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Jimmy McDonough is a
biographer Biographers are authors who write an account of another person's life, while autobiographers are authors who write their own biography. Biographers Countries of working life: Ab=Arabia, AG=Ancient Greece, Al=Australia, Am=Armenian, AR=Ancient Rome ...
and
journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...
. He is best known for his biographies of
Russ Meyer Russell Albion Meyer (March 21, 1922 – September 18, 2004) was an American filmmaker. He was primarily known for writing and directing a successful series of sexploitation films featuring campy humor, sly satire and large-breasted women, wh ...
, Andy Milligan,
Tammy Wynette Tammy Wynette (born Virginia Wynette Pugh; May 5, 1942 – April 6, 1998) was an American country music singer and songwriter, considered among the genre's most influential and successful artists. Along with Loretta Lynn, Wynette helped bring a ...
,
Al Green Albert Leornes Greene (born April 13, 1946), known professionally as Al Green, is an American singer, songwriter, pastor and record producer. He is best known for recording a series of soul hit singles in the early 1970s, including " Tired of ...
, and
Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, forming the folk rock group Buffalo Springfield. Since the begi ...
. He is noted by critics for his remarkably exhaustive accounts and for his tendency to avoid romanticizing his subjects' lives. For this reason, he was described by ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
'' as "a literary Terminator".


Career

''
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 ...
''s
Richard Corliss Richard Nelson Corliss (March 6, 1944 – April 23, 2015) was an American film critic and magazine editor for ''Time''. He focused on movies, with occasional articles on other subjects. He was the former editor-in-chief of ''Film Comment ...
declared his first published work ''The Ghastly One'' "a masterpiece" and
John Waters John Samuel Waters Jr. (born April 22, 1946) is an American filmmaker, actor, writer, and artist. He rose to fame in the early 1970s for his transgressive cult films, including '' Multiple Maniacs'' (1970), '' Pink Flamingos'' (1972) and '' Fe ...
has repeatedly named it one of his favorite books (this was actually McDonough's second effort; the first, ''Shakey: The Biography of Neil Young,'' had been held up by a lawsuit over the claim that Young had tried to prevent publication). Other reviewers decry the inclusion of his personal experience/reactions often found in his books as a sort of biographical treason. In 2010, McDonough's biography of
Tammy Wynette Tammy Wynette (born Virginia Wynette Pugh; May 5, 1942 – April 6, 1998) was an American country music singer and songwriter, considered among the genre's most influential and successful artists. Along with Loretta Lynn, Wynette helped bring a ...
was published and the book was optioned by director
David O. Russell David Owen Russell (born August 20, 1958) is an American film director, screenwriter and producer. He has earned numerous accolades including two British Academy Film Awards, and a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for five Academy Aw ...
, who had also optioned the author's Russ Meyer biography, but neither movie ever materialized. McDonough assisted musician
John Fogerty John Cameron Fogerty (born May 28, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. Together with Doug Clifford, Stu Cook, and his brother Tom Fogerty, he founded the swamp rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR), for which he was th ...
with his 2015 autobiography ''Fortunate Son'' and that same year the director
Nicolas Winding Refn Nicolas Winding Refn (; born 29 September 1970) is a Danish film director, screenwriter, and producer. He directed the ''Pusher'' trilogy (1996–2005), the crime drama '' Bronson'' (2008), and the adventure film '' Valhalla Rising'' (2009). I ...
published a book of exploitation movie posters largely based on McDonough's collection. ''Soul Survivor,'' the author's biography of singer
Al Green Albert Leornes Greene (born April 13, 1946), known professionally as Al Green, is an American singer, songwriter, pastor and record producer. He is best known for recording a series of soul hit singles in the early 1970s, including " Tired of ...
, was published August 29, 2017. This book appears to be just as contentious as his previous works, with one early reviewer declaring that "McDonough presents himself as someone who, like Green, simply does not give a fuck about what others think." In 2017, McDonough (along with his cat Buster) became an animated character in the two-part episode on
George Jones George Glenn Jones (September 12, 1931 – April 26, 2013) was an American Country music, country musician, singer, and songwriter. He achieved international fame for a long list of hit records, and is well known for his distinctive voice an ...
and Tammy Wynette for
Mike Judge Michael Craig Judge (born October 17, 1962) is an American actor, animator, writer, producer, and director. He is best known for being the creator of the animated television series ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' (1993–1997, 2011, 2022–present). He ...
's '' Tales From the Tour Bus.'' He also edited "Regional Renegades," the first volume for
Nicolas Winding Refn Nicolas Winding Refn (; born 29 September 1970) is a Danish film director, screenwriter, and producer. He directed the ''Pusher'' trilogy (1996–2005), the crime drama '' Bronson'' (2008), and the adventure film '' Valhalla Rising'' (2009). I ...
's byNWR.com site, which went live in the summer of 2018. In 2019, McDonough appeared as the "Strange Man" in the episode 10 finale of Refn's '' Too Old to Die Young'' series. He also provided voice-overs for other episodes. From 2018 to 2022 McDonough was Editor-in-Chief of byNWR.com, where he contributed lengthy profiles on Texas honky-tonk singer
Frankie Miller Francis John Miller (born 2 November 1949) is a Scottish rock singer-songwriter and actor. Miller wrote for and performed with many recording artists and is best known for his 1977 album ''Full House'', the singles "Be Good To Yourself", " D ...
,
Wayne Cochran Talvin Wayne Cochran (May 10, 1939 – November 21, 2017) was an American singer, known for his outlandish outfits and platinum blond pompadour hairstyle. He was sometimes referred to as The White Knight of Soul. Cochran is best known toda ...
, Gary Stewart, carnival star Georgette Dante, Margaret Doll Rod, Tammy Faye Starlite, and the women in Texas exploitation director Dale Berry's films, as well as hosting a podcast on Mississippi preacher
Estus Pirkle Estus Washington Pirkle (March 12, 1930 – March 3, 2005) was an American Baptist minister, evangelist, and filmmaker. Early life Estus Washington Pirkle was born in Vienna, Georgia on March 12, 1930. He was one of eleven children to Grover W ...
and the films he made with
Ron Ormond Ron Ormond (August 29, 1910 – May 11, 1981) was an American author, showman, screenwriter, film producer, and film director of Western, musical, and exploitation horror films. Following his survival of a 1968 plane crash, Ormond began making ...
. In 2023 McDonough published an exhaustive Ormonds biography,''The Exotic Ones: That Fabulous Film-Making Family from Music City, U.S.A. – The Ormonds,'' a book that had been in the works for nearly forty years. He also wrote a long essay for the Blu-ray set released in conjunction with the book, which features all of the Ormond exploitation/religious pictures, ''From Hollywood to Heaven: The Lost and Saved Films of the Ormond Family''. Both Margaret Doll Rod and Tammy Faye Starlite made guest appearances on McDonough's book tour, which was dubbed "The 2023 Jimmy Jimmy Coco Puff World Tour" on social media. In addition to the aforementioned biographies, McDonough has authored profiles on
Jimmy Scott James Victor Scott (July 17, 1925 – June 12, 2014), known professionally as Little Jimmy Scott or Jimmy Scott, was an American jazz vocalist known for his high natural contralto voice and his sensitivity on ballads and love songs. After ...
, Gary Stewart, Hubert Selby, Jr., the Ormond family and
Link Wray Fred Lincoln "Link" Wray Jr. (May 2, 1929 – November 5, 2005) was an American guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist who became popular in the late 1950s. His 1958 Instrumental rock, instrumental single "Rumble (instrumental), Rumble", reached the ...
, and over the span of his career he has written for a number of publications including: ''
The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...
'', ''
Film Comment ''Film Comment'' is the official publication of Film at Lincoln Center. It features reviews and analysis of mainstream, art-house, and avant-garde filmmaking from around the world. Founded in 1962 and originally released as a quarterly, ''Film ...
'', and ''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
''. ''Gary Stewart: I Am from the Honky-Tonks, ''McDonough's long-awaited 500-page-plus biography of the honky-tonk singer, will be published by Wolf + Salmon in the fall of 2025.


