Acknowledgments

This book would not have been possible without the support, encouragement, and infinite patience of Nancy and Sam.

I am also grateful beyond words to my parents and my brother, Richard, along with the entire Paulsen-Rooney-Nalle clan—and all of the Bermans. I have been guided throughout by the spirit of Molly. And Marc. And Janet. As well as Brad, Kevin, Ann, and Joe.

Hats off to Sean Desmond for staying the course and shaping the manuscript, and for mobilizing the entire Twelve Books cadre, including Libby Burton, Rachel Kambury, Carolyn Kurek, Brian McLendon, Paul Samuelson, Cheryl Smith, Michelle Figueroa, and Eric Rayman. Much bowing and scraping, too, to Jonathan Karp, Cary Goldstein, and Jamie Raab for signing up the book in the dark days of the recession. (Thanks to Deb Futter and Susan Lehman as well.)

I am beholden to Joy Harris for everything. She has been an anchor, a buoy, and a life preserver. The Naughty Nineties, furthermore, would not exist without the Research A-Team, led by the utterly indefatigable and kindhearted Julianne Pepitone Caughel. Hats off, as well, to the incomparable Cynthia Cotts, and to Matt Kapp and Ted Panken, resilient both.

I owe a deep debt to the generosity and goodwill of my longtime editor and friend Graydon Carter, who gave me the flexibility and confidence to pursue this project. I am also thankful for my steadfast confidants Chris Garrett, Aimée Bell, and Cullen Murphy, along with the entire Vanity Fair family. Harry and Gigi Benson were always in my corner. And the late Christopher Hitchens, an early supporter, urged me to throw in my lot with Twelve.

The idea for The Naughty Nineties came out of a dinner conversation with cardiologist Michael Mendelsohn, who related a tale about the discovery of the medicine that would eventually become Viagra—initially a heart drug that had one curious side effect. Mike will forever have my gratitude for his advice and unwavering friendship (Viv’s, too), along with that of Howie and Marc, Kot and Karrie, and Lester and Peggy. Pam and Stuart were my sage supporters and advisers.

Huge thanks to my hosts Chez Rooney (in New Rochelle, New York, and Dorset, Vermont) and Chez Nalle (Newport, Rhode Island), and to Aidan Sullivan (for the Barbican digs) and the Riders (for their Fire Island “writer’s colony”). My appreciation, as well, goes to the Adasheks, James Balog, Jon and Philippa Bender, Jessica Diner, John Frook, Anne and Sandy Halstead, Jeff and Michelene Hogan, Monica Lewinsky, David Moore, James Nachtwey, the entire Naudet family, Mary Beth O’Neill, Steven Reisner, Tracey Ryans and Cecile Barendsma, Liz and Bob Sauer, Aaron Schindler, Mark Seliger, the Silvermans, Tara and Bill Simko, Rachel Smith, Shelley Waln, Chris Whipple, and Bruce Wolf. Much love to Jackie and Juliet, Drew and Rita, David and Paulette, Betsy and Don, Cheryl and Abe, and Chet and Dori.

At my side, along the way: Sarah Bracy Penn, not to mention Isabel Ashton, Cat Buckley, Jack Deligter, Lenora Jane Estes, Jessica Flint, Mary Alice Miller, Lily Rothman, Becca Sobel, and Feifei Sun.

Cullen Murphy indulged me with his charitable offer to read the manuscript. He provided invaluable insight, as did a host of readers, who took on specific chapters, including Lucia Brawley, Susan Cheever, Stephen Claypole, Bronwyn Cosgrave, Jack Delighter, David Ewing Duncan, Steve Fine, Brett Forrest, Richard Friend, Ken George, Michael Kimmel, David Kirkpatrick, Marc Kravitz, Donald Liebenson, Carol J. C. Maxwell, Michael Mendelsohn, Amy Paulsen, Nancy Paulsen, Robert Rosen, Mark Rozzo, Luc Sante, Henry Schuster, Harriet Seitler, Aidan Sullivan, Kirsten Swinth, Sam Tanenhaus, Jim Warren, and Susan Zirinsky.

