I’m equal parts father of two intelligent and thoughtful young human beings, small business owner looking for a taproom location as my next project, community volunteer in the areas of education, soccer and feeding people, and lifelong fan of rebel music, film, books and art. One passion has tied everything together (loosely)—writing, particularly of the satirical kind. Herein you’ll find some samples and project descriptions to peruse. If you’re up to reading or discussing any of the longer projects, drop me a line.
Other FAQ:
Why dot org? This writing venture is a non-profit. That wasn’t the original plan but that’s a pretty good description of what it is at this particular point in time. I’m open to dot com someday but never dot biz.
Why post anything here when you’re such a private person? I once read that you should write like it’s going to sit in a drawer in your desk and never be seen by anyone. I’ve been doing that for a long time and the drawer is full. So are several boxes in my garage. Consider this the start of my personal digitization project to free up empty space in my home office and garage.
Did you really win the ‘Big Heart Award’ from your local Education Foundation? My wife and I were honored together. Her part was serving on the school board and as president of the education foundation during a boom time for our local public school district. I taught a bunch of kids how to play soccer and chaired two successful parcel tax campaigns resulting in over 1 million dollars (feel free to reread that with Dr. Evil voice) in revenue for the district. I also reliably clean up after my dog on the school grounds which might have been the tie-break in our favor.
Do you believe in climate change? Personal confirmation came with the bone-dry hurricane-force winds that burned down 28.5% of the beautiful rural valley where I reside. Two hundred yards to the left of our front door, I watched an entire hillside burn in a matter of seconds before concluding that we were done packing and needed to get the hell out. Yeah, it’s fucking real and no, more raking is not the answer. I also believe in medical science and democracy in case you were wondering.
What is your educational background? Undergraduate degrees in Economics and History from UCLA; Professional Program in Screenwriting Certificate from UCLA Graduate School of Theater, Film and Television; and leader of 6th grade literature circles twice.
Who are some of your Influences? I believe negative influences are as important as positive ones so here’s an off-the-top-of-my-head list where you get to guess which is which for me: Nixon, MLK, Joe McCarthy, RBG, The Obamas, the Parkland activists, anyone named Newt, John Lewis, Al Franken (tricky one), Dick Cheney, Bernie, AOC, Clarence and Ginni, Stacey Abrams, Dashiell Hammett, Carl Hiaasen, Martin McDonagh, Charles Yu, Paddy Chayefsky, Charlie Kaufman, Luis Bunuel, Wes Anderson, Richard Linklater, Spike Jonze, Steve McQueen (the director over the actor), Steve Bannon, Molly Ivins, Hunter S. Thompson, Lenny Bruce, George Carlin, Jon Stewart, Sarah Silverman, Robbie Conal, Donald Glover, Dustin from Stranger Things, Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, The Clash, The Meters, The Band, Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings, Lucinda Williams, Mike Watt, Jack White, Radiohead/The Smile, Jeff Tweedy and family, Ted Nugent, and all the Trumps, in no particular order except those last couple.
Do you have a favorite song lyric to live by? Yes, by my all-time favorite Clinton—George. “If you don’t like the effects, don’t produce the cause.”