Gary Indiana
A caustic, brilliant chronicler of America's seamy underbelly, his true-crime trilogy dissected the violent decay at the end of the 20th century.
1950–2024 (age 74)·American writer, playwright and poet·Birthday: July 16·Baby Boomers
Biography
Gary Indiana was a razor-sharp observer from the margins, a writer who turned his gimlet eye on art, culture, and crime with equal parts venom and lyricism. Born Gary Hoisington, he adopted his nom de plume from a state he felt embodied American emptiness. As the art critic for the Village Voice in the 1980s, his reviews were events—savagely funny and intellectually formidable. He found his master subject in the lurid crimes of the era, producing a seminal trilogy of 'nonfiction novels' that wove together the stories of the Menendez brothers, Andrew Cunanan, and the S&M murder of a millionaire. These books were less about whodunit than about the 'why' of a society festering with resentment and spectacle. A playwright, actor, and visual artist, Indiana remained a fiercely independent and morally uncompromising voice until his death, a writer's writer revered for his uncompromising prose.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Gary was born in 1950, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Gary Was Born
The biggest hits of 1950
#1 Movie
Cinderella
Best Picture
All About Eve
#1 TV Show
Texaco Star Theatre
Gary's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1950Born
Korean War begins
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,354Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Goodnight Irene" — Gordon Jenkins & The WeaversBest Picture: All About Eve
1955Started school
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1963Became a teenager
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1966Could drive
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1968Could vote
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1971Turned 21
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1980Turned 30
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1990Turned 40
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
2000Turned 50
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 60
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 70
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2024Died at 74
AI reshapes industries; Paris Olympics
Gas: $3.31/galHome: $372,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Espresso" — Sabrina CarpenterBest Picture: Anora
Key Achievements
- Authored the acclaimed true-crime trilogy consisting of 'Resentment,' 'Three Month Fever: The Andrew Cunanan Story,' and 'Depraved Indifference.'
- Served as the head art critic for the Village Voice from 1985 to 1988, where his writing was influential and widely read.
- Published numerous novels, including 'Horse Crazy' and 'Do Everything in the Dark,' that explored downtown New York life and despair.
- His artwork has been exhibited in galleries in New York and Europe.
Did You Know?
He had a small acting role in Susan Seidelman's 1985 film 'Desperately Seeking Susan.'
Indiana was a close friend and collaborator of artist and writer Kathy Acker.
He was a member of the experimental theater group The Living Theatre early in his career.
The name 'Gary Indiana' was chosen partly as a joke about American blandness and partly after the song in 'The Music Man.'
“I'm interested in the way people construct narratives to justify their worst behavior.”
