Wayne Byrne, Author-Film Historian-Episode #260

Storybeat with Steve Cuden

Wayne Byrne is an acclaimed author and film historian from Ireland. He started his career working for local County Kildare newspapers before being invited to write for the iconic Irish pop culture bible Hot Press Magazine as a music, book, and restaurant critic.

His debut book, The Cinema of Tom DiCillo: Include Me Out, was released in 2018. Wayne followed it with well-received works on subjects like Burt Reynolds, cinematographer Nick McLean, the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, and legendary Hollywood filmmaker Walter Hill. I’ve read both Welcome to Elm Street and Walter Hill: The Cinema of a Hollywood Maverick and can tell you that they’re both deeply researched, entertainingly detailed looks at how influential filmmakers create the dreams the world loves to watch. I highly recommend Wayne’s work to you.

Look for the release of Wayne’s latest book, Hired Guns: Portraits of Women in Alternative Music, co-written with his best friend, acclaimed musician Amanda Kramer, who’s been the keyboardist/vocalist of The Psychedelic Furs, 10,000 Maniacs, Siouxsie Sioux, The Golden Palominos, and Information Society.

He’s also busy writing three upcoming books, including another collaboration with Amanda Kramer, which is a study of the evolution of film soundtracks in the revolutionary New Hollywood era.

Wayne’s also working with cinematographer Roy Wagner on a biography documenting Wagner’s acclaimed career, called Beyond the Shadows, as well as a critical/cultural overview of the Halloween movies entitled, The Ongoing Halloween Franchise: 13 Films and Counting.