--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'd known the people at Rolling Stone for…" description: "\"I'd known the people at Rolling Stone for a while. I'd gone to them with a piece I'd done on Beirut for Vanity Fair that Vanity Fair didn't want to pub..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/087/p-j-o-rourke-184_arrested_i-d-known-the-people-at-rolling-stone-fo_1582149.jpg" --- # I'd known the people at Rolling Stone for a while. I'd… ![“I'd known the people at Rolling Stone for a while. I'd gone to them with a piece I'd done on Beirut for Vanity Fair that Vanity Fair didn't want to publish, because they said I was making fun of death... This was Tina Brown.But they paid me for it. So I've got this big chunk of a piece, and…” quote by P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/087/p-j-o-rourke-184_arrested_i-d-known-the-people-at-rolling-stone-fo_1582149.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/087/p-j-o-rourke-184_arrested_i-d-known-the-people-at-rolling-stone-fo_1582149.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/087/p-j-o-rourke-184_arrested_i-d-known-the-people-at-rolling-stone-fo_1582149.jpg) > “I'd known the people at Rolling Stone for a while. I'd gone to them with a piece I'd done on Beirut for Vanity Fair that Vanity Fair didn't want to publish, because they said I was making fun of death... This was Tina Brown.But they paid me for it. So I've got this big chunk of a piece, and Rolling Stone liked it, but they thought it was a little dated. But then they called me back and asked me to do a similar piece about the Turks and Caicos Islands, where the whole government had been arrested for dope smuggling. That was fun.” [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A journalist recounts how a quirky assignment led to a rewarding story about a drug‑smuggling scandal, showing that unexpected topics can become compelling work. **In simple terms:** Unexpected assignments can become rewarding work. Key Takeaway Embrace odd assignments for unique stories. Themes journalism creativity opportunity Mood playful reflective Type anecdotal inspirational When to use this quote - freelance writing - investigative pieces - travel journalism - media pitching Key Concepts storytelling risk‑taking culture Questions to Reflect On - How can you turn a dated idea into fresh content? - What risks are worth taking for a story? A Different Perspective Success depends on audience relevance and timing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Arrested](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arrested/) [Beirut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beirut/) [Bigs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigs/) [Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brown/) [Chunks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chunks/) [Done](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/done/) [Dope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dope/) [Fair Vanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fair-vanity-2494586/) [Fairs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fairs/) [Fun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fun/) [Gone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gone/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Islands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/islands/) [Known](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/known/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Making fun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making-fun/) [Paid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paid/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Pieces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pieces/) [Publish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/publish/) [Publish Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/publish-said-5979707/) [Rolling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rolling/) [Rolling stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rolling-stone/) [Rolling stones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rolling-stones/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [Smuggling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smuggling/) [Stones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stones/) [They said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/they-said/) [Tina Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tina-brown-4432877/) [Vanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vanity/) [Vanity fair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vanity-fair/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Whole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whole/) ## Related quotes > [“Vanity Fair--Vanity Fair! Here was a man, who could not spell, and did not care to read--who had the habits and the cunning of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/vanity-fair-vanity-fair-here-was-a-man-who-could-not-spell-and-did/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [ My wife \[Tina Brown\] co-founded the Daily Beast, so I have no hostility to the web or Internet. A number of print friends of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-evans/my-wife-tina-brown-co-founded-the-daily-beast-so-i-have-no-hostility/) [Harold Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-evans/) > [ The wise traveler \[to Beirut\] will pack shirts or blouses with ample breast pockets. Reaching inside a jacket for your passport looks too much… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/the-wise-traveler-to-beirut-will-pack-shirts-or-blouses-with-ample/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [You can learn all about the human condition from covering the crime beat in a big city - you don't need to go