New York Mag made me an offer and a few details have to be worked out, but it looks like I'm going to take it. I won't be the new Marc Malkin, but I will be doing some stuff with Intelligencer and general pieces for the magazine. And here's the real kicker: New York Magazine wants to start a blog. (What Would Felker Think?) And believe it or not, it was their idea. This is going to be fun.
I'm still running around to parties with a tape recorder, though. I saw Bill O'Reilly again last night at a book party for Madeline Albright O'Reilly was leaving and I was arriving, and there seemed to be some flicker of recognition.
Then again, maybe he glowers at everyone like that. Who knows.
Posted by Elizabeth Spiers at September 17, 2003 08:15 AMElizabeth. Congratulations. I guess I need to subscribe to New Mag now:-)
Oh...what's the blog going to be called, NewYawker?
Posted by: Steve Hall at September 17, 2003 03:28 PMCongratulations, Elizabeth! You deserve whatever good luck that comes your way.
Does this mean no more GAWKER? If so, I'll "de-list" the site from my Favorites ...
Posted by: Paul at September 17, 2003 03:59 PMCongratulations indeed! Please remember the little people you met on the way up...
Posted by: xian at September 17, 2003 04:03 PMCongratulations.
Posted by: Frankenstein at September 17, 2003 04:12 PMGood on ya.
Posted by: dong resin at September 17, 2003 04:23 PMNo, no, Gawker will carry on as usual. Choire Sicha is the new editor.
Posted by: Elizabeth at September 17, 2003 04:24 PMFabulous, sweetie. Well done. Very happy for you.
Posted by: Eurotrash at September 17, 2003 05:00 PMLess than a year ago Gawker didn't exist. Now you're the toast of the town.. well, at least of the blogger community. A lot more interesting than small-cap tech stocks huh? Oh, what a difference a 'year' makes. Good luck, but you seem to have plenty already! Keep after O'Reilly and G. Carter too!
Posted by: chris at September 17, 2003 05:19 PMI have to say it was a pretty obvious idea: if you're going to hire Elizabeth Spiers, you'd be silly not to put her to work doing what she's best at: blogging. I only hope you have enough time to keep up ElizabethSpiers.com as well.
Many congratulations -- bubbly's on me when I see you next.
Posted by: Felix at September 17, 2003 05:43 PMCongrats. You're the ideal New York success story.
Nicely. I do just want to say that although Choire's pretty good, his tone and sensibility just isn't as fun as yours. Don't give up entirely on Gawker. One problem with the Gawker content of late is that it's been slurving into standard gossip-fare (all-fashion, all the time) when what made it so fun is its below-14th-St sensibility. More gossip about Carroll Gardens, LES, LIC!
Posted by: Brad at September 17, 2003 09:20 PMDoes this mean your 'opinions about New York magazine have changed'? I third or fourth of nth celebrating your upgrade (though we will leave it to you to decide if moving from Gawker to New York is a step up), but sending you off without any snark wouldn't be keeping it real, would it?
Posted by: nic at September 17, 2003 10:13 PMCongrats! Well deserved. Since when is earning a living writing selling out? You're probably the envy of a whole bunch of bloggers. I just hope you continue wreaking the same havoc in your new gig that you did in your old.
Posted by: Howard at September 17, 2003 10:50 PMCongratulations!
Posted by: David at September 17, 2003 11:08 PMYay! Mazel tov, chicken! Now you'll be put in the highly ironic position of having Gawker mock your NY Mag articles. That means you've made it, or something.
(Off topic to Brad above -- please send me tips about interesting downtown stuff, I'd appreciate it.)
Posted by: Choire at September 18, 2003 12:37 AMIf you can make it there, you'll make it anywhere, Liz! Kudos on your success, and best wishes for more.
Anyone else have a mental picture of Liz tossing a cap in the air, a la Mary Tyler Moore...?
Posted by: David at September 18, 2003 12:58 AMCongratulations on landing at New York magazine... when Steve Brill buys it ask him for some equity. :-)
all the best,
Jason
Posted by: JasonCalacanis at September 18, 2003 01:05 AMInspirational.Getting an idea of what crap Australian television is soon to be bombarded with from there is strangely helpful.I have still managed to avoid every episode and all conversations about Australian Idle.
The humour of your snarkiness soon turns to
nausea when Ashton Kutcher materializes(sort of)
on my television.
Punk'd starts next week(Kill me now!)As does Queer eye.
YES! Jason Calacanis shove that bulls--t offer up your arse! Hahahaha!
Can you believe this assh-le had the nerve to make a smart ass comment to Elizabeth about equity with her new gig? (don't pretend it was serious, or witty, it was a subtle jab) wow, a piss-ant scorned is a bitter beast. EAT IT Jason!
