsibly; d) choose music sanely; e) DJ; f) DJ; g) DJ. Did I mention that you cannot DJ?!?
I'm a New York reader. I like Sarah's blog. I do, however, share some sense of the previous poster's sentiment though. For instance, Sarah, why do you so rarely, if ever promote female artists/bands? There aren't ANY female artists worth promoting?
I think it's unfair when the groupie talk starts. I don't think that's you at all. It's obvious, to me, that you are excited about the people you promote and that your interest is more profesisonal and friendly than groupie.But as you are a woman who has done well and will go on to do even greater things, I wish you would consider how often you help the fellas and shut out the ladies...
For all the people who will insult you for having a blog and call you narcissitic, they still probably consistantly make up a large portion of all those hits you are getting. So obviously you're doing something right, giving people what they want, entertaining them, pissing them off, etc. if you're going to inspire such wrath and admiration from mostly complete strangers. Actually, most of them probably just have their own blogs that no one reads but think they are a thousand times more worthy to ramble about their lives than you are for no apparent reason. If you really think about how many people are signed up on blogger and other services like it, you'd probably realize that Sarah is not the first nor def. the last person to ever blog about her life. Is there a point to it? Maybe, maybe not. But you all are still here, reading it and commenting on it.
It would just be nice if you could be less of an asshole to her sometimes, but such is life. People will forever be jealous of those who continue to have fun and don't feel the need to put others down to make themselves feel better and enjoy life.
And considering how many people were rocking the dance floor @ misshapes on saturday I wouldn't worry about your DJ talents. You played music and people had a great time and that's what counts.
Welll, you're one of my son's oldest friends, and I enjoy reading about what you're doing -- whether it be in a professional capacity, just having fun, or Jewish family life. I enjoy the cute animal pictures, as well as the offbeat links you find. Your love of life comes through in your writing, and it always brightens my day. Oh, and I mustn't forget your quirky titles! My favorite is "Holy Shi-Tzu". Just keep doing exactly what you're doing, sweetie.
Love,
Adi's Mom
I read this blog for the same reason I read SPIN, Filter, NME, etc.: I live in friggin' Cincinnati. Great town, horrible music. It's finally making good strides music wise, but Cincy's still the land where everyone's tuning to see Creed and Nickleback roe-sham-boe for title of the world's worst band. Thank god for the past couple of years worth of good concerts: Kings of Leon, The Sounds/Ima Robot, Andrew WK, BRMC/The Rapture, The Strokes/The Walkmen, The Curiosa Festival, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Ravonettes, etc. I realize to everyone in NYC or LA these bands are old news, but it's not too often that these bands leave the effing coasts.
Other than that, I enjoy your commentary on pop culture. It's very funny. They should make your SPIN column into a tv show. Shit knows I'd watch. Good music, excessive drinking, slurred speach, rock bands...sort like Dave Attel's show but without the red necks and old women.
You certainly don't mind fishing for compliments. It appears that the sycophantic part of your readership really appreciates that about your BLAAAHHG.
I first started reading because Brian doesn't update his site often enough. I keep reading because I'll never be a young single NYC music scene club-hopping insider and it's interesting to read about what that kind of life is like.
Now, if I started a blog, THAT would be boring....
wow, i don't know which is more polarizing, ultragrrl's blog or the 2004 presidential election...either way, i have read every comment above and i think there is some good insight, both positive and negative. i do have one comment to add that i have not seen mentioned - one might not be too far off to suggest that ultragrrl receives some sort of financial compenstation for the bands, venues, etc that she promotes.
