Sunday, June 14, 2015

A letter from the editor

Hello, my name is John Elsasser and I have been running this website for the past eight years or so.

There are a few people involved with EV Grieve — some of them are anonymous, some of them are not. Regardless, I oversee everything.

I've been thinking about using my name on the site for several years. However, I resisted. It's not a personal website, and the blog isn't about me or what I had for dinner last night or what I did this past weekend. It's a news site about the neighborhood, for the neighborhood. Everyone has a voice and the opportunity to share a story, photo or tip, discuss a liquor license application or the latest Citi Bike seats. At least that's how I see it.

But I've dragged my feet with the announcement. I was waiting for a good moment. A blog anniversary maybe? Or when I retired the site. And the years passed. However, it seems easier now to make this disclosure, helped in part that a news site has designs on publishing a "Who is EVG?" article in the days/weeks ahead. After much prodding from the reporter, I eventually agreed to answer some questions via email for the story, but only once I felt convinced that the outlet wasn't trying to out me. I was ultimately wrong.

In the EVG story, you may learn more about me, such as that I grew up in Ohio, and served as the editor of my high school and college newspapers. I also spent a few years working as a reporter after graduation. Today I edit publications for a nonprofit association.

I started this blog in December 2007 after reading in Page Six that Mona’s and Sophie’s, two bars that I spent some time in, were for sale. For some reason, I got the idea to maybe document the end of days at the bars via a blog.

Anyway, before much more happened, with both the blog and the bars, we learned in early 2008 that Mona’s and Sophie’s would remain open.

And that was that. I wrote in a post that the bars were safe, and the site was going away. However, for some reason, Jeremiah Moss of Vanishing New York found the blog. He encouraged me to continue, to focus on other closings and activities in the neighborhood. So I did, changing the name of the site to EV Grieve.

I've always loved this neighborhood, for better or worse, and I probably always will. That sounds corny, but it's true. That drives me more than anything.

I'm not sure really what's next for the site. We'll see how this goes. [Updated: I'm not planning on shutting down the site right this moment ... I'll keep posting for the time being...]

I apologize to my friends, acquaintances and neighbors as well as various bartenders who were unaware that I was behind the site, especially when you asked me "Did you see this at EVG...?" I wanted to say, "Funny you should mention that…" but it always seemed so awkward. (Having had to do this several times, it was.)

Thank you to everyone who takes the time to visit the site, to leave a comment, pass along a tip. And thank you to all the people who have been contributing on a regular basis through the years (Derek Berg, Dave on 7th, Michael Sean Edwards, Stacie Joy, James Maher and Bobby Williams, among many others).

See you around, though hopefully not while I'm carrying my FroYo in a hoof.

242 comments:

1 – 200 of 242   Newer›   Newest»
Anonymous said...

Love your blog. Please continue. Some of us will keep checking back whatever you do, but you write an awesome blog and I personally see no reason why you shouldn't try to make some money at it if that's the direction in which you decide to take the site.

If not, thanks for all the fish...

NOTORIOUS said...

Good! Now I can buy you a drink! In a hoof! Thank you for all of the time and work you put into the site. It's a huge resource to those of us who refuse to move to...

Anonymous said...

Keep up the great work! Here's hoping you get some well deserved free drinks and meals in the near future.

Jeremiah Moss said...

Thank you for keeping up the blog and doing all this hard work over the years. You have many fans out here and we've got your back. Long live EVG!

Laura Goggin Photography said...

Thank you so much for all that you do - the tireless reporting and documenting of this neighborhood, your humor, your generosity for allowing others to contribute and comment, and for creating an invaluable historical document. I read this site every day (sometimes more) and it keeps me going. And you do it all without asking for anything in return.

Keep it up. You have my support.

Rosella said...

I'm a huge fan. Thanks for all the work you've put into EVG. It is so appreciated by so many and I'm really sorry to hear about this turn of events and whoever is behind it, sucks! Do what's best for you going forward and always know that you have a ton of supporters out here.

Romy Ashby said...

Mr. John Elsasser, I love your blog and you have my complete respect and admiration. I'm happy to meet you (and even happier that you've beat the graceless publication/'reporter' planning to out you to the punch). Good for you. Please don't stop blogging. The EV, and indeed the whole city, counts on you. You are a beloved source for news and inspiration, and now everybody will want to buy you a drink! I'll buy you one too!

Anonymous said...

Thank you for all your amazing work!

Fipper said...

Thank you for all your hard work. Your blog captures the EV with so much heart and informs us the news about the EV that we really care about. It is on my feed and I read it everyday. Thank you again and please keep up the good work, you have our support!!!!

Anonymous said...

🙌🙌

Janice said...

We love you and your blog, whoever you are! Please keep it up.

CHurt said...

Thank you and nice to meet you, John. My wife and I are big fans of the blog and have become kind of reliant on it, really. It's a shame this revelation didn't come on your schedule, and I hope it doesn't have undue influence on content or anything. Or cause you more grief than you already have to deal with in this neighborhood, which we love as well.
Hope we can buy you a beer one day, and keep up the good and righteous work.

Anonymous said...

Was it true that you were getting death threats?

The Intern Of EV Grieve said...

Long Live EV Grieve! And may my identity forever remain safe!

Anonymous said...

"Updated: I'm not planning on shutting down the site right this moment ... I'll keep posting for the time being..."

John - This neighborhood NEEDS you, and all that you do for it. What can WE do to help keep this going?

Anonymous said...

You da man!!!! Please make sure the site keeps going no matter what, you keep the real E.V. community strong!
Thank you for everything.

Anonymous said...

Even though I'm no longer in the neighborhood, there are few sites I visit more often then EV Grieve. It's my connection to what's going on in one of the best places I've ever lived. Thanks for all the hard work you do, and please keep it going!

Anonymous said...

Thanks but I am only interested in learning the ID of EV Heave

marjorie said...

Happy to have a name to associate with this site (and nabe) I love so much, but sorry you had to reveal it to get out ahead of some schmuck outing you. Not cool. Outing's for homophobes with secret Grindr lives and holier-than-thou politicians who visit prostitutes, not for regular people doing something good for the neighborhood who've decided for whatever reason to be anonymous.

Anonymous said...

You're not Lady Gaga?!?!?!?!?!?

Anonymous said...

It's too bad people have to make a name for themselves by revealing anonymous bloggers rather than with good work. This isn't a Nikki Fink kind of blog so I'm not sure what the interest is in the revelation. keep up the good work!

Stacie Joy said...

Thanks for all that you have done, are doing, and continue to do for the community, Grieve.

Anonymous said...

Keep up the good work.

Pinch said...

You took control and got ahead of the story. Well done. Also, I'm still going to choose to call you Grieve. Thanks, again.

Crazy Eddie said...

Thank you...for everything.

Greg Masters said...

EV Grieve has been – and, I hope, will continue to be for a long time – an enormous resource and a bright light and celebration of what so many of us appreciate in the East Village. I depend on it, sometimes several times a day, for a jolt of good-humored reports on my neighborhood. Your selfless commitment and untiring energy has been an enormous inspiration. Yes, we have your backs. I am there for whatever I can do to support you.

Mark White said...

I have already forgotten who you are...
I read EVG every day. it is an amazing resource for us all.
I work out of town a few times a year, often for long periods. Your site keeps me connected to the neighborhood.
Thank you

Anonymous said...

