The offensive

I've never met Sarah Lewitinn (the woman best known to the world as the A&R rep and DJ Ultragrrrl), and I'm not sure I'd want to. I don't hate the girl from afar or anything -- she just sort of exists in a different world of schmoozing and championing bands whose music I wouldn't know from (or enjoy much more than) the sound of 3 a.m. vomiting echoing through a public bathroom. I can't imagine I'd have much to say to her beyond, "OMG, I sweat a lot, too!" I've never read or heard anything from her that's been remotely witty (quite the opposite, generally, ahem). But ultimately, I respect the fact that intellect isn't really her medium. If she is talented (and I'm not saying she isn't, I'm just saying that it's arguable), it's a singular sort of talent -- she has this way of spinning hipness and pluck and zazz and what appears to be genuine enthusiasm into (again, what appears to be) a cushy lifestyle. As hustles go, you can't really knock Lewitinn's.

I think about her from time to time as she's prone to come up when you think about New York or the way people listen to music today. I've thought about her a lot tonight, thanks to this week's Village Voice cover story, "In Defense of Ultragrrrl," by Tricia Romano. Idolator has assembled a bulleted Cliff's Notes-type of post on the epic piece. I have some bullet points of my own. Here are some facts you should know about Sarah Lewitinn:

• She helps run Stolen Transmission, an Island/Def Jam imprint
• She DJs regularly in Manhattan
• She wrote a column in Spin that ran from 2004-05
• She was recently profiled in Vanity Fair
• Her taste-parade-as-literature, The Pocket DJ, sold enough copies (38,000) to secure her a second book
• She's appeared as a talking head on VH1
• VH1 honcho Micahel Hirschorn sings her praises ("I'm sort of in awe of her")
• She attends business meetings that find her seated next to Jay-Z
• One time, L.A. Reid once bowed to her in a Island/Def Jam office hallway, proclaiming himself "not worthy"
• It's hard to scare up shit-talking about her from industry types
• "People who actually do know me like me a lot," she says
• She regularly hangs out with musicians that moisten the panties and tear ducts of many a teen
• She pays her legion of haters no mind: "I feel like the person that they talk about isn't even me. Maybe that's kind of sociopathic, but I recognize they are so far off they obviously don't know who I am, so I can't be offended."
• She isn't afraid of failure

The culmination of all of this is that it seems that during every waking moment, Sarah Lewitinn is doing what she loves. And so, I ask seriously, because, after reviewing the facts again, my mind is boggled: what the fuck does Ultragrrrl need to be defended against? Isn't she, like, winning at life and lunching with greatness? Romano's literal and thus fawning piece never really gets into it to any convincing degree. Sure, Stolen Transmission has yet to make good on Lewitinn's reputation as the world's most supreme tastemaker, but whatever. Lewitinn has faith that it'll happen (and you know that she'll be fine even if it doesn't).

So why so defensive? It comes down to anonymous hate. Message-board and blog comments mock Lewitinn's appearance (to the degree that makes Romano's heart bleed: "...misogynist and hateful remarks that no male writer or executive would ever have to endure"), her decidedly anemic writing skills, her label's lack of sales and, really, her entire existence as a young, successful pop-culture phenomenon. Big. Deal. When you're visibly successful, you're going to have people who hate you. When you write a blog further heightening your success' visibility and otherwise blathering about your fabulous lifestyle, you're going to have more people hate you. When the subjective, even elusive condition of being cool is your bread and butter, for as many people as you convince, you're going to have at least an equal number of detractors. That's life.

While I do detect a smidge of saltiness on her tongue, I give Lewitinn credit for grasping this (in the article, she calls herself an "easy target"). I really hope that she believes what she says about not being offended by what her online detractors say (even if some of her comments, also online, suggest otherwise). She shouldn't be offended by it. It is ultimately meaningless. The Internet can be a funhouse of emotions, where people feel free to distort, gushing or seething at the blippiest of passing fancies because ultimately, succinct, precise writing is hard, damn it. And besides, it's easy to exaggerate when you aren't looking someone in the face. The transfer of emotions in an online setting is some telenovela shit. It would translate to high camp in person. But if being removed from the subject you're commenting on summons a unique level of boldness, I wonder what good is it if it fades so quickly when the walls come down. (This phenomenon, btw, is probably true of all writing, it's just that, as usual, the Internet speeds up and magnifies the process.) During his appearance on 20/20 last year, Perez Hilton told a story in which Nicole Richie stormed into the Coffee Bean and demanded that he call her anorexic to her face, since he did it freely and often on his blog. He refused. The unfiltered, self-proclaimed "Gossip Gangstar" online became a tongue-tied pussy in person. Who would have guessed that Nicole Richie could so swiftly and even eloquently draw the line between online and real-time communication?

Obviously, I believe in the power and potential truth of the Internet, otherwise, I wouldn't waste my time on this blog. Still, I wonder sometimes if I'm just adding to the noise of a world that rarely amounts to more than nonsensical cacophony. It's hard to resist being seduced by the sound, especially if it's directed to you -- maybe that's Romano's implicit point (and it would make sense given that Lewitinn's livelihood is based on people's response to her decisions). Lewitinn gives a lot of her haters a free pass, saying that she doesn't need the talent that they question, anyway ("I got this far without it"). But for being able to filter out the nasty noise not let it affect what puts wax on her turntable, Lewitinn is skilled. Good for her. She doesn't need to be defended; she does a fine job herself.

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)

:)