1. good music referrals
2. I always enjoy a deliciously sordid tale of drunken excess
3. You're hot AND brainy, and I have a mad crush on you. (Excuse me for a sec, I have to go replace the sheep entrails on the "Sarah Shrine").
nyhottie4u(10:49:36 AM): oh shit so lew posted on ultragrrrl asking why people read her blog and what more they'd like to see.
nyhottie4u(10:50:06 AM): “The negative comments have been penned by New Yorkers who are outraged by the fact that a figure with such a powerful lack of any real talent has ascended to a position of "underground" importance. (Next to her, Nick Catucci starts to look like Lester Bangs.) Once there, of course, she promotes others like herself rather than seeking out the interesting or the worthwhile. People like her, who got where they are through shameless socializing and prodigious brown-nosing, essentially shape the current NYC music nyhottie4uene and are primarily responsible for its horrible decline. It's not jealousy, but outrage, that fuels this backlash.”
nyhottie69(10:50:47 AM): what's that quote from?
nyhottie4u(10:50:56 AM): the feed back
nyhottie69(10:51:14 AM): to her blog? someone wrote that to her, about her?
nyhottie4u(10:51:28 AM): yes. it was a response to the question she asked
nyhottie69(10:51:47 AM): oh, ok. it's weird that they wrote in the third person, no?
nyhottie69(10:52:13 AM): that's funny, though about nick c. i thought he only did--- reviews
nyhottie69(10:52:35 AM): oh, no, i remember, you got cds from him
nyhottie4u(10:52:39 AM): no he did their music too. i like the 3rd. it's less personally catty and more critically scathing.
nyhottie69(10:54:27 AM): 3rd...sentence?
nyhottie4u(10:54:39 AM): 3rd person
nyhottie69(10:54:45 AM): oh, i see.
nyhottie69(10:55:31 AM): it's more condescending, seems more passive aggressive
nyhottie4u(10:57:24 AM): “I'm stuck in Alaska and you're in New York and it just seems so magical compared to where I live. That, and I really kinda look up to you. I started to go to friday night Shabbat services more cause of you. Then again, I can only go when the rabbi is visiting my town so I don't know if that really counts.Also, when I grow up I wanna be a photographer for SPIN and I figure, I dunno. I don't really figure. But you're just so cool with your whole, "oh fudge you, i know i'm way more awesome than you," thing. You're someone to look up to.”
nyhottie69(10:58:05 AM): whoa
nyhottie69(10:58:16 AM): people are bitter
nyhottie4u(10:58:36 AM): you thought that was bitter?!
nyhottie69(10:58:50 AM): But you're just so cool with your whole, "oh fudge you, i know i'm way more awesome than you," thing. You're someone to look up to.
nyhottie69(10:59:00 AM): sarcastic
nyhottie4u(10:59:33 AM): i thought this was a young girl writing, not sarcastic at all...
nyhottie4u(10:59:35 AM): hmmm
nyhottie4u(10:59:38 AM): dunno
nyhottie69(11:00:20 AM): at first i thought that, but that sentence changed my mind, and i thought the when i grow up part was also sarcastic. but it could be someone who thinks both things -- looks up to her and is jealous
nyhottie69(11:00:37 AM): it's pretty interesting, actually
nyhottie4u(11:00:52 AM):
Memo:
To: Sarah
CC: Sarah's DJ Groupies
Pressing start and stop on the turntable is in no way considered DJing
nyhottie69(11:02:19 AM): that would be an interesting thing to read an article on -- the dynamic between cool new york people who know they are cool, and other people who also know the ny people are cool and are jealous. but really, the other people could be cool if they wanted to, they just aren't in new york, and the new york people actually aren't better than the other people, but they are, because both sides think they are...know what i'm talking about?
nyhottie4u(11:03:52 AM): yeah totes... also there is an insider ny clash of cool...for example this posting
nyhottie4u(11:04:14 AM): “are you asking why people read this for justification or support, a drive to keep on writing? someone i know thinks that starting this blog is a pretentious, narcissistic way to expose yourself, especially as you do also write for a major magazine and post pics of yourself. also, it seems like you've dropped something...oh look, it's a couple of names.” i'm sorry of this is really dick of me but i don't like having a lot of the places we both hang out (LES, E.V.) exposed on the internet. while i know it's not "underground", there's a certain culture to it. and people wonder why we got the name "hipsters." and we also wonder why frat boys are suddenly popping up at places like lit. we know you are cool. i'm cool too. i just don't feel the need to write about it. i think you even think this is stupid and that's why you are asking.
nyhottie69(11:05:48 AM): oh, that's interesting
nyhottie69(11:06:06 AM): what's e.v.?
