It’s a long climb · Up the rock face · At the wrong time · To the right place
Books + films + music
Don't even start.
Three novels · a story collection
· two books about music
Fiction
2022 · And Other Stories
A translator, her possibly-stolen life, a possibly-fake Houellebecq, and cocktail recipes from a presumably alcoholic director. A French-inflected satire with a cameo from Juno Temple's hair.
“James Greer is the leading Renaissance Man for our current and possibly terminal Dark Ages.”
Joshua Cohen
“I take exception to the characterisation of my hair as ‘difficult,’ as my hair is in fact perfect, which I can prove in a court of law.”
Juno Temple
2010 · Akashic Books
Two friends plan to rob a check-cashing store to bankroll a ridiculous internet app. Dennis Cooper called Greer “one of the nimblest and most multilayered American fiction writers.”
“Such an unqualified success, both in conception and execution, that I have grave doubts he actually wrote it.”
Steven Soderbergh
“Pulled off a sublime and shivery-smooth literary hat-trick-cum-emotional-gotcha … This is one stunning piece of work.”
Dennis Cooper
2006 · Little House on the Bowery / Akashic
The debut novel — winner of the California Book Award Silver Medal for First Fiction. “Beats the bejeezus out of the last dozen Thomas Pynchons,” per Richard Meltzer.
“Skates on the purity of confession. It’s a brutal reveal; an Abyss Narrative with hooks.”
Stephen Malkmus
“Greer picks the lock on the Kurt Cobain mythos and the rapid commercialization of indie rock.”
Booklist
2013 · Curbside Splendor · Stories
Nineteen "trips," short and surreal to long and surreal, with art by Robert Pollard. “Halfway between the mind of God and a vivid dream” — Publishers Weekly.
“Dazzling, swirling, ridiculous and disconcerting. James Greer doesn’t follow paths, he’s a thing of the air.”
Ben Loory
“Greer writes within the grand tradition of American postmodern, pessimistic, philosophic geniuses.”
Matthew Specktor
Criticism + Journalism (Selected)
LARB — review of John Barth's Every Third Thought.
Bookforum — review of Kate Zambreno's Green Girl.
The Fanzine — review of David Foster Wallace's The Pale King.
The Fanzine — review of Gideon Lewis-Kraus's A Sense of Direction.
The Believer — Contributor Page.
Additional pieces in the SPIN back-catalogue, from Greer's years as Senior Editor/Senior Writer there.
On Music
2005 · Black Cat / Grove Press
Twenty-one years of hunting accidents in the forests of rock and roll — written by some guy who played bass.
Buy →
1992 · Little, Brown
The earliest book, from the Spin-magazine years, back when the writing paid (slightly) better and I drank (much) harder.
Find a copy →Written for the screen ·
and, lately, directed
2026 · Writer / Director
The story of the unwitting wife of a serial killer. Coming soon!
Site →
2026 · Writer
A horror-thriller starring Djimon Hounsou and Lauren LaVera.
IMDb →
2026 · Writer
A thriller-horror starring David Dastmalchian and Ashley Greene.
IMDb →
2018 · Writer
A psychological thriller directed by Steven Soderbergh, starring Claire Foy.
IMDb →Also wrote
Guided by Voices
DTCV
Mirror Moves
DTCV
Guided by Voices
Bad Eminence (2022)
Bookforum — "Welcome to the Pun House," an interview by Scott Indrisek.
3:AM Magazine — "More Parody Than Satire," an interview by Andrew Gallix.
The Irish Times — review calling it "this year's cult classic."
SPIN — "SPIN DNA: James Greer," an interview about Bad Eminence.
Kirkus Reviews — “A thoroughly bizarre, frequently compelling literary thriller.”
Book Marks — the critic roundup.
The Complete Review — review, with links to further coverage.
Times Literary Supplement — review of Bad Eminence.
The Spectator — “Dangerous liaisons,” a review of Bad Eminence.
PaulSemel.com — an interview about Bad Eminence.
Largehearted Boy — “Book Notes”: Greer’s own music playlist for the novel.
DC's — Dennis Cooper's Bad Eminence day.
Everything Flows (2013)
Publishers Weekly — starred review.
Vice — interview tied to Everything Flows release.
The Failure (2010)
The Village Voice — "Loser Lit," by Zach Baron (March 24, 2010).
KQED — “All things good about the possibilities of small press publishing: an over-the-top and enjoyable plot with witty writing.”
Publishers Weekly — review.
Booklist — “a writer of considerable talent whose techniques, tropes, and wordplay recall Thomas Pynchon.”
HTMLGiant — Matthew Simmons: “a hell of a book … a funny writer, a smart writer, and a talented synthesizer of contemporary life.”
Cincinnati CityBeat — “Lit: James Greer,” a profile by Jason Gargano.
The Fanzine — “Success Is Not an Option”: “There’s so much going on, the hilarious central image — a clown car tearing down the road — almost gets lost in the shuffle.”
CCLaP — Jason Pettus, 8.4/10: noir “elevated into the realm of fine art by taking a daring approach.”
Artificial Light (2006)
Los Angeles Times — review by Michael Jaime-Becerra (October 8, 2006).
LAist — Adrienne Crew interviews Greer on the release of Artificial Light.
Library Journal — Stephen Morrow: “Greer does a superb job of transcending conventional genrefication, bringing something fresh to contemporary literature.”
Booklist — “Greer picks the lock on the Kurt Cobain mythos and the rapid commercialization of indie rock… Strong writing and shrewd perceptions prevail.”
Ink 19 — Sheila Scoville: “a debut novel that reads like a faux rockumentary commentated by a French Decadent poet.”
Guided by Voices: A Brief History (2005)
Bookforum — Geeta Dayal: “[Greer’s] book reads like an inside-baseball account by an obsessed fan, written for other obsessed fans.”
Midwest Book Review — “From the band’s incarnations to Pollard’s constantly changing sound, no better coverage is available.”
Music, Film & Elsewhere
Variety — Guy Lodge on Unsane’s “nasty, well-knotted script by James Greer and Jonathan Bernstein.”
Empire — on Unsane’s script as a Get Out–style “social thriller.”
RogerEbert.com — Brian Tallerico on Unsane’s “smart script” by Jonathan Bernstein & James Greer.
Observer — Steven Soderbergh on shooting Unsane with an iPhone.
Deviate with Rolf Potts — “Unsane writer James Greer on the death of Cobain and birth of Gen X.”
Denver Post — interview with Greer for the Denver Post.
Consequence of Sound — advance stream of DTCV’s Confusion Moderne: “pulls you in immediately.”
Los Angeles Times — "Steven Soderbergh's 12-hour John Barth adaptation, via James Greer."
James Greer is a novelist and screenwriter. He is the author of the novels Bad Eminence, The Failure, and Artificial Light (winner of the California Book Award Silver Medal for First Fiction), the story collection Everything Flows, and two books about music — including Guided by Voices: A Brief History, drawn from his years playing bass in that band.
For the screen he co-wrote Steven Soderbergh’s Unsane and a bunch of other features. Mirror Moves, his debut as writer-director, is his most recent project.
I think we can all agree that's quite enough.
Newsletter
Very occasional news + notes.
Also: the quarterly SPIN “Tones on Tail” column. Subscribe to SPIN →
