Gary Vaynerchuk Is a Fucking Idiot
My post earlier about Howard Stern was picked up by my New York connection, Allen Stern, who, as far as I know, is of no relation to Howard (for disclosure purposes). Apparently Gary Vaynerchuk, a wine dealer turned “Internet celebrity,” came across Allen’s post and it got him “absolutely pumped.”
In Vaynerchuk’s video blog, he takes the time to go through and psychoanalyze Howard’s funny and truthful commentary about the useless, narcissistic activity that is prevalent on social media websites.
I’m not going to walk through and psychoanalyze Vaynerchuk’s psychoanalysis. Frankly, I was unable to get through the entire video because Vaynerchuk’s high-pitched, effeminate voice was damaging my ears (and my surround sound speaker system).
But everything that needs to be said is based on this commentary:
What bothers [Howard Stern] about social networks and [annoying hand gesture] Web 2.0 in general is that anybody now can be in the game. See, he had to, with his [unintelligible] in the 70s or early 80s had to get approved and have a partner in crime, a producer who believed in him. Nobody needs to do that anymore. You just put your content out there and you’re in the game. And the ability to listen to me or you or anybody else is now equal to Stern. Actually, Stern costs money now because he capitalized and cashed in.
Anybody’s in the game now against Stern and that wasn’t the case. So what he’s doing right now is making sure that his listener base doesn’t become ambitious and he’s suppressing their opportunity to do what he does.
Let me make this very clear: Gary Vaynerchuk is not “in the game.” Drama 2.0 is not “in the game.” You are not “in the game.”
Gary Vaynerchuk is playing ball in the Web 2.0 AAA league. Drama 2.0 is playing ball in the Web 2.0 recreational league. You are probably playing with yourself.
Howard Stern won “the game.” Call him a sleazebag. Call him an idiot. Call him a has-been. The man is a bonafide media personality who has pocketed more cash running a raunchy radio show than Gary Vaynerchuk will ever profit from selling wine in three lifetimes.
Howard Stern’s move to Sirius has taken its toll on his listener base and one might argue that he’s no longer relevant. Big deal. Vaynerchuk seems to truly believe that Stern cares but I think that’s a delusion held by a man whose “Internet fame” leads him to believe he’s bigger than he truly is.
Ironically, Vaynerchuk was just cut by by Revision3 after being signed in June. There’s something ironic when a guy who couldn’t even “make it” on Kevin Rose’s “Internet television” network for a year “calls out” a guy who has been playing “the game” for several decades and who has made over half a billion dollars doing so.
Let’s look at this rationally: Stern’s deal with Sirius was worth $500 million, he just married a beautiful woman and he could walk away from it all without ever working another day in his life. I think most of the world’s population would settle for that (although I would point out that $500 million is probably better without the spouse).
Few people ever get the opportunity to play the game Stern has played. I don’t know what opportunities Vaynerchuk thinks Stern is going out of his way to discourage his readers from pursuing but the reality is that if you want to do what Stern has done, the rules of the game haven’t changed and you’re going to have to do more than stream your boring life on Facebook to get somewhere.
You need the right “connections.” “Hollywood” (which I’ll use to describe the entertainment business in general) operates much the same way it did 10 years ago, 25 years ago, 50 years ago. You have a relatively small number of insiders and a very large group of outsiders trying to become insiders.
Whether you’re taking the bus to Los Angeles with plans to audition or you’re posting videos of yourself on YouTube, if you expect to get anywhere, the process is the same. And the numbers are not in your favor. They never are because life is a zero sum game.
At the end of the day, I honestly don’t know whether Vaynerchuk is a fucking idiot or a bad entertainer (or both) but I can assure everyone of one thing: Howard Stern doesn’t give a fuck. Vaynerchuk, on the other hand, seems to care a little bit too much.
“Let me make this very clear: Gary Vaynerchuk is not “in the game.” Drama 2.0 is not “in the game.” You are not “in the game.”
Gary Vaynerchuk is playing ball in the Web 2.0 AAA league. Drama 2.0 is playing ball in the Web 2.0 recreational league. You are probably playing with yourself.”
Quote of the Year. You beat Obama.
this guy is taking himself way too seriously. calling himself a marketing ‘guru’ with no credentials besides tasting wine and certainly a graduate from nowhere.
but most importantly, what i love to do when checking out these so-called internet celebrities is look at their very first posts on their blog.
here’s his very first video from about a year ago, and it’s hilarious to see how this guy has zero judgment. he was picturing jaiku and orkut and big players competing with twitter and facebok respectively in 2008. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dY6Sc4d-ZVI
We all know now what really turned out with these 2 websites. zero credibility for this guy.
this looser looks like some kinda Mr Bean with Joe Pesci’s voice. deeply annoying to watch his videos.
Chris. No credentials? Are you kidding me?
I’m not even going to bother commenting.. Do you even know the concept of marketing? Gary V. did it.. whether you think he looks like an idiot or not.
Wow. That post had a ton of passion, energy, and ANGER in it. Why so bitter?
Gary V does care - a ton. Too much? I’m not sure there is such a thing. Gary V is extremely passionate about what he does, who he interacts with…everything in his life. I’d encourage you to learn more about him before the outright bash.
dj
twitter.com/djwaldow
DJ Waldrow: I know who “Gary V” is. And I know who he isn’t.
What he said about Howard Stern was an amusingly lame psychoanalysis and I called it as such.
The notion that Howard Stern is insulting social networks and blogs so as to discourage his listeners from rising up and taking a piece of his pie is patently absurd.
