Jon Ronson
Encyclopedia
Jon Ronson is a Welsh
journalist, documentary film
maker, radio presenter and nonfiction author, whose works include The Men Who Stare At Goats
. His journalism and columns have appeared in British publications including The Guardian
newspaper, City Life
and Time Out magazine. He has made several documentary films for television and two documentary series for Channel 4
.
. He studied for a degree in Media Studies at Westminster University
.
reporting style, which incorporates aspects of Gonzo journalism
. His articles and stories often detail his process of information gathering and he is usually quite visible in his articles as a character. Ronson's documentary filmmaking style continues this theme and follows that of British documentary filmmaking pioneer Nick Broomfield
. The journalist Louis Theroux
has reviewed him favourably; John Safran
and Harmon Leon have cited Ronson as an influence. He is a distinguished supporter of the British Humanist Association
.
Jon Ronson's first book, Clubbed Class, was published in 1994. The book is a travelogue in which Ronson bluffs his way into a jet set
lifestyle, in search of the world's finest holiday.
His second book, Them: Adventures with Extremists
, is an investigative account of his experiences with people labelled as extremists, including David Icke
, Randy Weaver
, Omar Bakri Muhammad
, Ian Paisley
, and Thom Robb. Ronson also follows independent investigators of secretive groups such as the Bilderberg Group
. The narrative tells of Ronson's attempts to infiltrate the "shadowy cabal" fabled, by these conspiracy theorists, to rule the world. The book, a bestseller, was described by Louis Theroux as "funny and compulsively readable picaresque adventure through a paranoid shadow world."
Variety
magazine announced in September 2005 that Them has been purchased by Universal Pictures
to be turned into a feature film. The screenplay is being written by Mike White (School of Rock
, The Good Girl
), produced by White and the comedian Jack Black
, and directed by Edgar Wright
(Shaun of the Dead
).
Ronson's third book, The Men Who Stare at Goats
, deals with the secret New Age
unit within the United States Army
called the First Earth Battalion
. Ronson investigates people such as Major General Albert Stubblebine
III, former head of intelligence, who believe that people can walk through walls with the right mental preparation, and that goat
s can be killed simply by staring at them. Much was based on the ideas of Lt. Col. Jim Channon
, ret., who wrote the First Earth Battalion Operations Manual in 1979, inspired by the emerging Human Potential Movement
of California. The book tells how these New Age military ideas mutated over the decades to influence interrogation techniques at Guantanamo Bay
. An eponymous film
of the book was released in 2009, in which Ronson's investigations were fictionalised and structured around a journey to Iraq
. Ronson is played by the actor Ewan McGregor
in the film.
Ronson's fourth book, Out of the Ordinary: True Tales of Everyday Craziness, was published by Picador
and Guardian Books
in November 2006. It is a collection of Ronson's Guardian articles, mostly those concerning his domestic life. A companion volume, What I Do: More True Tales of Everyday Craziness, was published in November 2007.
The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry is Ronson's fifth book, published in 2011. In it, he explores the nature of psychopathic behavior, learning how to apply the Hare Psychopathy Checklist
, and investigating its reliability. He interviews people in facilities for the criminally insane as well as potential psychopaths in corporate boardrooms.
Ronson also contributed the memoir A Fantastic Life to the Picador
anthology Truth or Dare, in 2004. It told the story of Ronson's ill-fated endeavour to provide for his child an enchanting Christmas
, and was the basis for his subsequent Out of the Ordinary column in The Guardian.
programme, Jon Ronson on... which was shortlisted for a 2006, 2008 and 2009 Sony award. In August 2008, Radio 4 aired "Robbie Williams
and Jon Ronson Journey to the Other Side'", a documentary by Jon Ronson about pop star Williams' fascination with UFOs and the paranormal
.
In the early 1990s, Ronson was offered the position of sidekick on Terry Christian
's Show on Manchester
radio station KFM
. It was here that the idea for the Ronson Mission originated. Every week Terry would set Jon a task such as to go out and find out if there is such a thing as God or alien life on other planets
. When Terry moved on to present the cult late-night youth TV show The Word
(which Jon became the first journalist to review, having been sneaked into the pilot show by Terry), Jon took over the show. It specialised in playing indie music, reggae
and sixties psychedelia and often featured tracks from his favourite artists including Randy Newman
and The Breeders
. Ronson also co-presented a KFM show with Craig Cash
, who went on to write and perform in The Royle Family
and Early Doors
.