nyhottie69(11:06:23 AM): (i'm not that cool)
nyhottie4u(11:06:40 AM): no, you are. east village
nyhottie69(11:07:31 AM): oh. but i didn't know the initials, so i'm like half a step away
nyhottie4u(11:07:42 AM): half a step from cool
nyhottie69(11:07:47 AM): yeah
nyhottie69(11:07:55 AM): or, half a step from the i.c. of cool
nyhottie4u(11:07:58 AM): what ever, it's not that you didn't know, it's that you admitted it, that set you back
nyhottie69(11:07:59 AM): (inner circle)
nyhottie4u(11:08:05 AM): ahah
nyhottie69(11:08:39 AM): that's true. but it feels so much better once you've admitted it
nyhottie4u(11:09:08 AM): i totally agree. and that's why we're not so cool.
nyhottie4u(11:09:15 AM): but actually much cooler
nyhottie69(11:09:23 AM): yes!
i read your blog because:
a) i'm bored at work
b) i like to read about new music, bands, etc
c) i actually like reading about you and your friends antics (living in NYC perspective etc)
d) you're funny (so is Karenplusone)
e) baby animal pictures!!!!!!!
i don't read Spin (never have), so i actually have no idea what you do there but you seem pretty talented and driven. You're fab!
-v.v.unhip Canadian
P.S. you may not be welcome in Silverlake, LA - but you are more than welcome in West Queen West, Toronto, honey!
Hi - I am Diana and I live in Denver. We have some cool bands out here in our little town but New York lfe is pretty interesting to read about. I like most of the same music as you and you are exposed to it much more often so I am interested in how shows go, what's new with bands ect. I don't really remember how I found this site but loved the name immediately so I kept on reading. I like that you seem nice to people who are nice to you, but, can be balls to the wall when necessary. So thanks for the entertainment - You make me laugh a lot. See ya.
Cool bands in Denver? Like the boys in Wishdoctor? Or my pals in 7thGate? Or those folks in Orion's Room? All great bands.
Yeah, but I'd love to be in NYC with the action!
... and with Ultragrrrl of course!
k, not that you need another comment, but here's the good parts: your tone is a lot like that of several of my girlfriends who are hysterical, so there's that; the baby animals are fabulous, and the biggest reason is the music/shrewy gossip parts... i found this blog originally by searching for show info for a band. but there's one really bad thing that always makes me cringe, ultra, not bad enough to quit reading but definitely drives me nutty: the name-dropping. listen, i'm not hating, but i've actually thought about this, and you know what does it? prefacing all bold-faced names with "my friend" or a hung-out/made-out/rocked-out/with variation of the above. if they're in your blog i get that you know them; the "my friend" stuff is what makes it feel name-droppy. and maybe that's what gets people's ire up enough to give such a friendly-seeming person so much hateblog. just a gentle suggestion. don't be pissed and quit blogging... you asked for feedback!! i love your writing! annah
i think you said that right. sarah has a right to blog and write about her life....but her emphasis on "my friends" or " i made out with so many boys and girls" or " i hung out with so and so" is a little odd. i mean, you are claiming that you write this for yourself and friends...then why brag? its not a big deal to have hung out with interpol...my god the whole city has hung out with those wannabes!
basically....keep having fun, but you don't need to prove yourself. just do what you do and go on with it. the tone of your blog now reminds of a little kid who is jumping up and down saying "look at me! look what i did! im special!"
so maybe its just that you have a little growing up to do. ive been living in nyc for 9 years, since i was 15 and i got over that phase a long time ago.
because you rock. living colorado springs, how else am i going to hear about the killers or scissor sisters? (my 2 new fav-favorite bands).
plus, your fucking hilarious.
**Here's an excerpt that might help explain my hits...**
Misshapes & Ultragrrrl
But I'm still around.
Here's what I remember.
I get off of work at the restaurant around 11. My feet are killing me, I can't feel my shoulders and my neck cracks every time I move it. I call home and she wants to go to Misshapes. She's hopping in the shower. So I start trekking.
Halfway home, Glendon calls me and asks if I'll join him for a drink at Local 138. But no, man, I'm going to Misshapes.
