Author Archives: Greg Olear

About Greg Olear

Greg Olear (@gregolear) is a founding editor of The Weeklings and the author of the novels Totally Killer and Fathermucker, an L.A. Times bestseller.

Miley Cyrus is Not Hannah Montana, Miley Cyrus is Not in Trouble, Miley Cyrus is Here to Stay

Posted on December 17, 2013 by Greg Olear

Reports of the pop star’s impending self-destruction have been exaggerated. Continue reading →

Posted in Popular Culture | Tagged Britney Spears, celebrity self-destruction, dancing with Molly, Disney, Hannah Montana, Justin Timberlake, Miley Cyrus, open letters, Party in the USA, Wrecking Ball | 3 Comments

Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus, and He is the Devil’s Minion

Posted on December 10, 2013 by Greg Olear

Is the Santa Myth good for kids? Continue reading →

Posted in Christmas, Popular Culture | Tagged Christmas, Elf on the Shelf, Keep Christ in Christmas, KOC, Miracle on 34th Street, Santa, solstice | 2 Comments

Song Beneath the Song: “Hey Jealousy” by the Gin Blossoms

Posted on December 2, 2013 by Greg Olear

Twenty years ago, “Hey Jealousy” climbed to #4 on the Billboard charts. A few months later, the man who wrote the song killed himself. Continue reading →

Posted in Song Beneath the Song | Tagged Doug Hopkins, Gin Blossoms, Hey Jealousy, irony, Kurt Cobain, Nirvana, Robin Wilson, Tempe | 50 Comments

50 Years of Grassy Knoll: Why JFK Conspiracy Theory Lives On

Posted on November 19, 2013 by Greg Olear

Was JFK was gunned down by a demented loner with Communist sympathies? A Corsican assassin in the grassy knoll sent by mob boss Sam Giancana? His own Secret Service detail by mistake? Half a century later, questions still remain. Continue reading →

Posted in Popular Culture | Tagged bunk, conspiracy theory, debunkers, Garfield assassination, Jack Ruby, JFK, JFK assassination, Lee Harvey Oswald, McKinley assassination, McKinley assassination conspiracy theory, you can't handle the truth | 3 Comments

Song Beneath the Song: “The Reflex” by Duran Duran

Posted on November 11, 2013 by Greg Olear

When you finish reading this analysis by Greg Olear, the hidden meaning of “The Reflex” will no longer leave you answered with a ? Continue reading →

Posted in Monday Rock City, Song Beneath the Song | Tagged Andy Taylor, Duran Duran, John Taylor, Journey, Market Market, Nick Rhodes, Roger Taylor, Seven and the Ragged Tiger, Simon LeBon, The Reflex, The Reflex Duran Duran song meaning | 52 Comments

The 50 Greatest Literary Character Names of All Time

Posted on October 8, 2013 by Greg Olear

Greg Olear whittles the Who’s Who of all of literature down to the 50 top names. Continue reading →

Posted in 50 Greatest | Tagged Aldous Huxley, Ayn Rand, Beverly Cleary, Bram SToker, Bret Easton Ellis, Charles Dickens, D.H. Lawrence, Daniel Defoe, Don DeLillo, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Francine Prose, George Orwell, Harper Lee, Herman Melville, Joe Heller, Laurence Sterne, Margaret Mitchell, Mark Twain, Mary Shelley, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Oscar Wilde, Pauline Reage, Raoul Dahl, Richard Wright, Robert Heinlein, Roberto Bolano, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Stephen King, the Brontë sisters, Thomas Hardy, Thomas Harris, Thomas Pynchon, Truman Capote, Victor Hugo, Walker Percy, Washington Irving, William Faulkner, William Gibson, William Goldman | 200 Comments

The Uncertainty Principle: Breaking Down the Last Two Episodes of “Breaking Bad”

Posted on September 17, 2013 by Greg Olear

As we head into the home stretch of one of the greatest shows of all time, Greg Olear peers into his crystal (meth) ball. One thing’s for sure: no one will be having an A-1 day. Continue reading →

Posted in The Arts | Tagged AMC, Breaking Bad, Heisenberg, Jesse Pinkman, Landry from Friday Night Lights, Manolo Blahniks, meth, Vince Gilligan, Walter White | 2 Comments