Chicagoist: Armstrong Now Parties With Vice

funkdragon23

Sat, 17 Jan 2009 15:54:45 -0600

I'd much rather read the wacky antics of a funny, quirky chica than yet another Ben Jovarsky bore-piece about those nasty TIF districts. (Apparently, they suck. We get it. Enough already!) I've never understood why Liz Armstrong is such a polarizing figure, even two full years after her departure. I enjoyed her breezy writing style, her brashness, and her sense of humor. She was a terrific raconteur whose Reader ramblings always made me laugh. That's all I ever really wanted or needed from them.

matilda

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 08:16:47 -0600

Trap? Does that mean you are the Penguin and I am Batman? Do you often spend your time "trap"-ing strangers on the Internet? Me, I'd rather read a book. Glad I could please you.

jmagic

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 23:02:13 -0600

hey meme what u up2? insulting matilda? you feel better now? wear more american appy and listen to more animal collective - it'll make you feel a whole lot happier and less offensive.

Joint for Brains

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 17:14:44 -0600

it might not have been her though

Tankboy

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 16:14:50 -0600

Spook, it was Liz PHAIR that shot me down. I'd never sully myself asking Ms. Armstrong out on the town.

Spook

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 15:00:30 -0600

Wow, Matilda actually said something clever or is it that I'm just in a good mood? I need to call in sick more often. p.s Matty sorry old chum but Liz is not going to date you, I mean she rejected Chicagoist scenester Tankboy

Mucky Fingers

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 14:58:32 -0600

I read that column a couple times. It sucked. I skipped it from then on. I could give a flying fuck about these writers. Often their work is the result of one privately trying to justify their overpriced education. What's Vice magazine? Is it a magazine about bad habits? If so, I want to be profiled for my pizza-and-sprite fixes. You know what magazine they have now? Conceive magazine! CON-CEIVE! There is now a monthly publication devoted to preying on the insecurities of infertile women with articles like "How To Recognize A Fertile Man" and "Is Mick Jagger Trying For Fatherhood Again?" (these are actual articles.) I guess nobody reads Playboy anymore. I'm alone in the wilderness here.

Spook

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 14:56:10 -0600

"I enjoyed reading Liz's column because I learned about other worlds, people and events that I would probably not know about. Almost all of her columns made me laugh and gasp out loud. And the writing was smart, too." "Learn about other words via Liz!?! She wrote about where the Rainbow Club hung out! That's the dumbest comment I've heard all year! What, they don't sell the New York Times Sunday edition in Schaumburg or at least the National Geographic? Some how I gather Eat Love and Pray was a book that changed your life Rock on, Spook

digbells

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 14:55:13 -0600

Fell right into my trap Matlida, right in. Thank for affirming the gullibility of this comment board.

Joint for Brains

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 14:46:17 -0600

i think i banged her once by a lake in misouri on tour. she seemed cool. this was before the iraq thing of hers, though.

matilda

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 14:17:19 -0600

First, assumptions are almost always wrong. I can't speak for the other "pieces of shit," only myself, though, and all the assumptions you make here, if applied to me, are 100% wrong. Wanna make that bet? Second, if you are sick, try drinking some tea. That's always calms my stomach. Sprite works, too, as does a shot of Beam sometimes. Third, who cares what you imagining Liz and her friends are doing? Are you stuck in high school? This is about writing, and the space devoted to certain types of writing, and a fairly famous (infamous) local media figure and why that figure was loved and/or hated. Fourth, I've actually been told my both men and women I have a pretty nice ass. Really. No unneeded fat in my buttocks. But thanks for caring. Obesity is, indeed, as serious problem. Fifth, so according to your logic, anyone who criticizes anything is just a hack? Yeah, that type of thinking will get you far in life. Perhaps you can find a job on Blago's staff--hurry, though, as his time is short. Sixth, stop trying to suck up to Liz. She's still not going to invite you to any parties, no matter how often you wear tube socks or ironic T-shirts or purple underwear outside of your thrift-store jeans. Seventh, despite your insistence that chuckles are now bubbling up toward your teeth as you read these comments, it sure doesn't seem to me like you are laughing, especially with the CAPS. That seems more like shouting. Are you shouting or laughing? I demand an accuracy check. Eighth, you shouldn't lecture people on writing when you rely on some cliche such as "slide out of the woodwork." That is not writing; that's just hack-work, even on a blog. Show more respect for the language. Ninth, do you work in media? Really? Fact-checker for the local Chamber of Commerce newsletter? Tell me: Are those clowns really going to show up at the grand opening of the new SuperCuts? Last time, they did not, and I felt cheated. I still haven't overcome the disappointment.

