Jump to content

James Lileks: Difference between revisions

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous edit
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
No edit summary
Rescuing 2 sources and tagging 0 as dead.) #IABot (v2.0.9.5
 
(187 intermediate revisions by more than 100 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Short description|American journalist}}
'''James Lileks''' (born [[August 9]], [[1958]] in [[Fargo, North Dakota]]) is an [[USA|American]] [[journalist]], [[columnist]], and [[blog|blogger]] living in [[Minneapolis, Minnesota|Minneapolis]], [[Minnesota]]. His blog, the [http://www.lileks.com/bleats/ ''Daily Bleat''], began in [[1997]] and is one of the oldest blogs still running. The Bleat, which is still written in the older "online journal" style, covers every topic from his personal life, to politics from a politically conservative viewpoint, to cultural points of interest ranging from art and architecture to movies and music. Known for dry humor and an engaging style of writing, Lileks grew in fame in the [[blogosphere]] especially following [[September 11, 2001 attacks|9/11]] when and the subsequent explosion in the popularity of blogs for spreading both news and general [[pundit (politics)|punditry]]. Lileks took up the "fight the terrorists" banner and also became a constant critic of those who oppose the Iraq war.
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2019}}
{{Infobox person
|image =
|caption =
|birth_date =
|birth_place =
|birth_name =
|alma_mater = [[University of Minnesota]]
|occupation = Journalist, writer
|death_date =
|death_place =
|resting_place =
|spouse =
|children =
|website = {{url|lileks.com}}
}}


'''James Lileks''' is an American [[journalist]], [[columnist]], [[author]], and [[blog]]ger living in [[Minneapolis, Minnesota]]. He is the creator of The Gallery of Regrettable Foods website.<ref>https://www.lileks.com/institute/gallery/index.html ''The Gallery of Regrettable Foods''</ref>
Lileks's [[Web site]] also hosts a vast repository of vintage advertisements and other [[ephemera]] from the [[1920s]] to the [[1970s]]. In the [http://lileks.com/institute/index.html Institute of Official Cheer] portion of the site, Lileks displays strange, irreverent, or just plain bizarre advertisements, photographs, pamphlets, comic strips, matchbooks, currency, postcards, [[cheesecake]] drawings, and architecture, usually accompanied with his humorous analysis and commentary. His section dissecting the works of [[cheesecake]] artist [[Art Frahm]], for instance, observes the devastating effects of celery on the gravitational pull of women's underwear. His books ''The Gallery of Regrettable Food'' and ''Interior Desecrations: Hideous Homes from the Horrible '70s'' follow a similar form.


== Career ==
Lileks writes columns for the ''[[Star Tribune]]'', the [[Newhouse News Service]] and ''[[The Washington Post]]''. He was formerly a regular columnist for the ''[[Minnesota Daily]]'' in school and later ''[[St. Paul Pioneer Press]]''. He has also hosted a radio show called ''The Diner'' on [[KSTP]] 1500 AM, a [[Twin Cities]] [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] affiliate, and has been a "monologist" for the public affairs program ''[[Almanac (TV series)|Almanac]]'', carried on Minnesota [[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]] stations.

===Columnist===
Lileks began his writing career as a columnist for the ''[[Minnesota Daily]]'' while he was a student at the [[University of Minnesota]]. After college, he wrote for ''[[City Pages]]'', a Twin Cities alternative tabloid. He served as a general columnist for ''City Pages'' until 1988, when he was hired as a columnist for the ''[[St. Paul Pioneer Press]]''. This led to a columnist job with [[Newhouse News Service]] and thence ''[[The Washington Post]]'' for a period in the early 1990s. In the mid-1990s, Lileks returned to the Twin Cities for a job with the ''[[Star Tribune]]'', retaining his Newhouse column until late 2006. The ''Star Tribune'' discontinued Lileks's column in 2007, eventually naming him editor of the now defunct community website buzz.mn.

Lileks also writes a regular column (''Athwart'') for ''[[National Review]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stubbornthings.org/magazine-review-national-review/|title=Magazine Review: National Review|publisher=|access-date=September 30, 2015|archive-date=October 1, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151001203126/http://www.stubbornthings.org/magazine-review-national-review/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Lileks is currently a columnist for the StarTribue [https://www.startribune.com/james-lileks/6134704/ (his column at StarTribune)].

