Ben O'Connell
@benjaminoc.bsky.social
Dad, husband, promiscuous reader, former music geek, wannabe movie nerd, Montanan, NE DC Canine Knucklehead Ward co-founder, C-SPAN director of editorial operations
Beautiful sunset in Fredericksburg, Virginia, tonight
November 15, 2025 at 10:01 PM
Beautiful sunset in Fredericksburg, Virginia, tonight
Michael Malone intended HANDLING SIN to be a Southern DON QUIXOTE, but Cervantes’s novel was so much more than a madcap picaresque. There’s a brilliant 250-page comic novel in here, but it’s a slog at 620 pages.
November 15, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Michael Malone intended HANDLING SIN to be a Southern DON QUIXOTE, but Cervantes’s novel was so much more than a madcap picaresque. There’s a brilliant 250-page comic novel in here, but it’s a slog at 620 pages.
Reposted by Ben O'Connell
Honored to have an excerpt from @johnlingan.bsky.social's exceptional new book in this month's @phillymag.com. I learned a lot about Questlove in this story, and I suspect you will too:
How Questlove Became the Defining Drummer of His Generation
John Lingan's new book Backbeats: A History of Rock and Roll in Fifteen Drummers, traces the Roots drummer’s journey from Philly prodigy to genre-shaping innovator.
www.phillymag.com
November 14, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Honored to have an excerpt from @johnlingan.bsky.social's exceptional new book in this month's @phillymag.com. I learned a lot about Questlove in this story, and I suspect you will too:
I hear good things…
November 14, 2025 at 2:08 AM
I hear good things…
Welp, I have another Barry Malzberg novel to track down. THE LAST TRANSACTION seems to bear some semblance to Georges Simenon’s THE PREMIER, one of the finest political novels I’ve read.
ICYMI: I wrote about an unsettling Barry N. Malzberg novel from the 1970s about a troubled ex-president for Zona Motel. zonamotel.substack.com/p/review-by-...
REVIEW: By Night In America?
Barry N. Malzberg’s "The Last Transaction" is terrifying reading in 2025
zonamotel.substack.com
November 12, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Welp, I have another Barry Malzberg novel to track down. THE LAST TRANSACTION seems to bear some semblance to Georges Simenon’s THE PREMIER, one of the finest political novels I’ve read.
Deborah Cohen’s LAST CALL AT THE IMPERIAL HOTEL is an outstanding group biography of the foreign correspondents who explained the interwar world to increasingly isolationist Americans, laid groundwork for U.S. intervention in WWII, recorded the advent of the Cold War, and screwed each other silly.
November 12, 2025 at 3:27 AM
Deborah Cohen’s LAST CALL AT THE IMPERIAL HOTEL is an outstanding group biography of the foreign correspondents who explained the interwar world to increasingly isolationist Americans, laid groundwork for U.S. intervention in WWII, recorded the advent of the Cold War, and screwed each other silly.
I had a good time at John’s book launch tonight. Can’t wait to read the book and hear things I’ve never noticed before when listening to The Beatles, Stones, Zeppelin, Bad Brains, Slayer, and more.
Excerpt ↓In his new book 'Backbeats,' John Lingan explores what made drummers like Watts so extraordinary.
Excerpt ↓
Excerpt ↓
'He Marches Right Through the Song': Steve Albini on How Charlie Watts's Snare Defined The Rolling Stones
bit.ly
November 12, 2025 at 2:42 AM
I had a good time at John’s book launch tonight. Can’t wait to read the book and hear things I’ve never noticed before when listening to The Beatles, Stones, Zeppelin, Bad Brains, Slayer, and more.
Reposted by Ben O'Connell
Excerpt ↓In his new book 'Backbeats,' John Lingan explores what made drummers like Watts so extraordinary.
Excerpt ↓
Excerpt ↓
'He Marches Right Through the Song': Steve Albini on How Charlie Watts's Snare Defined The Rolling Stones
bit.ly
November 10, 2025 at 11:01 PM
Excerpt ↓In his new book 'Backbeats,' John Lingan explores what made drummers like Watts so extraordinary.
Excerpt ↓
Excerpt ↓
Ben's novella is an outstanding work of dark fantasy with a richly imagined setting and vivid, complex characters. Great book.
Convincing you to read my novel by the first sentence. Share yours if you want.
