Chris Ayres

Last updated

Chris Ayres is an English born screenwriter, a contributing editor at British GQ , [1] and author. He wrote the book War Reporting for Cowards, and co-wrote Ozzy Osbourne's memoir I Am Ozzy , which became a New York Times Best-Seller.

Contents

As a screenwriter, he has sold scripts to Apple TV+, CBS network and Ingenious Media, the latter in partnership with XIX Entertainment and Endeavor Content. [2]

Ayres's recent work for British GQ has included a long-form article about Donald Trump's friendship with Mike Tyson in the late 1980s, [3] and an in-depth profile of Instagram star Dan Bilzerian. [4]

War Reporting for Cowards

First published in 2005, War Reporting for Cowards is an account of being embedded with a forward reconnaissance unit of the U.S. Marines in the run-up to - and during - the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Ayres was in his late 20s and working for The Times of London, covering entertainment, at the time. [5]

Writing in The New York Times, Michiko Kakutani described the book as "hilarious," adding that it "reads as though Larry David had rewritten 'MASH' and Evelyn Waugh's 'Scoop' as a comic television episode, even as it provides the reader with a visceral picture of the horrors of combat and the peculiar experience of being an embedded reporter." [6] War Reporting for Cowards is today taught in journalism schools. [7]

At a deeper level, War Reporting for Cowards offers a thought provoking look into Chris' generation and their approach to fear, courage and an increasingly frightening world. [8]

Career

Ayres was Los Angeles bureau chief of The Times of London from 2002 until 2010, later becoming a contributing editor at The Sunday Times Magazine (London) [9] and British GQ. He wrote a column with Ozzy Osbourne for Rolling Stone for several years. [10]

Ayres was nominated as Foreign Correspondent of the Year in 2004 and Feature Writer of the Year in 2015 at the British Press Awards. [11]

He was nominated as Writer of the Year in 2016 at the Professional Publishers Association (PPA) Awards. [12]

I Am Ozzy won the Literary Achievement award (2010) at the Guys Choice Awards. [13]

Education

Ayres was educated at The University of Hull, where the Chris Ayres Prize in Politics, Philosophy and Economics is named after him, later completing a postgraduate diploma in newspaper journalism at City University, London.

Personal life

Ayres was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, in 1975.

He now lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Lucie, an interior designer, [14] [15] and their two children.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Sabbath</span> English heavy metal band

Black Sabbath were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy metal music. The band helped define the genre with their first three albums Black Sabbath (1970), Paranoid (1970) and Master of Reality (1971). Following Osbourne's departure in 1979, the band underwent multiple line-up changes, with Iommi being the only constant member throughout their history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ozzy Osbourne</span> English musician and TV personality (born 1948)

John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English musician and media personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adopted the nickname "Prince of Darkness".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sharon Osbourne</span> English television personality and entertainment manager

Sharon Rachel Osbourne is a British-American television personality, music manager, and author. She is married to heavy metal singer-songwriter Ozzy Osbourne and came to prominence while appearing on The Osbournes (2002–2005), a reality television show that aired on MTV, which followed her family's daily life. Osbourne later became a judge on the television talent competition shows The X Factor and America's Got Talent (2007–2012).

<i>Blizzard of Ozz</i> 1980 album by Ozzy Osbourne

Blizzard of Ozz is the debut studio album by English heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne, released on 12 September 1980 in the UK and on 27 March 1981 in the US. The album was Osbourne's first release following his firing from Black Sabbath in 1979. Blizzard of Ozz is the first of two studio albums Osbourne recorded with guitarist Randy Rhoads prior to Rhoads' death in 1982. In 2017, it was ranked 9th on Rolling Stone's list of "100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time".

<i>The Ultimate Sin</i> 1986 studio album by Ozzy Osbourne

The Ultimate Sin is the fourth studio album by English heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne. It was released on 24 January 1986, and was remastered and re-issued on compact disc on 22 August 1995. It is the second and last of Osbourne's albums to feature lead guitarist Jake E. Lee, the first to feature drummer Randy Castillo, and the only album to feature bassist Phil Soussan, who co-wrote the album's hit single "Shot in the Dark".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zakk Wylde</span> American musician

Zachary Phillip Wylde is an American musician. He is best known as the lead guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne and as the founder, lead guitarist, lead singer, songwriter and producer of the heavy metal band Black Label Society. His signature bulls-eye design appears on many of his guitars and is widely recognized. He was also the lead guitarist and vocalist of Pride & Glory, who released one self-titled album in 1994 before disbanding. As a solo artist, he released the albums Book of Shadows and Book of Shadows II. Wylde joined the reunited Pantera in 2022 as a touring guitarist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ozzfest</span> Ongoing music festival

Ozzfest is an annual music festival tour of the United States and sometimes Europe and later Japan, featuring performances by many heavy metal and hard rock musical groups. It was founded by Sharon Osbourne and her husband Ozzy Osbourne, both of whom also organised each yearly tour with their son Jack Osbourne, and was held almost annually between 1996 and 2018. The Ozzfest tour featured bands of a variety of genres within heavy metal and hard rock, including alternative metal, thrash metal, industrial metal, metalcore, hardcore punk, deathcore, nu metal, death metal, post-hardcore, gothic metal and black metal. Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath played the tour several times over the years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Ward (musician)</span> English drummer

William Thomas Ward is an English musician. He was a co-founder and the original drummer for the heavy metal band Black Sabbath. Ward helped found Black Sabbath in 1968 alongside bandmates Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi (guitarist) and Geezer Butler (bass).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander Stille</span> American author and journalist

Alexander Stille is an American author and journalist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michiko Kakutani</span> American critic, writer (b. 1955)

Michiko Kakutani is an American writer and retired literary critic, best known for reviewing books for The New York Times from 1983 to 2017. In that role, she won the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism in 1998.