digbells

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 14:00:05 -0600

Ohh, wonderful. It's great to see all the real pieces of shit slide out of the woodwork like someone dredged the Chicago River and dumped it on an INTERNET COMMENT BOARD. I mean, really, don't you fucking muppets realize this is exactly what Liz wants (well I'm being a little presumptuous here because I don't know her apart form her writing, but I'm willing to bet I'm on target)? When you go off about her, Vice, scenes, and whatever other crybaby shit you guys are spouting, she and her friends are laughing at you and having fun and probably getting paid for it. You people make me sick, and I'm willing to bet at least a few of you are jealous hacks who were recently laid off from cushy media jobs (and if you're in Chicago that's your own fucking fault for thinking you could work "in media" there) that your fat fucking asses didn't deserve in the first place. Anyway, I think it's great when people write about going out and having a good time and make idiots like you angry. It makes me LAUGH, so keep doing it turds!

CL

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 13:01:17 -0600

I remember this column vaguely. Didn't read it often primarily because the experiences in clubs, bars, etc. are utterly repetitive.

Ingrid

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 11:05:53 -0600

Lot's of energy generated here for a gal who writes with a high school mean girl mentality. I read one paragraph of one of her columns once. I'm glad I'm not cool enough to even really know who she is.

Stealth

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 11:05:45 -0600

And after Thax... Jay Mariotti... Rex Grossman... Diann Burns... Richard Roeper... We could be here all day

matilda

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 11:02:21 -0600

You are correct. Rarely a week passed when I did not scribble and/or type at least two dozen letters to the Reader expressing my frustration with Liz Armstrong. Sure, my marriage crumbled because of the obsession and, eventually, I lost my job as head fry cook for a Northwest Side Burger King, but the Reader's publisher did send me a (form) letter of thanks for caring so much. I have the copy above my rather complimentary photostat of Tankboy at home if you would like to see.

mikely1

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 10:59:52 -0600

OK, next topic: **Thax Douglas** Discuss ...

Stealth

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 10:47:36 -0600

Maybe Armstrong was doing something right if she still is present in so many minds! Well, wretched journalism IS a memorable quality. I remember former Tribune sports columnmist Michael Holley too and all three of his columns before he hoofed it out of town after discovering he was in over his head. Doesn't mean he was doing anything right.

matilda

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 10:37:21 -0600

Or, perhaps, some of us are pissed off about declining newsholes and the continuing turn toward RedEye and US Weekly forms of journalism and all that, still hold a grudge against someone who was allowed to waste valuable space in one of the most important city publications (well, at least it used to be). For me, it's not really personal--any one who makes a living through writing has my deep respect--but the larger meaning of all this. Doing something right? I would say not.

matty

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 10:35:46 -0600

I think the reader kept her on for the sheer volume of mail she elicited from people like matilda and blueflairelane.

matilda

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 10:32:06 -0600

Interesting point about the Reader crowd. In all seriousness, though, what on earth do you see in the comics? Does it generate page views? Does the artist has fans? Not trying to be a smart ass, but I simply do not get it. Granted, it doesn't matter much to my life--I simply can move on past the comics--but I am interested in the reason.

Tankboy

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 10:30:44 -0600

I do think it's kind of funny I just wanted to do a quick update on an ex-Chicago scenster, and it elicited this kind of response. Maybe Armstrong was doing something right if she still is present in so many minds!

Tankboy

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 10:28:58 -0600

BlueFairlane, I promise you Chicagoist is against the Gawker style of increasing readership by taunting them . Matilda, yoou said, "I see your point on that. I guess I am just trying to figure out how she had a column for so long." There is a simple answer to that ... the core Reader staff back then was a pretty insular crowd of close friends. I always got the impression Armstrong wrote for that group's amusement more than anything else. And to both of you, no, we're not dropping the cartoons.

MaggieA

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 10:19:23 -0600

Wow. It seems as though Liz has moved on, yet her readers have not. I enjoyed reading Liz's column not because I wanted to justify my criticism of it (or her), but because I learned about other worlds, people and events that I would probably not know about. Almost all of her columns made me laugh and gasp out loud. And the writing was smart, too.

matty

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 10:15:22 -0600

look how obsessed BlueFairlane is. The ultimate compliment you can give a writer is a response and you are giving in kind. Seriously you are complimenting her here. The biggest insult you can give a writer is not caring. And that is clearly not the case here. Liz was also part tongue in cheek part written stage show and the outrage here totally exposes some people for what they are - miserable.

