Steve Mandich
Steve Mandich began his literary career during the American fanzine explosion of the 1990s. Within the photocopied pages of his self-published 'zine Heinous, Steve examined such pop-culture anomalies as the enigmatic Human Fly, the defunct Seattle Pilots baseball team, the fundamentalist comics of Jack Chick, Bob Newhart and monorails. Heinous was a surprise hit (called "wickedly enjoyable" by Utne Reader), with select articles hand-picked by Playboy Advisor Chip Rowe for his anthology The Book of Zines (1997, Owl Books/Henry Holt).
Most notably, Heinous gained praise for its coverage of motorcycle daredevil Evel Knievel, which Steve expanded into Evel Incarnate: The Life and Legend of Evel Knievel (2000, Sidgwick & Jackson/Macmillan). The definitive biography of the fallen 1970s icon garnered an "Editor's Choice" citation by Amazon.co.uk, and film rights have been acquired by Turner Network Television. The resulting biopic, starring George Eads and Beau Bridges, was broadcast by TNT in July 2004.
Steve lives in Seattle, where he recently earned a journalism degree from the University of Washington. His work has also appeared in various other fanzines, local newspapers and in the book Bubblegum Music is the Naked Truth (2001, Feral House). He continues his freelance writing while pondering his next book project.