===Radio personality===
Lileks's first foray into radio came in 1987, while he was a writer with ''City Pages''. He became a regular guest on the Geoff Charles show, an afternoon talk show on [[KSTP (AM)|KSTP]]. When Charles left the Twin Cities, Lileks filled the slot and served as an afternoon-drive host on KSTP for a time in the late 1980s. In the mid-1990s, after returning from Washington DC, Lileks reappeared on KSTP with a new program, ''The Diner'' – a show set in a fictional 1950s-era diner.
The show lasted several years on weekday evenings and then a few more as a weekend-evening program before leaving the air in the late 1990s. As of October 23, 2013, ''The Diner'' was revived on Ricochet.com.

In late 2006, ''The Diner'' was revived in [[podcast]] form. Selected original ''Diner'' programs and new original Diners are available on Lileks's website. Lileks is also a weekly guest on the [[Hugh Hewitt]] show,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hughhewitt.com/pages/about_hugh|title=About Hugh Hewitt - The Hugh Hewitt Show|work=The Hugh Hewitt Show}}</ref> [[Pajamas Media]]'s weekly ''PJM Political'' show on Sirius-XM Satellite Radio's POTUS channel, and a frequent guest and guest host on the [[Northern Alliance Radio Network]] program.

Lileks has also been a monologist for the public affairs program ''[[Almanac (American TV series)|Almanac]]'', carried on Minnesota [[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]] television stations.

===Website===

Lileks's blog, the ''Daily Bleat'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lileks.com/bleats/|title=The Bleat.|publisher=}}</ref> began in 1997. The Bleat covers many topics in his personal life (including his daughter Natalie (referred to as "Gnat" until she became old enough to object) and the family dog, Scout), politics from a conservative viewpoint, and cultural points of interest ranging from art and architecture to movies and music (one perennial topic is the [[Minnesota State Fair]]). Lileks's website also hosts a vast repository of vintage advertisements and other [[ephemera]] from the 1920s to the 1970s.

===Other work===
Lileks is a regular contributor to the social networking and blogging network [[Ricochet (website)|Ricochet.com]], and co-hosts the site's flagship [[podcast]] with [[Rob Long]] and [[Peter Robinson (speechwriter)|Peter Robinson]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Visitor|url=http://ricochet.com/Profile/James-Lileks|title=James Lileks|work=Ricochet.com|accessdate=October 17, 2012}}</ref>

== ''Star Tribune'' controversy and resolution==

On May 7, 2007, Lileks announced that his home paper, the ''Minneapolis Star Tribune'', was ending his column in the interest of budget cuts and putting him on a straight local-news beat.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lileks.com/bleats/archive/07/0507/050707.html|title=LILEKS (James) :: The Bleat|publisher=}}</ref>

The move, which was forced by cuts in other parts of the ''Star Tribune''{{'}}s newsroom, drew criticism from many,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.beliefnet.com/blogs/crunchycon/2007/05/worlds-stupidest-newspaper-decision.html|title=Beliefnet Columnists|work=Beliefnet}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://hotair.com/archives/2007/05/07/lileks-could-use-a-hand/|title=Lileks could use a hand|work=Hot Air|date=May 7, 2007 }}</ref> Mike Argento, president of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists, said in reaction to the news:<ref>{{cite news |last=Astor |first=Dave |url=http://editorandpublisher.com/Article/NSNC-Prez-Criticizes-Star-Tribune-Attempt-to-Reassign-Columnists |title=NSNC Prez Criticizes 'Star Tribune' Attempt to Reassign Columnists |work=[[Editor & Publisher]] |date=2007-05-07 |accessdate=2015-03-26 |archive-date=December 24, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151224052912/http://editorandpublisher.com/Article/NSNC-Prez-Criticizes-Star-Tribune-Attempt-to-Reassign-Columnists |url-status=dead }}</ref>

<blockquote>It's just a reflection of the sad state of the newspaper industry. Many of the people running newspapers don't have a vision. They're concerned with dollars and cents, and the bottom line. They should look at the future, not just slash and burn.</blockquote>

On June 5, 2007, the ''Star Tribune'' changed course and announced Lileks would serve as editor of buzz.mn, a community website.<ref>[http://www.lileks.com/bleats/archive/07/0607/060507.html Ladies and gentlemen, I has a bucket.], ''The Bleat'', June 5, 2007.</ref> Buzz.mn ceased publication of new content in July 2009.