Ronson contributes to Public Radio International
in the United States, particularly the program This American Life
. He has contributed segments to the following of its episodes: "Them", "Family Physics", "Naming Names", "It's Never Over", "Habeas Schmaebeas", "The Spokesman", "Pro Se", "The Psychopath Test". Some of these segments are versions of stories first heard on his BBC radio show.
as the keyboard player for the Frank Sidebottom
band for a number of performances.
Ronson was the manager of the Manchester
indie band The Man From Delmonte
.
was released in 2009 as a comedy war film
directed by Grant Heslov
and written by Peter Straughan
.
The journalist-character Bob Wilton in the movie, played by Ewan McGregor
, did experience elements of Ronson's self-recounted story from the book, according to Ronson in his commentary on the DVD
. However Wilton was, unlike Ronson, an American from Ann Arbor. And, unlike Ronson, Wilton went to Iraq.
In the process of visiting the set during the shoot, Ronson began a collaborative writing project with Straughan.
Book extracts
Interviews
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
journalist, documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
maker, radio presenter and nonfiction author, whose works include The Men Who Stare At Goats
The Men Who Stare at Goats
The Men Who Stare at Goats is a book by Jon Ronson about the U.S. Army's exploration of New Age concepts and the potential military applications of the paranormal. The title refers to attempts to kill goats by staring at them...
. His journalism and columns have appeared in British publications including The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
newspaper, City Life
City Life (Magazine)
City Life was a Manchester-based listings magazine that was published between December 1983 and December 2005. It was a distinctive blend of radical politics and coverage of the increasingly exciting Manchester youth culture scene of the early 1980s, coinciding with the rise of Factory Records and...
and Time Out magazine. He has made several documentary films for television and two documentary series for Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
.
Early life and education
Ronson was born in Cardiff, Wales, in 1967; he attended Cardiff High SchoolCardiff High School
Cardiff High School is a comprehensive school in the Cyncoed area of Cardiff, Wales. Cardiff High School is two miles from the city centre, serving a neighbourhood of privately-owned houses. According to the 2007 ESTYN Report, "Cardiff High School is a very good school with many outstanding...
. He studied for a degree in Media Studies at Westminster University
Westminster University
Westminster University may refer to:*University of Westminster, London, England* Westminster University , whose building is listed on the U.S. NRHP...
.
Writing
Ronson has a distinctive self-deprecatingSelf-deprecation
Self-deprecation, or Self-depreciation, is the act of belittling or undervaluing oneself. It can be used in humor and tension release.-In comedy:...
reporting style, which incorporates aspects of Gonzo journalism
Gonzo journalism
Gonzo journalism is a style of journalism that is written without claims of objectivity, often including the reporter as part of the story via a first-person narrative. The word "gonzo" is believed to be first used in 1970 to describe an article by Hunter S. Thompson, who later popularized the style...
. His articles and stories often detail his process of information gathering and he is usually quite visible in his articles as a character. Ronson's documentary filmmaking style continues this theme and follows that of British documentary filmmaking pioneer Nick Broomfield
Nick Broomfield
Nicholas "Nick" Broomfield is an English documentary film-maker. He is the son of Maurice Broomfield, a photographer.Broomfield works with a minimal crew, recording sound himself and using one or two camera operators...
. The journalist Louis Theroux
Louis Theroux
Louis Sebastian Theroux is an English broadcaster best known for his Gonzo style journalism on the television series Louis Theroux's Weird Weekends and When Louis Met.... His career started off in journalism and bears influences of notable writers in his family such as his father, Paul Theroux and...
has reviewed him favourably; John Safran
John Safran
John Safran is an Australian documentary maker and radio broadcaster, known for combining humour with explorations into religion and other issues...
and Harmon Leon have cited Ronson as an influence. He is a distinguished supporter of the British Humanist Association
British Humanist Association
The British Humanist Association is an organisation of the United Kingdom which promotes Humanism and represents "people who seek to live good lives without religious or superstitious beliefs." The BHA is committed to secularism, human rights, democracy, egalitarianism and mutual respect...
.
Jon Ronson's first book, Clubbed Class, was published in 1994. The book is a travelogue in which Ronson bluffs his way into a jet set
Jet set
"Jet set" is a journalistic term that was used to describe an international social group of wealthy people, organizing and participating all around the world in social activities that are unreachable to ordinary people...
lifestyle, in search of the world's finest holiday.
