Glenn O'Brien explained

Glenn O'Brien
Birth Date:March 2, 1947
Birth Place:Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Death Date:April 7, 2017 (aged 70)
Death Place:Manhattan, New York, U.S.
Occupation:Writer
Alma Mater:Georgetown University and Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
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Spouse:Gina Nanni (until his death)
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Awards:named one of Top 10 Most Stylish Men in America by GQ Magazine

Glenn O'Brien (March 2, 1947 – April 7, 2017) was an American writer who focused largely on the subjects of art, music, and fashion. He was featured for many years as "The Style Guy" in GQ magazine and published a book with that title. He worked as a writer and editor at a number of publications, including Rolling Stone, Playboy, Interview, High Times, Spin, and Details.[1] He also published the arts and literature magazine Bald Ego from 2003 to 2005.

Life and career

O'Brien was born in Cleveland, Ohio, where he attended the Jesuit St. Ignatius High School. O'Brien went to Georgetown University and edited the Georgetown Journal, which was founded by Condé Nast.[2] O'Brien later studied film at the Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.[3]

In his early career, O'Brien was a member of Andy Warhol's Factory. He was the first editor of Interview.[4] He had a music column, "Glenn O'Brien's Beat," in Interview for 12 years.[5] After his departure, he continued to write for the magazine and returned as editor several times, with a nearly 20-year association with the title. He was a music critic for the publication in the punk era for which he penned the influential column "Glenn O'Brien's Beat".[6]

In the late 1970s, O'Brien had a band called Konelrad, which he described as a "socialist-realist rock band."[7]

From 1978 to 1982, O'Brien hosted a New York city Public-access television cable TV show called TV Party.[8] [9] [10] During this period, O'Brien edited several iconic downtown novels, including Kathy Acker's Blood and Guts in High School[11] and The Correct Sadist by Terence Sellers.[12]

In 1980, he wrote the screenplay (which he also co-produced with Patrick Montgomery) for a film to be called New York Beat, starring Jean-Michel Basquiat[13] It was released in 2000 as Downtown 81, with post-production managed by O'Brien and Maripol.[14] In June 1980, O'Brien's article "Graffiti '80: The State of the Outlaw Art" was published in High Times magazine. It was the first major survey of the burgeoning graffiti art scene, which featured Basquiat, Fab 5 Freddy and Lee Quiñones.[15] O'Brien has a cameo appearance as an art dealer in the hip-hop film Wild Style.

After leaving TV Party, in addition to continuing his writing career, he attempted a stint as a stand-up comedian, and was a contributing editor of Allure, Harper's Bazaar, and Creative Director of advertising at Barneys New York. For 10 years, he wrote a monthly column for Artforum magazine. O'Brien edited Madonna's 1992 Sex book.[16] He had been introduced to Madonna a decade prior through her relationship with Basquiat.[17] He also worked with her on The Girlie Show World Tour book in 1993.[18]

In January 2008, he was named editorial director of Brant Publications, which includes Interview Magazine as well as Art in America and Antiques.[19] In June 2009 it was announced that he had left his position with Brant Publications.[4]

He lent his collection of early Basquiat works to various exhibitions, including Deitch Projects,[20] and is a co-author of a major volume on the artist.[21]

O'Brien died of complications from pneumonia in Manhattan on April 7, 2017, at the age of 70.[16] [22] Madonna called O'Brien "an amazing soul and a creative genius" in a statement on Twitter.[23]

At the time of his death, O'Brien was married to publicist Gina Nanni.[24] He had previously been married to Barbara Egan.

Awards and honors

On February 17, 2009, O'Brien was named one of Top 10 Most Stylish Men in America by GQ.[25]