Personal life

McDonough lives in the
Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (PNW; ) is a geographic region in Western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though no official boundary exists, the most common ...
. He is somewhat enigmatic about himself, as revealed in a rare 2011 (internet conducted) interview with
Jonathan Penner Jonathan Lindsay Penner (born March 5, 1962) is an American actor, screenwriter, television personality, and film producer, known for producing and starring in the film '' The Last Supper'', as well as acting in the television series '' Rude Aw ...
.


Books

;Non-fiction * ''The Ghastly One: The Sex-Gore Netherworld of Filmmaker Andy Milligan'' (2001) * ''Shakey: Neil Young's Biography'' (2003) * ''Big Bosoms and Square Jaws: The Biography of Russ Meyer, King of the Sex Film'' (2005) * ''Tammy Wynette: Tragic Country Queen'' (2010) * ''Soul Survivor: A Biography of Al Green'' (2017) * ''The Ghastly One: The 42nd Street Netherworld of Director Andy Milligan'' (2022) (extensively updated version of ''The Ghastly One'') * ''The Exotic Ones: That Fabulous Film-Making Family from Music City, USA - The Ormonds'' (2023) * ''The Most Exotic One: Georgette Dante'' (2023) (only available with limited edition of ''The Exotic Ones'') * ''Gary Stewart: I am from the Honky-Tonks'' (2025)


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McDonough, Jimmy Living people American male journalists Year of birth missing (living people)