As a native East Villager (I was born on the block that the last act of "Taxi Driver" was shot around the same time) I truly appreciate your chronicle. Please continue your wonderful work!

Anonymous said...

I never comment on anything, but had to just say that you're awesome and I love this blog so much. thank you!

Unknown said...

As someone who has seen the neighborhood change from the same window for the past forty years, knowing that its evolution is being meticulously documented is one of the greatest feelings.
The work you have done over the years has been of critical importance and has been of the highest caliber, and I for one hope you continue the excellence for years to come.

Anonymous said...

Grieve, keep it going, please! Keep up the good work b/c we need you - we very much need all of what you're doing with this blog.

You cover it all, from the large to the small (and there's your motto, if you happen to need one, LOL!) - I like the mix of serious news and what I think of as "fro-yo" coverage!

I depend on this site to find out what's happening in & around my home in the East Village. You get the news AND you get it right - which puts you far ahead of many of the more 'traditional' news outlets.

Your work in covering the 2nd Avenue explosion has been truly essential - you covered it in more & better detail than anyone/anywhere else (and that's partly b/c you are an established, known, trusted blog). Your coverage helped us ALL by giving specifics on what was happening, how to help our displaced neighbors & how to help support local businesses - plus which you're keeping the situation at Stage and B&H fresh in our minds, which is, IMO, utterly necessary.

I think you deserve an award, and I really, really hope you'll keep this place open & running long into the future. I don't care what your name is, and I probably wouldn't recognize you if I saw you on the street - but I am hugely, eternally grateful for all you have done & continue to do!

Caleo said...

I have read this blog basically every day, frequently several times a day, for the last 7 years. You've created an incredible resource, irreplaceable really. Please don't stop. I also commend your commitment to generally uncensored opinions in the comments.
Long live EVG !!!!

SS1979 said...

Thank you for focusing on the real news and content of the neighborhood. Your site is the only site remembered on my iPhone's browser because that is how often I check in. The real source for real info. Glad you got ahead of someone else's agenda and hope you remain the best "in the biz." Much respect for a selfless professional. I hope one day I have an opportunity to buy you a drinkn for keeping me informed and connected to everything EV. Cheers.

lindsay said...

I truly hope you continue the blog. I am so sorry to hear that there were such sneaky and awful motives involved with this. You have done so much amazing work for the neighborhood and for NYC and I am so grateful for all you have done.
I wish you nothing but the best! Thank you for everything.

Anonymous said...

Thank you!! When I go to my local brown bar (a European term meaning a bar that hasn't changed its character in decades), the first thing many of the regulars mention is EV Grieve--something they've read and they want to share. You've helped give a feeling of community (a much overused word) to the EV. Bravo!!!

Bayou said...

I think today's tree passed out from shock. Honestly, if you hadn't of done this I wouldn't have found your Twitter on which you posted the Wired article about emojii, which is most valuable piece of journalism ever.

chris flash said...

Can't say more than what's already been said, but you ARE loved and NEEDED as a vital part of our community's fabric.

You have been performing a wonderful public service since 2007 and we are the better off for it.

Thank you....

Anonymous said...

If I had a dime for every time I've said to a friend "Did you see that thing on EV Grieve?", I'd have enough for a down payment on one of Ben Shaoul's illegal penthouses. I've lived in the neighborhood for 15 years and come to rely on you as a crucial news source. How else am I supposed to keep track of the great Master Softee fiasco of 2014 or the street closures for Ninja Turtles and/or Smurfs filming? If I find myself noticing things around the neighborhood and thinking "WTF is going on here?", I know that I will undoubtedly come home to find the answer on this site. What I appreciate most is your commitment to the people of this neighborhood and the fact that we now know your name is neither here nor there. If anything, we finally have the chance to formally thank you.

Looking forward to reading the upcoming outing and letting the writer have it.

Sincerely,
5th floor walkup, 7th & A

Anonymous said...

So, what did you have for dinner last night?

Jill said...

Now we know your name but I still dont know who you are. You have a distinct writing voice that perfectly suits the topic you are writing about, it's uncanny. I've moved away but my heart remains downtown and you're a primary connection to it. Please dont stop writing , and maybe now you can sell out and get compensation. The work you put in is enormous, almost unimaginable. You must be the best multitasker in town. We love you, and what's in a name?

Anonymous said...

Anonymous journalist trying to out an anonymous blogger but the former wants to remain anonymous? -- the irony and cowardice.

This exposé of EVG is part of that bikesharing overhauling their system conspiring with the Communist Board 3 and the real estate sledgehammers to take you down so that it'll pave the way for more liquor licenses, docking stations, and high-rise condos without having some anonymous blogger riling up opposition to the beautification and progression of the city that always changes.

Brooks of Sheffield said...

Nice to know you.

Anonymous said...

As someone who first worked in the East Village at LaMama in 1973, and most recently at New York Eye and Ear in 2014, your blog is one of my few 'must reads'every day and sometimes several times a day. Please know that you make a difference and please...please...please don't quit.

Anonymous said...

You have done so much for this community. Thank you is too little too little so next drink is on me.
Seriously, your humility is refreshing.
Cheers!
H

Anonymous said...

The east village may be dead but this blog keeps it alive. Thank you

derek berg said...

EV, I've read all the comments and it's clear what an impression you've made on all of us lucky enough to have discovered and become regular visitors to your site. I've been even luckier because you've often found spots for my EV images. For me your still EV.

Someone Said said...

I remember you when you lived in Columbus. Keep up the good work

esquared™ said...

I thought you're Gruber MacDougal or the tiger in Cadillac.

Won't be surprised if anonymous journalist probably was hired by the Frozen Unknown Corporation Kitschy Yogurt Organization United. Or could be The Long-Lost Intern of EV Grieve coming back to roost after all those long hours of work including weekends only to be paid in dumplings and froyos instead of the social caché and bottomless brunch promised.

Unknown said...

If John pays for a beer in this 'hood ever again, we've failed ourselves. I personally can't wait to buy him a round or three and talk face to face if and when he ever wants, at the bar of his choosing (I've been meaning to enjoy the re-opened Holiday Cocktail Lounge, wink nudge.)

But in all seriousness, it's pathetic that people would rather try and "out" a blogger doing ACTUAL important work, instead of, ya know, doing that work themselves. So screw him, and whatever pathetic publication that runs this snuff. I'm boycotting it preemptively. I shared a few more thoughts on facebook, if anyone cares to read....

https://www.facebook.com/SamTeichman/posts/10155707081455052

Anonymous said...

Hey Man. This ain't "Cheers". Nobody gives a dick about your name.

THOU ARE GEIEVE. AND EVER SHALL BE.
SO SAITH - Anonymous

agranddayout said...

Never stop! Never be quiet! I remember years ago when the 'Jefferson' was being constructed I sent you weekly progress pictures while we moarned the loss of our mystery lot. I asked you what I should address you in my emails. You said 'Grieve' will do. It still does it for me today! I look forward to your blog every day! Stay...

Anonymous said...

Wow, I had a migraine and sat in the dark all day and this happens. Now my "I'm EV Grieve" shirts will be a bust. What news source outed you? Ill stop reading it. Half the fun of EVG is the endless question of your identity.
Do not stop the site, please. It is probably the main reason boyfriend and I even speak in the morning. As in, "did you see this?' or "I read on Grieve..."
I momentarily put Jeremiah in my #1 spot last week, not knowing you were in this space. Please don't get soft though, the people you poke fun at and question deserve it.
The person that outed you against your will is a loser. And if it stops the Grieve ,it will suck, a lot.