to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/you-can-learn-all-about-the-human-condition-from-covering-the-crime/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Ten Delta Airlines baggage handlers were arrested for smuggling drugs into Detroit. Yeah, you can tell Delta was involved, because the drugs were supposed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-fallon/ten-delta-airlines-baggage-handlers-were-arrested-for-smuggling-drugs/) [Jimmy Fallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-fallon/) > [I've never played a manipulative, drug-smuggling lesbian before. For me, it's pushing me in an area that's great. There are days when I'd read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-prepon/i-ve-never-played-a-manipulative-drug-smuggling-lesbian-before-for-me/) [Laura Prepon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-prepon/) > [“Carhart didn't see how running a massive smuggling organization could be boring but then again he wasn't a sociopathic action junkie who didn't plan…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santino-hassell/carhart-didn-t-see-how-running-a-massive-smuggling-organization-could/) [Santino Hassell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santino-hassell/) > [Negro servants have been smuggling odds and ends out of white homes for generations, and white people have been delighted to have them do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-baldwin/negro-servants-have-been-smuggling-odds-and-ends-out-of-white-homes/) [James A. Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-baldwin/) > [My mother was a Chinese trapeze artist in pre-war Paris Smuggling bombs for the underground. And she met my father at a fete in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-meloy/my-mother-was-a-chinese-trapeze-artist-in-pre-war-paris-smuggling/) [Colin Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-meloy/) > [What every prime minister struggles with and every leader struggles with is how to balance the two objectives; firstly that of ensuring that all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-turnbull/what-every-prime-minister-struggles-with-and-every-leader-struggles/) [Malcolm Turnbull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-turnbull/) > [After the revolution of 1979, Iran embarked on a policy of sectarianism. Iran began a policy of expanding its revolution, of interfering with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adel-al-jubeir/after-the-revolution-of-1979-iran-embarked-on-a-policy-of/) [Adel al-Jubeir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adel-al-jubeir/) > [This guy had smuggler as a license plate in Washington. This were I say what a joke dude gets caught smuggling. Some people are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mccarty/this-guy-had-smuggler-as-a-license-plate-in-washington-this-were-i/) [Kevin McCarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mccarty/) > [“It wasn’t just one charmante,” Belle said slowly. “It was…dozens. It was like…they were helping all of them…escape….That’s why there were all of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-braswell/it-wasn-t-just-one-charmante-belle-said-slowly-it-was-dozens-it-was/) [Liz Braswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-braswell/) > [Smuggling poems out of prison in the soles of mt shoes i'm way past finding salvation in the arms of a woman, I look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raegan-butcher/smuggling-poems-out-of-prison-in-the-soles-of-mt-shoes-i-m-way-past/) [Raegan Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raegan-butcher/) > [I've done a bit of smuggling, I've run my share of grass. I made enough money to buy Miami, but I piss it away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-buffett/i-ve-done-a-bit-of-smuggling-i-ve-run-my-share-of-grass-i-made-enough/) [Jimmy Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-buffett/) ## More by P. J. O'Rourke > [I'm fascinated by political enthusiasm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/i-m-fascinated-by-political-enthusiasm/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [In comparative terms, there's no poverty in America by a long shot. Heritage Foundation political scientist Robert Rector has worked up figures showing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/in-comparative-terms-there-s-no-poverty-in-america-by-a-long-shot/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [The Democrats said, "We don't know what's wrong with America, but we can fix it." The Republicans said, "There's nothing wrong with America, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/the-democrats-said-we-don-t-know-what-s-wrong-with-america-but-we-can/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [At Epcot Center the Disney corporation has focused its attention on two things greatly in need of Disneyfication: the tedious future and the annoying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/at-epcot-center-the-disney-corporation-has-focused-its-attention-on/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [So-called Western Civilization, as practised in half of Europe, some of Asia and a few parts of North America, is better than anything else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/so-called-western-civilization-as-practised-in-half-of-europe-some-of/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [My whole family can talk. They are all car salesmen. They are all funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/my-whole-family-can-talk-they-are-all-car-salesmen-they-are-all-funny/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [It was Ronald Reagan who used to say that the 10 most frightening words in the English language are, "I'm from the federal