Michael A. Gonzales
@magonzales
Born and raised in Harlem, Michael A. Gonzales has been anointed "the hip-hop Chester Himes" by Miles Marshall Lewis. He's published true-crime essays at CrimeReads, and short stories in Ellery Queen and Rock & a Hard Place. art by Tony Stella
Decades before Orange is the New Black I used to watch this Australian women in prison show every Sunday night. I haven't seen or read anything about it in years, but every now and then the memory of this program slam dances through my brain.
On August 3, 1964 Flannery O'Connor died. Years later my girlfriend Lesley Pitts introduced me to her work and told me she was her favorite author. The writer became a major influence on my work. On August 3, 1999 my girlfriend Lesley died and every year I celebrate her memory and all she taught me.
In 1984 writer Barry Gifford created Black Lizard Press. Featuring covers by Kirwan, the Black Lizard line reprinted the novels of forgotten authors Charles Willeford, Peter Rabe, Jim Thompson and David Goodis, enticing a new generation of crime fiction fans. crimereads.com/kubrick-jim-...
Stanley Kubrick might've been a genius, but he wasn't above ripping off writer Jim Thompson. Be careful of them Bronx born boys. @mattzollerseitz.bsky.social @glennkenny.bsky.social
Sinners, Saints and Screenplays: On Jim Thompson and Stanley Kubrick --an essay about the making of a nor classic by Michael A. Gonzales crimereads.com/kubrick-jim-...
This NYC apartment building on 153rd Street & Broadway was where J.D. Salinger lived as a child. This 1910 photo was taken by Thaddeus Wilkerson, who lived on 145th between Broadway and Amsterdam. All of the buildings he shot in that neighborhood are still standing. crimereads.com/nyc-photogra...
On the making of Curtis Mayfield's masterful soundtrack Superfly: magazine.waxpoetics.com/article/curt...
I saw Blade Runner on the day it was released in 1982. I was a 19 year old kid who had never heard of Phillip K. Dick and that film changed my life and my writing. Since then I have seen Blade Runner many times on the big screen and always amazes me. --poster by Tony Stella
Cinema & the City memoirland.substack.com/p/cinema-and... Into the Cinema, Onto the Page magazine.catapult.co/people/stori... Street Gangs on Film crimereads.com/street-gangs... On Screenwriter Eleanor Perry oldster.substack.com/p/you-dont-o... @filmforumnyc.bsky.social @newbeverly.bsky.social
Bruce sez read this story about artist Tony Stella or he'll just wait for the John Williams music to play that gives him permission to devour your ass.
Tony Stella's art for The Education of Sonny Carson put me in mind of my local grindhouse the Tapia. In the '70s, when theaters didn’t care how young the customers were as long as they paid, I could be found slouched in those torn velveteen seats every weekend. oldster.substack.com/p/the-dream-...
Greg Tate Changed the Game Nine artists and writers, including Joan Morgan and dream hampton, reflect on how the legendary critic and musician inspired them. hammerandhope.org/forums/greg-... art by Collins Obijiaku for Hammer & Hope @hammerandhope.bsky.social
Afrodisiac: A Textual Meditation on Greg Tate: In 1982, my introduction to the music writing of future mentor and friend Greg Tate was a black magic moment that caused me to celebrate as his words literally changed my young life. lithub.com/afrodisiac-a... @hammerandhope.bsky.social
Pics of Pop: the first is with Mom on a boat ⛵ ride in the swinging sixties. They look like characters from a Burt Bacharach song. The second is with me when I was eight in 1971, looking like characters from a Quincy Jones song.
An old Putney Swope poster vs the new Lizzo album art. Let the best woman win. @rollingstone.com @vibemagazine.bsky.social
Saw this 2025 Gus Van Sant flick on Netflix the other day... check it out when you can.
If I could go back in time I'd try to get Tangerine Dreams two Oscars for best soundtracks. These two albums have served as my crime fiction writing scores for decades.
Robert McGinnis is another poster artist whose work thrilled me when I was a kid and I still love today. Cotton Comes to Harlem is often cited as the first blaxploitation flick and McGinnis' brilliant poster defined the look of the era. McGinnis also illustrated a few of my fave James Bond joints.
That was one of the best weekends of my life. It was Valentine's Day. My girlfriend took this picture.
The research was for a second essay I'm writing about movie poster artist Tony Stella, who died in May. The new essay will be published at Oldster Magazine @oldstermag.bsky.social on June 16th...
While researching movie poster artists, I discovered the name George Akimoto. I knew his work well, but not the man behind the stunning images.
Read "The Healing Power of a Really Good Grudge" on CrimeReads.com It's a knockout.