His second book, Them: Adventures with Extremists
Them: Adventures With Extremists
Them: Adventures with Extremists is a book by British journalist Jon Ronson published in 2001. The book accompanied Ronson's documentary series The Secret Rulers of the World, which covered similar topics and depicted many of the same episodes...
, is an investigative account of his experiences with people labelled as extremists, including David Icke
David Icke
David Vaughan Icke is an English writer and public speaker, best known for his views on what he calls "who and what is really controlling the world." Describing himself as the most controversial speaker in the world, he has written 18 books explaining his position, and has attracted a substantial...
, Randy Weaver
Randy Weaver
Randall Claude "Randy" Weaver is a former Green Beret who was at the center of a deadly confrontation with U.S. federal agents at Ruby Ridge, Idaho, in 1992.-Early life:...
, Omar Bakri Muhammad
Omar Bakri Muhammad
Omar Bakri Muhammad is an Islamist militant leader who was instrumental in developing Hizb ut-Tahrir into a major organization in the United Kingdom before leaving the group and heading another Islamist organisation, Al-Muhajiroun, until its disbandment in 2004.For several years Bakri was one of...
, Ian Paisley
Ian Paisley
Ian Richard Kyle Paisley, Baron Bannside, PC is a politician and church minister in Northern Ireland. As the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party , he and Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness were elected First Minister and deputy First Minister respectively on 8 May 2007.In addition to co-founding...
, and Thom Robb. Ronson also follows independent investigators of secretive groups such as the Bilderberg Group
Bilderberg Group
The Bilderberg Group, Bilderberg conference, or Bilderberg Club is an annual, unofficial, invitation-only conference of approximately 120 to 140 guests from North America and Western Europe, most of whom are people of influence. About one-third are from government and politics, and two-thirds from...
. The narrative tells of Ronson's attempts to infiltrate the "shadowy cabal" fabled, by these conspiracy theorists, to rule the world. The book, a bestseller, was described by Louis Theroux as "funny and compulsively readable picaresque adventure through a paranoid shadow world."
Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
magazine announced in September 2005 that Them has been purchased by Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures
-1920:* White Youth* The Flaming Disc* Am I Dreaming?* The Dragon's Net* The Adorable Savage* Putting It Over* The Line Runners-1921:* The Fire Eater* A Battle of Wits* Dream Girl* The Millionaire...
to be turned into a feature film. The screenplay is being written by Mike White (School of Rock
School of Rock
School of Rock, also called The School of Rock, is a 2003 American musical comedy film directed by Richard Linklater, written by Mike White, and starring Jack Black...
, The Good Girl
The Good Girl
The Good Girl is a 2002 black comedy-drama film directed by Miguel Arteta from a script by Mike White, and stars Jennifer Aniston, Jake Gyllenhaal and John C. Reilly.-Plot:...
), produced by White and the comedian Jack Black
Jack Black (actor)
Thomas Jacob "Jack" Black is an American comedian, actor and musician. He makes up one half of the comedy and satirical rock duo Tenacious D. The group has two albums as well as a television series and a film. His acting career is extensive, starring primarily as bumbling, cocky, but internally...
, and directed by Edgar Wright
Edgar Wright
Edgar Howard Wright is an English film and television director and writer. He is most famous for his work with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost on the films Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, the TV series Spaced, and for directing the film Scott Pilgrim vs...
(Shaun of the Dead
Shaun of the Dead
Shaun of the Dead is a 2004 British zombie comedy directed by Edgar Wright, starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, and written by Pegg and Wright. Pegg plays Shaun, a man attempting to get some kind of focus in his life as he deals with his girlfriend, his mother and stepfather...
).
Ronson's third book, The Men Who Stare at Goats
The Men Who Stare at Goats
The Men Who Stare at Goats is a book by Jon Ronson about the U.S. Army's exploration of New Age concepts and the potential military applications of the paranormal. The title refers to attempts to kill goats by staring at them...
, deals with the secret New Age
New Age
The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...
unit within the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
called the First Earth Battalion
First Earth Battalion
The First Earth Battalion was the name proposed by Lieutenant Colonel Jim Channon, a U.S. soldier who had served in Vietnam, for his idea of a new military to be organized along New Age lines.-Principles:...