Doug calls and tries to start talking to me about CD artwork. But no, man, I'm going to Misshapes.
Joel calls four times while I'm changing, once to tell me that he just saw Scary Spice on Leroy Street. I tell him I'm on my way to Misshapes. It has nothing to do with Scary Spice because, well, she's scary.
We get in a cab with a fresh pack of smokes. We arrive. We're both a little hungry but we shake it off.
It's a complete madhouse outside, so we figure the word is definitely out on the open bar thing. Turns out the open bar is closed.
Joel, Naomi, B. and I make our way in right as the DJ throws on New Order's 'True Faith.' How perfect is that for me to enter to? Joel high-fives me and we move upstairs.
It takes us 15 minutes to get to the bar with Jacob Surefire. Once we're there, I open up a tab and start tipping like crazy.
I buy way too many people drinks.
Kat with the multi-colored hair who seems to love playing with everyone else's? I buy her a sex on the beach. Well, I buy it for Jacob and he gives it to her.
I buy Naomi a gin & tonic.
I buy B. more vodka & cranberry than I can remember.
I buy Doug a Stella.
I buy Rob Morning Theft a beer to replace the one he wasted pouring on my head to retaliate my pouring a beer on his head. The stuff is still in my hair.
I offer to buy JennyPenny a shot, but she declines. Sidenote: she was wearing the second best top I have ever seen in my entire life last night.
Then...the weirdness hits. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Ultragrrrl dancing.
Now I don't know her that well. In fact, I just plain don't know her. Her brother? I know his name, and he and I have actually talked, had a conversation, before. Maybe even a few times.
Ultragrrrl - I'm not sure she remembers my name. I'm not sure she knows I'm in (band name deleted). Frankly, I'm not sure she knows what (band name deleted) is.
But I decide, last nite, that I am going to get her drunk. Nothing else, no ulterior motives. I am going to get Ultragrrrl drunk.
I remember thinking, "Why her?" Because I suppose it's always in my nature to just get everyone around me drunk. Why focus specifically on her?
But there's something abstract and vague enough about how cool she seemed that nite. I couldn't put my finger on it. I couldn't wrap my head around it. So I just started buying.
I move to the bar and buy both the bartenders a shot. By this point, one of them is calling me 'baby' and the other shrugs off all other customers to take my order. I have forgotten, at this point, how much I have tipped them. But it must have been alot.
Ultragrrrl makes her way up to the bar with Carlos D. They order drinks. I grab the bartender and tell him they're on me. He nods.
Ultragrrrl refuses, and I'm close to accepting, because I can only imagine how many people buy Carlos D. drinks on a regular basis. But she's talking, not him. So I insist.
The bartender reaches a compromise where they will use drink tickets for half their drinks, and I will pay for the second half. Ultragrrrl kisses me on the cheek. It felt like a kiss on the cheek. It felt pretty good.
But I decide this isn't enough. So on my next beer, I order a shot of Jagermeister and give it to her. I don't even know if she likes Jagermeister, and to be honest, I'm not sure if she drank it.
Franz Ferdinand's 'Take Me Out' came on, and I told B. I was too drunk and needed to go home soon.
I managed to spend $100 that night, and it was probably the stupidest yet most insane fun I've had with the whole band (sans Nick) in a while. My birthday wasn't this fun.
I found someone's cell phone with a 631 area code and called their mom. I asked Ultragrrrl if her number was in the phone under 'Sarah' and she looked at it and said, 'No, my number is 917...' but then I stopped her and said I was just trying to find out if she knew the person whose phone it was.
That was odd - I sorta kinda asked Ultragrrrl for her number and she sorta kinda almost gave it to me. Not that I think she meant to 'in that way' or that I meant to ask for it 'in that way.'
I decided it was time to go home.
B. and I smoked a cigarette, hailed a cab and got McDonald's from the 24 hour spot on Essex and Delancey.
I feel weird about where I live now because, apparently, according to Rob Morning Theft, I live near Ultragrrrl.
I feel weird focusing so much attention on Ultragrrrl in what is a relatively virginal weblog.
So, ummm, I'm stopping.
