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Brian Raftery on Muck Rack

Brian Raftery

  • Writer, Freelance
  • Writer and Host, Gene and Roger Podcast, The Ringer
  • None, Men's Health, The Ringer, WIRED
Burbank, Los Angeles
As seen in: The Ringer, Medium, The New York Times, Yahoo Entertainment, Yahoo Life, The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, TIME, Los Angeles Times, WIRED Magazine, Yahoo Finance and
Covers:  Film, music, television, history, internet culture
Author/podcaster. Pre-order HANNIBAL LECTER: A LIFE here: shorturl.at/nMUxV Press queries: rebecca.rozenberg@simonandschuster.com Email: brianraftery@gmail.com

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Brian Raftery’s Biography

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I'm a freelance journalist and author with more than twenty years of storytelling experience. I've written and reported features and news stories for such publications as Wired, Rolling Stone, The New York Times, The Ringer, GQ, and Esquire, while also appearing as a guest on major podcasts produced by The Ringer and NPR. My fields of expertise include film, music, television, history, and internet culture. For more info, and recent clips, go to: www.brianraftery.com/about

Brian Raftery’s Journalist Portfolio

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What Do George Clooney, Nazareth, and a 16-Foot Mechanical Bear Have in Common?

What Do George Clooney, Nazareth, and a 16-Foot Mechanical Bear Have in Common?

Answer: 'Grizzly II,' a bonkers unfinished '80s monster movie filmed in Hungary that you've almost certainly …

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An Oral History of MTV's Unhinged, Eerily Prescient 'Wonder Showzen'

An Oral History of MTV's Unhinged, Eerily Prescient 'Wonder Showzen'

The creators of the radical, riotous MTV comedy series were also warning us how bad things were about to get.…

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12 Essential Lesser-Known Power-Pop Songs

12 Essential Lesser-Known Power-Pop Songs

You already listen to Cheap Trick, Big Star and the Raspberries. Now hear a dozen irresistibly upbeat tunes b…

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Adam Schlesinger loved the suburban strivers he wrote about, no more so than on 'Utopia Parkway'

Adam Schlesinger loved the suburban strivers he wrote about, no more so than on 'Utopia Parkway'

Last week, in need of a reprieve from news of the mounting corona-crisis, I turned up the volume on my kitche…

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Thank you, Kenny Rogers, for the greatest karaoke duet ever: 'Islands in the Stream'

Thank you, Kenny Rogers, for the greatest karaoke duet ever: 'Islands in the Stream'

It's a scene familiar to sing-along enthusiasts around the world. Every night, in karaoke bars spanning from …

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Kumail Nanjiani Can Be Your Hero, Baby

Kumail Nanjiani Can Be Your Hero, Baby

EVERY DAY IN THE GYM, as he was torturing himself to get into superhero shape, Kumail Nanjiani would hear tha…

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Articles

John Carpenter Found a New Way to Give You Nightmares

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By Brian Raftery
| Breaking One
Two years ago, an unsettling image came to John Carpenter in his sleep. It consisted of an abandoned cathedral with a pair of elevators inside, capable of plunging passengers to unknowable depths. For most people, that late-night tableau would qualify as a nightmare. But to Carpenter, it was simply an inspiring dream -- the latest in a long line of terrifying visions that have marked this filmmaker's career.
Open in Who Shared Issue with article?

John Carpenter Found a New Way to Give You Nightmares

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By Brian Raftery
| Breaking One
Two years ago, an unsettling image came to John Carpenter in his sleep. It consisted of an abandoned cathedral with a pair of elevators inside, capable of plunging passengers to unknowable depths. For most people, that late-night tableau would qualify as a nightmare. But to Carpenter, it was simply an inspiring dream -- the latest in a long line of terrifying visions that have marked this filmmaker's career.
Open in Who Shared Issue with article?

John Carpenter Found a New Way to Give You Nightmares

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By Brian Raftery
| Flipboard
North Carolina 8 hours ago Miss North Carolina USA 2026 Dethroned After Miss USA Organization Condemns ‘Racism, Homophobia, Transphobia’ People - Angelique Brenes, Zoey Lyttle • 8h Just over a month after being crowned Miss North Carolina USA 2026, Brittany Boltinhouse’s reign has come to an abrupt end. The Miss USA Organization announced on Aug. 5 that Boltinhouse is no longer Miss North Carolina USA 2026, saying the decision was made jointly with the titleholder, her state …
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