. Ronson investigates people such as Major General Albert Stubblebine
Albert Stubblebine
Albert "Bert" N. Stubblebine III is a retired Major General in the United States Army. He was the commanding general of the United States Army Intelligence and Security Command from 1981 to 1984, when he retired from the Army...
III, former head of intelligence, who believe that people can walk through walls with the right mental preparation, and that goat
Goat
The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
s can be killed simply by staring at them. Much was based on the ideas of Lt. Col. Jim Channon
Jim Channon
Jim Channon, a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army, now retired, is a futurologist and military theorist. Channon is primarily recognised for creating the First Earth Battalion Operations Manual.-The manual:...
, ret., who wrote the First Earth Battalion Operations Manual in 1979, inspired by the emerging Human Potential Movement
Human Potential Movement
The Human Potential Movement arose out of the social and intellectual milieu of the 1960s and formed around the concept of cultivating extraordinary potential that its advocates believed to lie largely untapped in all people...
of California. The book tells how these New Age military ideas mutated over the decades to influence interrogation techniques at Guantanamo Bay
Guantanamo Bay detainment camp
The Guantanamo Bay detention camp is a detainment and interrogation facility of the United States located within Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba. The facility was established in 2002 by the Bush Administration to hold detainees from the war in Afghanistan and later Iraq...
. An eponymous film
The Men Who Stare at Goats (film)
The Men Who Stare at Goats is a 2009 comedy war film directed by Grant Heslov and written by Peter Straughan and released in theaters on November 6, 2009...
of the book was released in 2009, in which Ronson's investigations were fictionalised and structured around a journey to Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. Ronson is played by the actor Ewan McGregor
Ewan McGregor
Ewan Gordon McGregor is a Scottish actor. He has had success in mainstream, indie, and art house films. McGregor is perhaps best known for his roles as heroin addict Mark Renton in the drama Trainspotting , young Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequel trilogy , and poet Christian in the...
in the film.
Ronson's fourth book, Out of the Ordinary: True Tales of Everyday Craziness, was published by Picador
Picador (imprint)
Picador is an imprint of Pan Macmillan in the United Kingdom and Australia and of Macmillan Publishing in the United States. Both companies are owned by Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group....
and Guardian Books
Guardian Books
Guardian Books is the book publishing division of the UK daily newspaper The Guardian and its sister weekly paper The Observer....
in November 2006. It is a collection of Ronson's Guardian articles, mostly those concerning his domestic life. A companion volume, What I Do: More True Tales of Everyday Craziness, was published in November 2007.
The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry is Ronson's fifth book, published in 2011. In it, he explores the nature of psychopathic behavior, learning how to apply the Hare Psychopathy Checklist
Hare Psychopathy Checklist
In contemporary research and clinical practice, Robert D. Hare's Psychopathy Checklist-Revised is the psycho-diagnostic tool most commonly used to assess psychopathy...
, and investigating its reliability. He interviews people in facilities for the criminally insane as well as potential psychopaths in corporate boardrooms.
Ronson also contributed the memoir A Fantastic Life to the Picador
Picador
A picador is one of the pair of horsemen in a Spanish bullfight that jab the bull with a lance. They perform in the tercio de varas which is the first of the three stages in a Spanish bullfight.The picador has three main functions:...
anthology Truth or Dare, in 2004. It told the story of Ronson's ill-fated endeavour to provide for his child an enchanting Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
, and was the basis for his subsequent Out of the Ordinary column in The Guardian.
Documentaries
- The Ronson Mission (19941994 in televisionThe year 1994 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1994.For the American TV schedule, see: 1994-95 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:-Miniseries:...
) BBC 2 - New York To California: A Great British Odyssey (1996) Channel 4Channel 4Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
- Hotel Auschwitz (1996) BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
- Tottenham Ayatollah (1997) Channel 4
- Critical Condition (1997) Channel 4
- Dr Paisley, I Presume (1998) Channel 4
- New Klan (1999) Channel 4
- Secret Rulers of the WorldSecret Rulers of the WorldThe Secret Rulers of the World is a five-part documentary film, produced by World of Wonder Productions and written, directed by and featuring British journalist Jon Ronson. The series of parts was first shown on the British television network Channel 4 on April 2001...
