John O'Kane

John O'Kane is a novelist, journalist, and publisher. He is the author of eight books: two of literary journalism, three collections of essays, two collections of short stories, and one novel. His essays, articles, and stories have appeared in HuffPost, CounterPunch, Musing the Masses, and The Boston Globe, in addition to various creative and scholarly publications. Possessing a doctorate in literature and a master’s in sociology, he has taught at USC, UCLA, MIT, and UCI. A longtime resident of San Pedro, California, he is the publisher and editor of AMASS Magazine.

PUBLICATIONS:

"Francis Ford Coppola: Hollywood and Synthetic Realism," Wide Angle, 5,2, pp. 87-93.

"Ideology, Style, Deep Focus in Renoir's Boudu Saved From Drowning," ENclitic, #10/11, pp. 120-25.

"Rainer Werner Fassbinder: Art Cinema and the Politics of Culture," Bennington Review, #15, Summer 1983, pp. 56-64.

"Existential Narrative and Theories of Film and Media," ENclitic, 6,2, pp. 21-28.

"A Critique of Film Theory: Henderson's Search for a Method," Wide Angle, 6,1, pp.68-74.

"Framing the Sixties," ENclitic, #14, pp. 24-34.

"Theory and Cultural Politics: Althusser's Intervention," Thesis Eleven, #10/11, pp.250-57.

"Althusser, Ideology and Oppositional Practice," ENclitic, 7,1, pp. 104-16.

"The Career of Rainer Werner Fassbinder," in Directors/Filmmakers, ed. Christopher Lyon and Susan Doll (Chicago: St. James Press, 1984), pp. 167-71.

"La Lecture Dans tous Ses Etats," by Christian Prigent, ENclitic, #12, pp. 44-50 (translation).

"Marxism, Deconstruction and Ideology: Notes Toward an Articulation," New German Critique, #33, pp. 219-48.

"Postmodernism, History, Cultural Politics," ENclitic, Spring/Fall 1984, pp. 4-12.

"History and the Production of Memory," Critical Arts, 3,3, pp. 53-57.

"History, Performance, Counter-Cinema: Alexander Kluge's The Patriot," Screen, 26,6, pp. 2-17.

"Cultural Pessimism and Cultural Studies: American Anti-Intellectualism," Salmagundi, #67, pp. 171-82.

"In the Tracks of Realignment: The Future of Cultural Studies," the minnesota review, #27, pp. 132-43.

"Confessions of a Poor White Hipster: La Loca and Media Culture in LA," ENclitic, #20, pp. 67-82.

"To Deny and Revise the Past: Vietnam on Trial," LA Weekly, April 16, 1987, pp. 29-30.

"Satirical Realism, Political Cabaret and Consciousness Expansion: Paul Krassner and Experimental Media," ENclitic, 11,1, pp. 9-27.

"Don De Lillo's Libra: A Novel of Subversion and a Subversion of the Novel," In These Times, 12,41, pp. 20-21.

"The Metaphysics of Baseball: Spectator Sports, Mass Media and Popular Culture in America," ENclitic, #21, pp. 86-94.

"JFK: Image Superman," LA Weekly, October 28, 1988, pp. 42-43.

"Manufacturing Consent: Chomsky's Theory of Mass Media," In These Times, January 26, 1989, pp. 18-20.

"Lawrence Ferlinghetti: Anarchism and the Poetry Revolution," ENclitic, #22, pp. 47-58.

"Reaganism: Crusading For Nostalgia," Left Curve, #16, pp. 9-19.

"Tabloid Talk: Talk Radio and the Media of Illiteracy," ENclitic, 11,2, pp. 25-33.

"Schizo-Activism: At the Edge of Bohemian Populism," Socialist Review, 22,2, pp.141-46.

"Bucharest Winter," Left Curve, #18, pp. 63-67.

"Horror: The Pleasure of Insight into the Forbidden," Boston Globe, June 6, 1993, pp. B44-45.

"Brattle Stays Eclectic and Refreshing," Cambridge Chronicle, July 15, 1993, pp.L1,L4.

"Class Struggle, Diversity and the Politics of Optimism," Left Curve, #22, pp. 128-34.

"The Boulevard of Broken Dreams: How a Media Blitz Made James Dean a Giant," Boston Globe, July 7, 1994, pp. 33-34.

"Out Through the In Door: Harry Shearer and Alternative Radio in LA," Jump Cut, #41, pp. 85-92.

"Adventures in Totalization: Jameson's Search For A Method," Rethinking Marxism, Fall 1998, Vol. 10, #4, pp. 52-78.