Some 260 people were kind enough to allow me to interview them, including Pravin Agravat, Woody Allen, Debby Applegate, Ken Aretsky, Judy Bachrach, James Balog, Tommy Baratta, Lisa Baron, Harry Benson, John Wayne Bobbitt, Lorena Bobbitt, Lucia Brawley, Susie Bright, David Brinkley, Douglas Brinkley, Simon Campbell, Patrick Carnes, James Carville, Michael Ciaravino, Stefanie Cohen, Ryan Cook, Bronwyn Cosgrave, Alan Cumming, “D.,” Nicole Daedone, “Dani,” Lanny Davis, Joey DelVecchio, Tony DiSanto, Michael Douglas, David Ewing Duncan, Sian Edwards-Beal, Abby Ellin, Peter Ellis, Emel, Bruce Feirstein, Donna Ferrato, Helen Fisher, Heidi Fleiss, Brett Forrest, Emily Jane Fox, Molly Friend, Richard Friend, Sam Friend, “Geraldine,” Daniel Gerstein, Clive Gingell, Gary Ginsberg, Irwin Goldstein, Scott Gutterson, Anthony Haden-Guest, George Hamilton, Bruce Handy, Dian Hanson, Harley, Art Harris, Jonathan Harris, Jack Hayford, Anita Hill, Christopher Hitchens, William Hultberg, Samir Husni, Jesse Jackson, Hana Jarklova, Abigail Jones, Paula Corbin Jones, Reese Jones, Sam Kashner, Jim Kennedy, Anne Kent, Michael Kimmel, David Kirkpatrick, Rob Klug, Steven Kotler, Steve Kroft, Monica Lewinsky, Nancy Libin, Donald Liebenson, Robert Longo, Douglas MacKinnon, Sari Markowitz, John Marquis, Katherine Martin, Mary Matalin, Steven Mauldin, Carol J. C. Maxwell, Stephen Mayes, Bill McCartney, Mark McKinnon, Michael Mendelsohn, Jane Metcalfe, Jessica Stern Meyer, Kate Michelman, Sunny Mindel, Mike Murphy, Dee Dee Myers, Rosie Nalle, Chris Napolitano, Jean-Jacques Naudet, Michael O’Brien, Ian Osterloh, Elisabeth Owen, Janea Padilha, Jonice Padilha, Joyce Padilha, J. P. Pappis, Joel Paul, Amy Paulsen, Nancy Paulsen, Dan Payne, Julianne Pepitone, Michael J. Peter, Drew Pinsky, Racheli, Jonathan Rauch, Howard Read, Judith Regan, Frank Rich, Jennifer Rider, Joan Rivers, Michael Rooney, Cindi Harwood Rose, Franklin Rose, Robert Rosen, Julian Sancton, Henry Schuster, Ella Schwalb, Lester Schwalb, Ingrid Sischy, Iva Roze Skoch, Sharon St. Romain-Frank, William Stayton, Patricia Steele, Aidan Sullivan, Madonna Swanson, Kirsten Swinth, Sam Tanenhaus, Zak Tanjeloff, Terry Teachout, Nick Terrett, “Tiffany,” Stacy Tompkins, Anna Maria Tornaghi, Bruce Tulgan, Scott Turow, Jill Vermeire, Don Waitt, James Warren, Jamieson Webster, Joan Williams, Jim Windolf, Rachel Winter, Michael Wolff, and Tim Zahner.

I apologize to the many others who were gracious in granting me an interview but who, because of space, ended up on the cutting room floor, among them: Julia Allison, Samantha Appleton, (the woman formerly known as) Danni Ashe, Heike Bachmann, J. Ross Baughman, Patrick Baz, Brian Bedol, Leslie Bennetts, Lauren Bishop, Harold Bloom, Stephanie Bornstein, Jimmie Briggs, Jerry Burke, David Burnett, Stephen Claypole, David Cogan, Michael Davidson, Tracy Tucker Davis, Phil de Picciotto, Jamilla Deville, Billie Dixon, Ayperi Ecer, Maureen Egen, Robert Farrell, Colin Finlay, Elena Ochoa Foster, Carolina Garcia, Philip Gefter, Cary Goldstein, Andrew Hearst, Kathy Hilton, Jim Kelly, Larry Kirshbaum, J. L., Richard Land, Stuart Lefstein, “Lynn,” Cindy Margolis, Jim McHugh, Charles Melcher, Doug Menuez, Christian Miranda, Edie Mirman, Alice Mohr, Fawnia Mondey, Tina Naiga, Nora Nalle, Nansci Neiman, Cheryl Norton, Kerry O’Day, Beth Ouellette, Howard Owen, Terence Pepper, Joe Peyronnin, Eli Reed, Reza, David Rhodes, Leigh Ann Rooney, Erica Rose, Tracey Ryans, George Schlatter, William Seabloom, Mark Seliger, “Sherry and Scott,” Ben Silverman, Gay Talese, Susan Trento, Linda Troeller, Madison Vain, Greg Van Alstyne, Neil Wexler, and Aly Zafonte.

I also want to recognize Cara Tripodi and those in recovery at STAR Sexual Trauma & Recovery in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania.

Key writing and research was done with the help of Soho House New York, the Larchmont and New Rochelle (New York) public libraries, the New York Public Library, and the William J. Clinton Presidential Library, in Little Rock, Arkansas. Big shout-outs to everyone on Kingsbury Road and to all my friends at the International Center of Photography, the W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund, and the Vanity Fair photo department.

