Originally from Bexley, Ohio (a suburb of Columbus), Greene attended Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and became a reporter and feature writer for the Chicago Sun-Times upon graduating in 1969, receiving a regular column in the paper within two years.
Greene first drew significant national attention with his book Billion Dollar Baby (1974), a diary of his experiences while touring with rock musician Alice Cooper and portraying Santa Claus during the show.
Shortly afterward, Greene was hired by Chicago Tribune and began making occasional guest appearances on local television, eventually landing a commentary slot on the ABC news program Nightline.
At that time Greene's column appeared in approximately 120 newspapers, including one in the Los Angeles community of Huntington Park where the letter writer lived.
Though Greene was popular with readers, critics accused him of excessive sentimentality, heavy writing and repetitive coverage of the same subject,[1] most notably the Baby Richard child custody saga.
[6] In September 2002 Greene was forced to resign from his newspaper column after admitting to an unconsummated extramarital sexual relationship 14 years earlier with a high school student.
He was surprised when the Tribune told him his resignation was accepted, and the paper publicly stated that he had been dismissed for "abusing his position for his own benefit" but did not provide details at that point.
Their sole hotel tryst was described in the Chicago Tribune as a "sexual encounter that stopped short of intercourse," and Greene told Esquire that he demurred at going further, telling her, "You should wait to do this with someone you love.
Greene's repetitive, rambling free associations recall everything from his Halloween costume and old songs to ice cream parlors, state fairs and clothing fads.
Unfortunately, the author's dusty attic of lost Americana is cluttered with clichés, nostalgia and overly sentimental yearnings.His next book, When We Get to Surf City: A Journey through America in Pursuit of Rock and Roll, Friendship, and Dreams, was released on May 13, 2008.