Stealth

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 10:11:00 -0600

Yes, I "vicerally hate" an article about an event where I never learn what went on at the event. Well, other than the person writing it got drunk and possibly made out with a stranger. There's a place for that sort of writing. It's called a diary.

mikely1

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 09:57:36 -0600

Liz was to the Reader as bike-vs.-car stories are to Chicagoist: absolute gold.

vultureProtein

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 09:42:40 -0600

Liz who?

matilda

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 09:37:58 -0600

Second you on that comic strip. My god, it is consistently awful--in drawing, in the lack of wit or humor, and, usually, relevance. Perhaps that cartoonist is the Chicagoist version of Liz Armstrong--the person whose work everyone loves to hate. "I don't buy into this notion that a media organization is doing itself any favors by running crap just to get people to criticize it." I see your point on that. I guess I am just trying to figure out how she had a column for so long. Really, did that many readers like her? Stranger things happen, I guess. But the Reader always seemed to print the anti-Liz letters almost as a badge of honor. I am sure, though, that Web sites, which often live or die by pack clicks and ad click-throughs, especially those that are general in nature and welcome nearly any random comment from a wide variety of people, must give some serious thought to what will generate such activity. If not, the editors would not be doing their jobs, for better or worse.

BlueFairlane

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 09:25:57 -0600

I'd argue against the merits of her technical abilities, but I don't have any handy examples to point out, and it'd be all subjective anyway. As far as the writing quality, though, I personally never thought she had much skill. It all seemed pretty flat to me. I read her only enough to justify my criticism, as I don't like criticizing media things I haven't read or seen. That's why I never say anything about Ann Coulter ... I can't stomach watching enough to hear the whole of what she's saying. Once I had the jist of what Armstrong was doing, though, I skipped that page. So basically, all the hullabaloo got the Reader a print-version of maybe five page views, then nothing. I don't buy into this notion that a media organization is doing itself any favors by running crap just to get people to criticize it. I've felt like Chicagoist has fallen into that trap from time to time in years past, and while it may have led to a temporary hike in pageviews, I suspect that ultimately it reduced the usage of the site. In my own experience, there was about a year there during which I didn't come here at all. When I did return, most of the crap had vanished, and the site had gone back to maintaining actual editorial standards. (That said, would you people PLEASE dump that dumb comic strip?)

cookie66

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 09:18:01 -0600

when i first read the headline, i thought it was about lance armstrong.

Sujal

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 09:08:18 -0600

Excellent point, on the Reader knowing what they were doing. I think the general public found her stories interesting because she was attending "underground" or "hipster" events. While, others felt she was portraying an elitist attitude. Either case, I believe a lot of people read her column.

matilda

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 08:40:18 -0600

I always thought she was a wonderful writer, at least from a technical standpoint. Either that, or she had superhuman editors. But she was an awful writer overall because of her self-centered ways, and her cooler-than-thou attitude, which really smells bad, say, after high school. She could have made something out of the subject matter; instead, she usually crafted juvenile crap that seemed more than a bit affected and dishonest. She was rarely witty, either. Sarcastic, yes. Then again, everyone seemed to read her, especially those who could not stand her, so perhaps she and the Reader knew exactly what they were doing.

BlueFairlane

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 08:14:29 -0600

If hating a column composed almost entirely of variations on the phrase, "Dude, I was so wasted" means I'm insecure, then I gladly accept my insecurities.

jmagic

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 07:57:19 -0600

i don't think vice mag was ever cool ... but maybe that's because i don't wear enough american apparel or something.

matty

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 07:40:50 -0600

I think liz managed to expose the insecurities of so many readers. The visceral hate of this chick really showed what boring lives her readers lived. Good luck liz, though unfortunately vice is not longer cool.

UTV

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 07:31:36 -0600

Wait, eat a hot dog because ... there's a lot of hot dog eating at nursing homes? Kanye hates hot dogs? Some other reason? ... No, you're right - smug hipsters definitely aren't shitty writers.

Vincent Dermody

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 02:44:37 -0600

Dear second-city crybabies, What is this, a nursing home? Do you hate Kanye too? Go eat a hot dog and go to sleep, it's way past your bedtime. These comments smack of boredom. For the record, I love the Shy, and I'll be home soon. See you at Ravinia! V

Prescott Carlson

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 20:13:08 -0600

I don't trust any Liz that only uses one "Z".

gerobobo

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 19:55:56 -0600

I thought she was coming back to the Reader when I glanced over the headline. I was worried for a second. Good riddance.

BlueFairlane

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 19:04:41 -0600

Liz Armstrong's disappearance made the Reader an infinitely better publication. As far as I'm concerned, I could got the rest of my life without reading another poorly-written Liz Armstrong word. Which will be easy, as I've never read Vice.

Spook

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 18:09:14 -0600

I have lost all respect of Vice Magzine! What have they changed ownership to a midwest parent corporation called the Red Eye! Man she is such a midwest "Don't" p.s I'm totally a "Do"

BDazzle

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 17:47:03 -0600

If I recall, when Vice hosted the Intonation Festival their guide to Chicago had a picture of Liz with a caption making fun of her. Hmmm, I'll have to scan it.

Stealth

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 16:57:28 -0600

Nah, still don't miss here. The only thing worse than a "scenester" is a bored scenster.