He said “member”, heh heh heh.
I don’t know if you are serious, but while I never read Playboy, I once purchased at a used bookstore, a collection of columns of Cynthia Heimel from Playboy. I loved her column in The Village Voice, so I thought I might like her work from Playboy, despite the fact that it was for Playboy. And I did. Not enough to start buying Playboys just for that column, but worth paying a used book dealer $2.95 + tax.
I did find out through that book what kinds of things Playboy did publish-- it even had some great cartoon, and not all of them were dirty. It was basically The New Yorker with a few nude photos.
Playboy interviews and articles were terrific for a young teen. The interview that always stuck in my head was a 1979 one with Wendy Carlos, who talked about transitioning while scoring a film for Kubrick. It was pretty mind-opening for a kid living in Texas, as were a lot of other interviews over the years.
I also particularly liked Craig Vetter’s articles, where he would take on a dare (like biplane wing-walking) and write about it, and the short stories.
I also finally understood finally, why there was occasionally-- less than once a year-- an issue of Playboy in the bottom drawer of my parents’ study (what we’d now call a “home office,” I guess) desk, where my mother couldn’t have missed it, my brother was highly unlikely to find it, and they probably thought I’d never look either, but once I was hunting for onion-skin paper…
I believe his Lifeline that you mentioned was his very first paid copy.
I long ago gave up trying to stick to five. Although my OP has five I’m making a list for more.
Wasn’t that one by Daphne?
I’m referring to the story by Guy de Maupassant.
When it appeared in Omni, it counted as a short story. I was gobsmacked when I learned that he had expanded it. But I guess GRR Martin’s gotta GRR Martin.
I remember that one! Then Newton
tried to safeguard his soul by only researching religious crap for the rest of his life.
Kaylasmom, for one.
Sorry, you’re right. I’m thinking of Daphne Du Maurier.