Articles by John Liam Policastro
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Snitch on Snitch on Snitch - What to Expect from the Whitey Bulger Trial
This week, the racketeering and murder trial for infamous Boston mobster James "Whitey" Bulger finally began, roughly 18 years behind schedule. Bulger fled Boston based on a tip from a childhood friend that the Feds were finally coming after him. And now his former associates are waiting in line to testify against Bulger—after they made deals. Full story
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Where Were You When the Bombs Went Off?
To get a sense of how the city was dealing with Monday’s terrorist attack, I walked Boston’s streets the day after the Marathon bombing and talked to people about where they were when the attack went down and whether or not they feel safe in their city. Full story
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Aren't You Tired of Old Musicians Asking for Money on Kickstarter?
Kickstarter has funded all kinds of worthy and interesting and innovative projects. But old musicians re-collecting on their past fame seems to me a loathsome and un-DIY usage of the crowd-funded model. Full story
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South Boston Is Too Ugly for Reality TV
Fifteen years after Ben Affleck and Matt Damon perfected their Boston accents in their breakthrough, 'Good Will Hunting,' the Adidas track-suit-wearing, R-dropping broods of South Boston remain ripe objects of fascination. Full story
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The Passing of a Magnificent Wind
In not-really-that-surprising news, this week the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration ordered Fung Wah Bus, the notorious progenitor of low-cost interstate bus services, off the road. This news hit me especially hard. Not only because I regularly take the Fung Wah to trav… Full story
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Among the Football Fans of Cardiff City
Few cities exemplify football's tradition of white-knuckled fury better than the Welsh capital Cardiff, where I recently spent a night awash in White Storm malt cider with Valium-veined supporters of the infamous Cardiff City Football Club. Full story
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The Slayer Christmas Sweater Is a Disgrace
Sure, you can make the argument that the Three Wise Men following a star through the desert in search of a Baby King to give him resin is kind of the Christian religion’s "Seasons In The Abyss" video. But I simply cannot reconcile the inherent cheekiness of a Slayer Christmas swe… Full story
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No One Was Sober at a Monday Afternoon Outdoor Aerosmith Show
Earlier this week, quintessential roofer-rock band Aerosmith gave a free concert in Boston in front of the apartment building where the band first lived and jammed in together. Home Depots across New England must have been severely understaffed. Full story
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Anti-Nowhere League Bought Harleys Thanks to Metallica
Anti-Nowhere League are not your typical English punks. The band, which has been around since 1980, is more likely to dry-hump Kelly Bundy on your dad’s couch than protest an oil spill. They’re blue-collar outlaws, not art school misanthropes. We sat down with two of the band's m… Full story
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I Interviewed a German Record Store Owner About America
There are very few places where kindness to your fellow man or woman exists anymore. As I walked around Hannover on a blue-skied sunny morning, I discovered the excellent Rockers Records and chatted with the owner Chris over a coffee to find out what's so pinko about peace, love,… Full story
The Mare
A New Story by Mary Gaitskill 
Toppling a Delicate World
Being Gay and South Asian In America 
There's No Sex in Prison Showers
We Usually Wore Our Underwear 
Try Not to Destroy Your Life
The First Time I Took Molly 
A Teacher and Her Student
Marilynne Robinson on Staying Out of Trouble 
"Whitey" Isn't Very Popular in Boston
Interviews with Some of His Old Friends 
