Soapbox: Essays, Diatribes, Homilies and Screeds 1980-1997

by Glenn O'Brien

This book collects the witty, irreverent essays and musings of one of America's foremost pop culture critics. Almost twenty years' worth of columns, concerning a whole range of topics -- from music to art, politics to food -- come alive in this survey of the insightful and hip writings of Glenn O'Brien. As a journalist and writer, O'Brien has worked on projects with Warhol and Madonna, and written for a host of magazines. Whether writing about the Stock Market or the punk group the Dead Kennedys. O'Brien brings to his eclectic taste both unflagging insight and an ample dose of humor.

221 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Glenn O'Brien 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.

Reviews

[Tosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whenever I see the name "Glenn O'Brien" in a magazine I usually buy that issue. I first discovered him during the highlight years of Andy Warhol's Interview magazine. He always struck me at that time as the perfect Manhattan journalist. He had good music taste, loved the visual arts, and was super urban witty in that classic Algonquin Round Table mode. One would think he would know Dorothy Parker, but alas, different generation and perhaps taste.

So what we have here are a collection of essays originally published in Interview and Artforum and other locations. They deal with big issues like gender, art, music, sports, and culture among other subject matters. But the genius of O'Brien is that he makes these subjects personal and he is also peppered the writing with his good nature. Christopher Hitchens without the emotional up and down, just straight forward clear thinking yet a touch odd point of the view look at the world. Also buying this book in the used section at the Strand made it kind of an essential type of purchase in New York City.