Sometimes we would be staked out in the middle of the river, several barges tied together. So we could party.

David Burnett was the son of Martha Foley, who edited the Best American Short Stories series. She hired me to work with David and her to read stories for the anthology.

I don't know why, but I always feel a kind of necessity to write things that are beyond acceptance, that are too offensive or something. For people to read them and say, Ha-ha-ha, very funny. No, we can't print that.

I learned not to care ... and to write for an imaginary reader whose tastes were similar to my own.

It was a good experience working with Roger Vadim and Jane Fonda.

The Loved One has been the most underrated film I've worked on.

For a director and a producer to be named on the writing credits is practically unheard of.