October 28, 2022

Remarks for Joe Ely’s induction to the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame

Wright made these remarks at ACL Hall of Fame 2022. A full recap of the evenings events can be found on ACL’s website.

It’s always been a mystery to me how the Panhandle, which is not known for being an artistic mecca, produced Jimmy Dean, Sonny Curtis, Tanya Tucker, Mac Davis, Delbert McClinton, Gary P. Nunn, Lloyd and Natalie Maines, the Gatlin Brothers, and more to be named later.

Except for the two years Georgia O’Keefe painted watercolors in Canyon, Texas, they’re all musicians. 

Joe Ely was born in Amarillo, which is where he first encountered rock and roll, in the form of Jerry Lee Lewis playing piano on a flatbed trailer in a dust storm. The audience covered their noses with bandanas and the wind blew over the microphone but young Joe Ely heard the call.

October 19, 2022

Inducting Joe Ely into the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame on Oct 27.

Wright will be inducting renowned Texas musician Joe Ely into the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame on October 27. 

Man, am I lucky. I get to induct Joe Ely into the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame! https://t.co/JA9bjJuhOX

— Lawrence Wright (@lawrence_wright) October 19, 2022

October 10, 2022

From the vault: Wright talks to Alec Baldwin about Scientology and Tom Cruise.

Here’s an interview Lawrence Wright did years ago with Alec Baldwin on his podcast, “Here’s the Thing.” They discuss Baldwin’s friendship with noted Scientologist Tom Cruise.

September 29, 2022

Wright interviewed Beto O’Rourke at the Tribune Festival.

Wright spoke with O’Rourke for an hour on Saturday, Sep. 24, during the third day of The Texas Tribune Festival. His appearance came with less than two months until the November election, when he is challenging the Republican incumbent.

August 21, 2022

“Looming Tower” makes Hugh Hewitt’s summer reading list.

According to Hewitt, “The one book everyone ought to read who has lived the past quarter century: Lawrence Wright’s ‘The Looming Tower.’”

What a reading list! And such an honor to be on it. https://t.co/ZkuAgJNV4M

— Lawrence Wright (@lawrence_wright) August 20, 2022

August 03, 2022

NYTimes included Wright twice in its top 10 books of the year.

For the past 17 years, the New York Times has released its top 10 books of the year. Lawrence Wright has made it on the list twice in that time, once for Looming Tower and once for Thirteen Days.

So many great books passed me by, and many of my favorite authors are represented here. Honored to be among them. https://t.co/h273qaWqt3

— Lawrence Wright (@lawrence_wright) August 3, 2022

August 02, 2022

Zawahiri profile republished after Al Qaeda leader is killed 20 years later.

The New Yorker is republishing my Zawahiri piece, "The Man Behind bin-Laden, from 2002. It took another 20 years to find the reason to bring it back. This is the story of how and why AQ arose. https://t.co/WPwo1dsvRb

— Lawrence Wright (@lawrence_wright) August 2, 2022

Wright also appeared on MSNBC’s Chris Hayes and Morning Joe to discuss the U.S. military’s assassination of longtime Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri.

June 12, 2022

‘Looming Tower’ in Book Authority’s Top 100 About the War on Terror

Great work @lawrence_wright! We're thrilled to inform you that "The Looming Tower" made it to our list of best War on Terror books of all time! https://t.co/tNMyE80aet

— BookAuthority (@bookauthority) June 8, 2022

May 27, 2022

Talking about the Uvalde school shooting with Italian media.

Wright speaks with Italy’s Corriere della Sera about the recent school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, and the gun culture created by the Republicans. 

May 21, 2022

HBO series uses Wright’s 1980 article about millionaire turned drug kingpin.

Amazing how old stories resurface in new forms. This was one of my favorites. https://t.co/vp69D467hI

— Lawrence Wright (@lawrence_wright) May 8, 2022