Jon Langmead

Jon Langmead has been writing about music, film, and pro wrestling for PopMatters since 2003. He is the author of "Ballyhoo!: The Roughhousers, Con Artists, and Wildmen Who Invented Professional Wrestling," on University of Missouri Press.
The Pro-Wrestling Story Collectors: An Interview with Sports Authors Steve Johnson and Greg Oliver
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The Pro-Wrestling Story Collectors: An Interview with Sports Authors Steve Johnson and Greg Oliver

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 / 19 August 2019

As discussed with sports authors Steve Johnson and Greg Oliver, The Storytellers is a celebration of the strange magic behind professional wrestling matches.

On Warren Zevon, the “Kurt Vonnegut of Rock Music”
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On Warren Zevon, the “Kurt Vonnegut of Rock Music”

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 / 7 May 2019

Author C. M. Kushins talks with PopMatters about the complicated legacy of Warren Zevon, from crack-up to recovery and back again, and his research for Nothing's Bad Luck: The Lives of Warren Zevon.

So Long to All That: Jeff Tweedy Tells His Story
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So Long to All That: Jeff Tweedy Tells His Story

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 / 28 November 2018

Wilco founder Jeff Tweedy creates a frank, plain-spoken tale of love, perseverance, and recovery in his memoir, Let's Go (So We Can Get Back).

Band Out of Time: Barney Hoskyns on Steely Dan: ‘Major Dudes’
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Band Out of Time: Barney Hoskyns on Steely Dan: ‘Major Dudes’

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 / 20 August 2018

Barney Hoskyns assembles a thoughtful, loving, and thorough portrait of the meticulously creative men behind Steely Dan.

Time Out of Minds: Interview with Author Ryan Walsh on Van Morrison’s ‘Astral Weeks’
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Time Out of Minds: Interview with Author Ryan Walsh on Van Morrison’s ‘Astral Weeks’

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 / 19 June 2018

Ryan Walsh chronicles the making of Van Morrison's Astral Weeks and the chaotic Boston scene that gave birth to it and tells us all about it in this expansive interview.

A Warts and All Look at 150 years of Women’s Wrestling
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A Warts and All Look at 150 years of Women’s Wrestling

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 / 13 June 2017
As GLOW gets a second look on Netflix and a group of new women wrestlers grab attention in the WWE, Pat Laprade and Dan Murphy celebrate the female performers who paved the way.
It’s All True!: Weston Magazines and Wrestling’s “Creative Journalism”
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It’s All True!: Weston Magazines and Wrestling’s “Creative Journalism”

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 / 9 June 2017
Stanley Weston's small pre-WWF line of wrestling magazines featured writing staffs that made up pull-quotes and headlines on the spot. Just what fans were clamoring for.
Muhammad Ali and the Day Fans Pelted the Ring With Trash
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Muhammad Ali and the Day Fans Pelted the Ring With Trash

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 / 7 June 2016
In his new book, Ali vs. Inoki, Josh Gross untangles the complicated history of the 1976 meeting of two legends -- and a failed experiment.
The Legends of Bruiser Brody: An Interview with Emerson Murray
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The Legends of Bruiser Brody: An Interview with Emerson Murray

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 / 17 February 2016
Bruiser Brody was one of the most brutal professional wrestlers in the world, but a tragic passing made one writer explore his quieter, more humane aspects.
Heavy Hitters: An Interview With the Isley Brothers
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Heavy Hitters: An Interview With the Isley Brothers

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 / 4 August 2015
Kendrick sampled them, UK dance groups cover them, and that's just a smattering of the Isley Brother's current legacy, summed up in a new history-packed box set.
R.D. Reynolds, the Monday Night Wars, and the Death of World Championship Wrestling
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R.D. Reynolds, the Monday Night Wars, and the Death of World Championship Wrestling

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 / 24 June 2015
It was going to be a powerhouse alternative to the World Wrestling Federation, but through mismanagement and unforeseen rivalries, Reynolds' book follows the league from its inception to its final tap-out.
Jim Cornette on Rescuing the Lost Carolina Wrestling Classics
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Jim Cornette on Rescuing the Lost Carolina Wrestling Classics

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 / 19 May 2015
Jim Cornette is one of the most outspoken figures in all of pro wrestling, but his journey to unearth rare, lost match footage from decades prior makes for a story worth telling.