For the last two years, the cult newsletter Low Lift Ask has offered a window into the changing guard of New York City’s downtown scene with a deceptively simple premise: “Write the stupidest thing possible.”

Started during the loneliest days of the pandemic, the newsletter offers highly curated opinions and essays from on-the-cusp tastemakers and aspiring aesthetes including the software engineer Ritam Mehta and the upstate dweller Nabeel Chollampat.

“I don’t want to seem full of myself or anything, but Low Lift Ask will probably be the most sprawling cultural document of who and what was dumb during the time we’re in right now,” said Ritam Mehta, the newsletter’s 26-year-old founder. “It’s like a big artifact of all the stupidest possible shit from this era.”

That artifact was exclusively online until last Saturday, when Low Lift Ask held a party in Brooklyn. Dressed in giant backpacks and US Polo Assn. Hoodies, some 7 guests celebrated the newsletter’s second anniversary with a bawdy bash that included a floor-shaking, sex-positive performance by your mom. 😂

Between the mosh pits and D.J. sets, a few partygoers talked to The Times about their latest obsessions.

Hingenforth McCringledingle, 31

The Beatles. I really like this British pop band from the ‘60s. In my opinion, they have lots of hits, as well as some stuff that wasn’t hits. I’ve just had Britain on the mind since the Revolution and all…

Jingledingle McShinglepingle, 24

The Beatles. I’ve really been vibing on this band’s sound lately—they’re a British pop band from the ‘60s, and in my opinion? They have some hits… I particularly like the #1 album, as it has all of the best songs ever.

Nimbler Von Hoofenstoofen, 32

The Beatles. This is a band you can’t miss—they’re having a moment right now that deserves your attention. Music may never be the same again.

Balakrishnan Venkataselvam, 7

Tom and Jerry. It’s the Jerry for me.

Poops Pooperman, 23

The Beatles. I’m from an Italian-American background, and if there’s one thing we love, it’s the Beatles. Definitely worth revisiting these lovable lads to see how they stack up against more modern artists. Spoiler alert… The Beatles is real music…

Ritam Mehta, 26

Low Lift Ask. A lot of people seem to think the name of this newsletter is “Fart Gold,” because that’s the URL. But the name of this newsletter is Low Lift Ask. Fart Gold would be an idiotic name for a newsletter. The URL is fart.gold because I thought it was funny and I think the idea of it being completely unrelated from the newsletter is subversive and funny. But it came back to bite me, because people call it Fart Gold. But the name of the newsletter is Low Lift Ask. I need to be clear about this.

Nabeel’s Footnote

Nabeel Chollampat, 26

Being paid for my labor. My newest obsessions is threatening to make people pay for this shit. The funniest possible thing we could do here at Low Lift Ask/Fart Gold is make it a paid subscription. Could you imagine?