"Contradiction, Overdetermination and Dialectical Surfaces," Socialist Review, Winter 2000 (Vol. 27, #3/4), pp. 107-46.

"Class, Liberal Pluralism and Counterhegemony," Cultural Studies, Spring 2001 (15, 2), pp. 295-325.

"Antitheses of Cultural Marxism," Left Curve, #23, Spring 1999, pp. 14-20.

"Bukowski's Hollywood," in Contemporary Literature Criticism, edited by Debbie Stanley (Detroit: Gale Research, 1998), pp. 87-91.

"Cultural Politics, Political Economy and the Impossible Society," Left Curve, #25, Winter 2001, pp. 98-109.

"Capitalism, Culture and Socio-Economic Justice," Rethinking Marxism, Summer 2002, pp..1-25. 

"Globalization, Anarchy, Radicalism," AMASS, Summer 2002, pp.84-87.

"Trading Terror, Making Democracy," Left Curve, #27 Winter 2003, pp.87-105.

"Welfare, Value, Empire," Emergences, Spring 2003, pp.273-284.

“Venice Speculations,” AMASS, Spring 2003, pp.73-82.

"Postmodern Negative Dialectics," in Doug Kellner and Sean Homer eds., The Jameson Reader (New York: MacMillan Press, 2004), pp.142-168.

“Can Democracy Be Popular?”, AMASS, Spring 2004, pp.75-80.

“Popular Dream, Party Logic, American Nightmare,” Santa Monica Mirror, 2/10/05, pp.22-23.

“Tears and Frothing in Las Vegas,” AMASS, Fall 2005, pp.87-88.

“The Doors to Syllogism,” Beachhead, #299, 8/06, P.9.

“Capital, Culture and the Breeding of Power,” Left Curve, Spring 2006, pp.134-50.

“New World Ordure,” Beachhead, #300, 9/06, p.9

“Legends of Truth,” The Irvine Progressive, June 2006, p.13.

“Art Attack: Interview With Robbie Conal,” Beachhead, #301, 10/06, pp.1-7.

“Beatress Beattitude,” AMASS, Fall 2006, pp.57-69.

“As the Escrow Flies,” Beachhead, #302, 11/06, p.9.

“An Immoveable Feast,” Beachhead, #303, 12/06, pp.1, 6-7.

“Ghostory Lesson,” Beachhead, #304, 1/07, p.9.

“The Mourning After,” The Irvine Progressive, February 2007, p.8.

“Patriotism,” AMASS, Winter 2007, p.55.

“FREE,” The Irvine Progressive, April 2007, p.15.

“The Soft Parade,” AMASS, Spring 2008, p.42.

“Exstacey,” Beachhead, #310, 8/07, p.9.

“If a War is Good,” AMASS, Summer 2008, p.31.

“The Day the Muse Died,” Left Curve, Winter 2008, pp.85-86.

“San Pedro Progress: Interview with Janice Hahn,” AMASS, Summer 2008, pp.35-6.

“Joints,” AMASS, Fall 2008, pp.36-38.

“Return to Sender,” AMASS, Fall 2008, p.31.

“Generation Gapped,” The Public Record, February 15, 2009.

“Illuminescence,” AMASS, Winter 2009, p.32.

“Unbranding Obama,” The HuffingtonPost, March 9, 2009.

“Irishry,” AMASS, Spring 2009, pp.34-37.

“The Filter Up Effect,” The HuffingtonPost, April 20, 2009.

“Port Pedrogon,” AMASS, Summer 2009, pp.37-40.

“Freedempire,” The HuffingtonPost, June 27, 2009.

“Blowback,” AMASS, Summer 2009, p.14.

“Brokering the Bailout,” The HuffingtonPost, September 8, 2009.

“Black Habits,” AMASS, Fall 2009, p.22.

“Media Muddle,” The HuffingtonPost, December 2, 2009.

“Situations,” AMASS, Winter 2010, pp.34-35.

“Who’s the Enemy,” The HuffingtonPost, January 18, 2010; anthologized in Information Clearing House, January 20, 2010.

“The Glory Days,” AMASS, Spring 2010, pp.32-38.

“Ideallergy,” The HuffingtonPost, March 2, 2010; anthologized in Information Clearing House, March 4, 2010.

“Tea Party Fantasies,” The HuffingtonPost, May 4, 2010.

“Unmelting Pot,” The HuffingtonPost, June 6, 2010.

“Imperfect Game,” The HuffingtonPost, July, 10, 2010.

“Rebirth,” AMASS, Fall 2010, pp.28-31.

“Distention Deficit,” The HuffingtonPost, November 23, 2010.

“Blowback,” The HuffingtonPost, November 26, 2010.

