Tony O'Neill
Tony O'Neill (born in 1978, Blackburn, Lancashire) is an English writer based in New York. A one-time musician with Kenickie (1997–98), Marc Almond (1997–98), The Brian Jonestown Massacre (1999), and Kelli Ali (2001–04), O'Neill has written several books including Digging the Vein (2006), Down and Out on Murder Mile (2008) and Sick City (2010).
Tony O'Neill
- Name
- Tony O'Neill
- Birth Name
- Anthony Shaun O'Neill
- Born
- July 13, 1978
- Birthplace
- Blackburn, Lancashire
- Occupation
- Author, journalist, poet, screenwriter
- Movement
- Brutalism, Offbeat Generation, Drug-Lit
- Spouse
- Vanessa O'Neill
- Nationality
- United Kingdom
- Languages
- English
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Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q7823087 · wikipedia · Tony O'Neill
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The documentary record
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Institutions cited
Bibliothèque nationale de France · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
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Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Tony O'Neill • Birth Name — Anthony Shaun O'Neill • Born — July 13, 1978 • Birthplace — Blackburn, Lancashire • Occupation — Author, journalist, poet, screenwriter • Period — 2005-present • Genre — Literary fiction, non fiction, poetry, drug-lit • Movement — Brutalism, Offbeat Generation, Drug-Lit • Notable Works — Digging the Vein, Down and Out on Murder Mile, Sick City, Black Neon, Notre Dame du Vide, Songs from the Shooting Gallery, The Savage Life • Spouse — Vanessa O'Neill • Children — 1
Documentary record
Tony O'Neill, recorded as an author and musician, was born on 13 July 1978. The birth is recorded by the Bibliothèque nationale de France.
Literary career
Literary career
Digging the Vein was a novel based on O'Neill's years as a heroin and crack addict as well as his experiences in the music industry. The sequel, Down and Out on Murder Mile was released by Harper Perennial as a mass-market paperback in 2008. Sick City was released by Harper Perennial in 2010. The plot revolves around two heroin addicts who try to sell a sex tape showing Sharon Tate. A sequel to Sick City, Black Neon, was published by Walde and Graf in German in 2012. It follows the further adventures of Sick Citys protagonists Randal and Jeffrey, and their adventures in the world of Santaria, art-house cinema, and their run-ins with two lesbian pharmacy bandits. He also co-wrote the memoirs of NFL player Jason Peter. The book, Hero of the Underground, was a New York Times bestseller published in July 2008 by St Martins Press. Other non-fiction works include the memoir of the lead singer of The Runaways, Cherie Currie – Neon Angel: A Memoir of The Runaways (2010, It Books / Harper Collins). A short story anthology, Notre Dame Du Vide, was published in France, June 2009, by 13e note éditions. Down and Out on Murder Mile and Sick City have been translated into French, and Sick City was scheduled to be published in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria in 2011. He has written short stories for 3:AM Magazine and Laura Hird's fiction showcase, among others. A short story collection, Seizure Wet Dreams, was published by Social Disease in the UK, also in 2006. In 2007 Songs From The Shooting Gallery, his first book of poetry was published by Burning Shore Press of Long Beach, California. His short story "Fragments of Joe" was featured in The Heroin Chronicles ed. Jerry Stahl, on Akashic Books. He is a founding member of the Brutalists, a literary collective including authors Adelle Stripe and Ben Myers.
Documentary record
According to the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek, the recorded place of activity of Tony O'Neill is New York, NY.
Fiction
Fiction
• Digging The Vein (2006) • Down and Out on Murder Mile (2008) • Sick City (2010) • Black Neon (2012) • La Vie Sauvage / The Savage Life (2016)
Short fiction
Short fiction
• Seizure Wet Dreams (Social Disease, 2006) • Notre Dame du Vide (13e note éditions, Paris, 2009) • The Loose Canon Vol. 1 Siren Song (Montreal, 2009), • The Heroin Chronicles (Akashic Books, 2012) • Dirty Hits: Stories 2005-2015 (Vicon Editions, 2015) • Forged Prescriptions (Far West Press, 2026)
Poetry
Poetry
• Songs from the Shooting Gallery (2007)
Non-fiction
Non-fiction
• Hero of the Underground (2008), co-writer with Jason Peter • Neon Angel: A Memoir of The Runaways (2010), co-writer with Cherie Currie
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
1978
Tony O'Neill born at Blackburn.
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Tony O'Neill, revision 1373476543 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Unsworth, Cathie. Digging the Vein, by Tony O'Neill (Wrecking Ball Press, £9.95). The Guardian. 4 August 2007.
- 2.Down and Out on Murder Mile. Publishers Weekly. 18 August 2008.
- 3.Whittaker, Richard. Sick City. The Austin Chronicle. 23 July 2019.
- 4.Baker, Jeff. Tony O'Neill trades drug addiction for literary one. The Oregonian. 21 July 2010.
- 5.Ridgwell, Joseph. The rise and rise of the Brutalists. The Guardian. 26 July 2007.
References
Citations
References
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reference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 26 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Books
39,529 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
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