Posted by: Karen at September 18, 2003 01:32 AMI join everyone else in offering you your due congratulations. I've been reading Gawker from the near beginning (and have since read the archives) and thoroughly enjoyed your snark factor. We'll miss you, but since most of us are New York readers anyhow, we'll find you again soon enough.
Choire has some big shoes to fill. Perhaps we'll see you in Vanity Fair's paparazzi shots at the premiere party of Gawker L.A.?
I wish you the best.
Posted by: David Hauslaib at September 18, 2003 01:39 AMChoire's funnier!!
Posted by: abc at September 18, 2003 04:37 AMWhy do people always say "selling out" like it's a bad thing? Selling out is very underrated. Congrats Elizabeth (I refuse to say Liz b/c that could accidentally turn into Lizzie..Grubman, and we hope you never get to that.)
Posted by: Darryl at September 18, 2003 04:55 AMoh, calcanis that u even dare showing up here again...
Posted by: miguel at September 18, 2003 05:38 AMCongrats, Liz, you deserve every ounce of it :)
I always knew Gawker would take you far eventually. I just didn't think "eventually" would happen THAT quickly. Ha. It's so cool.
Godspeed!
Posted by: hugh macleod at September 18, 2003 07:27 AMWow. In the rock-n-roll world of blogging, you just landed a major label deal.
I believe in the meritocracy!
Congratulations to you, Elizabeth, and good luck on your new adventure.
Great to make more money and have health insurance. I'm sure this will compensate for watercooler politics, casual Fridays, 8.30AM staff meetings, editors...
Posted by: henrycopeland at September 18, 2003 09:34 AMElizabeth: Congrats on the new job. I've always liked NY Mag no matter what everyone says. Good thing we got you for "Feuds" because now your handlers will say no to everything.
Posted by: Steve at September 18, 2003 09:50 AMCongrats, Elizabeth...This rocks, makes me want to dance like a hampster. Looks like I need to get a subscription to the mag now!
Mega dittos from the kids outside Pianos.
Posted by: Lock at September 18, 2003 10:27 AMFelicitations! Very well-deserved. I just hope you are not in charge of feeding Michael Wolff his Valium.
Posted by: Jen at September 18, 2003 10:29 AMcongrats!
Posted by: bryan at September 18, 2003 11:07 AMAnyone else a little worried about this? I'm not convinced that going from freelance demimonde demi-icon to salaried slogger at a magazine ***that's currently onsale*** could ever be considered brilliant career stewardship. Don't get me wrong, E - you're great and I wish you the best of luck; I'm just concerned that you're gonna need it.
Posted by: David at September 18, 2003 11:30 AMGood luck. It's tough to join when the ownership situation is so muddled. Personally, I'm rooting for Texas Monthly to buy y'all. The people who launched it are good people.
Posted by: Dana Blankenhorn at September 18, 2003 11:32 AMCongrats Elizabeth...we will miss you. Hope that we can read your snark on the new NY Mag blog.
Posted by: BF at September 18, 2003 11:40 AMYou're not selling out - - you're buying in.
Posted by: j-go at September 18, 2003 11:52 AMI look forward to your hamburger recommendations.
Posted by: A-Po at September 18, 2003 11:55 AMCheers, Elizabeth. NYMag will be a better place for your talents. I trust this means the next party for Neal Pollack will be at Cipriani 42nd Street?
Posted by: John Edwards at September 18, 2003 12:07 PMyou go, elizabeth! you can't be too surprised by this great new change--you seem to have been made for sucess with all your great work. GO GIRL!
Posted by: imissny at September 18, 2003 01:39 PMElizabeth,
Congrats, good for you. Now I don't have to read your snarky bullshit on Gawker, I get the underwhelming pleasure of reading your P-Diddy-inspired puff pieces in the single shallowest publication in this great city. Again, good for you.
-Charles
Congratulations, well deserved. Unfortunately, you are by far the best thing about that tired old rag.
And Jason's right - go for the equity (but you knew that).
Choire is a great choice - he's a scream - but you did a better job of stepping back and letting the material do the work. I hope Choire can learn to do that.
Posted by: ron at September 18, 2003 01:57 PMI know, Mr Brathwaite, it's such a shame to see Liz wasting her talent on mere gossip when she could be using it for far higher purposes.
Luckily we have people like you to vigilantly remind us about what is real, true, meaningful (not to mention deeply fascinating) during our short time here on Earth.
I feel my heart strangely and suddenly warmed....
Posted by: hugh macleod at September 18, 2003 02:17 PMElizabeth.