“Gravity’s God,” AMASS, Spring 2011, pp.28-36.

“The Easy Rider Fan Club,” Verdad, May 2011.

“Art Haunts,” AMASS, Summer 2011, pp.32-36.

“Counter Cycles,” AMASS, Fall 2011, pp.22-23.

“Notes From Aboveground,” AMASS, Winter 2012, pp.34-38.

“Penance,” AMASS, Spring 2012, pp.34-37.

“Space, Time and Controllable Substances,” AMASS, Summer 2012, pp.28-31.

“Beyond the Evil of Mass Murder,” The HuffingtonPost, July 31, 2012.

“Everybody Loves a Winner!” AMASS, Fall 2012, pp.24-29.

“Profane Illumination, Street Surrealism, and Venice, California,” The Creosote Journal, December 1, 2013, pp.1-7.

“Desiree’s Place,” AMASS, Winter 2013, pp.36-38.

“Sowing the Spirit,” AMASS, Spring 2013, pp.36-40.

“What Does Equality Mean?” The HuffingtonPost, August 7, 2013.

“Guardians of the Sand,” AMASS, Fall 2013, pp.32-35.

“Illuminescence,” EmptyMirror Magazine, January 11, 2014, pp.1-2.

“Can Obama Escape the Right-Wing Frame?” The HuffingtonPost, October 14, 2013.

“Joints,” EmptyMirror Magazine, February 10, 2014, pp.1-6.

“Occupy, Progressives and Democracy,” The HuffingtonPost, November 24, 2013.

“Escape from Edge City,” AMASS, Winter 2014, pp.30-35.

“Pushing the Positive, Nay-Saying the Negative,” The HuffingtonPost, February 14, 2014.

“Eroticon,” AMASS, Spring 2014, pp.36-41.

“A City State of Mind,” Departures (KCET Column), April 23, 2014.

“Street Life,” AMASS, Summer 2014, pp.32-36.

“The Venetian Mind,” Departures (KCET Column), August 27, 2014.

“Halfway House,” AMASS, Fall 2014, pp.32-35.

“Irishry,” EmptyMirror Magazine, September 21, 2014, pp.1-7.

“Survival Streams,” AMASS, Winter 2015, pp.34-35.

“The Glory Days,” HuffingtonPost, March 23, 2015.

“Slumming for Jesus,” AMASS, Spring 2015, pp.24-27.

“The Glory Days: 2,” HuffingtonPost, April 23, 2015.

“The Glory Days: 3,” HuffingtonPost, May 27, 2015.

“Awakening,” AMASS, Summer 2015, pp.28-31.

“The Glory Days: 4,” HuffingtonPost, June 29, 2015.

“Venice, CA: A City State of Mind,” HuffingtonPost, September 28, 2015.

“Fumes,” AMASS, Fall 2015, pp.26-31.

“Mining the States of City Minds: 1,” HuffingtonPost, October 26, 2015.

“Mining the States of City Minds: 2,” HuffingtonPost, January 1, 2016.

“Mindfield,” AMASS, Winter 2016, pp.26-33.

“Mining the States of City Minds: 3,” HuffingtonPost, February 16, 2016.

“Mining the States of City Minds: 4,” HuffingtonPost, April 5, 2016.

“Nun the Wiser,” AMASS, Spring 2016, pp.20-33.

“Mining the States of City Minds: 5,” HuffingtonPost, June 21, 2016.

“Exhumation,” AMASS, Summer 2016, pp.28-35.

“Mining the States of City Minds: 6,” HuffingtonPost, October 5, 2016.

“Retro TV,” AMASS, Fall 2016, pp.33-37.

“Mining the States of City Minds: 7,” HuffingtonPost, December 27, 2016.

“Faceoff,” AMASS, Winter 2017, pp.29-30.

“Mining the States of City Minds: 8,” HuffingtonPost, April 24, 2017.

“Alchemy,” AMASS, Spring 2017, pp.32-40.

“Mining the States of City Minds: 9,” HuffingtonPost, July 2, 2017.

“Toasting Rockfish,” Salmagundi, Summer-Fall 2017, #195-196, pp.264-69.

“Mining the States of City Minds: 10,” Huffpost, September 2, 2017.

“Exhumation,” in Goose River Anthology, 2017, November 2, 2017, pp.87-95.

“Mining the States of City Minds: 11,” Huffpost, November 10, 2017.

“Two Angles on Matthew Specktor,” Huffpost, December 2, 2017.

“Mining the States of City Minds: 12,” Huffpost, December 20, 2017.

“Rebirth,” in Goose River Anthology, 2018 (September).

“Crash Talk,” AMASS, Spring 2018, pp.22-23.