**Hope this helps**
woah, put a muzzle on that last one! HA!
anyway, ultra always makes us laugh, whether she means to or not. we laugh at her funny stories, we laugh at her funny posts, her funny pictures. also, we laugh at her, and her stupid stories, her stupid posts, and stupid pictures. we are always laughing; with her and at her. not to many bloggers can do that to us.
l
ong live the lush queen!!!
See? People will get you drunk if you have a weblog and they read it. That's the real reason to do this, obviously.
WELL, THE ABOVE BLOG IS KIND OF PRETENTIOUS, MUCH LIKE MY "OWEN MEANY" SPEAK LETTERS.
I READ THIS BLOG SOMETIMES, BECAUSE ULTRRRA GIRL SEEMS LIKE A KIND PERSON WITH ALOT OF ENERGY. SOMEHOW IT DOESN'T TAKE LONG TO REALIZE THIS FROM READING HER STUFF.
HOWEVER, IT'S INSANE HOW PEOPLE ARE SO COMFORTABLE WRITING SUCH MEAN STUFF, NO MATTER HOW CORRECT THEY THINK THEY ARE. IT'S JUST SO FUCKED UP HOW THEIR LACK OF SELF AWARENESS AND ANGER CAN LEAD THEM TO BE SO MEAN AND SMILE TO THEMSELVES FOR BEING THAT WAY.
I DON'T KNOW YOU, ULTRRRAGIRL, BUT I'M SORRY YOU HAD TO READ THAT VENEMOUS STUFF. THE SELF-EVIDENT BOTTOM LINE IS THAT THEY READ YOUR BLOG. MAN, THAT WAS SOME MEAN SHIT. TRUE OR NOT, THEY SHOULDN'T HAVE WRITTEN THAT STUFF.
SCAT TURDLY
i googled the name of a one night stand i had and he happens to be a friend of yours!
its cuz yer a pseudo celebrity man! spin and vhI and E?? i mean hello???
and adding to what i just posted, i was being silly with you by the way. anyway, why is it that new yorkers feel the need to have their own pages/blogs?? i can understand why you have one and why lots of people read it but how about the likes of JennyPenny, eva chavela, god their are so many others i can't even remember them right now. what is it about the nyc scene that makes you guys so self indulgent??? We arent even that full of ourselves in LA. Or SF for that matter. YOu guys must be so hip that you gotta tell it to the world. I'm not hating, im just wondering. and like i mentioned. i like your blog, i dont read it everday -only when i happen to get linked to it or something but seriously what is the deal? and you guys talk shit about LA. *cough*
It's quite simple. Bored people at work like to browse around and read other people's gossip. Also, occasionally a keyword sends forsaken souls like myself into this domain and others like it.
wow-ask and you shall receive! i read your blog to stay in the know of blogger world and hopefully get in on the action when i'm in nyc for cmj! soundcheck for the fiery furnaces is going on downstairs--rock it!
looking forward to tu b'shvat, when the real party gets started...
...dana@betterpropaganda.com
... and you got me listenig to The Killers and watching Donnie Darko. I'm building up support for you here in Scotland. I'm spreading the word...
You can't talk about DJing in terms of good or bad. Besides, obviously knowing how to work the equipment is, responding to the crowd, the vibe, and making it all fit together. Maybe the Misshapes crowd wanted those greatest hits.
Sara/Raised By Bees
http://www.herjazz.org/sara
For the 8 essential Vitamins and minerals it provides?
Getting TimeOut and VV delivered is to damn expensive so your my only outlet for decent new music. Im to old for Spin nowadays, sorry. I woulda missed the FranzF show if not for you blog. cheers
To the idiot who called me a fascist: Drop dead, you jackass. I take that insult VERY seriously. Do it to my face. I dare you to. See what happens. Or will you hide behind an anonymous post?
Sarah, can you do me a favor and leave your bathroom window open wider? It's hard to shoot photos through that smokey, bubbly glass. Thx! Luv the blog!!