Shawn said...

oh.my.god. wow. I'm greiving now. your anonymity was awesome.... but your ability to provide so much news (& supercool music Fridays!) and allow a riotous commentary to flow too?! you are simply amazing. keep on keeping on!


(8th St misses you)

Scooby said...

My heartfelt thanks for your time, effort and love in creating and continuing your amazing blog. You are my link to the neighborhood that I learned NYC from - and the neighborhood I love the most. From my humble. naive beginnings at that little place at 15 E 7th Street (my Alma Mater in the bar/restaurant business) to my bizarre fascination with Zoltar - you shine a light on all that goes on in the area I feel is my home (though oddly I have never lived there - not yet anyway). Your passion/work provides a connection when I am far away but also when I'm there as well. Magic - simply magic.
Some guy in history once said "What is in a name?" - Bill Something-or-other and we all know he nailed human behavior timelessly. We all have names - does it matter if they are known?

Along with many others I'd like to buy you a drink - perhaps light, perhaps dark - in thanks for all you represent in spirit and for your endless work and effort. Let us know if you need anything to help this remain the link we have to our neighborhood from near and far.

Much Respect, brother...

Rob D said...

I can't imagine an East Village without ya, Grieve.

Anonymous said...

But why stop? Did I miss something? I'm here in the EV, check in with this site every day and would miss you terribly if you went away. I love everything about it. Thanks for keeping a really great website for us all for so long and I hope it continues way into the future.

Gojira said...

Grieve, I am so sorry you were on the verge of being "outed" by some sneaky shit-stirrer, who saw you as a feather in their cap rather than the dedicated chronicler of this neighborhood you have been for the past 7+ years. Please continue the vital, informative, funny, comprehensive work of letting us know what is happening in the East Village we love. You are one of the wider strands of glue that bind so many of us to each other; because of you we get to exchange opinions, correct, admire, denounce, swap jokes, and connect, with neighbors we don't know, have never met, would not recognize if we passed them on the street, but with whom we have nonetheless built ongoing online interactions and connections, and all thanks to the wide-open forum you afford us. I'd be gutted without the site to go to half a dozen times a day, both to keep up on what's happening and to be either amused or outraged by the comments. Where else could I turn for (the all-too-infrequent) bulletins about Kita the Wonder Dog or the Carnivorous Night Heron? See what I mean?

So for all you do, my eternal thanks and gratitude. For all you hopefully please please pretty please will continue to do, the same. And for the gutless lying hack who was out to disrespect your privacy, seriously bad cess and juju to them.

xoxo

rubygirl said...

Thank you for your tireless celebration of our neighborhood. Nothing can replace the work you do. It is a pleasure to meet you... what did you say your name was again?

We need you and hope you will continue your good work until you can't stand to do it anymore... not because you are forced out by some jerk. Who's name and journalistic career will rest in obscurity.

Anonymous said...

I LOVE your blog and will be eternally tied to the EV just as you are. Your blog shows your connection.

Katie Mac said...

I check EVG before I check my e-mail. I hope the blog sticks around! Either way, thank you for everything!!

Anonymous said...

Love the site. This post is kinda weird?? I hope it's not the beginning of the end.

Anonymous said...

Long time reader Thank You for all your efforts here much appreciate and Echoing all the other comments to say Please keep on keeping on EV Grieve Best Source of INfo for the goings on in our community ever Thank You

ak said...

Also, im, still, extremely happy that your stilllllll using my mars evgrieve grafitti. Community is the best. The only half way ok thing ive ever done while drunk.

pinhead said...

Much love and support, Grieve.

Brian said...

Love your blog. Read it every day. Great reporting. It is my NY.

Anonymous said...

I still read your blog even though I moved out of EV a few years ago. Thank you for keeping me informed of what is going on in my favorite neighborhood. Please keep it up.

Cassondra said...

Thank you for all the years of covering the news for the neighborhood I call home. Thank you for answering my questions when I've reached out, and thank you, John and all of the people that made the East Village Grieve possible, for caring about something that is so dear to me.

I have to admit, reading this article made me tear up for fear of grieving for the East Village Grieve. The East Village has lost so much; it does not need to lose its voice. Please don't think of this as the end, but as a new beginning. We need and respect you.

greg6833 said...

I can't think of anything to say that hasn't already been said except to add my THANKS! and hope to visit this site again and again and again forever and ever!

Sheila R said...

Damn! I wanted to host a reveal party.
Thanks for everything.

Cassondra said...

Thank you for all the years of covering the news for the neighborhood I call home. Thank you for answering my questions when I've reached out, and thank you, John and all of the people that made the East Village Grieve possible, for caring about something that is so dear to me.

I have to admit, reading this article made me tear up for fear of grieving for the East Village Grieve. The East Village has lost so much; it does not need to lose its voice. Please don't think of this as the end, but as a new beginning. We need and respect you.

Anonymous said...

John thank you for doing this blog. What was that "writer" gonna "out" you for, doing the best blog about NYC written by someone in NYC?

Who is this writer who was planning to out you? I don't want to support this guy.

Hey Writer Guy post on here and apologize to John for being a dick.

Anonymous said...

Another huge fan... your blog has helped our community keep its community feeling despite everything. Thank you and please don't go away! If you need to make changes to reduce the personal burden, I promise not to freak out.

Zoltar said...

Wow, I never saw that coming.

51 Astor Place said...

Since we're opening up, Watson is an insufferable know-it-all. And we're in love.

Anonymous said...

What a surprise! Bedford + Bowery were behind it, the blog with the NYU connection. Here's the writer's lame attempt of explaining why she needed to out Grieve: http://bedfordandbowery.com/2015/06/the-story-of-ev-grieve-a-greta-garbo-for-the-east-village/

Anonymous said...

I'm now a denizen of the LES, but I still read your blog almost every day, which shows it travels, well, across Delancey. Anyway, love the unique way you approach hyper-local news and I think you're personally responsible for keeping people aware and engaged of their unique neighborhood. It's certainly taken a battering, but there's still nowhere else like it!

Anonymous said...

It was Elizabeth Flock of Bedford + Bowery that tried to out EV Grieve. Here is a link to the story she just posted:

http://bedfordandbowery.com/2015/06/the-story-of-ev-grieve-a-greta-garbo-for-the-east-village/

Anonymous said...

Cassandra is 1,000% right when she says "the East Village has lost so much; it does not need to lose its voice." PLEASE keep this site going -- we REALLY DO NEED what you are doing. I can't imagine what it would be like to not have this site.

There are a zillion good reasons this blog keeps getting named "best local blog," and "essential neighborhood blog" - firstly b/c it IS all that - but more importantly it all comes down to the fact that you cared enough to start this & you continue to care enough to keep this place humming along. Your hard work benefits this entire community - THANK YOU!

shmnyc said...

Mr. Grieve,

May I still call you that? You probably already know that I was interviewed for the piece. Her questions had to do with the negativity of this blog. I don't think I was much help to them though. The questions were too open-ended. I think she expected me to go on a rant, but I just don't feel that strongly about it. It's more my style to write something positive elsewhere.

This is not a reason to stop writing. You'll probably go through a transition where you feel like you're parodying yourself, but it sill pass. In time, not having to hide your identify will probably allow you to write little details that you always had to edit out in the past.