(2001) Channel 4 - The Double Life of Jonathan King (2002) Channel 4
- Kidneys for Jesus (2003) Channel 4
- I Am, Unfortunately, Randy Newman (2004) Channel 4
- Crazy Rulers of the World (2004) Channel 4
- Death in Santaland (2007) More 4. This is a documentary about a foiled school shooting plot in the Christmas theme town of North Pole, AlaskaNorth Pole, AlaskaNorth Pole is a small city in the Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, United States. It is part of the Fairbanks, Alaska metropolitan statistical area. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated its population as of July 1, 2009 at 2,226. The name "North Pole" is often applied to the entire area covered...
. - Reverend DeathGeorge ExooGeorge Exoo is an Ohio-born former Unitarian Universalist minister and assisted suicide activist. He was originally a Methodist and has a doctorate in music history from University of California, Berkeley...
(20082008 in televisionThe following is a list of events affecting American television in 2008. Events listed include television show debuts, finales, cancellations, and new channel launches.-January:-February:-March:-April:-May:-June:-July:-August:...
) Channel 4 about George ExooGeorge ExooGeorge Exoo is an Ohio-born former Unitarian Universalist minister and assisted suicide activist. He was originally a Methodist and has a doctorate in music history from University of California, Berkeley...
, an advocate of euthanasiaEuthanasiaEuthanasia refers to the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering....
. - Stanley Kubrick's BoxesStanley Kubrick's BoxesStanley Kubrick's Boxes is a 2008 documentary film directed by Jon Ronson about the film director Stanley Kubrick. Ronson's intent was not to create a biography of the filmmaker but rather to understand Kubrick by studying the director's vast personal collection of memorabilia related to his...
(2008) - Revelations (2009)
- Escape and Control (2011)
Radio
Jon Ronson's main radio work is the production and presentation of a BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
programme, Jon Ronson on... which was shortlisted for a 2006, 2008 and 2009 Sony award. In August 2008, Radio 4 aired "Robbie Williams
Robbie Williams
Robert Peter "Robbie" Williams is an English singer-songwriter, vocal coach and occasional actor. He is a member of the pop group Take That. Williams rose to fame in the band's first run in the early- to mid-1990s. After many disagreements with the management and certain group members, Williams...
and Jon Ronson Journey to the Other Side'", a documentary by Jon Ronson about pop star Williams' fascination with UFOs and the paranormal
Paranormal
Paranormal is a general term that designates experiences that lie outside "the range of normal experience or scientific explanation" or that indicates phenomena understood to be outside of science's current ability to explain or measure...
.
In the early 1990s, Ronson was offered the position of sidekick on Terry Christian
Terry Christian
Terry Christian is a British television and radio presenter whose credits include Channel 4's late night Youth Entertainment show The Word and ITV1 moral issues talk show It's My Life...
's Show on Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
radio station KFM
KFM Radio
KFM was an unlicenced radio station based in Stockport, Greater Manchester in the United Kingdom.-History:KFM originally broadcast on 94.2 MHz FM from a studio on Middle Hillgate, with the transmitter and aerial at Goyt Mill in Marple from November 1983 to February 1985 while it was...
. It was here that the idea for the Ronson Mission originated. Every week Terry would set Jon a task such as to go out and find out if there is such a thing as God or alien life on other planets
Life on Other Planets
Life On Other Planets, or L.O.O.P as it is often abbreviated to, is the fourth album from English rock band Supergrass. It is the first album that includes Rob Coombes as an official member of the band, and originally went under the working title of 'Get Lost'...
. When Terry moved on to present the cult late-night youth TV show The Word
The Word (TV series)
The Word was a 1990s Channel 4 television programme in the United Kingdom.-Format:Its presenters included Mancunian radio presenter Terry Christian, comedian Mark Lamarr, Dani Behr, Katie Puckrik, Jasmine Dotiwala, Alan Connor, Amanda de Cadenet and "Huffty"...
(which Jon became the first journalist to review, having been sneaked into the pilot show by Terry), Jon took over the show. It specialised in playing indie music, reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
and sixties psychedelia and often featured tracks from his favourite artists including Randy Newman
Randy Newman
Randall Stuart "Randy" Newman is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, composer, and pianist who is known for his mordant pop songs and for film scores....
and The Breeders
The Breeders
The Breeders are an American alternative rock band formed in 1988 by Kim Deal of the Pixies and Tanya Donelly of Throwing Muses. The band has experienced a number of line-up changes; the current line-up consists of Kim Deal , her twin sister Kelley Deal , Jose Medeles , Mando Lopez Todd the Fox...
