Brad Zellar
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Brad Zellar (born November 16, 1961) is an American author and journalist. Zellar's writing often is accompanied by photographs; he has collaborated several times with photographer
Alec Soth Alec Soth (born 1969) is an American photographer, based in Minneapolis. Soth makes "large-scale American projects" featuring the midwestern United States. ''New York Times'' art critic Hilarie M. Sheets wrote that he has made a "photographic care ...
. The
Coen brothers Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, together known as the Coen brothers (), are an American filmmaking duo. Their films span many genres and styles, which they frequently subvert or parody. Among their most acclaimed works are '' Blood Simple'' (198 ...
film ''
A Serious Man ''A Serious Man'' is a 2009 black comedy-drama film written, produced, edited and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. Set in 1967, the film stars Michael Stuhlbarg as a Minnesotan Jewish man whose life crumbles both professionally and personally, ...
'', nominated for the 2009
Academy Award for Best Picture The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards (also known as Oscars) presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) since the awards debuted in 1929. This award goes to the producers of the film a ...
, took some inspiration for the visuals based on Zellar's book the ''Suburban World: The Norling Photos''. His book ''Conductors of the Moving World'' was named in ''
Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' "Best of 2011: The Photobooks We Loved", and was the recipient of the 2012 Photography for Design Professional Award from
D&AD Design and Art Direction (D&AD), formerly known as British Design and Art Direction, is a British educational organisation that was created in 1962 to promote excellence in design and advertising. Its main offices are in Spitalfields in London. ...
(British Design & Art Direction).


Biography


Childhood

Zellar described his childhood as having grown up in "a very active and loving family" as well as being a fairly "social kid". At the same time, he notes that much of his work was inspired from his "lonely" adolescence despite having been in an always "crowded house". The desire for "privacy and solitude" brought about his affection for isolation amongst the "gravel roads surrounded by fields, and I loved to make that walk and have that feeling, that realization that it wasn't hard at all to disappear in this huge country". That realization, and his attention to "invisible people on the sidewalks of inneapolis, largely influences his books. Jim Walsh summarized, "For 20 years, Zellar has made a career out of ferreting out some of the most fascinating characters that Minnesota's margins has to offer." Zellar attended Banfield Elementary School in
Austin, Minnesota Austin is a city in and the county seat of Mower County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 26,174 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The town was originally settled along the Cedar River (Iowa River), Cedar River and has ...
. His father was a mechanic who owned a repair shop in Hollandale, Minnesota. Zellar noted that the 1985–86 Hormel strike deeply affected his hometown and ultimately his interests in covering the American
Rust Belt The Rust Belt, formerly the Steel Belt or Factory Belt, is an area of the United States that underwent substantial Deindustrialization, industrial decline in the late 20th century. The region is centered in the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic (Uni ...
.


