QUORUM RADIO: Gus Russo on Brian Wilson, Eugene Landy & Van Dyke Parks Part III

Gus Russo was/is a professional musician, composer, bandleader, and
private instructor. In that incarnation, he played with, or in tandem with, many well-
known acts including John Phillips, The New Mamas and Papas, Phoebe Snow, Michael
Murphy, The Byrds, Livingston Taylor, Poco, Mary Travers (Peter, Paul and Mary),
Commander Cody, and Firefall (w/ Rick Roberts). Russo the musician also wrote
commercial jingles and low-budget film scores (Basket Case, Brain Damage, etc.)
As an actor, Russo appeared in the opening night stage adaptation of Tommy
Wiseau’s The Room at Washington’s AFI Theater (6-10-11). In recent years, Russo got
his musical kicks as leader of the six-piece group, String Theory, which emulated swing
bands that took Europe by storm in the early twentieth century, and mixed it with the best
of the American swing combos. With acoustic jazz guitars, violin, upright bass, pedal
steel guitar, and vocalists, String Theory took on Django Reinhardt, Nat King Cole,
Benny Goodman, Hoagy Carmichael, Dan Hicks and other greats that aren't heard nearly enough.

Besides his career in music, Gus Russo is a veteran investigative reporter, author, documentary producer, and musician. His first book, Live By the Sword: The Secret War Against Castro and the
Death of JFK (Bancroft, 1998), was praised by the New York Times as “compelling, exhaustively researched and even handed.” Kirkus Reviews called Sword, “Probably the last book on the Kennedy assassination you willneed to read....Gripping and convincing!” The  book was a Book of the Month Cluband History Book Club Featured Alternate. Sword was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in 1999, and was optioned for a mini-series before publication by Showtime Networks. Russo next authored The Outfit: The Role of Chicago’s Underworld in the Shaping of Modern America (Bloomsbury, 2002). The Outfit was also nominated for the Pulitzer, and was optioned before publication by USA Networks.

Russo's extensive research is amply evident, and he has made use of recently disclosed records to
paint a fuller picture than predecessors such as Seymour Hersh and Brian Ross were able
to...a worthy addition to the genre.” 

In January 2006, Russo, as co-writer with Wilfried Huismann, delivered a
breakthrough 90-minute documentary for the German public television network WDR.
The film, “Rendezvous With Death,” clarifies the relationship between Cuba’s
intelligence service and JFK’s killer. At this writing, the film has aired in fifteen
countries. In addition, Russo was an occasional consultant to Hollywood screenwriter
Ron Bass. Russo’s fifth book (w/ Steve Molton), was Brothers in Arms: The Kennedys,
the Castros, and the Politics of Murder (October 2008). This book was inspired by the
“Rendezvous” film. Brothers was named Winner of the 2008 History Prize by the New
York Book Festival. In 2009, Russo produced and co-wrote Generation 9-11, a
documentary feature film on religious intolerance, for Academy Award-winning director
Nigel Nobel. 
In 2017, Russo was inducted to the Advisory Council of the National Museum of
Organized Crime and Law Enforcement (The Mob Museum) in Las Vegas.
Russo’s next book was Best of Enemies (w/ Eric Dezenhall, Twelve Books, Oct
2018). Enemies was hailed by the New York Times as “Fast paced and lively.” Kirkus
called it “A rollicking tale of Cold War espionage, and Library Journal called it “An
engrossing tale...Highly recommended.” The book was optioned for a feature film before
publication by a partnership of Robert de Niro (Tribeca Films) and Ron Howard (Imagine
Ent.) It is currently under option to Atlas Entertainment.

Russo has worked an investigative reporter for PBS’ Frontline series, as well as two ABC
News Special Reports with Peter Jennings (Dangerous World: T