From The Red Labyrinth
From The Red Labyrinth
November 11, 2025 at 10:13 PM
Ben's novella is an outstanding work of dark fantasy with a richly imagined setting and vivid, complex characters. Great book.
I enjoyed del Toro’s Frankenstein, but, dear lord, the CGI was distracting.
November 11, 2025 at 2:17 AM
I enjoyed del Toro’s Frankenstein, but, dear lord, the CGI was distracting.
Green’s book is a fascinating look at the early ‘80s NYC art scene. And he captures an array of cultural currents—the rising awareness of police violence, the heyday of tabloid journalism, and soon-to-be celebrities like Keith Haring, Basquiat, and Madonna—without the book feeling overstuffed.
If you've been on the fence about buying THE MAN NOBODY KILLED because it wasn't $5, well, I have good news. (It's $5.)
www.amazon.com/dp/125089822...
www.amazon.com/dp/125089822...
The Man Nobody Killed: Life, Death, and Art in Michael Stewart's New York
The Man Nobody Killed: Life, Death, and Art in Michael Stewart's New York [Green, Elon] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Man Nobody Killed: Life, Death, and Art in Michael Stewart's New York
www.amazon.com
November 10, 2025 at 8:42 PM
Green’s book is a fascinating look at the early ‘80s NYC art scene. And he captures an array of cultural currents—the rising awareness of police violence, the heyday of tabloid journalism, and soon-to-be celebrities like Keith Haring, Basquiat, and Madonna—without the book feeling overstuffed.
I spent the weekend driving to South Carolina and back, listening to the entire discographies of Nada Surf and Wussy. Both of their 2024 albums are excellent—maybe the strongest in over a decade by each band..
November 9, 2025 at 10:22 PM
I spent the weekend driving to South Carolina and back, listening to the entire discographies of Nada Surf and Wussy. Both of their 2024 albums are excellent—maybe the strongest in over a decade by each band..
My office for the afternoon
November 7, 2025 at 4:03 PM
My office for the afternoon
My early thoughts on books to nominate for Cousin Book Club:
Mockingbird by Walter Tevis
Tram 83 by Fiston Mwanza Mujila
Prairie Fires by Caroline Fraser
The Heart in Winter by Kevin Barry
Basic Black with Pearls by Helen Weinzweig
The Premier by Georges Simenon
Cahokia Jazz by Francis Spufford
Mockingbird by Walter Tevis
Tram 83 by Fiston Mwanza Mujila
Prairie Fires by Caroline Fraser
The Heart in Winter by Kevin Barry
Basic Black with Pearls by Helen Weinzweig
The Premier by Georges Simenon
Cahokia Jazz by Francis Spufford
November 4, 2025 at 12:08 AM
My early thoughts on books to nominate for Cousin Book Club:
Mockingbird by Walter Tevis
Tram 83 by Fiston Mwanza Mujila
Prairie Fires by Caroline Fraser
The Heart in Winter by Kevin Barry
Basic Black with Pearls by Helen Weinzweig
The Premier by Georges Simenon
Cahokia Jazz by Francis Spufford
Mockingbird by Walter Tevis
Tram 83 by Fiston Mwanza Mujila
Prairie Fires by Caroline Fraser
The Heart in Winter by Kevin Barry
Basic Black with Pearls by Helen Weinzweig
The Premier by Georges Simenon
Cahokia Jazz by Francis Spufford
Gang of Four—and, maybe, Mekons—fans will get the most out of TO HELL WITH POVERTY!, but Jon King’s razor-wire wit is occasionally awe-inspiring. The chapter in which King recalls Gang of Four’s first booking on Top of the Pops, in particular, is a virtuoso performance of clear-eyed absurdity.
November 3, 2025 at 2:29 AM
Gang of Four—and, maybe, Mekons—fans will get the most out of TO HELL WITH POVERTY!, but Jon King’s razor-wire wit is occasionally awe-inspiring. The chapter in which King recalls Gang of Four’s first booking on Top of the Pops, in particular, is a virtuoso performance of clear-eyed absurdity.
I would like to know whether the guy with the JISLORD license plate we just passed thought it through.
November 2, 2025 at 4:14 PM
I would like to know whether the guy with the JISLORD license plate we just passed thought it through.
My wife learning that she is of Italian descent: “It explains my love of pizza!”
