Miller Time

UNITED STATES—They are a breed apart. Certainly the classical DJ cannot be made but is born, the mixture of low-key charm and effortless erudition. No wonder bad-boy actor Alec Baldwin said he wished to be reincarnated as a classical DJ. The classical DJ has an inexhaustible store of good cheer and a steady supply of musical anecdotes. Most admirable...

UNITED STATES—Redoing the caulking on a bathtub is a lot like marriage. The task is embarked on with great hopes and images of perfection, both omnipresent and taken for granted, held steadily before one's eye. Then, afterward, one must face the reality. The whole thing is so downright weird in our well packaged, standardized world. I must have been six...

UNITED STATES—Every drug dealer knows there’s only one way to carry cash. A wallet is too much hassle to flatten out and insert the bills, and then take them out again. The money clip is a nice piece of jewelry that instills panic whenever it is not immediately locatable in a pocket. The money roll is the best there...

UNITED STATES—Even with the rain, the streets are seething, something is on edge in people and a little precipitation isn't making a dent. On a recent rainy night, I took my dog, DeVille, who is kind of an insurance policy against madness and outbreaks of insanity commonplace in Hollywood out, but tonight his magic powers were a little off. I...

UNITED STATES—In the landscape of American virtues honesty sticks out like a pickle on a porcupine. Let me share with you a story about honesty and pastrami. The other day a friend said, “Since you’re in the neighborhood, can you pick up a half pastrami sandwich with a side of potato salad? You can have the pickle.” There were a...

UNITED STATES—“Just trying to help you guys,” Reed retorted to the manager who had squirreled him into a kitchen that from the looks of things would be lucky to get a C- health rating. “I’ve never seen so many people here. I tried to get research fresh and reliable, but the most I could find were some old dog-eared...

UNITED STATES—The next time Reed passed by Bakersfield on oil rights business, he had trouble finding a spot in the parking place. That was the first time something was up. Once he got inside he had to wait in line and put his name on a list to be called. This was unfathomable. At last he got his old seat...

UNITED STATES—"What are you doing?" Bridget asked Reed high in the mid-century moderne that offered stunning views of the city. The views and the minimalistic furniture showed you all you could get as a lawyer who investigates drilling rights, usually for the big boys and girls. They usually got what they wanted and there were a lot of tricky ways to...

UNITED STATES—Reed Parker got hold of a mystery a few years ago on one of his trips. As a lawyer who ascertained the ownership of properties of interest to those who drilled for oil, or had already drilled for it eons ago and let the machinery rust, he retraced the same steps of many a childhood trip to Almond...

UNITED STATES—It all seemed like a bad dream. Then his eyes blinked open and his phone was ringing. There was the voice of rather like Peter Lorre saying when will you be coming. Dallas girded his response with preternatural wakefulness and hearty cheer. “Oh, I’m on my way.” He had already been stolen from that pleasant cliff at the end of...