Writer

Zellar is a
Twin Cities Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in stat ...
(Minneapolis–Saint Paul) journalist and author of several photography books. He has worked as a writer for the ''
City Pages ''City Pages'' was an alternative newspaper serving the Minneapolis–St. Paul metropolitan area. It featured news, film, theatre and restaurant reviews and music criticism, available free every Wednesday. It ceased publication in 2020 due to a ...
'', the ''
Utne Reader ''Utne Reader'' (also known as ''Utne''; , ) is a digital digest that collects and reprints articles on politics, culture, and the environment, generally from alternative media sources including journals, newsletters, weeklies, zines, music, and ...
'', and as literary critic and senior editor for ''
The Rake ''The Rake'' is a British bimonthly men's magazine that focuses on luxury fashion, culture, and style. It was founded in 2008 by Wei Koh, a Singapore-based entrepreneur and publisher. History ''The Rake'' magazine was founded in 2008 by Wei ...
''. He has collaborated with
Alec Soth Alec Soth (born 1969) is an American photographer, based in Minneapolis. Soth makes "large-scale American projects" featuring the midwestern United States. ''New York Times'' art critic Hilarie M. Sheets wrote that he has made a "photographic care ...
on a number of books and photography projects such as ''The LBM Dispatches'' (Little Brown Mushroom). These dispatches include a series on
Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
, upstate
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
,
Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
,
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
,
Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...
, and
Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
. The work focuses on a wide range of subjects, often characterized as “North American ramblings” ranging from the subject matter of individuals who live "off the grid" to the "Louisiana Goth scene". In 2008, Zellar wrote ''Suburban World: The Norling Photos'' for the
Minnesota Historical Society The Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS) is a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit Educational institution, educational and cultural institution dedicated to preserving the history of the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was founded by the Minnesota Terr ...
with a foreword by Soth. The book was a collection of the "complete photo negative and print archive" by Irwin Norling, an engineer at
Honeywell Honeywell International Inc. is an American publicly traded, multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. It primarily operates in four areas of business: aerospace, building automation, industrial automa ...
and freelance photographer for the
Bloomington, Minnesota Bloomington is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. It is located on the north bank of the Minnesota River above its confluence with the Mississippi River, south of downtown Minneapolis and just south of the Interstate 494/Inter ...
police department. The book served as the visual inspiration for the
Coen brothers Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, together known as the Coen brothers (), are an American filmmaking duo. Their films span many genres and styles, which they frequently subvert or parody. Among their most acclaimed works are '' Blood Simple'' (198 ...
' feature film ''
A Serious Man ''A Serious Man'' is a 2009 black comedy-drama film written, produced, edited and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. Set in 1967, the film stars Michael Stuhlbarg as a Minnesotan Jewish man whose life crumbles both professionally and personally, ...
''. The film earned a
Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Januar ...
nomination for
Michael Stuhlbarg Michael Stuhlbarg ( ; born July 5, 1968) is an American actor. Known for his character roles on stage and screen, he has received numerous accolades, including a Drama Desk Award, an Obie Award, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards, in addition ...
, a place on both the
American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the History of cinema in the United States, motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private fu ...
's and
National Board of Review of Motion Pictures The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures is a non-profit organization of New York City area film enthusiasts. Its awards, which are announced in early December, are considered the first major harbinger of the awards season, film award ...
's Top 10 Film Lists of 2009, and a nomination for the
Academy Award for Best Picture The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards (also known as Oscars) presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) since the awards debuted in 1929. This award goes to the producers of the film a ...
. The Coens,
Joel Coen Joel Daniel Coen (born November 29, 1954) is an American filmmaker. Working alongside his brother Ethan, the duo have directed, written, edited and produced many feature films, the most acclaimed of which include '' Blood Simple'' (1984), '' ...
and
Ethan Coen Ethan Jesse Coen (born September 21, 1957) is an American filmmaker. Working alongside his brother Joel, the duo have directed, written, edited and produced many feature films, the most acclaimed of which include '' Blood Simple'' (1984), '' ...
, "wanted to create the era when we grew up" and stated, "so we relied a lot on our memories", which was set in 1967 in Minnesota, the same era and location as Zellar's book. Soth and Zellar collaborated again on ''Three Valleys'' in 2010. This was technically the fourth instalment of the ''LBM Dispatches'' located in
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
and centered on the
Silicon Valley Silicon Valley is a region in Northern California that is a global center for high technology and innovation. Located in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area, it corresponds roughly to the geographical area of the Santa Clara Valley ...
,
San Joaquin Valley The San Joaquin Valley ( ; Spanish language in California, Spanish: ''Valle de San Joaquín'') is the southern half of California's Central Valley (California), Central Valley. Famed as a major breadbasket, the San Joaquin Valley is an importa ...
, and
Death Valley Death Valley is a desert valley in Eastern California, in the northern Mojave Desert, bordering the Great Basin Desert. It is thought to be the Highest temperature recorded on Earth, hottest place on Earth during summer. Death Valley's Badwat ...
. John Mahoney of ''American Photo Magazine'' noted the contrast in the landscapes as the "brave new worlds and pervasive virtuality of Silicon Valley, the Depression-era remnants of agricultural settlements and immigrant communities in the San Joaquin, and the other-worldly boom-and-bust landscapes of Death Valley, where the
Manson Family The Manson Family (known among its members as the Family) was a Intentional community, commune, gang, and cult led by criminal Charles Manson that was active in California in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The group at its peak consisted of a ...
holed up at the tail end of the 1960s." Zellar also collaborated with Soth on the ''House of Coates'' that featured photographs by Lester B. Morrison. The story centres on Morrison who, during the record cold US winter of 2010/2011, stayed in hotels along
U.S. Route 52 U.S. Route 52 (US 52) is a major U.S. Highway in the Central United States that extends from the northern to southeastern region of the United States. Contrary to most other even-numbered U.S. Highways, US 52 primarily follows a north ...
. It was speculated by some that Morrison was in fact Soth, though both would later deny this and subsequently confirm they had both met Morrison. In 2011, Zellar's book, ''Conductors of the Moving World'' was named in ''
Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' Best of 2011: The Photobooks We Loved. The book was the recipient of the
D&AD Design and Art Direction (D&AD), formerly known as British Design and Art Direction, is a British educational organisation that was created in 1962 to promote excellence in design and advertising. Its main offices are in Spitalfields in London. ...
2012 Photography for Design Professional Award. He has also received awards from the
Society of Professional Journalists The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), formerly known as Sigma Delta Chi, is the oldest organization representing journalists in the United States. It was established on April 17, 1909, at DePauw University,2009 SPJ Annual Report, lette ...
, the
Association of Alternative Newsmedia The Association of Alternative Newsmedia (AAN) is a trade association of alternative weekly newspapers in North America. It provides services to many generally Liberalism, liberal or Progressivism, progressive weekly newspapers across the Unite ...
, and the Minnesota Magazine and Publishing Association. Zellar and Soth's partnership has continued with dispatches to Ohio, Texas, California, Colorado, Michigan, New York, and Georgia as part of The LBM Dispatch series. Zellar is also a noted
blog A blog (a Clipping (morphology), truncation of "weblog") is an informational website consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries also known as posts. Posts are typically displayed in Reverse chronology, reverse chronologic ...
ger, having been a professional blog writer for ''City Pages'' and ''The Rake'', and having found a popular audience in Ireland and Australia, according to Margaret A. Pribel of the Minnesota Magazine and Publishing Association.