== Bibliography ==
== Bibliography ==


=== Fiction ===
⚫
*''Falling up the Stairs'' ([[1988 in literature|1988]], ISBN 052524655X)
*''Notes of a Nervous Man'' ([[1991 in literature|1991]], ISBN 0671737015)
*''Falling Up the Stairs'' ([[1988 in literature|1988]], {{ISBN|0-525-24655-X}})
*''Mr. Obvious'' ([[1995 in literature|1995]], ISBN 0671737058)
*''Mr. Obvious'' ([[1995 in literature|1995]], {{ISBN|0-671-73705-8}})
*''Fresh Lies'' ([[1995 in literature|1995]], ISBN 0671737031)
*''Graveyard Special'' ([[2012 in literature|2012]], ASIN B00962GFES)
*''The Gallery of Regrettable Food'' ([[2001 in literature|2001]], ISBN 0609607820)
*''The Casablanca Tango'' ([[2014 in literature|2014]], ASIN B00NDLYM70)

⚫
*''Interior Desecrations: Hideous Homes from the Horrible '70s'' ([[2004 in literature|2004]], ISBN 1400046408)
=== Columns ===
⚫
*''Mommy Knows Worst: Highlights from the Golden Age of Bad Parenting Advice'' ([[2005 in literature|2005]], ISBN 1400082285)
*''Notes of a Nervous Man'' ([[1991 in literature|1991]], {{ISBN|0-671-73701-5}})
⚫
*''Fresh Lies'' ([[1995 in literature|1995]], {{ISBN|0-671-73703-1}})

=== Humor ===
*''The Gallery of Regrettable Food'' ([[2001 in literature|2001]], {{ISBN|0-609-60782-0}})
⚫
*''Interior Desecrations: Hideous Homes from the Horrible '70s'' ([[2004 in literature|2004]], {{ISBN|1-4000-4640-8}})
⚫
*''Mommy Knows Worst: Highlights from the Golden Age of Bad Parenting Advice'' ([[2005 in literature|2005]], {{ISBN|1-4000-8228-5}})
*''Gastroanomalies: Questionable Culinary Creations from the Golden Age of American Cookery'' ([[2007 in literature|2007]], {{ISBN|0-307-38307-5}})
*''[[RiffTrax]]'' - special guest riffer for ''[[Spider-Man 3]]'' <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rifftrax.com/rifftrax/spiderman-3 |title=Spiderman 3 &#124; RiffTrax |accessdate=2008-04-08 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080408013128/http://www.rifftrax.com/rifftrax/spiderman-3 |archivedate=2008-04-08 }}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}


== External links ==
==External links==
⚫
* {{Official website|http://www.lileks.com}}


{{Authority control}}
⚫
* [http://www.lileks.com James Lileks]
* [http://www.lileks.com/bleats/ Daily Bleats]
* [http://www.startribune.com/backfence The Backfence]


[[Category:1958 births|Lileks, James]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lileks, James}}
[[Category:Living people|Lileks, James]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American journalists|Lileks, James]]
[[Category:American bloggers]]
[[Category:American bloggers|Lileks, James]]
[[Category:American columnists]]
[[Category:American writers|Lileks, James]]
[[Category:American male journalists]]
[[Category:Radio in Minnesota|Lileks, James]]
[[Category:Journalists from North Dakota]]
[[Category:Minnesota Republicans]]
[[Category:Writers from Fargo, North Dakota]]
[[Category:Radio personalities from Minneapolis]]
[[Category:University of Minnesota alumni]]
[[Category:Writers from Minnesota]]
[[Category:21st-century American non-fiction writers]]
[[Category:Star Tribune people]]
[[Category:American male bloggers]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:21st-century American male writers]]
[[Category:21st-century American journalists]]
[[Category:20th-century American male writers]]
[[Category:20th-century American journalists]]
[[Category:St. Paul Pioneer Press people]]

Latest revision as of 02:19, 28 September 2024

James Lileks
Alma materUniversity of Minnesota
Occupation(s)Journalist, writer
Websitelileks.com

James Lileks is an American journalist, columnist, author, and blogger living in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is the creator of The Gallery of Regrettable Foods website.[1]

Career

[edit]

Columnist

[edit]

Lileks began his writing career as a columnist for the Minnesota Daily while he was a student at the University of Minnesota. After college, he wrote for City Pages, a Twin Cities alternative tabloid. He served as a general columnist for City Pages until 1988, when he was hired as a columnist for the St. Paul Pioneer Press. This led to a columnist job with Newhouse News Service and thence The Washington Post for a period in the early 1990s. In the mid-1990s, Lileks returned to the Twin Cities for a job with the Star Tribune, retaining his Newhouse column until late 2006. The Star Tribune discontinued Lileks's column in 2007, eventually naming him editor of the now defunct community website buzz.mn.

