Tony O'Neill

Not to be confused with Tony O'Neil.

Tony O'Neill
BornAnthony Shaun O'Neill
July 13, 1978
Blackburn, Lancashire
OccupationAuthor, journalist, poet, screenwriter
NationalityBritish
Period2005-present
GenreLiterary fiction, non fiction, poetry, drug-lit
Literary movementBrutalism, Offbeat Generation, Drug-Lit
Notable worksDigging the Vein, Down and Out on Murder Mile, Sick City, Black Neon, Notre Dame du Vide, Songs from the Shooting Gallery, The Savage Life
SpouseVanessa O'Neill
Children1
Website
Official website

Tony O'Neill (born in 1978, Blackburn, Lancashire) is an English writer based in New York. A one-time musician with Kenickie (1997–98), Marc Almond (1997–98), The Brian Jonestown Massacre (1999), and Kelli Ali (2001–04), O'Neill has written several books including Digging the Vein (2006), Down and Out on Murder Mile (2008) and Sick City (2010).

Literary career

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Digging the Vein was a novel based on O'Neill's years as a heroin and crack addict as well as his experiences in the music industry.[1] The sequel, Down and Out on Murder Mile was released by Harper Perennial as a mass-market paperback in 2008.[2]

Sick City was released by Harper Perennial in 2010.[3] The plot revolves around two heroin addicts who try to sell a sex tape showing Sharon Tate.

A sequel to Sick City, Black Neon, was published by Walde and Graf in German in 2012. It follows the further adventures of Sick City's protagonists Randal and Jeffrey, and their adventures in the world of Santaria, art-house cinema, and their run-ins with two lesbian pharmacy bandits.

He also co-wrote the memoirs of NFL player Jason Peter.[4] The book, Hero of the Underground, was a New York Times bestseller published in July 2008 by St Martins Press. Other non-fiction works include the memoir of the lead singer of The Runaways, Cherie Currie – Neon Angel: A Memoir of The Runaways (2010, It Books / Harper Collins).

A short story anthology, Notre Dame Du Vide, was published in France, June 2009, by 13e note éditions [fr]. Down and Out on Murder Mile and Sick City have been translated into French, and Sick City was scheduled to be published in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria in 2011.

He has written short stories for 3:AM Magazine and Laura Hird's fiction showcase, among others. A short story collection, Seizure Wet Dreams, was published by Social Disease in the UK, also in 2006. In 2007 Songs From The Shooting Gallery, his first book of poetry was published by Burning Shore Press of Long Beach, California. His short story "Fragments of Joe" was featured in The Heroin Chronicles ed. Jerry Stahl, on Akashic Books.

He is a founding member of the Brutalists, a literary collective including authors Adelle Stripe and Ben Myers.[5]

Works

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Fiction

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  • Digging The Vein (2006)
  • Down and Out on Murder Mile (2008)
  • Sick City (2010)
  • Black Neon (2012)
  • La Vie Sauvage / The Savage Life (2016)

Short fiction

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  • Seizure Wet Dreams (Social Disease, 2006)
  • Notre Dame du Vide (13e note éditions, Paris, 2009)
  • The Loose Canon Vol. 1 Siren Song (Montreal, 2009), ISSN 1920-3225
  • The Heroin Chronicles (Akashic Books, 2012)
  • Dirty Hits: Stories 2005-2015 (Vicon Editions, 2015)

Poetry

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  • Songs from the Shooting Gallery (2007)

Non-fiction

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  • Hero of the Underground (2008), co-writer with Jason Peter
  • Neon Angel: A Memoir of The Runaways (2010), co-writer with Cherie Currie

References

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  1. ^ Unsworth, Cathie (4 August 2007). "Digging the Vein, by Tony O'Neill (Wrecking Ball Press, £9.95)". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  2. ^ "Down and Out on Murder Mile". Publishers Weekly. 18 August 2008. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  3. ^ Whittaker, Richard (23 July 2019). "Sick City". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  4. ^ Baker, Jeff (21 July 2010). "Tony O'Neill trades drug addiction for literary one". The Oregonian. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  5. ^ Ridgwell, Joseph (26 July 2007). "The rise and rise of the Brutalists". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
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