Having done pretty much whatever it takes to get by, John Egenes has been a musician, a saddlemaker, a submarine sailor, a dog catcher, a taxicab driver, and a university lecturer, among other things. John has ridden the freight trains he describes in The Marfa Blues, and has seen the mysterious Marfa Lights described in his book.

Egenes is the author of Man & Horse: The Long Ride Across America, the story of his epic 1974 journey across the United States with his horse, Gizmo. The book was featured in the movie, Barbie, with Ryan Gosling.