Lileks also writes a regular column (Athwart) for National Review.[2]

Lileks is currently a columnist for the StarTribue (his column at StarTribune).

Radio personality

[edit]

Lileks's first foray into radio came in 1987, while he was a writer with City Pages. He became a regular guest on the Geoff Charles show, an afternoon talk show on KSTP. When Charles left the Twin Cities, Lileks filled the slot and served as an afternoon-drive host on KSTP for a time in the late 1980s. In the mid-1990s, after returning from Washington DC, Lileks reappeared on KSTP with a new program, The Diner – a show set in a fictional 1950s-era diner. The show lasted several years on weekday evenings and then a few more as a weekend-evening program before leaving the air in the late 1990s. As of October 23, 2013, The Diner was revived on Ricochet.com.

In late 2006, The Diner was revived in podcast form. Selected original Diner programs and new original Diners are available on Lileks's website. Lileks is also a weekly guest on the Hugh Hewitt show,[3] Pajamas Media's weekly PJM Political show on Sirius-XM Satellite Radio's POTUS channel, and a frequent guest and guest host on the Northern Alliance Radio Network program.

Lileks has also been a monologist for the public affairs program Almanac, carried on Minnesota PBS television stations.

Website

[edit]

Lileks's blog, the Daily Bleat,[4] began in 1997. The Bleat covers many topics in his personal life (including his daughter Natalie (referred to as "Gnat" until she became old enough to object) and the family dog, Scout), politics from a conservative viewpoint, and cultural points of interest ranging from art and architecture to movies and music (one perennial topic is the Minnesota State Fair). Lileks's website also hosts a vast repository of vintage advertisements and other ephemera from the 1920s to the 1970s.

Other work

[edit]

Lileks is a regular contributor to the social networking and blogging network Ricochet.com, and co-hosts the site's flagship podcast with Rob Long and Peter Robinson.[5]

Star Tribune controversy and resolution

[edit]

On May 7, 2007, Lileks announced that his home paper, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, was ending his column in the interest of budget cuts and putting him on a straight local-news beat.[6]

The move, which was forced by cuts in other parts of the Star Tribune's newsroom, drew criticism from many,[7][8] Mike Argento, president of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists, said in reaction to the news:[9]

It's just a reflection of the sad state of the newspaper industry. Many of the people running newspapers don't have a vision. They're concerned with dollars and cents, and the bottom line. They should look at the future, not just slash and burn.

On June 5, 2007, the Star Tribune changed course and announced Lileks would serve as editor of buzz.mn, a community website.[10] Buzz.mn ceased publication of new content in July 2009.

Bibliography

[edit]

Fiction

[edit]
  • Falling Up the Stairs (1988, ISBN 0-525-24655-X)
  • Mr. Obvious (1995, ISBN 0-671-73705-8)
  • Graveyard Special (2012, ASIN B00962GFES)
  • The Casablanca Tango (2014, ASIN B00NDLYM70)

Columns

[edit]

Humor

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ https://www.lileks.com/institute/gallery/index.html The Gallery of Regrettable Foods
  2. ^ "Magazine Review: National Review". Archived from the original on October 1, 2015. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
  3. ^ "About Hugh Hewitt - The Hugh Hewitt Show". The Hugh Hewitt Show.
  4. ^ "The Bleat".
  5. ^ Visitor. "James Lileks". Ricochet.com. Retrieved October 17, 2012.
  6. ^ "LILEKS (James) :: The Bleat".
  7. ^ "Beliefnet Columnists". Beliefnet.
  8. ^ "Lileks could use a hand". Hot Air. May 7, 2007.
  9. ^ Astor, Dave (May 7, 2007). "NSNC Prez Criticizes 'Star Tribune' Attempt to Reassign Columnists". Editor & Publisher. Archived from the original on December 24, 2015. Retrieved March 26, 2015.
  10. ^ Ladies and gentlemen, I has a bucket., The Bleat, June 5, 2007.
  11. ^ "Spiderman 3 | RiffTrax". Archived from the original on April 8, 2008. Retrieved April 8, 2008.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=James_Lileks&oldid=1248173226"