Ben Greenman
A literary chameleon who bridges pop culture and high literature, crafting bestsellers for music legends and his own inventive fiction.
Born 1969 (age 57)·American novelist and magazine journalist·Birthday: September 28·Generation X
Biography
Ben Greenman operates in the vibrant intersection where pop mythology meets literary craft. An editor at The New Yorker for fourteen years, he honed a sharp, witty sensibility that he later applied to a dizzyingly diverse array of projects. He is perhaps best known as a sought-after collaborator, ghostwriting and co-writing memoirs for iconic musicians like Questlove, George Clinton, and Brian Wilson, where his task is to channel their unique voices into compelling prose. Simultaneously, he has built a parallel career as a novelist and short story writer, producing clever, meta-fictional works that play with form and explore themes of love, art, and identity. As the executive editor of Auwa Books, the imprint he co-founded with Questlove, he now cultivates this same spirit of eclectic, genre-defying storytelling in others. Greenman's work ethic is staggering, resulting in a vast bibliography that defies easy categorization, united by intelligence, humor, and a deep respect for narrative.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Ben was born in 1969, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Ben Was Born
The biggest hits of 1969
#1 Movie
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Best Picture
Midnight Cowboy
#1 TV Show
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Ben's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1969Born
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1974Started school
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1982Became a teenager
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1985Could drive
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1987Could vote
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1990Turned 21
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
1999Turned 30
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 40
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2019Turned 50
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2026Age 57 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Co-wrote the New York Times bestselling memoir 'Mo' Meta Blues' with Questlove of The Roots.
- Served as an editor at The New Yorker for 14 years, contributing to its signature style.
- Founded and serves as executive editor of Auwa Books, an imprint dedicated to music and culture.
Did You Know?
He wrote a weekly column for the website of the band They Might Be Giants.
One of his early novels, 'Please Step Back', is a fictional biography of a 1960s psychedelic soul singer.
He has published short stories in a wide range of venues, from The New Yorker to McSweeney's to ESPN The Magazine.
“A good story is a machine with all its parts working.”