. Ronson also co-presented a KFM show with Craig Cash
Craig Cash
Craig Cash is an English comedy actor, BAFTA award-winning writer and also a director.-Biography:Cash is best known for playing slightly dull and dopey working-class northern men, particularly Dave Best in the hugely successful BBC sitcom The Royle Family, which he co-wrote with Caroline Aherne...
, who went on to write and perform in The Royle Family
The Royle Family
The Royle Family is a popular, BAFTA award-winning television comedy drama produced by Granada Television for the BBC, which ran for three series between 1998 and 2000, and specials from 2006 onwards...
and Early Doors
Early Doors
Early Doors is a BBC sitcom written by Craig Cash and Phil Mealey who also appear in the series playing best friends Joe and Duffy. The setting is The Grapes, a small public house in Greater Manchester, where daily life revolves around the issues of love, loneliness and blocked urinals...
.
Ronson contributes to Public Radio International
Public Radio International
Public Radio International is a Minneapolis-based American public radio organization, with locations in Boston, New York, London and Beijing. PRI's tagline is "Hear a different voice." PRI is a major public media content creator and also distributes programs from many sources...
in the United States, particularly the program This American Life
This American Life
This American Life is a weekly hour-long radio program produced by WBEZ and hosted by Ira Glass. It is distributed by Public Radio International on PRI affiliate stations and is also available as a free weekly podcast. Primarily a journalistic non-fiction program, it has also featured essays,...
. He has contributed segments to the following of its episodes: "Them", "Family Physics", "Naming Names", "It's Never Over", "Habeas Schmaebeas", "The Spokesman", "Pro Se", "The Psychopath Test". Some of these segments are versions of stories first heard on his BBC radio show.
Music
During his student years, Ronson replaced Mark RadcliffeMark Radcliffe
Mark Radcliffe is an English broadcaster who has worked in various roles for the BBC since the 1980s and remains one of Britain's most recognised DJs. He is currently a presenter on BBC Radio 2 and BBC 6 Music, where he hosts an afternoon show five times a week alongside Stuart Maconie, called...
as the keyboard player for the Frank Sidebottom
Frank Sidebottom
Christopher Mark Sievey was an English musician and comedian known for fronting the band The Freshies in the late 1970s and early 1980s and for his comic persona Frank Sidebottom from 1984 onwards....
band for a number of performances.
Ronson was the manager of the Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
indie band The Man From Delmonte
Man From Delmonte
Man from Delmonte was an independent band from Manchester, England, formed in the mid-1980s.-History:Band members included Mike West , Sheila Seal , Martin Vincent , and Howard Goody ....
.
Television
Ronson presented the late nineties talk show "For The Love Of...", in which each week he would interview a gathering of guests and experts on different phenomena and conspiracy theories. The interviews were conducted in a relaxed manner, with Ronson and his guests sitting in a circle of armchairs in a mock living room, frequently smoking.Movie
Ronson sold the film rights to The Men Who Stare At Goats and a movie of the same nameThe Men Who Stare at Goats
The Men Who Stare at Goats is a book by Jon Ronson about the U.S. Army's exploration of New Age concepts and the potential military applications of the paranormal. The title refers to attempts to kill goats by staring at them...
was released in 2009 as a comedy war film
War film
War films are a film genre concerned with warfare, usually about naval, air or land battles, sometimes focusing instead on prisoners of war, covert operations, military training or other related subjects. At times war films focus on daily military or civilian life in wartime without depicting battles...
directed by Grant Heslov
Grant Heslov
Grant Heslov is an American actor, film producer, screenwriter and director.-Early life:Heslov was born in Los Angeles, into a Jewish family and was raised in the Palos Verdes area of Los Angeles. He attended Palos Verdes High School, the University of Southern California along with friend Tate...
and written by Peter Straughan
Peter Straughan
Peter Straughan is a playwright and author, based in the north-east of England.Peter Straughan was the writer-in-residence at Newcastle's Live Theatre Company. Whilst there, Live staged his plays Bones and Noir...
.
The journalist-character Bob Wilton in the movie, played by Ewan McGregor
Ewan McGregor
Ewan Gordon McGregor is a Scottish actor. He has had success in mainstream, indie, and art house films. McGregor is perhaps best known for his roles as heroin addict Mark Renton in the drama Trainspotting , young Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequel trilogy , and poet Christian in the...