BTW, where in Ohio are you from? I'm from Youngstown.

Anonymous said...

This blog makes me feel at home. These comments are a testament to the work that you do. It's irreplaceable because it's uniquely YOU- regardless of your name. Thank you for your commitment to our community, and for being an exceptional journalist/blogger/human.

Anonymous said...

An interesting tidbit that speaks to her lack of character: Elizabeth Flock, the writer who tried to out EV Grieve, was fired from the Washington Post for what was described as "a significant ethical lapse."

http://www.poynter.org/news/mediawire/170383/washington-post-editors-note-says-post-was-a-significant-ethical-lapse/

Anonymous said...

Love your blog. Begin and end every day with it. Quote it often, Link stories to friends afar.
Please keep going
SB

Anonymous said...

Just wanted to add my voice to those thanking you for your work. As the operator of a couple of small blogs that are nowhere near as good or regularly updated as this I know how much work this is and that it must truly be a labour of love.
Also as someone who is being unwillingly priced out of the neighborhood (and most likely the city) by NYU and the finance industry I get very cynical about the state of the EV and the city at large. One of the things I really appreciate and admire about you is the lack of cynicism in the writing. That is healthy and helpful and useful. You are reporting and informing and doing great work. I hope you keep it up and if I have to move to the country I will continue to visit and enjoy the news.

Ken from Ken's Kitchen said...

John who?

Anonymous said...

Surprise surprise - the comments function on that crappy B+B blog is "experiencing issues" I bet it is.

Anonymous said...

"Produced by NYU’s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute in collaboration with New York magazine, B + B covers the East Village"

And there you have it! NYU isn't content with dominating the real estate and culture of the East Village, now they want control over the blogs too? Wow! Just... wow.

JM said...

What an idiot Flock is.

Grieve, I hope you don't stop. This blog is a lifeline for a lot of people who don't get around as much as they used to, and a news center even for people who do. It's the most important neighborhood blog the LES has, hands down.

I've forgotten your "real" name already. I never wanted to know it. And I hope the people who do know you personally try to cut you some slack and not let this outing change their relationships with you.

aegisnyc said...

This must be a relief to you, but it changes so little--we all still need EVGrieve to report on the news and the absurd (and the intersection thereof).

However, it IS nice not to look around at my fellow EVill obsessives and think, "Is he EVGrieve?" "Is it her?"

Welcome to the light, John, but don't stop snooping around the dark corners, please.

Russell said...

Is EV Heave coming out too?

Anonymous said...

EVG is the NYT for our little piece of Manhattan. I read it daily and even as a long time resident I discover things about the East Village which I did not know existed. As a poster which prefers to remain anonymous I understand your position but you should be proud of your amazing blog and all the people it has kept informed and dare I say helped over the years.

Jonathan Miller said...

Thanks for all your hard work John. I love to check in and see what's going on in my favorite neighborhood.

Anonymous said...

Wow, that that Flock woman has the guts to try to publish a sensational piece on Grieve (OMG HE's FROM OHIO!!!) after she was kicked out of Washington Post for plagiarism... Nice ethics. I wrote a similar comment on her article.

Grieve, my husband and I moved to the EV (from out of state) 6 years ago. We chose this neighborhood because of the feeling of community it still had / has and because of the many Polish / Ukrainian businesses and institutions (which is where I'm from). Your blog has helped us be conscious and good neighbors, and get engaged in the many goings-on in the neighborhood. Increasingly, as a non-drinker and a general non-woo, I question what I'm doing here, especially as many of my beloved neighborhood places close (come on, Stage and 1st Ave Pierogi...). It sounds corny, but your blog means a lot to many people.

I once made a totally innocent comment that was quoted out of context in a major newspaper and led to absolutely unwarranted harassment and ridicule. Such is the state of our society in anonymized internet. I thought you were always a class act on your blog, despite being anonymous, but many people will not be. I understand the pickle you're in; your private life will be affected by this, as unnecessary as it is. But I hope you decide to continue the blog. Thanks for your great work!

Hey19 said...

Ohio?!?!

Anonymous said...

Another checking in...Long Live EV Grieve.

blue glass said...

so we know your name - maybe it was more fun not knowing. so what.
your name does not have any effect on the blog or the readers.

all we care about is the content and we look forward to the mostly daily (sometimes hourly) posts and pictures. you are our go to for information.

those that love the blog will continue to read it. those that don't will continue to trash you.
did it matter before? what's changed?

equilibrist said...

Yeah it was always a fun little exercise to speculate on your identity--I had a bet with a friend that you were actually "EV Grieve contributor Stacie Joy." But really, so we know your name now, so what? I wouldn't know you if I saw you on the street, and I'm sure that's true for most of us. Regardless, please, please, please keep doing what you're doing! I don't know how I could survive in the EV without your reporting. Thank you, Grieve, for all that you do for the whole neighborhood!

Bobby G said...

You gotta keep it up dude and don't change the name. EVG has attained an important spot in the NYC media landscape -- no small accomplishment! Congrats. If you gotta start taking ads, I think your readers would trust your discretion. People need to get paid for work -- even when they love it. Just don't sell out.

Anonymous said...

Elizabeth Flock's student profile notes how she learned about the importance of humanity in all writing from Roger Ebert, but she clearly didn't. Roger had standards, and he wasn't out to hurt people. He would have never written this piece.

There was no reason to out EV Grieve beyond making a name for herself.

http://journalism.nyu.edu/graduate/courses-of-study/literary-reportage/student-profiles/

I do wonder if this was her idea or if it was pushed on her by an editor. EV Grieve--and his commenters--have called out NYU on its bullshit, and maybe that inspired the site to go after him.

Anonymous said...

EV Grieve was the jam...and is STILL the jam. Don't quit!

Anonymous said...

Thank you for everything. This blog is a wonderful resource for all of us in the neighborhood. Can't imagine my time here without it.

Shawn said...

To the "news outlet" outing Mr. Grieve, I have this to say: I will be personally contacting every advertiser you have to inform them of a formal boycott. Some of your advertisers will see a financial penalty for running this piece.

Perhaps its not too late for you to not publish the piece? Mr. Grieve can then retract his letter, and we can all go back to the news of the neighborhood. "Who he was" never mattered to anyone (but was fun guessing).

Shawn G. Chittle
East Village

Anonymous said...

I can't wait until other new outlets dig into this story. There have to be good journalists out there who are fans of EV Grieve and want to find out the motivations behind this piece and more about the writer.

I want to know why Bedford + Bowery would retain the services of a "journalist" who voluntarily resigned from the Washington Post for plagiarism. Is she a student at NYU? Do you automatically get to write for Bedford + Bowery if you are paying tuition at NYU? That can be the only reason I can think of as for why they would allow someone with a background in plagiarism to write for this university-backed outlet. I want an explanation. How do the other journalists there feel about this?

I also want to know if the people who run Bedford + Bowery harbored ill will and jealousy toward EV Grieve as he covers East Village news better than anyone and routinely broke the big stories first. Maybe some journalists who write for Bedford + Bowery and were against outing EV Grieve--and I suspect there are some--would be willing to discuss this either on the record or anonymously.

Were there any higher-ups at NYU that resented EV Grieve's negative coverage of NYU's real estate dealings? Was there pressure from above to get him back by outing him?

Like other readers, I have so many questions!

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much for your blog. I get a lot of information about the neighborhood from you. I hope you can continue with it. I'm sure it's a lot of work, but you are really a wonderful public servant.