November 1, 2025 at 11:06 PM
My wife learning that she is of Italian descent: “It explains my love of pizza!”
Catholic University librarians showed some colleagues and I amazing artifacts from their collections today. Their rare book holdings include a 1911 book of Oxford University statutes signed by its original owner, J.R.R. Tolkien, and two U.S. first printings of FRANKENSTEIN.
October 30, 2025 at 8:55 PM
Catholic University librarians showed some colleagues and I amazing artifacts from their collections today. Their rare book holdings include a 1911 book of Oxford University statutes signed by its original owner, J.R.R. Tolkien, and two U.S. first printings of FRANKENSTEIN.
An unknown force from a dark star leads to madness among the crew of IKARIE XB 1 as they search for life in the Alpha Centauri system. The 1963 movie scans more like an extended episode of a Czech STAR TREK than a predecessor to SUNSHINE, EVENT HORIZON, THE BLACK HOLE, or, even, SOLARIS. It’s fine.
October 29, 2025 at 1:01 AM
An unknown force from a dark star leads to madness among the crew of IKARIE XB 1 as they search for life in the Alpha Centauri system. The 1963 movie scans more like an extended episode of a Czech STAR TREK than a predecessor to SUNSHINE, EVENT HORIZON, THE BLACK HOLE, or, even, SOLARIS. It’s fine.
Reposted by Ben O'Connell
Hüsker Dü were a pivotal band (for both good and bad reasons in my book tbh). Stevie Chick does the business here in this in-depth profile speaking to Bob Mould and Greg Norton about wide-eyed beginnings, drug-wracked endings, the reformation that almost happened, dealing out the first... 1/2
October 28, 2025 at 8:43 AM
Hüsker Dü were a pivotal band (for both good and bad reasons in my book tbh). Stevie Chick does the business here in this in-depth profile speaking to Bob Mould and Greg Norton about wide-eyed beginnings, drug-wracked endings, the reformation that almost happened, dealing out the first... 1/2
Great piece. Mould describes the CANDY APPLE GREY opener “Crystal” as “one of the most difficult pieces of music we ever made.” I read this as a challenge; I’ve not yet been able to find my way into that song.
damaging blow to hardcore's independence, but also paving the way for Pixies and, ultimately, Nirvana.
Pull up a pouffe... it's a great read.
thequietus.com/interviews/h...
Pull up a pouffe... it's a great read.
thequietus.com/interviews/h...
Plans That They Made: Hüsker Dü Interviewed | The Quietus
Stevie Chick talks to Bob Mould and Greg Norton about Grant Hart, American punk and paving the road for Nirvana
thequietus.com
October 28, 2025 at 9:46 AM
Great piece. Mould describes the CANDY APPLE GREY opener “Crystal” as “one of the most difficult pieces of music we ever made.” I read this as a challenge; I’ve not yet been able to find my way into that song.
THE HEART IN WINTER by Kevin Barry is funny, sad, crass, and lovely. And Barry’s prose has enough energy to power a small city. Highly recommended.
October 27, 2025 at 2:14 AM
THE HEART IN WINTER by Kevin Barry is funny, sad, crass, and lovely. And Barry’s prose has enough energy to power a small city. Highly recommended.
U.S. Marines have unsettling experiences after exploring the site of an Afghan-Soviet War–era massacre. John Milas’s THE MILITIA HOUSE is an excellent haunted house story and a vivid portrait of living with PTSD, but it’s Milas’s depiction of everyday life on the frontlines that held me in thrall.
October 26, 2025 at 11:55 PM
U.S. Marines have unsettling experiences after exploring the site of an Afghan-Soviet War–era massacre. John Milas’s THE MILITIA HOUSE is an excellent haunted house story and a vivid portrait of living with PTSD, but it’s Milas’s depiction of everyday life on the frontlines that held me in thrall.
Had a chance to hit my local
October 26, 2025 at 8:44 PM
Had a chance to hit my local
The stretch from the windmill through the retrieval of the Necronomicon is brilliant—among the best 20 minutes of comedy made in the 1990s. The rest is pretty fun, too.
October 26, 2025 at 12:48 PM
The stretch from the windmill through the retrieval of the Necronomicon is brilliant—among the best 20 minutes of comedy made in the 1990s. The rest is pretty fun, too.