Feature Stories
The first time I ever saw Arlo Two Moons, I was seven. Except that I didn’t know it was him. My father was driving his black ‘67 Chevy truck on the Santa Ysabel Indian Reservation …
We didn’t meet often, and when we did, it was always in the dark. From the outset, I could have described the warm baritone voice, the music, and the well-worn jokes, but it was probably …
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 1978 — Los Angeles — New York The new Interview arrived from New York and Fran’s column was so boring I told Bob we should Fire her. So we had a fight. …
A clatter against the window of my second-story room in Golden Hill awoke me. Then, shouts. What the hell? “Eh, Miguel.” “Miguelito.” “Barba de Chivo, levántate, cabrón.” Only Rodolfo called me Barba del Chivo, followed …
He awoke to the shrill sound of the alarm pulsating through his skull like there was a rat in his brain. “Fuck!” he impotently screamed as he pushed the button on his alarm clock, ceasing …
I’m kinda glad to talk ‘bout this, Sarge, ‘bout Audrey and such. Spendin’ time talkin’ to a smart cop like you is good for an intellect like me. But ‘fore you go thinkin’ wrong stuff …
In Memory of Dennis Avery It was a hot Saturday afternoon in 1984. I’d been on the chopper for several days straight and I reeked worse than skunk roadkill. But I didn’t think the old …
When I was nine years old, just a year after my dad died, I choked on a sharp fish bone. The bone became lodged in the back of my throat, stuck behind one of my …
Author’s note: This story is non-fiction, but certain elements are romanticized. Think Hunter S. Thompson. The sun cut flat over the city, and as it departed, it took with it the last of my time …
The smell of blood and fear and death hangs in the air like the toxic smoke of a chemical fire. The sound of alarms ring in my ears, drowning out the voices of my teammates. …
I’ve heard about these turning points in people’s lives, little moments when someone could maybe stop their future from happening. I like the idea of those moments, I’ve missed a few myself. I always wonder …
IN 1964 A SAN DIEGO INVENTOR named James Tanner caused a major stir at the National Association of Broadcasters’ meeting in Chicago, where he planned to demonstrate a ratings truck capable of capturing the tuning …
WITH A LOW WHINE the plane began its descent toward San Diego, skimming in over the roofs of the highest buildings. Graves didn’t much like San Diego. It was a utilitarian town dominated by the …
IF YOU SEEK ROGER REVELLE'S MONUMENT, take a walk around the campus which has spread on the mesa. Looming near and over the center is the very good Central Library. An upside-down pyramid of glass …
Barely two minutes after we leave the airport and pick up our rental car, a minivan with Ohio plates cuts us off and my husband curses at the driver. “Stay in your own #$%^@&* lane, …
This Saturday, November 6, a little after 9 am at the General Dynamics/National Steel and Shipbuilding dry docks here in San Diego, a champagne bottle will break across the double-hulled bow of a new, 746-foot …