Anonymous said...

The examples of why that person ( I refuse yo write her name) needed to out you are all concerning people that have changed our community for the worse. She quoted a blogger that was pro 7-11 , FFS. This proves that we need our Grieve now more than ever! And Bedford and Bowery is on the never read again list for myself and I'm guessing many East Villagers. Even thinking about it and that insipid "journalist" makes me through up a little in my mouth.

Anonymous said...

Just wanted to add my support as well. You are obviously beloved! Thanks so much for your hard work.

Anonymous said...

I looked at Elizabeth Flock's Twitter account, and I find it interesting that she hasn't tweeted a link to her big story. It's been up for a few hours now, and you would think she would want to get the word out.

I wonder if our comments exposing her past as a plagiarist and the general idiocy of what she did have to do with her not wanting to share the story.

Or maybe she will share it on Twitter now that she is getting called out.

creature said...

Finally we'll get to hear about what Grieve had for dinner. I can't wait. Keep up the good work.

Anonymous said...

And yet here you were protecting that NYU loco blog whenever I rail against them here not publishing those comments. And remember when that "local" blog, form which Bedford & Bowery spwaned from, stole content from Bob Arihood without crediting him? That was a telltale of their character they don't have. And that author's excuse for outing you because Ariel Palitz complained about you being anonymous. Not surprised that CB3 is partly behind it. In a year or two, Elizabeth Flock would be flocking back to her sheltered existence back to mommy and daddy.

Anonymous said...

Good work Generation Zuckerberg! Because you grew up in a generation that willingly gave up your online privacy doesn't give you the right to take the privacy of others - especially after presenting yourself as having other intentions with your blog post. Authors have used pen names for generations and this is no different. Maybe once you have a little life experience under your belt, you'll realize what a stupid thing you just did.

Andrew Tyndall said...

As I was walking up Avenue A just yesterday afternoon my partner asked me about EV Grieve. "At first I thought she was a woman," I answered. "Now I am not so sure. A Catholic, I think," I added. "Otherwise there would not be so much information about St Brigid's and the Most Holy Redeemer and Our Lady. Probably a bit younger than we are," I concluded, "an adolescent when The Clash came along. Joe Strummer seems to be a formative influence."

Ah well, this Captain Ahab will have to give up the search for the True Grieve and switch to the real white whale in his life, the quest to expose that nefarious, backstabbing, moneylaundering, shakedown artist Gruber MacDougal and his ne'er-do-well Rego Park cronies.

Anonymous said...

Oh God...This is her description of herself on Twitter...

Itinerant journalist @NYU. Writing a book on love in Mumbai. Indian in a past life. Alum: @usnews, @washingtonpost & @forbesindia. ✉:

I gagged at her reference to being "Indian in a past life."

Is she a potential Rachel Dolezal or what?

RFM said...

Well played, sir. I truly hope you continue with this blog; as you can see from the comments, it means so much to many people—including myself, even all the way out here in San Francisco.

Anonymous said...

Thank you John for your valuable contribution to this community! I for one would welcome your adding ads to the feed as you should get paid for your work. Your blog has become the glue holding this neighborhood together. Cheers!

brian P. katz said...

You are our activist Watcher... with humor and great taste in music. Please, hang on.

10:52 a.m. said...

And you still protect that "local" blog. I don't know if that's nobility or naiveté.

Elizabeth Flock is the Chuck Tatum or J.J. Hunsecker of the East Village and yellow journalism.

bowboy said...

just here to 2nd all that has been said. sorry that you had to out. but amen to all this site has meant to us. -R

Tom Clark said...

i always say it's the first thing i read every single morning.....i wanna know what's goin' on in my own backyard before i read about the rest of the worlds goings on! You always offer good information, insight, a good laugh or ten and you are actually bringing the community together and making us aware of many things we might not know about. You are one good dude. Thank you for all you've done (and continue to do!) Your neighbor, Tom Clark

Anonymous said...

Dude - it's pretty adorable that you've wanted to remain anonymous for so long - since you're *our* own local star reporter!! And from oHIo - yum (I'm currently dating a Dayton ex-pat)... So pleeeeease tell us how we can help. Gothamist and others periodically post "please send us your submissions" reqs. I would love to know where to send tidbits and photos. Thaaaaanks for all your dedication and hard work. We love you!!!

P.S.
In fact; please let a bunch of your fellow EVers help if for no other reason than the fact that it will help you remain quasi-anonymous (since nobody'll know exactly who it was that posted a particular piece). Protect the press!!

Anonymous said...

What a tacky move on their part!
I love your blog, it is the first thing I read in the morning.

CurlyZip said...

While I wondered about the identity of Ev Grieve and thought it would be fun to have a T-shirt, I appreciated not knowing and speculating about it. I find this is whole "outing" very mean-spirited and discomfiting. At the same time, I don't think it has to affect the output and genius of this wonderful news blog. Keep up the good work!

Anonymous said...

It's strange how Flock had a desire to out Grieve. Why not, say, Jeremiah? This seems personal.

Please note that I am not calling for anyone to out Jeremiah. It is a sad fact of modern life, though, that anonymity is almost impossible for writers.

Sorry this happened to you, Grieve. Flock seems like an asshole. If she had problems with you "outing" Schwimmer or Shaoul, she could have written about that specifically at the time. Frankly, anyone who has a problem with outing Ben fucking Shaoul, destroyer of the neighborhood, is a mental patient.

Greg Masters said...

As misguided as Elizabeth Flock was in writing her piece for Bedford and Bowery, the editor of the site is responsible for encouraging it and letting it run. As the site is associated with NYU's journalism school, I would urge EV Grieve readers to write editor@bedfordandbowery.com, and let him/her know your thoughts.

My letter said something along the lines of despicable, terrible agenda in the name of investigative journalism, etc.

The tragedy is, Bedford and Bowery will be satisfied that the article attracted attention and "hits," despite its unethical intentions.

Any teacher or administrator at NYU associated with this student's article ought to be condemned for their lack of integrity, and those who don't disassociate themselves from the article or who don't criticize it for its evil intention are complicit.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the work, this blog has been an amazing source for info about the neighborhood.

Anonymous said...

Hey John, we like you—anonymous or otherwise. I hope you won't let your outing affect your content or coverage, and also, as a journalist who lives in the EV, I do hope you'll call on the community should you need any help maintaining or running the site. It's important to many of us, and I know there are plenty of talented people in our community who would jump at the chance to help you out.

Anonymous said...

I think what this journalist has done is reprehensible and an embarrassment to the profession.

While I see no need to expose the identity of a community blogger, an ethical journalist would have at least been honest from the start and said to him, look, I want to know who you are. If you don't tell me, I am going to do my best to find out who you are and reveal your identity.

But she didn't do that. She strung him along, getting him to answer questions and allowing him to think she wasn't out to reveal his identity, then she pulled the old switcheroo and exposed him.

Why lie to him? It's not like he is some horrible criminal that she needed to go undercover to expose. He is a freakin' blogger!

Who else is Bedford + Bowery targeting next?

Here's an idea: Why not expose some of the issues at NYU?

xootrman said...

Anonymous 9.45 I think that your observation about NYU wanting to expose him because of his criticism of the NYU is possibly spot on

Anonymous said...