Brother Lawrence,
I, Benjamin Aaron Kessler of Brooklyn, NY, wrote the post that labeled you a fascist. Just to recap, I also called your sister a moron and her colleagues pathetic old men. I only posted anonymously because I don't have a Blogger profile or whatever it is. I thank you for the opportunity to attach my name to my thoughts, which, though phrased half-facetiously, happen to be correct.
Since I don't hang out at MisShapes, I doubt we'll ever cross paths long enough for you to administer the crushing blows to my person that you certainly think you are capable of delivering. I can't say that I'm particularly upset by this fact.
I do feel somewhat sorry for you, however. No doubt you would love to accost me at MisShapes, perhaps to the strains of some Ratatat or Franz Ferdinand, and pummel me mercilessly while hundreds of drunken hipster onlookers howl for my blood. Instead, you'll have to settle for your usual evening of whacking off to Unfit for Command with Ride of the Valkyries blaring in the background.
Ben Kessler
koolfresh@hotmail.com
To Brother Lawrence--
Ben Kessler's a tool. He's also a tool who lives on South Oxford off of Fulton Street in Brooklyn.
If you'd like someone to hold him down while you beat him, just let me know. It would give me something to do on a Tuesday.
-The guitarist from the 'new' Toad The Wet Sprocket
Ben--
Thank you for attaching your name to your post. I was so livid with your nonchalant use of the word "fascist" -- perhaps the most damning insult in the dictionary -- that I didn't even notice you calling my sister a "moron". Thank you for reminding me and it will be added pleasure to see you receive your due.
As well, you upped the ante by implying that I would own any of the works by that repugnant anti-Semite, Richard Wagner. To imply I share ideology with the man whose music played in the background whilst my fellow Jews were slaughtered by the thousands is beyond the pale. Have you no shame, Mr. Kessler? Apparently not. You cannot expect a Jew like myself to take your flippant comments lightly. Nor will I.
As you have pointed out, there may be some difficulty for our two paths to cross. While I am partial to more informal matches, that is a route I am willing to forego at the moment. That is to your benefit: the Second Amendment is the law of the land and I am a law-abiding citizen.
Therefore, I am currently looking for a suitable venue -- in Brooklyn -- for this matter to be settled. I am challenging you to three rounds in a boxing ring.
As this is not a challenge you can likely win, I am offering you a final opportunity to put this to rest and apologize to both myself and my sister for your comments. Furthermore, I ask that a donation of at least $18 be made to the Simon Weisenthal Center (http://www.wiesenthal.com) to help in their efforts to educate others on what terms like "fascist" really mean.
However, if you insist on the gravity of your terms, I expect a response as to your availability.
Good day, Mr. Kessler.
Lawrence, don't you wish you were back in the age where you could challenge someone to a duel? I bet you'd challenge this fella to a duel.
Curiosity got to me and I googled the lovely Ben and this was one of the first items that popped up: http://www.skidmore.edu/studentorgs/skidnews/2001-10-26/letters/ben.shtml
Dude, Ben, what's going on?
Good day, sir! I said, GOOD DAY!
for food, for folks, for freedom, for joy.
i'm from sydney so i just like to check out what's happening in other places....similar things to what we get up to here i spose....
Brother Lawrence,
I will not apologize for speaking the truth, nor do I accept that the penalty for being perceptive and outspoken is to be hectored into a boxing ring by a libertarian lout who, judging by his online photos, is significantly above my weight class. Let's keep it on vinyl, as the hiphoppers say, Brother Lawrence.
An apology is not required of me, but perhaps some clarification is in order. Compared to, say, Mussolini, you're not much of a fascist. But in 2004, libertarian ideology AMOUNTS to fascism.
If you care to engage in a political or cultural discussion, I suppose that could be arranged, as long as you keep your distance throughout and are thoroughly frisked beforehand. Otherwise, we'll have to remain two Jews on either side of a massive ideological divide: one angry and gauche and a bit of a loudmouth; the other comfortable, coasting, determined (not altogether unlike the Administration that he defends so avidly) to squelch dissent as violently as he possibly can.
Good day to YOU. And goodbye, I expect.