Mike Clink is an American record producer. He began his career as an engineer at Record Plant Studios, recording such bands as Whitesnake, Triumph, Guns N' Roses, Mötley Crüe, Megadeth, UFO, Jefferson Starship, The Babys, Heart, Eddie Money, and many others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ozzy Osbourne discography</span>

The discography of Ozzy Osbourne, an English heavy metal singer, consists of 13 studio albums, five live albums, seven compilation albums, five extended plays (EPs), 65 singles, nine video albums and 41 music videos. After being fired from Black Sabbath in 1979, Osbourne started his solo career with a band consisting of guitarist Randy Rhoads, bassist Bob Daisley and drummer Lee Kerslake. The group released their debut album Blizzard of Ozz in 1980, which reached number 7 on the UK Albums Chart, number 8 on the Canadian Albums Chart, and number 21 on the US Billboard 200. Singles "Crazy Train" and "Mr Crowley" reached the top 50 of the UK Singles Chart, and the album has been certified four times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). 1981's Diary of a Madman reached the top 20 in the UK, Canada and the US, and was certified triple platinum by the RIAA. The album was the last to feature Daisley and Kerslake, both of whom were fired before its release and replaced by Rudy Sarzo and Tommy Aldridge, respectively, as well as the last to feature Rhoads, who died in a plane crash on 19 March 1982.

Bernie Tormé was an Irish rock guitarist, songwriter, record label and recording studio owner. Tormé is best known for his work with Gillan, as well as his brief stint with Ozzy Osbourne replacing Randy Rhoads. He formed the band Desperado with Twisted Sister singer Dee Snider. He also toured with Atomic Rooster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam Johnson (writer)</span> American novelist and short story writer (born 1967)

Adam Johnson is an American novelist and short story writer. He won the Pulitzer Prize for his 2012 novel, The Orphan Master's Son, and the National Book Award for his 2015 story collection Fortune Smiles. He is also a professor of English at Stanford University with a focus on creative writing.

Wells Tower is an American writer of short stories, non-fiction, feature films and television. In 2009 he published his first short story collection, Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned to much critical acclaim. His short fiction has also been published in The New Yorker, The Paris Review, McSweeney's, Vice, Harper's Magazine, A Public Space, Fence and other periodicals. In 2022, he wrote the screenplay for the feature film Pain Hustlers, starring Emily Blunt and directed by David Yates, which was bought by Netflix for $50 million.

<i>I Am Ozzy</i> Autobiographical book by Ozzy Osbourne

I Am Ozzy is the autobiography of Ozzy Osbourne, singer of Black Sabbath and solo artist. It chronicles his life, beginning as a child, followed by his career as a vocalist. The book was widely praised by its readers for its level of detail and humour. It currently holds a 4.8/5 rating on Amazon.com.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Churko</span> Canadian record producer

Kevin Gregory Churko is a Canadian record producer, sound engineer and musician best known for his work with artists such as Ozzy Osbourne, Papa Roach, Modern Science, Five Finger Death Punch, Disturbed, In This Moment, Shania Twain, Hellyeah and Skillet. He currently resides in Las Vegas, where he works out of his private studio, "The Hideout". He is the father of Kane Churko.

Philip P. Pan is an American journalist, author, and International Editor at The New York Times. He previously worked as bureau chief in Moscow and Beijing for The Washington Post.

<i>Patient Number 9</i> 2022 studio album by Ozzy Osbourne

Patient Number 9 is the thirteenth studio album by English heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne. It was released on 9 September 2022 through Epic Records and was produced by Andrew Watt.

References

  1. "Chris Ayres News and Features | British GQ". British GQ. Retrieved 2019-09-23.
  2. "Chris Ayres". www.amazon.com. Retrieved 2019-09-23.
  3. "How Mike Tyson planted the seeds for Trump's White House takeover". British GQ. 13 July 2018. Retrieved 2019-09-23.
  4. "Instagram King, womaniser and wannabe cannabis multibillionaire: we spend a day with Dan Bilzerian". British GQ. 18 July 2019. Retrieved 2019-09-23.
  5. "A Coward Goes to War". NPR.org. Retrieved 2019-09-23.
  6. Kakutani, Michiko (2005-08-30). "Anxious Embed Reporting for Duty". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2019-09-23.
  7. Staff Writers (2019-09-23). "The 50 Best Books for Journalism Students". BestCollegesOnline.com. Retrieved 2019-09-23.
  8. "Deconstructing the Heroic Myth of the War Correspondent – Chris Ayres's Memoir War Reporting for Cowards". Archived from the original on 2019-09-23.
  9. Ayres, Chris (2017-07-30). "Femmes fatales: Baby-faced killers of Kim Jong-nam". The Times . ISSN   0140-0460 . Retrieved 2019-09-23.
  10. "Ozzy Osbourne Is Taking Your Health Questions". Rolling Stone. 2010-10-13. Retrieved 2019-09-23.
  11. Baird, Dugald (2015-02-09). "Press Awards: Times and Daily Mail lead nominations". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2019-09-23.
  12. Br, Intermedia; Marketing (2016-04-30). "PPA Awards reveal shortlist". Intermedia Brand Marketing. Retrieved 2019-09-23.
  13. Blabbermouth (2010-06-06). "OZZY OSBOURNE Wins 'Literary Achievement' Award At GUYS CHOICE AWARDS". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Retrieved 2019-09-23.
  14. Stories, Local. "Meet Lucie Ayres of 22 Interiors in Studio City - Voyage LA Magazine | LA City Guide" . Retrieved 2019-09-23.
  15. "Home". 22 INTERIORS. Retrieved 2019-09-23.