"The Grainmaker" --a profile of Dwayne Andreas, the international grain mogul who whispered in the ears of a half-dozen presidents and too many world leaders to list here. Published in George in August 1996, and later excerpted in the magazine's "best of" issue in 2001. It took seven months to get an interview with the publicity-shy Andreas, whose company was under investigation by the FBI at the time for alleged price-fixing. He revealed tidbits as his role in Richard Nixon's attempt to hand-pick his Democratic opponent in the 1972 Presidential election.

"Monkey Business"-- The twisted tale of Scientology's falling-out with its high-powered public relations firm, from Regardie's magazine, July-August 1994.

"He's Here, He's Queer, He's Republican"-- GQ magazine published my profile of gay GOP activist Rich Tafel in 1994. The magazine's fact-checkers,as I recall, were a bit puzzled about how to verify the virility-enhancing effects of spirulina and sleeping under a pyramid.

"Tales from the Paranoia Trade"--A 1993 Washington Post Magazine piece on the murky world of electronic counter-surveillance consultants. If you saw the Francis Ford Coppola movie "The Conversation," you'll be surprised to see that there's actually a real-life version of the Surveillance Expo that Gene Hackman visits at the beginning of the flick. Of course, the gadgetry I describe is like Stone Age stuff compared to what the NSA can do now. 

"Catcher in the Wry"--this profile of novelist Michael Chabon ("Mysteries of Pittsburgh," "Wonder Boys," "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay," etc.) ran in Orange Coast magazine in 1995.

"The Wild One"--A profile of turncoat Republican senator, Native American artist, judo champ and motorcycle enthusiast Ben Nighthorse Campbell. It appeared in the first issue of George magazine in 1995.

"Attack Flack"--A profile of crisis-P.R. man Eric Dezinall. Published in Regardie's Power, January 2000.

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"A Story Without An Ending"--A profile of crime novelist James Ellroy, as he investigates the real-life murder of his mother in the 1950s. Published in Orange Coast in 1996.

"The Most Incredible Story Ever Told"--the story of a woman who claims her father was the Black Dahlia killer. Published in Orange Coast in 1997.

"The Money Ride"--an investigative piece about the amusement park business and its dangerous dependence upon increasingly bigger, faster roller coasters. Published in Philadelphia magazine in 1997.

"Free Fall"--the strange tale of a former U.S. attorney and securities regulator who went over to the dark side, aiding the conmen he once had prosecuted. Appeared in Regardie's Power, January 2001.

"Living Ever Larger"--a look at supersized food, cars, houses and Americans, and the consequences for us all. From the Los Angeles Times Magazine, June 9, 2002.

"Snorkeling in the Cesspool"--a look at the rising media trend of vulgarity, from the Los Angeles Times Magazine, August 20, 2000.

"Moonwalk Down Memory Lane"--a look at Eighties nostalgia. From the Los Angeles Times Magazine, March 3, 2002

"Selling Sizzle"-- the art and science of creating new cars in LA's design studios. From the Los Angeles Times Magazine, September 14, 2003.

"Risky Business" -- An investigation of how teenagers were losing their lives in workplace accidents and crimes, due to lax enforcement of labor laws. Good Housekeeping, April 2000.

   "The Horse Lady Vanishes" --mix a missing heiress, a charming but oily lothario-con man, and an enigmatic, vaguely creepy butler, and you get a mystery that took decades to resolve. From GQ.   

 "The Golden Age of Mediocrity,"In 1949, W. Somerset Maugham wrote an essay in which pondered whether Dostoevsky or El Greco was the greater artistic genius. Hard to imagine how he would react to a Rolling Stone cover proclaiming “The Genius of Eminem.” Read more meditations upon cultural grade inflation in from the Los Angeles Times Magazine.