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March 14, 2007

Comments

riot grrrlz 4 eva

youre adding to the noise but yours is of a beautiful bird chirp. or something.

aww look a grrrrl from tenafly nj is now a NYC TASTEMAKERRR.
one of the many things that is wrong with the world/

Jenny in Brooklyn

"She doesn't need to be defended; she does a fine job herself."

-- obviously, her brother disagrees! I notice he tends to show up in the comments on the Gawker posts that criticize her.

Call me dense, but even after reading this and some other articles, I still have no idea what she does.

janine

I'm going to write something to you I've never written: your blog is absolutely necessary. You represent a unique voice you understand the need for both SWV and gory horror.

The reason there is a jumble of noise on the web is that there's an endless echo chamber. The promise of the blog where people shared unique viewpoints has become a domino effect where people successively post mp3s. The music tastemakers march more or less in a kind of lock step.

What does that have to do with Ultragrrl? In the current environment, anything less than near unanimous praise is reactionary backlash. Try explaining to one of these people that you don't like Arcade Fire. I'm not jealous. I don't hate them. I just don't like them. It's similar to Ultragrrl. Why can't I just not like her?

jules

i don't live in nyc, and i don't even pretend to follow the music business world...so i could really care less about her.
jigga who?
whaaa?

LaSexorcisto

Ultragrrrrl is one of those annoying people that I would randomly read about on Spin magazine back when I was a subscriber. Why the f*** do we need a "tastemaker"? We all make our damn taste and people who are too lazy to do their own research and rely on these hipster doofuses (doofusi?) are just sad.

Anyway, great post, Rich. I love the ANTM reviews but this is why I keep reading.

Tina

why no follow-up on Ultrafemme, the failed feminine product?

tankboy

Well said.

Candice

Janine put it best: "Why can I just not like her?" The weird thing about Ultragrrl is that all of the print press I've seen on her has been related to this so-called "backlash" against her. But if that backlash is limited to a bunch of bitchy comments on the internet... hell, how is THAT suddenly worth writing multiple stories?

I'll make my own tastes, thanks.

PS: The Perez Hilton anecdote was the cherry on top. :D

slut machine

you know, ultragrrrl said that people who hate her are just jealous. and she's right. i'm totally jealous of her success. i'm smarter, prettier, and just better all around. why must i possess this damn integrity and inability to kiss ass?!? it's holding me down!

Fairmaiden327

Rich, I've been a loyal reader for some time and more than not I am awed by how you sum everything up. You did an excellent job covering this article in the voice. This woman who obviously loves what she does and has an opinion has to fight off others who simply lack the determination and wherewithall to move forward. I hope she rises even higher.

♥dex

The photo is the cherry on top.

Alice

Rich- I think most of what you post is obviously in good fun and it's not outright insulting. As for internet haters- these people are such a joke. When I worked at a desk all day, all I did was sit around reading blogs leaving inane comments because I was miserable and had no other way to entertain myself. I always ignore negative commenters because of my own two faced posting- one day I like something, the next day I hate it. The internet is sometimes the only way to have a definitive opinion on anything. I live with bloggers, have blogger friends, and know a fair amount of bloggers- everything we write is mostly bullshit and we know it. But we do it because we enjoy it.

Though Fashionista may give you a run for your money with their ANTM recaps from actual ANTM contestants- not as funny as yours but definitely insightful.

Megan

Good for you, Rich. Honestly- I consider you to be a sane voice in the blogging world (as I'm sure many others do) and while Ultragrrrl may not need to be defended, it certainly is nice to have someone lay out the 'facts'.

I guess more than anything, people need to remember that she's a person, not a band. And until she has a known track record of being a shitty person, then it isn't really fair for people to choose to not like her just because, and to trash her accordingly.

JeanJean

I am no Pollyanna and certainly have my own sarcastic and judgemental streak but I have to say, I can't read a lot of blogs anymore (like Gawker) because it just feels so relentlessly toxic. Everyone hates everyone these days and I think all it shows is how much everyone just hates themselves.

Ken

Oddly enough, Newt Gingrich has been making the SAME points about people (politicians in his case) being much less likely to talk shit about each other when forced to sit in the same room.

Go figure.

ekar

Rich, I wish you wrote my essays in highschool. I would've gotten all A+s. You're ability to communicate in such a rational yet unique voice floors me. If you were a poet, you'd be my favourite poet.

ozzy

Note to all: feel free not too like ultragrrrl or Arcade Fire. Just keep it to yourseleves already.

ultrrrrrrrrrrrputz

something that wasn't mentioned in the voice article: sarah used to be hirshorn's assistant.

can you say somebody-pulled-some-strings?

anon

this is the thing - i DO know her, both socially and professionally, and still find her to be inadequate.
she has a fabulous job, but frankly, she's not very good at it. i appreciate and even(gasp!) like some of the bands on her label, but they just don't sell. she's great at building buzz, but not so great at fortifying business relationships and paying attention to detail (it's either her or her interns that fail at this, and frankly, either way it's her fault). and the stickler is, despite being able to build buzz, she just hasn't figured out how to translate that into long-term profitablity and staying-power.
well, you know, for her bands - she seems to have done just fine keeping herself in the spotlight (for now).
just my two-cents.

janine

I'm sorry, you're right Ozzy. The internet's no place for discourse.

dan Selzer

rich- have you read the entire thread on ILX?

This is a really awesome post, and echoes a lot of my thoughts on her. Her boyfriend's band is actually really good, even though he could (and probably should) do a lot better.

rod

I'm totally starting a "I hate fourfour" club as soon as I have that kind of time on my hands.

gomez

Ultragirl has done NOTHING to garner all the press she has recieved. All she does is schomooze with industry people in NYC, have her friends write her up in Vanity Fair and write about bands on her own blog. (like, omg, she knew the Killers were gonna be huge WAY before anyone else!). Her self-hyped recent signings have gone nowhere, sales-wise. Ever heard of the Ooh La La's? Didn't think so. Let's now all agree to never talk about her again. Please.

katy

i guess i'm just tired of people being famous for absolutely nothing. it's like paris hilton--for eff's sake, the girl doesn't do anything!!! her sex tape made her INfamous, and unfortunately that has somehow translated into "fame."

i hate how willing the public is to accept people with literally no TALENT, and often, no soul. i don't know much about ultragrrrl, but maybe that's cause i'm from california. either way, god knows i will probably see her mug EVERYWHERE now just because you brought her to my attention. thaaaanks, rich.

and on a side note, LaSexorcisto--i believe it would be "doofi."
(pronounced, DUE-FYE)

:)

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