Additional thanks to Emin Acar, Ken Alexander, Barbara Alper, Melinda Anderson and John Moore, Sam Anson, Periel Aschenbrand, Derrick Ashong, Barry Avrich, Anna Badoian, John Banka, Tony Bannon, John Banta, the Barbashes, Bob Barnett, the Barrs, Christy Barry, Anne Beagan, Jonathan Becker, Ari Bergen, Sue and Chadd Berkun, Melanie Berliet, Chuck Berman, Nina Berman, Rich Bernstein, Justin Bishop, Carol Blue, Pete Bonventre, Adam Bookbinder, Patti Bosworth, Marie Brenner, Todd Brewster, the Brockways, Dana Brown, Dan Buck, Chuck Burack, Bobbi and Russell Burrows, Billy Bush, Andrew Bushell, Veronica Cagliero, Michael Callahan, Dan Callaro, Cindy Cathcart, Neil Cerutti, Deepak Chopra, Adam Ciralsky, Rich Clarkson, Stephen Claypole, Gwen and Alvin Clayton, Stefanie Cohen, Cindy and John Conroy, Barbara Corcoran, Charlotte Cotton, Stephan Crasnaenscki, Pat Craven, Kenneth Cummings, Gwen Davis, Wendy and Chuck Dickson, Chris Dixon, Adam Dolgins, Roberta Doyle, Keith Duval, Paul Elie, the Emmanuels, David Fahey, Michael Feinstein and Terrence Flannery, Mary Fiance, Ralph Fiennes, Colin Finlay, Hilary Fitzgibbons, Cynthia Fox, the Frames, Will Friedwald, Jim Gaines, Tim Geary, Jessica Glick, Risa Goldberg, Marti Golon, Suzzette Gomes, Linda Gomez, Mark Gompertz, Ben Greenman, Michelle Grey, Theresa Grill, Barbara Grossman and Michael Gross, Chris Guglielmo, Scott Gummer, Laura Haim, Nabil Hajaji, David Hajdu, Mary Ann Halford, Naomi Harris, Glen Hartley, Shelby Hartman, Marvin Heiferman, Tim Hetherington, Dan and Tom Higgins, Eric Himmel, David Hirshey, Jason Hodes, Mike Hogan, Bill Hooper, Ann Hughes, Al Hunt, Bill Hunt, Punch Hutton, Alison Jackson, Laura Jacobs, Don and MaryEllen Johnston, Sebastian Junger, David Kamp, Shwan and Kim Karim, Michael Katsobashvili, Katherine Keating, Mara Keisling, Jon Kelly, David Hume Kennerly, George Kindel, Oren Kirnsky, Emma and Jonah Kravitz, Beth Kseniak, Eliane and J. P. Laffont, Leah Laiman, Brian and Linda Lanker, Beth Laski, John Leo, Regis Lesommier, Michael Levine, Amelia Levitan, John Levy, Ruth Levy, Anjali Lewis, the Loebs, John Loengard, Leslie Long and Larry Wall, Jay Lovinger, Matt Lynch, Nathalie Majlis, Kia Makarechi, the Manzaris, Sara Marks, Guy Martin, Pam McCarthy, the Meaneys, Stephanie Mehta, Susan Meiselas, Daniele Menache, Peter Meyer, John Middleton, Alison Morley, Chris Murray and Govinda Gallery, Sara Nelson, Dan Okrent, Alexander Olch, Maureen Orth, Howard Owen, Jamie Pallot, the Peinados, Frank Pelligrino Jr., Jake Perlin, Nathaniel Philbrick, Robert Pledge, Henry Porter, Jeffrey Posternak, Todd Purdum, Jerry Rafshoon, J. Ralph, Tom Ramey, Janet Reeves, Ken Regan, Shiya Ribowsky, Michael Riedel, Fred Ritchin, Lisa Robinson, Barbara Romer, Jane Root, Clifford Ross, Shelley Ross, George Rush, Juliet Rylance, Marta Salas-Porras, Nancy Jo Sales, Peggy Samuels, Roger Sandler, Ira Sapir, Janice Saragoni, Jane Sarkin, Charlie Scheips, Mark Seal, Mohammed Sekhani, Mark Sennet, Henry Shaw, Samantha Shefts, Tala Skari, Rachel Sklar, Celeste Sloman, John Sloss, Marya Spence, Betsy Cannon Smith, Jeffrey Smith, Krista Smith, Sara Solfanelli, the Sommers, Robert Soros and Jamie Singer, Susan Squire, Dick Stolley, Doug Stumpf, Kevin Tedesco, Sabina and Richard Tompkins, Ralph Toporoff, Bryant Toth, Charles Traub, Joseph and Susan Trento, Mike Tucker and Petra Epperlein, Jean Ufer, Matt Ullian, the Vandenbelts, Helene Veret, the Vogelmans, Shawn Waldron, Tom Walker, Basil Walter, Robert Walsh, Dick Waterman, Susan Watts, the Welbers, Sheila Weller, Richard Weschler, Katie Whelan, Susan White, Isaiah Wilner, Alex Witchel, James Wolcott, Libby Wotipka, Gayle Wycoff, Andrew Wylie, and all the Zahners.

Finally, here’s to SamFriendMusic.com and the New Orleans Swamp Donkeys. And much love to Molly’s charmed circle: Greer, Nora, Rosie, Leigh Ann and Vanessa, Alex, Dwyer and Patrick, Hank and Rebecca, Eliot, Jake, Lauren, Raphaelle, Sandra, Lisa, Leslie, Katerina, Serena, and the whole gang, too numerous to name.