Personal life

Zellar is the brother of musician
Martin Zellar Martin Lee Zellar (born June 14, 1963) is a Minnesota-based musician and songwriter. Martin Zellar is the brother of writer Brad Zellar. Early career Zellar grew up in Austin, Minnesota. While still in high school, Zellar formed his first b ...
, leader of the band
Gear Daddies The Gear Daddies are a rock band originally from Austin, Minnesota. Randy Broughten (electric and steel guitar), Nick Ciola (bass), Billy Dankert (drums and vocals), and Martin Zellar (guitar, harmonica and vocals) played their first shows t ...
. Brad appears on the cover of the Gear Daddies album ''
Billy's Live Bait ''Billy's Live Bait'' is the second album by Austin, Minnesota band the Gear Daddies, released in 1990. It was their first release for a major label. " (I Wanna Drive the) Zamboni" is often played at hockey rinks. Critical reception AllMusic c ...
'' as the 'Live Bait' attendant. He is an avid collector of baseball memorabilia. Among his prized collection is a rare "1911 first edition of the book 'Base Ball' by
Albert Spalding Albert Goodwill Spalding (September 2, 1849 – September 9, 1915) was an American pitcher, manager, and executive in the early years of professional baseball, and the co-founder of the Spalding sporting goods company. He was born and raised i ...
" and "a ball signed by
Ted Williams Theodore Samuel Williams (August 30, 1918 – July 5, 2002) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 19-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, primarily as a left fielder, for the Boston Red Sox from 193 ...
and
Mickey Mantle Mickey Charles Mantle (October 20, 1931 – August 13, 1995), nicknamed "the Mick" and "the Commerce Comet", was an American professional baseball player who played his entire Major League Baseball (MLB) career (1951–1968) with the New York ...
". Josh Ostergaard's book, ''The Devil's Snake Curve: A Fan's Notes from Left Field'', references some of Zellar's baseball materials. Zellar lived for a time in
Austin, Minnesota Austin is a city in and the county seat of Mower County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 26,174 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The town was originally settled along the Cedar River (Iowa River), Cedar River and has ...
, but has since moved to the Twin Cities.


Books

*''Twin Cities Noir''. New York: Akashic, 2006. . Edited by Julie Schaper and Steven Horwitz. Stories by Zellar and others. *''Suburban World: The Norling Photos''. Saint Paul, MN:
Minnesota Historical Society The Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS) is a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit Educational institution, educational and cultural institution dedicated to preserving the history of the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was founded by the Minnesota Terr ...
; Borealis, 2008. . By Zellar, Irwin D. Norling, and Alec Soth. *''The 1968 Project: A Nation Coming of Age''. Saint Paul, MN: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2011. . By Zellar and Soth. *''Conductors of the Moving World''. Saint Paul, MN: Little Brown Mushroom, 2011. . By Zellar and Eizo Ota. *''Michigan''. Saint Paul, MN: Little Brown Mushroom, 2012. . By Zellar and Soth. *''Ohio''. Saint Paul, MN: Little Brown Mushroom, 2012. . By Zellar and Soth. *''Upstate New York''. Saint Paul, MN: Little Brown Mushroom, 2012. By Zellar and Soth. *''House of Coates''. Photographs by Soth and Lester B. Morrison, text by Zellar. **Saint Paul, MN: Little Brown Mushroom, 2012. . **
Coffee House A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café (), is an establishment that serves various types of coffee, espresso, latte, Caffè americano, americano and cappuccino, among other hot beverages. Many coffeehouses in West Asia offer ''shisha'' (actually ...
, 2014. . *''Aperture''. New York:
Aperture In optics, the aperture of an optical system (including a system consisting of a single lens) is the hole or opening that primarily limits light propagated through the system. More specifically, the entrance pupil as the front side image o ...
, 2012. . By Zellar and Melissa Harris. *''Three Valleys''. Saint Paul, MN: Little Brown Mushroom, 2013. By Zellar and Soth. *''Driftless''. Oakland, CA: TBW Books, 2018. By Zellar and Jason Vaughn. *''Till The Wheels Fall Off.'' Minneapolis, MN:
Coffee House A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café (), is an establishment that serves various types of coffee, espresso, latte, Caffè americano, americano and cappuccino, among other hot beverages. Many coffeehouses in West Asia offer ''shisha'' (actually ...
, 2022. .


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zellar, Brad 1961 births Living people American male journalists Journalists from Minnesota Place of birth missing (living people)