@11:34 After Bedford + Bowery, perhaps, coerced East Village Today to come out, then pulled this stunt, don't think for a second that Jeremiah won't be the next in their triptych of outing people. This feels very much like the witch hunts the media used to do in the 90s trying to out gay celebrities. It's disgusting.

Anonymous said...

Elizabeth Flock better watch her back. She is not welcome here as far as Im concerned.

Anonymous said...

If reporters from Bedford + Bowery come to you looking for East Village news and information, don't give it to them! It's bad enough B+B is associated with NYU, and we now see they were out to do harm to the one true, non-biased news source we have in our neighborhood. If one of their reporters comes your way, tell them to buzz off!

Anonymous said...

Please keep up the good work with this fine EV Grive blog.

(I always thought evgrieve was a woman with lots of cats.)

Anonymous said...

Thank you and good luck, (and I'll always think of you as) EV Grieve.

john penley said...

The Lone Ranger takes off his mask and Rent Control Laws expire.. must be some extraordinary planetary alignment. I think you get my vote for one of the most insane East Villagers,next to LES Jewels and Bob Arihood of course, in the hood's illustrious history. By the way thanks for getting out the truth when those crusty moron travlers started a trash fire and burned Father Pat's car and 2 others in front of Charas and people were saying I did it. I was just as freaked out and mad about them doing it as everyone else and you were the first to reach out to me and report the truth. Love John Penley

Rocky said...

Please don't stop posting! Your coverage of the E Village is amazing. It's where I find out about all the new condos, restaurants, bars...and more condos.

Now that your name is out there, I think you should put a PayPal 'tip jar' on your blog. Let people kick you a few dollars to cover hosting fees and a few rounds at Mona's.

Take care, and thank you!

Anonymous said...

I'm not sure if writing to the Editor, Daniel Maurer, is the answer as I doubt this piece and it's direction was any surprise to him. He probably worked with Elizabeth Flock on providing direction. Bedford + Bowery has everything to gain if Grieve went off the air. They'd get the traffic and there would be one less local blog discussing NYU's impact on the neighborhood. My guess is that they were both in on it. It may even go further up the food chain.

Giovanni said...

Now all those people (including me) who made fun of everyone who moves here from Ohio must feel pretty low. Thanks for doing what you do Grieve, it doesn't matter to me that you're from Ohio. But it does remind me of the survey you posted a few years back that showed most New Yorkers come from the nearby suburbs in New Jersey and Connecticut and not from Ohio. Most of them, that is, except you! And let me be the last to say, if you don't like it you can go back to Ohio!

PS: I saw a guy taking pictures of a storefront a few weeks ago, and then later saw the same picture on the blog and knew I had finally seen you. I thought I was one of the few to know what you looked like but now I guess that you've been outed everyone will. I was just glad to know that you weren't that creepy poster guy looking for a girlfriend, that would have really sucked. Long live EV Grieve!

Anonymous said...

@11:56am: I will go you one better: If anyone from B+B were to approach me looking for any info on any topic at all, I would deliberately give them false information - yes, disinformation - b/c that is what they deserve.

NYU ought to be thoroughly ashamed of its so-called "journalism school" and this "reporter's" vile stunt, but we know that NYU had its shame surgically removed a long time ago. Now only arrogance remains there.



Anonymous said...

What does it all mean the day E V Greive announces the closure of E V Greive.
Makes you think.
Please wait unroll all our new pedestrian plazas open!

AlexEatsBeans said...

I just want to echo all the kind thoughts and admiration of the others who have posted comments already. I love this blog more than anything online. I check it every morning when I wake up and it's usually the last thing I read before I go to bed. It's our local newspaper. Ev grieve has become one of the institutions that keeps this neighborhood one of the greatest in New York. I hope you continue to post but I suppose it would be fitting that one day we will be forced to reminisce about the blog that tought us how to reminisce properly.

Truthfully, I have spent many an hour trying to research your identity online to no avail. I had a long standing bet with a friend regarding your gender. Luckily I am no longer in contact with said friend, because I have now lost the bet.

Anonymous said...

I'm sorry that someone has decided to violate your personal privacy. It's a terrible abuse of trust. Just know that all the rest of us care about is the wonderful and tireless efforts you make to unify this community and document what has/is happening (and with such delightful humor and insight, I might add). But at least we know who you are so that we can buy you a drink next time we see you out and about! Please don't stop the good work.

Anonymous said...

Dear EV--

Please don't go! I read you daily and rely on you for news and an intelligent perspective on our, well, complicated neighborhood. Please know that you are a valued, needed voice in this community that bullying should not be allowed to silence.

--A grateful reader

Bowery Boogie said...

It's clear that Bedford + Bowery lusts for the sense of community EVG fosters in the East Village. Remember that it already failed once as The Local...

Anonymous said...

Bedford + Bowery, Elizabeth Flock, both dead to me. Shameless, soulless shit stirrers with nothing better to do.

Shawn said...

Bedford + Bowery is "NYU The Local?" LMFAO that makes so much sense. They're not even real journalists, but fake paid ones? LOL!

onemorefoldedsunset said...

Many thanks John! Hope you continue your great work for many years to come.

g whiz said...

B+B was spawned from NYTimes "The Local" blog

Anonymous said...

Is there anyone from NYU on this thread who could answer a question? I want to know if potential students have to disclose issues like plagiarism? If she had to resign from the Washington Post for that, how could she have gotten into an NYU masters program and gotten a reporting assignment with Bedford + Bowery?

Doesn't the school check applicants' backgrounds? Are other students comfortable knowing that someone with that background would be admitted to a master's program?

Mandy said...

Grieve, I don't even live in the EV anymore, but I still check your blog multiple times a day. You have been my first stop for news about the hood for years now, please don't stop writing, ever.

If I ever see you around, drinks are on me. Godspeed.

Anonymous said...

tigers don't change their stripes...

"Flock made two mistakes in the past four months, which earned her two tough editor’s notes disavowing her actions.

She did a roundup on Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney allegedly using an old Ku Klux Klan slogan in his stump speech — a story that went viral online yet was untrue — and she didn’t call the Romney campaign for comment, nor did any editor make sure she did. And on April 13, she aggregated a story trending online about life on Mars. Scientists reexamining data collected from the 1976 Viking lander on the red planet concluded that there might be bacterial life there.

Flock says that in haste she read about 10 stories about Mars life, including some of the research papers, and forgot to credit and link to the originator of the story, Discovery News. It appears that she copied, pasted and slightly rewrote two paragraphs from the Discovery story. Plagiarism perhaps, but also a perpetual danger in aggregated stories.After Discovery News raised objections, Flock resigned voluntarily."

Apologies for lowering myself to her level, but it's time for her to resign again.

Trying to Be Anonymous said...

The themes that have run through this blog for years are resonating here in a strange way. A big corporate entity sees something local and genuine and wants to figure out how to get in on the action. A young person aspires to be more like an acclaimed journalist she envies, but can only manage a crude “all about me” version of what he does. In both cases, they don’t care if they ruin the thing they admire – and cause personal grief along the way – as long as they profit. The more I think about it, the more angry I get…but I guess it’s just another example of the stuff that is always going on around here and always will. Don’t let them win. Keep doing what you do, Mr. Grieve. We love and need you.

Bowery Boogie said...

@Chittle This

http://thevillager.com/2012/10/04/as-times-cuts-ties-with-n-y-u-local-bloggers-sound-off/

Elson said...