Ben Kessler
koolfresh@hotmail.com
Okay, I come to this blog to be entertained. I don't know Ultra/Sarah at all beyond what I read and the three very light e-mails we've exchanged. But now, I'm getting the heebie jeebs. I live in Philadelphia, so I'm clueless, keep that in mind. Around here, I'm the only one of my friends with a blog, most of my friends still have livejournal, and having online presence is not such a big deal.
Anyway, what's up with this BK dude? He's expressing his opinion. Why does he deserve a beatdown? Brother Lawrence, do you really support Bush? Why, why? Laura, why do you hate people that you don't know? Or did the New York Press? just quote you out of context? Or is this a 20s thing that I don't get because I'm an old bag?
Everyone just needs to stop and go back to talking about bands and boys and make-out and drinks. Your world is small, and mine is microscopic.
Sara/Raised By Bees
http://www.herjazz.org/sara
Ben—
Before going any further, you clearly don’t know what you’re talking about. Calling libertarianism fascism? Do you know how ignorant you sound? Do you even know what libertarianism is? That libertarians are the most vocal opponents of military spending and of the recent war in Iraq? (I disagree with most libertarians on that issue). I suggest you read up on the libertarian point of view vis-Ã -vis the war here: http://www.cato.org/current/iraq/index.html
Also, I’ve read you are a South Park fan. You do realize that Trey Parker and Matt Stone are both libertarians and that South Park is essentially a propaganda vehicle for their politics? Again, know your facts before you open your mouth or post on the Internet.
Anyway, I had a chance to look at some of your writing as quite a few people have emailed them to me. One of the things that struck me in all that you write is what appears to be an underlying anger towards women, which you express by demeaning and humiliating them in public. You called my sister a moron. As Jocelyn’s previous post pointed out, you’ve attacked Laura (Miss Modern Age) and Audrey (Melody Nelson). Karen O seemed to set you off on a hissy fit. Why do you know so much about all these women whom you clearly dislike? Why, then, do you obsess over them? What do they represent to you? Are you transferring some sort rage towards the fairer sex on to women whom you think won’t talk to you?
This seems evident in your column “Why You Should Wait Three Days” (http://www.metroleum.com/core/digitaldiaries/BenKessler/BK000401.php3). In that column, you describe meeting a woman and developing a fantasy image of who she really is. Then you imagine her humiliating you by forgetting ever meeting you if you were to call. In much the same way, your general criticisms of specific “blogger girls” tend to include fantasies of their lives (ie, snorting cocaine with Paul Sevigny) and a disposition towards elitism that would cause them to not talk to you, either. Whereas in the first case your imagine yourself being spurned, you decide to act first by spurning the “blogger girls” in your written attacks.
Either way, you posses a clear anxiety and discomfort with women. Whatever the experience that was that caused this must have been quite traumatic. Without sounding like a dime store psychologist, its roots are undoubtedly in your childhood relationship with your mother or else some other female figure. Or, it could be you have not yet come to terms with, as Gov. McGreevy calls it, your truth. So, as an outlet, you assail women you don’t know – bloggers – while writing in the safety of relative anonymity. Yet, when you are called out and asked to apologize or defend yourself, you cower in fear.
At this point, I feel sorry for the loneliness you’ll ultimately have in your later years if this is not deal with. You have a lot of demons to exorcise. And while I may have challenged you to a bout in the ring, upon further reflection, it seems you’re more in need of help in some manner. I strongly urge you to seek it. As you are an alumni of NYU, you may want to try the University Counseling Service (http://www.nyu.edu/counseling/) and ask them if they have an alumni referral program. Another possibility is to try the William Alanson White Institute in Manhattan (http://www.wawhite.org/) which offers affordable mental health services, including therapy for artists: http://www.wawhite.org/clinical_services/psychotherapy_artists.htm
Good luck!
-Lawrence
Brother Lawrence,
I thank you for your last post. Sure, it's composed of condescension based on misinterpretation stemming from violent hatred, but it's the best I'm likely to receive from you and your crew.
