Paul Iorio

Paul Iorio (b. Waterville, Maine; 1957) is an American writer/reporter whose non-fiction journalism has appeared in almost every major newspaper in North America and in many top magazines (including The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Los Angeles Times [http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/33677931.html?dids33677931:33677931&FMTABS&FMTSABS:FT&dateSep+05%2C+1998&author&pubLos+Angeles+Times&desc=Garity's+Family+History&pqatl=google], to name just a few); his satire has been published in The New York Times (most notably in the issues of June 12, 1994 and March 26, 1995), Spy magazine (issues of Jan. '95, Dec. '92, among others), Details (October 1994 issue) and elsewhere; his photography has appeared in The Washington Post (most notably accompanying his stories of Nov. 10, 2002 and March 24, 2002), The San Francisco Chronicle (1997) and other publications.

In the past couple years, Iorio has also had a second career as a musician/singer-songwriter; at least 15 of his original songs have been added to radio playlists in at least three countries since 2006.

In entertainment journalism, Iorio is probably best known for having conducted the first taped interview (in Jan. 1989) with Trey Anastasio of the rock band Phish, who he also introduced to rockers Widespread Panic, which would later spearhead (with Phish) the jam-band movement of the 1990s. [Here is a link to the New Times aricle that published the 1989 interview in its December 25, 2003 issue; in the published transcript of the interview, Iorio asks "Are you familiar with a band called Widespread Panic?," and Anastasio replies, "No, I'm not," and then Iorio proceeds to make him aware of the band.]

He also gained note for scoring a then-rare interview with film director Roman Polanski for a two-part feature for The Los Angeles Times, published July 8, 1999 (which generated more reader response than any other article that had appeared in that Times section, according to the paper's section editor) and for being the first reporter to have linked Ellen DeGeneres and Anne Heche in print in 1997 (story appeared in S.F. Chronicle on Sunday, April 20, 1997, but was widely distributed on April 17, 1997, days before the story was reported by other media outlets).

His 2000 story (for the San Francisco Chronicle) on the first public reading of Allen Ginsberg's poem "Howl," which included his interview with poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti, has been required reading in literature courses at top universities from the United States to New Zealand or has been posted on academic websites for several years.
[It is posted on University of Pennsylvania's website and was once on the University of Auckland (NZ) site as required reading :[http://www.writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/88v/howlanniversary.html]

Print journalism colleagues familiar with his work tend to consider his profile of Richard Pryor (for Los Angeles New Times, October 1996; posted at www.paulliorio.blogspot.com), chronicling the comedian's last-ever full-length concert (on July 24, 1996, at the Comedy Store in West Hollywood, Calif.), to be Iorio's best-written work.

As a singer-songwriter, his songs have been aired on KALX, WFMU and other radio stations.

Iorio is based in Berkeley,Calif.

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