Published works

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Lawrence . Josh . November 14, 1996 . Glenn O'brien: Pop-Cultural Attache . 2023-12-29 . The East Hampton Star . December 30, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231230041904/https://www.easthamptonstar.com/archive/glenn-obrien-pop-cultural-attache . live .
  2. Kreps, Daniel, "Glenn O'Brien, Writer and Punk Renaissance Man, Dead at 70", Rolling Stone, April 7, 2017.
  3. Web site: Glennobrien.com . March 25, 2013 . February 15, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190215035430/https://glennobrien.com/site/#/bio . dead .
  4. Web site: Glenn O'Brien, Writer and Editor Who Gained Fame With Warhol, Dies at 70. The New York Times. Alex. Williams. April 9, 2017. April 7, 2017. May 26, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190526181214/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/07/nyregion/glenn-obrien-dies-warhol-editor.html. live.
  5. Web site: 2011-04-28 . Glenn O’Brien: The Book on Men and Style . 2023-12-29 . IrishCentral.com . en.
  6. Web site: The Greatest Hits from the Legendary Closet of the Style Guy, Glenn O'Brien. GQ. April 9, 2017. April 8, 2017. With link to Welch, Will, "Rest In Peace: One Last Riff with Glenn O’Brien, the King of New York Cool", GQ, April 8, 2017.
  7. Web site: April 7, 2017 . Glenn O'Brien (1947–2017) . 2023-02-26 . Artforum . en-US . February 26, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230226192426/https://www.artforum.com/news/glenn-o-brien-1947-2017-67657 . live .
  8. Book: Boch, Richard. The Mudd Club. Feral House. 2017. 978-1-62731-051-2. Port Townsend, WA. 246–247. English. 972429558.
  9. Web site: TV Party . May 1, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090510074714/http://www.tvparty.tv/ . May 10, 2009 . dead .
  10. Curley, Mallory, A Cookie Mueller Encyclopedia (Randy Press, 2010), p. 352.
  11. https://www.east-village-eye.com/eyepdfs/june82.pdf
  12. https://twitter.com/lordrochester/status/692119374216478720
  13. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0208993/ New York Beat Movie (1981), imdb.com.
  14. Web site: Glenn O'Brien, who once wrote GQ's Style Guy column, dies at 70. Lisa. Lockwood. Los Angeles Times. April 8, 2017. April 9, 2017. April 9, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170409060704/http://www.latimes.com/fashion/la-ig-wwd-glenn-obrien-obituary-20170407-story.html. live.
  15. O'Brien. Glenn. June 1980. Graffiti '80: The State of the Outlaw Art. High Times. 53–54.
  16. Web site: Glenn O'Brien, Writer and "TV Party" Host, Dead at 70. Pitchfork. Matthew. Strauss. April 7, 2017. April 7, 2017. April 8, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170408082832/http://pitchfork.com/news/72720-glenn-obrien-writer-and-tv-party-host-dead-at-70/. live.
  17. Web site: Nov 26, 2013. Interview with Glenn O'Brien – also starring Madonna, Basquiat, Viva and Warhol. 2020-08-09. Flux magazine. en-US.
  18. Book: Hoskyns, Barney. The Sound and the Fury: 40 Years of Classic Rock Journalism: A Rock's Backpages Reader. 2003-08-04. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. 978-1-58234-282-5. 111. en.
  19. http://WWW.SAATCHI-GALLERY.CO.UK/BLOGON/ART_NEWS/ANTHONY_HADEN-GUEST_INTERVIEWS_GLENN_OBRIEN_THE_NEW_EDITOR_OF_ANDY_WARHOLS_LEGENDARY_INTERVIEW_MAGAZINE/4238 Anthony Haden-Guest Interviews Glenn O’Brien, the New Editor of Andy Warhol’s Legendary Interview Magazine.
  20. http://www.deitch.com/projects/sub.php?projId=188 "Jean-Michel Basquiat, 1981: The Studio of the Street"
  21. Deitch J, Cortez D, and O’Brien, G. Jean-Michel Basquiat 1981: the Studio of the Street, Milan: Charta, 2007.
  22. Web site: Writer, Warhol associate and TV Party host Glenn O'Brien dies aged 70. The Guardian. April 7, 2017. April 7, 2017.
  23. 850428051565531136. Madonna. Say Good-bye to an Amazing Soul and a Creative Genius! God Bless You Glenn O'Brien. . April 7, 2017. April 7, 2017.
  24. Web site: Rea . Naomi . 2022-01-31 . What I Buy and Why: Publicist Gina Nanni on Building a Storied Collection With the Late Glenn O’Brien and Her Volatile Tom Sachs Work . 2023-12-29 . Artnet News . en-US . December 30, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231230043406/https://news.artnet.com/art-world/what-i-buy-and-why-gina-nanni-glenn-obrien-2066092 . live .
  25. News: February 17, 2009. The 10 Most Stylish Men in America. New York Daily News. February 17, 2009. April 14, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170414081723/http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/fashion/10-stylish-men-america-gallery-1.28729?pmSlide=1.28766. live.
  26. Web site: Amazon.com: The Style Guy . August 31, 2017 . April 11, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170411055043/https://www.amazon.com/Style-Guy-Glenn-OBrien/dp/0345427270 . live .
  27. Web site: Amazon.com: How To Be a Man . August 31, 2017 . October 4, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171004152722/https://www.amazon.com/How-Be-Man-Behavior-Gentleman/dp/0847835472 . live .
  28. Web site: loa.org: "The Cool School" . July 19, 2015 . September 7, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150907025829/http://www.loa.org/volume.jsp?RequestID=394 . live .
  29. amazon.com Berluti: At Their Feet
  30. amazon.com A toast to the world's preeminent spirit

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