I'm especially grateful to rise above animosity and move the discourse to a serious plane. Jumping right in:
My feelings about this culture and this country are complicated and have little to do with the Iraq war. To me, especially from the perspective of September 2004, Iraq confronts us with a simple moral proposition: Do we or do we not abdicate our responsibilities toward a country for whose current state of chaos we are largely responsible? I was ambivalent about the invasion, but my thoughts now are clear and sync up pretty well with sentiments expressed at various times by both presidential candidates. If you want to have a more nuanced discussion of my ideas as they conflict (or perhaps overlap) with yours, I suggest we do so through private e-mail correspondence or in a face-to-face conversation.
Regarding my past attacks on the bloggers: Your attempt at psychoanalysis, though well-intentioned, misses the point. I was not the one who claimed to hate people not in my social circle. That was Miss Modernage. I was not the one who established a weekly party solely to participate in the process of backdoor industry hype. That was Jasper and Audrey. These are plainly elitist sentiments and practices, and if they're not, SAY they're not and defend them. Don't escape the argument by speculating about my mental condition. I understand the urge to psychoanalyze. There's a little bit of Freud in every Jew. But remember that the difference between Freud and Fraud is just one little letter.
You claim my attacks are on women primarily. Yet the article to which I was responding was entitled "Blogger Gurls." In place of that phrase, I wrote, "blogger gurls and boyz." My paragraph on the YYYs was just that: criticism of the band, of which Karen O is the most visible member and, not coincidentally, the one who made the offending and ridiculous statement that set me on my rant. Also, I recently published a letter in the Press criticizing the moronic film reviewer Matt Zoller Seitz, palpably male. And, not to state the obvious, but you ain't no lady.
But wait! The smoking link is right there in your post! My column from 2000 PROVES beyond a doubt that I'm a raging misogynist. A couple caveats present themselves: The column was not a column, as is obvious from the link, but rather a "digital diary," in which I was to record my thoughts and feelings in the tradition of "free writing." As such, my artistic mandate was to be emotionally honest and open in the moment. Sad to say, that "column" is as close to "raw" as I get.
To further qualify the relevance of that piece, let me also emphasize that it is now more than four years old. I am currently 25 going on 26. Nearly twenty percent of my total life on earth has elapsed since that diary entry was composed. Imagine yourself at high school graduation in your cap and gown; now imagine yourself as a callow freshman awkwardly negotiating the high school halls for the first time. The difference between those two yous is the difference between the Ben Kessler of "Why You Should Wait Three Days" and the current Ben Kessler. Case in point: I hate South Park now.
So what have we proven? That one night more than four years ago I was feeling despondent about my relationship, or lack of a relationship, with a certain girl, whom, I should note, I later did date for a brief period. We have also proven what should be obvious upon examination of the two Bens: I have grown as an artist and as a person since that piece was written. Looking back on this malformed, hurried creation for an obscure website, I'm deeply embarrassed by the clotted prose. At the same time, however, I can't help thinking that the piece is better crafted and less self-pitying than anything Elizabeth Wurtzel ever wrote.
You say that I "cower in fear" of you. What have I done that could constitute cowering? You asked for my name; I gave it to you. As a result, at least one murderous lout who knows where I live--see above--has the opportunity to vent his bloodlust. (Note that I assume it's a "he": misogyny?) If I refuse to box with you, it's only because I'm an intellectual brute of the most aggravatingly genteel variety. I fight my battles with words, and I never shrink from those skirmishes. In fact, I embrace them, if the alternatives are slander, internet dirt-digging, and petty psychoanalysis.
Ben Kessler
koolfresh@hotmail.com
Brother Lawrence,
the official definition of Libertarianism is about as accurate to most people who call themselves "Libertarian" as the official, by the book definition of Communism was to the actual manifestation of it on the ground. In my experience, most Libertarians are just Republicans who are ashamed to admit it. Talk to them about Taxes or Regulations and they'll wax endlessly on the evils of both, but their dedication to freedom ends there. Talk to them about Drug Legalization, Abortion, Military spending and other issues and you'll find them suddenly taking a hard turn to the right, or obfuscating endlessly and suddenly finding room for compromise and caveats.
David V.
You are a 30 white woman living in NYC, i'm a 25 black man living in Paris and i like your blog as it is. A different view of the world, not so different of mine, though... And that's funny :)
Take care,
har0ld
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