DARN! I KNEW SINCE SINCE A FEW MONTHS AGO! I was hoping to run into you and tell you that I knew but you took that away from me! oh well

Eden Bee said...

Now I can't take credit when people think I am you! How lame of them. LAME LAME LAME LAME LAME.
A pox on their blog and houses.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for not posting most of my comments! LOL - Love EV Grieve !

~ evilsugar25 said...

OHIO?!?!?! I KNEW IT!!!!!

haha, I kid, I kid. I love this blog. I read it frequently, if not daily, and is the first place I go for news in the hood. Also, when I see something around I think, "I wonder if Grieve knows about this?"

Thank you for your years of service (was it really only 2007?) and I'm not sure why you are hinting at possibly ending the blog (except that the EV is o-ver, people) but hopefully it's apparent that you have enough support here that it should obviously continue to thrive.

Long live EV Grieve, even as it outlives the EV itself.

Shawn said...

Thanks Bowery Boogie! So glad the NYT has nothing to do with this fuckery.

"I haven’t been this angry in a long, long time." Bowery Boogie comment on Bedford+Bowery. I feel the same way.

1:55 p.m. said...

Gee whix, g whiz, I guess you're siding with Bedford and Bowery and Elizabeth Flock for them working at a former New York Times site.

NYU loco blog was a collaboration between NYT and NYU to also genttrify the blogosphere.

And this is what <a href="http://www.theawl.com/2010/02/the-times-comes-for-the-east-village-with-another-non-paying-student-paper'>Choire Sicha said</a> about these young "journalists":
"...most of the reporters are going to be young people who actually don’t know anything about the history of the area they’re reporting on. But that’s fine, if they are smart or have time to learn things or have a good editor."

Apparently that last sentence turn-out to be just illusory and non-existent much like the ethics and reasons of Flock and Bedford and Bowery.


Now go flock with Flock and the rest of them sheeples.

Anonymous said...

At best, Daniel Maurer doesn't have access to Google and Lizzy's sketchy past. At worst, he co-conspired with her on this unwarranted rubbish. The both of them reflect very poorly on NYU.

Cathy Dorsey said...

Dear EV Grieve, I am so grateful for your blog and Facebook posts. Thank you for all you've done for the East Village community! There are not words for the sadness and anger I feel at the way your anonymity has been broached. It is totally unfair and unjustifiable, despite Flock's arguments/justifications to the contrary. I hope you will continue writing and providing a forum for topics of concern to East Villagers. There is nothing else like it out there! Thanks again!

eastvillagesiren said...

Whatever you personally choose to do with the blog is your decisions, but I think I speak for most EV Grieve readers when I say I hope you you decide to keep on keeping on. We rely on EVG for news and lively comments.

And thank you for a most excellent blog.

Anonymous said...

Grieve - just want to add to the long list of comments here that I love the blog and read it every day. Please keep up the incredible work!

Anonymous said...

I can't think of anything else to say that hasn't already been said by others. But please, keep on blogging, outed or not. I have lived in the neighborhood for 25 years and your blog is the place I got to on a daily basis to read about and feel connected to those who love this neighborhood,

Shawn Hoke said...

John, I really hope you don't hang up your blogging shoes. I've always loved EV Grieve as the best, most vibrant neighborhood blog in NYC. And hell, I live in Brooklyn and not the East Village. But I still regularly read this because of you.

g whiz said...

to 1:55
merely pointing out that the NYTimes was where I first saw "the Local" which turned into B+B in no way supporting what Flock did. I can't even see how you would assume that from my comment

Emund Dunn said...

I’m Spartacus!!!!!

Crazy Eddie is dead! Long live Edmund Dunn! Hey John, when you get a chance, please change the EV Grieve contributor list name from Crazy Eddie to Edmund Dunn.

And Ross still sucks.

Anonymous said...

Bedford and Bowery is by and for those with Self-Illusion (and Delusion) of Selectivity, e.g. Liz Flock.
#SI(&D)oS

Tasty Trekker said...

Please don't stop your posts because of some incredibly intrusive people. Your what the East Village is all about. Thanks for so many years of great writing!

Anonymous said...

Would Superman quit if Clark Kent was exposed?

Anonymous said...

I don't have much more to add to the general sentiment of support already shared by your readers. Nevertheless, here to say thank you, hope it remains possible for you to continue, and throw in my two cents.
I assume this site provides a lot of pleasure for expressing yourself and contributing to the community and journalism. While I'm not a comic book fan, on reading about the concerns you laid out in todays's Letter from the Editor post, one of my immediate associations was the idea of a superhero whose secret identity gets revealed (a quick Google search indicates this happens to be a current storyline in Superman). While you may not have wished for your name to be made public, and probably never imagined it happening in this manner, here's hoping whatever worries you had don't come to pass, and that that you, like Clark Kent, can go on being your own form of super-man.

Anonymous said...

You provide us with info about everything from hyper-gentrification (what the developers are doing as they raze our neighbood and fill it with generic multi-million dollar condos), to events in the park, to profiles of interesting people, to beloved stores/restaurants closing because their rent got jacked to $18,000 a month...I'll stop now...but will say that this blog is critical reading for us who want to know what's going on (when I heard a loud explosion and fire earlier this year, E V Grieve was where I went to find out what had happened.) My offer to buy you lunch at Cafe Mogador is still open. Best, Simon.

Marcos said...

Fight the power, Grieve. And thank you.

Andrew Fine said...

Grieve, Grieve, Grieve,

I knew this would happen one day, and I applaud your ability to resist the limelight and keep such a great secret for so long. For whatever reason I thought you might be a bartender and might be my bartender some random day in the East Village. Now that you are out from the shadows, beer on me any time.
You have been an inspiration to me! We use the same simple blogger format and both started in 2007. Your posting is prolific and amazing. I wish I could do the same, but just seeing your wherewithal has been an inspiration to keeping my blog going even if it goes quiet for a while.
One question, does it piss you off that you are no longer anonymous? Are you pissed at the press? I know I usually am.
Keep up the great work!
A. Fine Blogger

Marcos said...

Anyone want to help me go through the NYU Journalism ethics guidelines to look for violations? http://journalism.nyu.edu/assets/PageSpecificFiles/Ethics/NYU-Journalism-Handbook-for-Students.pdf Do journalism schools have independent review boards? The editor of B+B probably doesn't care but Flock's graduate adviser and/or her journalism school might care.

xomars said...

I read EVG as part of my daily routine. I love what you're doing for the community. Please keep up the great work!

Anonymous said...

Here's Lizzy friend Daniel Maurer, the puppet master.

http://www.alumni.nyu.edu/s/1068/social.aspx?sid=1068&gid=1&pgid=2966

Apparently, people want his swimmers

http://gawker.com/117191/gawker-hotties-a-new-york-intelligencer

Anonymous said...

I once submitted a tip to EV G and mistakenly submitted it from my real name email account. Another time, I submitted a pic of a bar closing and didn't realized until submitting the photo that the pic had my reflection. Both time, I asked EV G to not mention to anyone of my identity and to crop out the reflection before posting. And he obliged without question. Outing me would've done nothing but embarrass me for the sake of what? To amuse those who takes pleasure when people have mishaps? Or to simply have the bragging right, hey I know who the real ------- is. EV G has integrity, virtue, humility, and decency. Words that Flock and Bedfor and Bowery don't understand and will never understand; and character traits that they don't have and will never have.

marjorie said...

