Home Articles posted by Michael Gonzales
Michael Gonzales
Bio: Harlem native Michael A. Gonzales is a cultural critic, short story scribe and essayist who has written for The Paris Review, The Village Voice, Wax Poetics, The Wire UK, Maggot Brain and Pitchfork. His fiction has appeared in Dead-End Jobs: A Hit Man Anthology edited by Andrew J. Rausch, Black Pulp edited by Gary Phillips, Crime Factory, Brown Sugar 2: Great One Night Stands edited by Carol Taylor, Needle: A Magazine of Noir edited by Steve Weddle and Bronx Biannual edited by Miles Marshall Lewis. He is the co-author of Bring the Noise: A Guide to Rap Music and Hip-Hop Culture (1991), and throughout the 1990s covered rap and soul for The Source, Vibe, RapPages, Spin, Tower’s Pulse, Raygun, Creem and Request. Currently Gonzales writes personal essays for Longreads, the music column Slept on Soul for Soulhead.com and The Blacklist, a book column covering out-of-print Black authors for Catapult. He lives in Baltimore.
A Personal Journey Through the World of Alternative Comics in 1970s New York City
On Star*Reach, Heavy Metal, the rise of alternative comics, and one New York kid's journey to publish his own.
How to Write a Memorable Hit Man: A Conversation Among Connoisseurs
Andy Rausch and Michael Gonzales discuss their favorite hit men, lessons learned from Elmore Leonard, and the new anthology, 'Dead End Jobs'
American Dreamers: On Frank Lucas, Jay-Z and a New York City Crime Epic
Talking with Jay-Z about growing up in New York, the gangster dream, and finding inspiration from a bygone era.
High Life: The Carnegie Deli Murders
In 2001, Michael Gonzales visited the apartment of a hospitable actress and dealer. Soon it would be the site of a notorious murder.
On The Art and Life of Jeffrey Catherine Jones
In 1970's New York City, Jones and a few artist friends reinvented what comic art could be.
A New York State of Mind: The Unexpected Bonding Powers of Billy Joel's Melancholy Noir
Michael Gonzales finds a lifeline to a city, a soundtrack for grief, and a way of remembering his father.
Bone, Blood & Bigots: On 'The Liberation of L.B. Jones'
A 1965 novel about racial injustice and police brutality in the Deep South was hailed by critics and made into a major movie. The story would haunt its author until the bitter end.
Money Ain’t a Thang: 'Paid in Full' and the Culture That Rose out of New York's Crack Era
In the 1980s, the city was ravaged by a new drug. But a new culture, born of the same streets, was on the rise, too.
Soul Assassin: The Brief Life and Death of Jerome Johnson
In 1971, somebody hired a young Black man to assassinate an Italian mafia boss. Five decades later, the mystery continues.
Page 1 of 2
