Jon Carroll (born November 6, 1943) was a columnist for the ''

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. de ...

'' from 1982, when he succeeded columnist

Charles McCabe Charles McCabe (1915–1983) was a columnist for the ''San Francisco Chronicle'' from the mid-1950s until his death May 1, 1983 at the age of 68. He was born and raised in New York's "Hells Kitchen" and was educated by the Jesuits. His writin ...

, to 2015, when he retired. His column appeared on the back page of the ''Chronicle''s Datebook section (the newspaper's entertainment section) Tuesdays through Fridays. Locally, he was best known for his liberal politics and his odd, self-referential humor. Carroll was born in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

and raised in nearby

Pasadena Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. Its ...

. He attended (but did not finish)

UC Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of Californi ...

, where he edited the campus humor magazine, the '' California Pelican''. Before becoming a newspaper columnist, he worked on the editorial staff at ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' magazine (assistant editor, 1970) where he wrote "Voice Denies Nixon Drug Use," ''Rags'' magazine, '' Oui'', a ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. K ...

'' spinoff (editor, 1972); ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the crea ...

'' (West Coast editor, 1974); ''

WomenSports ''womenSports'' magazine was the first magazine dedicated to women in sports. It was launched in close conjunction with Billie Jean King's Women's Sports Foundation and each issue of the magazine contained a two-page article written by the executi ...

'' magazine (Consulting editor); and ''

New West New West Records is a record label based in Nashville, Tennessee, and Athens, Georgia. It had offices in Burbank, California, and Beverly Hills, California. The label was established in 1998 by Cameron Strang "for artists who perform real music ...

'' magazine (editor, 1978, where he won a

National Magazine Award The National Magazine Awards, also known as the Ellie Awards, honor print and digital publications that consistently demonstrate superior execution of editorial objectives, innovative techniques, noteworthy enterprise and imaginative design. Or ...

in 1979). On Friday, October 30, 2015, Carroll wrote: "Yes, it's true; I'm retiring. Thirty-three years is a long time to do anything, and 8,700 columns is, well, a lot of columns. I haven't exactly had to wait my turn... My last column is Nov. 20..."

Personal life

Carroll lives in

Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...

, with his wife, author Tracy Johnston. He was previously married to Sandra Rosenzweig, with whom he has two daughters, Rachel and Shana Carroll. Shana is a trapeze artist and cofounder of the performance troup

The 7 Fingers The 7 Fingers is an artist collective based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The group is also known by its French name " Les 7 doigts de la main", which is sometimes shortened to "Les 7 Doigts". History The 7 Fingers is a collective founded in 200 ...

References

External links

Archive of columns

Media Conference Host
at

The WELL The Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link, normally shortened to The WELL, was launched in 1985. It is one of the oldest continuously operating virtual communities. By 1993 it had 7,000 members, a staff of 12, and gross annual income of $2 million. ...

Jon Carroll on creativity, an interview with about-creativity.com May 18, 2007

Carroll's column on the "Unitarian Jihad"

Long interview with Jon Carroll on The Rumpus

Jon Carroll blog
Living people Writers from Los Angeles San Francisco Chronicle people Writers from the San Francisco Bay Area 1943 births American male journalists 20th-century American journalists 21st-century American journalists American columnists 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers {{US-journalist-1940s-stub