Heh, I also figured you were a lot younger than me (you know a hell of a lot more about the music of the youts of today) which is why I kept saying "if you and Mrs. Grieve ever need advice on NYC public schools..." but hey, no, you're decrepit too!

I would like to thank you for the mix of fun and serious journalism you've provided over the years, and for being so supportive of our local public schools even though our library fundraisers and art fairs didn't always make for the most scintillating posts. And I echo everyone who said this site was fucking indispensable during and immediately after the Second Avenue explosion.

I hope you're doing OK. I commented at length on the Bedford + Bowery piece and am tweeting with fury. Mostly focused on NYMag, for being affiliated with a blog that would publish such dreck. (Isn't this its THIRD home, after the NYT and WNYC both dropped it?) I couldn't resist taking a poke at Ms. Flock for writing "I was Indian in a past life" (oy) in her Twitter bio, but I may delete that -- she's clearly very young and privileged and clueless.

I would encourage all us fans of this blog to refrain from threatening her. Uncool.

PS. Unseen positive result of your outing: Now I have to re-evaluate my biases about publicists. DAMMIT.

The All-Seeing Eye, Jr. said...

Thank you for all you've done (and will continue to do), and for keeping me from thinking that my old home (1978-1992)--the place I've identified with the most in my life--has become only a dead piece of real estate.

Luc Sante

Shantel said...

EV Grieve has been my anchor and beacon at different times for different reasons. Thank you for all your hard work, dedication and passion!

I truly hope you choose to continue the journey. You have created such an amazing place for so many of us to congregate.

Knowing your name adds new texture, but has not changed my perception of this site or what you've done for the community.

This moment may feel like a pivot point as you move from anonymous to known, but hopefully the warmth and outpouring of all of your loyal readers and commenters shows you how much you are valued and how important your work is to all of us.

Edmund Dunn said...

Sock Puppets/Avatars unite, come OUT and support EV Grieve in his time of need! The recently deceased Crazy Eddie.

Jeff said...

Love you blog (even though I hate the losses you document) keep up the good work if you can. You're doing important work!

Anonymous said...

Sorry that your identity was revealed in this fashion and not on your specific terms. That said, it's about time you got some credit for the great work you've done and will continue to do. Plus, it was a bit of a drag protecting your anonymity. ("No; I am NOT EV Grieve and I don't know who is!")

Anonymous said...

Thank you for your blog---I've been reading it daily for years now---and please don't go! I like your droll/sardonic sense of humor, the constant updates as to what's going on, and all the interesting people you find.

The person who felt a need to reveal your identity etc. is an asshole---and hopefully she will get some publicity herself that she won't appreciate....

Anonymous said...

Bedford + Bowery has probably gotten more readers today than any day in the site's history. Too bad everyone who has visited the site and read Elizabeth Flock's story is disgusted. What was the point of this? Why attack a local blogger?

I feel for the other students who write for Bedford + Bowery because I imagine many of them are embarrassed by what Flock has written all to make a name for herself. They should also ask themselves why they are spending so much money to attend NYU, a school that admits an admitted plagiarist to its masters degree program, and they shouldn't be afraid to speak out.

Anonymous said...

You will continue to remain an important voice in the East Village and New York as a whole for as long as you wish to type. I only hope that you continue to write.

I've written to the editor of that despicable blog, and I encourage other commenters to do the same. Perhaps the author will be removed for her second (though I suspect she has been guilty of more) "significant ethical lapse."

riffchorusriff said...

Your blog is mandatory reading for anyone who wants to not only know about what's really happening in the East Village, but also the whole of New York. I turn to you before I read the Times, Daily News, or any of the others. Thanks for actually breaking stories and filing reports from the trenches. You had every right to work under a pseudonym; after all, writers/creators have done it for hundreds of years (hello, Weegee?). Elizabeth Flock may think it's newsworthy to publish your identity before you wanted to, maybe even Page Six scandal-worthy, but let's call Bedford+Bowery's motivation to out you what it really is: jealousy.

Kirsten Theodos said...

Seriously this is teh BEST BLOG EVER!!! Please keep it up xoxo

Anonymous said...

...and for those who lead the many to justice,
they will be like the stars...forever!

Anonymous said...

Maybe Liz should focus on her own IP address. Her's is still registered with The Washington Post from where she was fired... I mean resigned. http://whois.icann.org/en/lookup?name=lizflock.com

Anonymous said...

Grieve, these comments are what most doers of good in this world never hear…because they're usually reserved for a eulogy. Take heart that your efforts are so appreciated by so many.

Thanks for your time and effort, for being an excellent neighbor to so many, and for your great good humor. You're my first stop online every morning.

-A fellow Buckeye

Chad Marlow said...

Nice to "meet" you John. I hope, now that I know your name, that I might meet you in person one day to thank you for your wonderful blog and to tell you how grateful I am to be your neighbor.

Anonymous said...

Ok, you can tell us the truth now...were you the Anon who regularly inserted some version of "if you don't like it, move back to Ohio"?

o_O

Anonymous said...

Still not convinced you're not Lady Gaga!

Walter said...

Jaysus effing christ...where the f*ck would I go to rant and rave if this site closed down. Plus I always self-censored and never put the 'u' in f*ck. Yeah, it's me
Uncle Waltie

Anonymous said...

Flock is "Indian in a past life."
I guess she did not learn about karma in that life and still does not know about it.

Anonymous said...

I just left a scathing comment for Flock on the website the article appears on. At this point, there are 59 messages, all telling her to basically go "FLOCK HERSELF"! Pretty awesome!

Anonymous said...

Lizzy has quite the resume! Plagiarism at the Washington Post, fabricating a KKK narrative for Mitt Romney, outing bloggers for no real reason. A rising star that Liz Flock!

Anonymous said...

so shmnyc is East Village Today! Figures!

How Bout Liz Flock doing an exposé on Ariel Palitz and her sweetheart deals with those "restaurants" getting full liquor licenses? It's easy Liz, follow the money trail. But then again that'd be too hard for her since she'd be gathering, reporting and interpreting information, i.e. doing actual journalism. But because she neither have courage nor integrity, she'd just pick on the honest and principled, and cheat her way through her life and career.

Anonymous said...

Elizabeth Flock is absolute proof that a woman can also be a douchebag.

Dave - everywhere said...

Grieve (and it will be ever thus), thanks for all your hard work in putting this blog together every day. I started out reading you and Bob Arihood and Jeremiah six years ago when life and business took me down to the EV/LES on a pretty regular basis. Sadly, BOb is no longer with us but I've kept up with the rest and added others to my "family". Life wouldn't be the same without this blog in particular since you manage to keep it so current. Thanks again and don't stop!

DrGecko said...

62 comments on her B+B piece, as of this writing, and virtually all negative (there may be one exception).

Sort of ironic that, with all the lowlifes Grieve has dealt with, the one that did him the most harm was a fellow journalist.

It's not like I'm going to check in here two times a day instead of three because of this, but I hope that KARMA will only inflect the blog slightly for John. This is one of the brightest beacons in our greying-out neighborhood.

And maybe KARMA will give Ms Flock a well-deserved shit enema.

Stuart Frankel (real name in solidarity)
PhD, NYU (but not recent, and nothing to do with journalism)

(self-promotional) p.s. I tried to hawk the movie rights for my dissertation. I had especial hopes for Appendix B: Sources of 17th-century Swedish Poetic Metrical Theory. No takers, and I got no support from NYU in this.

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