A common misconception about Milwaukee Record is that we love to “hate.” But beyond some snarky shit we wrote about a crappy “reality show,” we dare you to find an example of us tearing down a local band, musician, or institution for the hell of it. Sure, we run into some irate commenters and disgruntled readers now and again, but what publication doesn’t? “Hating” simply isn’t something we do.
And even if it was, we doubt we’d run into the kind of mean-spirited shit-storm that Journal Sentinel music critic Piet Levy is currently experiencing—all because of a lukewarm review of Saturday’s Ariana Grande show at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. Okay, so maybe “lukewarm” is stretching it, because Levy doesn’t hold back in his nicely crafted review, deeming Grande’s show (only her second arena show on her first-ever tour) “uninspired” and “misguided,” and calling the singer out on her “diva-like” demands. Still, those criticisms are no excuse for the awful things Grande fans began tweeting to Levy (and Levy began retweeting) on Sunday. Here are just a few examples:
I don’t understand why fat homosexual men like @pietlevy bash skinny hot women like Ariana! It’s not her fault your the ugliest man on Earth
— BreaD Beauty Tips. (@macklemroe) March 1, 2015
@pietlevy the review u wrote on Ariana’s performance are lies! By Ur icon it’s obvi Ur overweight¬ vegan security would never allow u in — Hafsa Montgomery (@arianasproblem) March 1, 2015
@journalsentinel @pietlevy you’re fat and ugly. The fact that you mentioned her diva rumors that was completely irrelevant shows your bias
— ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ (@arianacuIt) March 1, 2015
@pietlevy you’re ugly and didn’t deserve to see ariana. — ️☁️22 DAYS☁️ (@godsandswift) March 1, 2015
For the record, Piet Levy is a terrific writer, a stand-up dude, and an invaluable voice for local and national music. He does things we would never dream of doing—review an Ariana Grande concert, for one—and graciously handles the hate that sometimes comes his way because of it. (See also: his Fleetwood Mac review.) Wisconsin is damn lucky to have a full-time music critic writing for its largest daily newspaper, and damn lucky it’s someone like Levy. Soldier on, Piet, and don’t let Ur h8trs (many of them probably teenagers, but still) gt u DOWn.