Your Gawker thing is such a BS try at a publicity stunt. Why are people all such starfuckers. Who cares who wears trucker hats or if J-Lo ate a peanut butter snadwich this morning while holding a tape of Gigli. Do you care? If that makes them happy, let it be. You are like the NY literary version of any 'actor' in LA trying to chase some bullshit dream around. Why don't you write something intellectual and interesting instead. And be yourself.
Realist
Posted by: realIST at September 18, 2003 02:32 PMCongrats, wish you the best. You'll be missed!
Posted by: Andrew at September 18, 2003 02:37 PM"Realist" -
i hate explaining the joke, but i suppose i have to.
Again.
*Sigh.* How tedious.
Posted by: Elizabeth at September 18, 2003 02:49 PM
Right the fuck on, E.
Have fun at the magazine.
Congratulations! (Does this mean that New York will stop sucking now?)
Posted by: Vidiot at September 18, 2003 03:48 PMsellout is a term that kids with trust funds use to feel better than the kids from the midwest who actually have to get jobs to pay off their college loans. embrace it like the word bitch -- it is the Next Big Thing to be the biggest friggin' sellout that you possibly can ... at least until the debt is gone and you can jump off the grid and hang out with obscure academics (or -- better yet -- BECOME an obscure academic).
three cheers for espiers, who wasn't afraid to take a risk with the gawker bidness in the first place. some of us would be so lucky to have such balls.
Posted by: zinegrrl at September 18, 2003 06:01 PMWhat's a "job" exactly?! I heard of one, a long time ago, but then I thought the government outlawed them.
Big congratulations from Boston. I love the name "New Yawker" especially at New York Magazine -- give The New Yorker a much needed kick in the ass. Is that really going to be the title?!
Bon Voyage -- Ms. Comment
Posted by: Halley's Comment at September 18, 2003 07:04 PM(Sniff.) The homegirl made good.
Posted by: Mac Thomason at September 18, 2003 09:29 PMDuke Duke motherfucker! Duke Duke!
Posted by: Brian at September 19, 2003 09:39 AMBrian owes you a shot of milk*.
Good on ya, Elizabeth.
*tequila
Posted by: Martin at September 19, 2003 02:10 PManyone who snarks their way to success is my hero...i'm sad you're leaving gawker, but i have faith in choire. mazel tov.
Well, rock out with your, er, pen out!
Congratulations!
Isn't it weird when someone says you're not qualified for a job because you're a fag, but then complains that you don't have a female touch?
Posted by: Choire at September 20, 2003 03:08 PMi should perhaps point out here that homophobic comments, personal attacks, etc., do not fall within the parameters of "free speech" here at elizabethspiers.com and especially not when they're directed against friends of mine. (it's my site, yo.)
choire has the gawker job because, among other things, I recommended him for it. he's damn funny and extremely talented and I've linked to nearly everything he's ever written (often while slapping my palm to my forehead, and saying to no one in particular, "fuck! why didn't I think of that?") the tone is slightly different, but gawker needed a change anyway. if anything, choire's probably a bit stifled by sticking to my old format--choire being choire is way better than choire being me. i just hope he doesn't get snatched up by some magazine before he has a chance to remake it in a way that totally utilizes that voice.
he'll probably skewer me on gawker (it's his job, now that i'm "big media"). and i'll probably enjoy it.
Posted by: Elizabeth at September 20, 2003 06:24 PMPlease, more on the New York Mag blog--they don't tell us anything fun.--the bald guy in copy
Posted by: Carl at September 20, 2003 09:54 PMGosh, I'm so late on this. Anyway, congratulations! I used to read that magazine frequently when I was a magazine-and-entertainment-obsessed introvert and bored, small-town teenager - because I read everything, really, but nothing particularly heavy - not, say, Dante's "Inferno" in Latin, via interlibrary loan. And we didn't have the Internet then. God, life was sad.
Posted by: Ray at September 22, 2003 01:27 AMjust skip the mag and go straight to the book deal. don't draw out the obvious for us.
god, all the above comments are so masturbatory. are there still so many people angling for a job at New York that they need suck up so badly.
Posted by: cd at September 22, 2003 10:56 AMCongratulations. (btw there should be some new, original content up at the Hitchens web tonight or tomorrow)
Posted by: Peter K. at September 22, 2003 12:47 PMMy goodness. I had no idea you had turned so far away from your Mayberry-like upbringing in Wetumpka. What happened to that sweet girl with the big dark eyes that I taught in Vacation Bible School? Please say this is all an act to make it big in the big city.
Posted by: Laura Thornton at September 28, 2003 06:05 PMCongratulations, kid. Kick some ass.
Posted by: Steven I. Weiss at September 30, 2003 06:21 PM