, did experience elements of Ronson's self-recounted story from the book, according to Ronson in his commentary on the DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
. However Wilton was, unlike Ronson, an American from Ann Arbor. And, unlike Ronson, Wilton went to Iraq.
In the process of visiting the set during the shoot, Ronson began a collaborative writing project with Straughan.
Published works
- The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness IndustryThe Psychopath TestThe Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry is a book by Jon Ronson in which he explores the concept of psychopathy.-Primary themes:...
(Riverhead Hardcover – May 12, 2011) ISBN 978-1594488016 - What I Do: More True Tales Of Everyday Craziness (Paperback – Picador/Guardian Books – November 2, 2007) ISBN 0-330-45373-8
- Out of the Ordinary: True Tales of Everyday CrazinessOut of the Ordinary: True Tales of Everyday CrazinessOut of the Ordinary: True Tales of Everyday Craziness is British journalist Jon Ronson's fourth book. Ronson is known for his bestseller The Men Who Stare at Goats, which inspired the 2009 Hollywood film starring George Clooney and Jeff Bridges....
(Paperback – Picador/Guardian Books – November 3, 2006) ISBN 0-330-44832-3 - The Men Who Stare at GoatsThe Men Who Stare at GoatsThe Men Who Stare at Goats is a book by Jon Ronson about the U.S. Army's exploration of New Age concepts and the potential military applications of the paranormal. The title refers to attempts to kill goats by staring at them...
(Hardcover – Picador – November 19, 2004) ISBN 0-330-37547-4 - Them: Adventures with ExtremistsThem: Adventures With ExtremistsThem: Adventures with Extremists is a book by British journalist Jon Ronson published in 2001. The book accompanied Ronson's documentary series The Secret Rulers of the World, which covered similar topics and depicted many of the same episodes...
(Hardcover – Picador, 2001) ISBN 0-330-37545-8, (Hardcover – Simon & Schuster, 2002), ISBN 0-7432-2707-7 (Paperback – Simon & Schuster – January 1, 2003) ISBN 0-7432-3321-2 - Clubbed Class (Hardcover – Pavilion Books Ltd – October 27, 1994) ISBN 1-85793-320-6
External links
- http://www.jonronson.com/ – official website
- Jon Ronson's Radio Show download archive
- http://www.picador.com/jonronson Jon Ronson's UK publisher site
- http://www.jonronsonsaves.com/ - The World's Greatest Jon Ronson fansite in the World! - UNOFFICIAL Online forum for fans
- Column archive at The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
- Jon Ronson Takeover at The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, November 2009 - Jon Ronson Multimedia mixed media, interviews, readings and reviews
Book extracts
- The Bilderberg chapter extract from Them: Adventures with Extremists
- Beset by Lizards extract from Them: Adventures with Extremists
- The Road to Abu Ghraib extract from The Men Who Stare At Goats
Interviews
- My friend the extremist: Omar Bakri, This American LifeThis American LifeThis American Life is a weekly hour-long radio program produced by WBEZ and hosted by Ira Glass. It is distributed by Public Radio International on PRI affiliate stations and is also available as a free weekly podcast. Primarily a journalistic non-fiction program, it has also featured essays,...
, December 7, 2001 - Interview, Joanna Smith Rakoff, Salon.com, March 14, 2002
- Interview, Andrew Lawless, threemonkeysonline.com, February 2005
- Interview, rinf.com, February 2005
- Biographical Interview, Anthony Brockway, ntlworld.com, May 2005
- The Men Who Stare at Goats Science With Jon Ronson, Alex Tsakiris, skeptiko.com, November 6, 2009
- Video interview, Robert LlewellynRobert LlewellynRobert Llewellyn is an English actor, presenter, and writer. He is best known as the mechanoid Kryten in the hit sitcom Red Dwarf, and for his role as presenter of Scrapheap Challenge.-Early career:...
on CarpoolCarpool (web series)Carpool is a web series presented by English actor and comedian Robert Llewellyn. In each episode he interviews a guest while giving them a lift in an eco-friendly car . The guests are often well-known British television personalities such as Jonathan Ross or Ade Edmondson...
, blip.tvBlip.tvThe website Blip.tv is a platform for web series. The company offers a for the "best in original web series" and also offers a dashboard for producers of original web series to distribute and monetize their productions.... - Jon Ronson audio interviews (2005-2009), littleatoms.com