“911 Debt Free,” AMASS, Fall 2018, pp.38-40. Van Every.

“Drops and the Dropped: Diversity and the Midterm Elections,” CounterPunch, 12/19/2018. Reprinted in AMASS, Winter 2019, pp.22-25.

“Demonizing the Few to Alienate and Sway the Many,” CounterPunch, 4/26/2019.

“Altz House,” AMASS, Spring 2019, pp.26-29.

“The Bush Leagues: The College Admissions Scam,” CounterPunch, 5/31/2019.

“Citizen Shane,” AMASS, Summer 2019, pp.8-15.

“America First and Diverse,” CounterPunch, 7/9/2019. Reprinted in  AMASS, Fall 2019, pp.20-23.

“Reparations and the Student Debt Wars,” CounterPunch, 8/6/2019.

“Supreme Nihilism: The El Paso Shooter’s Manifesto,” CounterPunch, 8/19/2019. Reprinted in Information Clearing House, 8/20/2019; and in The International News, 8/21/2019.

“A Lottery of Equality Dispenses Dystopia,” CounterPunch, 11/1/2019. Reprinted in AMASS, Winter 2020, pp.26-29.

“Peytch’s Place,” AMASS, Spring 2020, pp.8-11.

“The Obama Legacy: Reform Versus Revolution,” CounterPunch, 1/22/2020. Reprinted in AMASS, Winter 2020, pp.20-23.

“Joe Biden’s Opinion-Shaping Machine and Race,” CounterPunch, 3/25/2020.

“Remove the Boomer Virus and What Virus Remains?” CounterPunch, 4/9/2020.

“Bernd!,” CounterPunch, 5/1/2020.

“Alchemy,” Storylandia, December 2020. Contracted.

“Trump Is Not The Problem,” CounterPunch, 6/9/2020.

“Progressive Pulses Among The Ruins of Riot,” CounterPunch, 7/2/2020. Reprinted in AMASS, Spring 2020, pp.24-33.

“Systemic Racism and Progressive Reconstruction,” CounterPunch, 7/31/2020.

“Authoritarian Anarchism Meets Autocratic Soul Searching,” CounterPunch, 9/2/2020.

 “Community Investment Must Supplement Racial Integration,” CounterPunch, 10/23/2020.

“Reverb of the Repressed: Race and Classlessness,” CounterPunch, 12/4/2020. Reprinted in AMASS, Summer 2020, pp.10-17.

“Expats, Expatriots, and Utopia,” CounterPunch/Reddit, 1/8/2021.

“Insurrection or Menacing Mashup of Misrecognition?” CounterPunch, 2/5/2021. Reprinted AMASS, Fall 2020, pp.12-17.

“Red Capital, Red Baiting, Yellow Peril,” CounterPunch, 5/28/2021.

“Critical Race Theory in Practice,” CounterPunch, 7/2/2021. Reprinted in AMASS, Spring 2021, pp. 14-21.

“Ibram X. Kendi and Democratic Debate,” CounterPunch, 9/7/2021.

“Endless Enemies and the Permanent War Economy,” CounterPunch, 10/14/2021.

“Mobbing Logic,” CounterPunch, 12/31/2021.

“Democracy, Literacy, and Authoritarianism,” Musing the Masses, 3/5/2022.

“Imperial Blowback,” Musing the Masses, 4/2/2022.

“Fear Mongering, Resource Scarcity, and Replacement Theory,” Musing the Masses, 7/12/2022.

“The Wake,” AMASS, Fall 2022, pp.34-37.

“Granny’s Orgone Accumulator,” AMASS, Winter 2023, pp.26-33.

“Whose Democracy Was Protected in the 2022 Election?” Musing the Masses, 3/12/23.

“Freaking-Out Delirious: Surrealism to Venice Beats,” BeatNotBeat (Moon Tide Press), 4/10/23.

“Snookered Calculus,” Musing the Masses, 6/30/23.

“Fertilizing the Wasteland: A Retroactive Conversation with Philomene Long,” BeatNotBeat (Moon Tide Press), 11/27/23.

“Five Minutes of Peace and Love,” Musing the Masses, 3/2/24.

Book: Venice, CA: A City State of Mind. July 2014.

Book: A People’s Manifesto. December 2014. Reprinted 2017.

Book: Toward Election 2020: Cancel Culture, Censorship and Class. October 2020.

Book: A Venice Quintet. March 2022.

Book: The Unmaking of the President, 2020. April 2022.

Book: Democracy and Authority. November 2022.

Book: A Venice Sextet. February 2023.

Book: The Accidental Jesus. June 2024. Contracted.

Book: Jukebox Confessionals. July 2024. Contracted.