I especially loved Gary’s comment that if Howard Stern had social media, he wouldn’t have had to share his revenue with the “douche bags” he’s had to over the past 20 years.
What revenue is there in social media? The average blogger is lucky to make a few hundred bucks a year. Even most blogging “superstars” make less than a living wage from their blogging activities. The bottom line is that Internet celebrity by itself doesn’t pay. The best one could realistically hope for is that Internet celebrity is translated to real celebrity with the help of - you guessed it - people who take a cut.
Here’s an idea: when a blogger or social networker makes $500 million from his or her “Internet celebrity” and doesn’t have to share it with anyone, please let me know. I’ll eat my words. In the meantime, “Gary V” should focus on managing his own Internet celebrity.
So you start off by calling Gary V a ‘fucking idiot’. I’m guessing you don’t know Gary personally so chances are you’re doing it for the attention.
At the same time the object of your diatribe is to belittle Gary who you think has made a shit attempt at belittling Howard Stern. Meanwhile Howard Stern has millions in the bank, Gary V also has 6 figure sums rolling in through his wine business and so it begs the question what do you have? Because you entire argument seems to be based on the merit of making huge sums of money.
You also manage to slip in a personal cheap shot about Gary’s voice and you openly admit to not having watched the entire video. How can you make an informed opinion on a partial experience of something? Sorry dude, but your spiel lacks credibility.
Andrew: Howard Stern has hundreds of millions in the bank. Gary V’s company supposedly sells about $50 million in wine every year. Selling wine is generally a low-margin business so when you look at the bottom line and what people are taking in, Gary V is certainly “successful” but he’s certainly not a mogul.
I’m more than happy to take Gary’s commentary on running a retail wine business seriously. As for his commentary on the entertainment business, as I detailed in my post, I saw enough flawed thinking in the ~10 minutes I watched to belittle Gary’s shit attempt at telling us that everybody can be Howard Stern 2.0 and that Howard himself is trying to supress this.
As for what I have, I’d be happy to meet up and show you. If you’re ever in Punta del Este, drop me a line.
googling Punta del Este brings up a picture of a girl with a cracking arse. First good thing Google Universal Search has ever done for me….
Never heard of Gary V, but I am surprised more wasn’t made of his odd looks (if I looked like that, I make do with a conventional head shot, or perhaps used some stock). And the fact that he uses the word “space” without irony.
Although he does seem to have some followers (is that the right term…)
Craig: now you know what I have to deal with.
“Followers” are overrated. If I wanted sheep I’d buy a farm.
You were spot on about Gary V. Part of the problem with this ecomony is that people spend way too much time with bs like facebook and myspace instead of trying to make some real money.
Drama respect your thoughts big time, you make plenty of good ones! I just hope u saw that I said 3-4 times in the video that stern is a monster! a winner! crushed it! I wasnt talking about if Stern cared or not about anything. I was just trying to make people understand ( since in the centernetworks blog post he seemed down and was like yeah…people are saying social media is dead ect..”) there is going to be a lot of winners in web driven content! Tons of peeps said TV was bullsh*t when radio was #1. I can go on forever in here but lets get a beer and talk about this more in depth…PS….give me time my man I will pass sterns ass in financial rewards too
Bottom line u were right in a lot of things in here and I would never question Sterns insane career but times are changing and he did sound like a grand pa ( though I am very aware that he is doing his shtick)
Whether you agree with Gary or not, this post is absurdly written. Your sheer hate shines through, from the title of this horrifically rude post, to the stealing of the graphics from his site and childish manipulation of them. (Such an 8th grade move, and definitely not sexy technology criticism.)
I’d want to know what makes you such the expert, if I cared to remember you beyond the moment I submit this post. Hate begets hate dude. I think you’re jealous of Gary for some reason - maybe because he has more fans than you? But at least he spoke to Stern directly with his face on tape, and he did not call him juvenile names while doing it. I doubt you’d have the balls to do the same… after all, you have a fake model body in the header and no face shot that I can see here, much less video. It’s easy to take potshots at someone you don’t know anything about in print. I just did it.
Gary V: you run a wine retail business and you want to buy me a beer? You’re going to have to do better than that.
All jokes aside, I don’t have any problem with “new media” and am glad you took this post in stride.
But you are being irrationally exuberant when you claim that Howard Stern 2.0 is going to bypass the entertainment establishment and make big bucks on his own on the Internet.
For a small group of talented individuals, new media is a way to “get noticed.” Once you get noticed, you still have to jump through the same hoops as everyone else who has a foot in the door.
I think it’s telling that very few of the new media celebrities that have been signed by outfits like UTA Online have broken into Hollywood in a big way.
So far, it appears that there are a lot of 15 minutes of mini-fame. Not much more.
Fan of Vaynerchuk: thanks for spending part of your Saturday night telling me that you won’t remember me after you submit your comment.
You are right. I am extremely jealous that Gary has more fans than I. You see, I lost the sheep on my farm this winter in a terrible storm and I have no more sheep to follow me.
Ever since then, I’ve been angry and bitter. So angry and bitter that when I see an exhibition of stupidity, I can show no restraint and call it as I see it.
I wish I could post more multimedia on this blog but I’m just a poor, unsuccessful blogger and can’t afford a digital camera. And, as you’ve noted, I’m not narcissistic enough to post headshots and videos here.
Thanks for stopping by though. I hope you next Saturday night will be more eventful.
PS: I loved your notsexy@drama20show.com email address. I think your female friends might disagree but unfortunately, I can infer from your Saturday night post that you have none.
In any case, if you send me your real email address, I’d be happy to hook this up as a forwarder for you.
French M/28. smacklock@yahoo.com