government,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/it-was-ronald-reagan-who-used-to-say-that-the-10-most-frightening/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Gun violence has cost us too many political leaders, and hardly ever the worst ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/gun-violence-has-cost-us-too-many-political-leaders-and-hardly-ever/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Pete Seeger is a modest, unassuming, cheerful, and kind-natured man. He's a good folk singer, if you can stand folk singing. And he's such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/pete-seeger-is-a-modest-unassuming-cheerful-and-kind-natured-man-he-s/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Journalists are notoriously easy to kid. All you have to do is speak to a journalist in a very serious tone of voice, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/journalists-are-notoriously-easy-to-kid-all-you-have-to-do-is-speak/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [I like to think of my behavior in the sixties as a 'learning experience.' Then again, I like to think of anything stupid I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/i-like-to-think-of-my-behavior-in-the-sixties-as-a-learning/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [I'll be 56 this year, I've got two kids, and I think it's probably time to go back to writing one-glove jokes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/i-ll-be-56-this-year-i-ve-got-two-kids-and-i-think-it-s-probably-time/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Something that comes to us, some gym shoe that comes to us as a result of child labor from a brutal dictatorship, where people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/something-that-comes-to-us-some-gym-shoe-that-comes-to-us-as-a-result/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Russians not only vehemently despise blacks, they believe Africa begins at the Ukraine border.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/russians-not-only-vehemently-despise-blacks-they-believe-africa/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Now, do I think the baby boomers tend to be self-absorbed? I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/now-do-i-think-the-baby-boomers-tend-to-be-self-absorbed-i-do/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) [Explore all 983 P. J. O'Rourke quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) ## More Arrested quotes > [Impulse arrested spills over, and the flood is feeling, the flood is passion, the flood is even madness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/impulse-arrested-spills-over-and-the-flood-is-feeling-the-flood-is/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [On stage you're free. You can say and do things that if you said and did any place else, you'd be arrested.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-williams/on-stage-you-re-free-you-can-say-and-do-things-that-if-you-said-and/) [Robin Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-williams/) > [a TEN-YEAR-OLD lad in Indianapolis who was arrested for picking up coal along the side of railroad tracks is now in jail. If the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-jones/a-ten-year-old-lad-in-indianapolis-who-was-arrested-for-picking-up/) [Mother Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-jones/) > [Fame is like a big eraser. It's strange, now that I'm famous. In my parents' opinion, all the shitty things - all the wreckage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobcat-goldthwait/fame-is-like-a-big-eraser-it-s-strange-now-that-i-m-famous-in-my/) [Bobcat Goldthwait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobcat-goldthwait/) > [When men are arrested without any legal basis and for political reasons, it's merely a routine, everyday occurrence in Russia, and hardly anyone has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexei-navalny/when-men-are-arrested-without-any-legal-basis-and-for-political/) [Alexei Navalny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexei-navalny/) > [Helen Crawfurd and the Women's Peace Crusade, made a march on the City Chambers, distributing an illegal leaflet in front of police and even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-gallacher/helen-crawfurd-and-the-women-s-peace-crusade-made-a-march-on-the-city/) [Willie Gallacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-gallacher/) > [I just put myself in a hotel and was smoking coke for a while. Then I met up with the wrong people. I ended…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-wallice/i-just-put-myself-in-a-hotel-and-was-smoking-coke-for-a-while-then-i/) [Marc Wallice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-wallice/) > [My father was pretty independent. He was - he was arrested once in Nashville when he was on one of his sales trips because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/my-father-was-pretty-independent-he-was-he-was-arrested-once-in/) [Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) > [I was arrested on graduation night for breaking and entering into the high school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-anderson/i-was-arrested-on-graduation-night-for-breaking-and-entering-into-the/) [Gillian Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-anderson/) > [On my recent trip to the Mexico border, Border Patrol agents in California told me they have arrested the same coyotes 20 times, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ric-keller/on-my-recent-trip-to-the-mexico-border-border-patrol-agents-in/) [Ric Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ric-keller/) > [You tell people that all the time, 'Jail's the worst place ever and you don't want to go there,' which is true but at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-glover/you-tell-people-that-all-the-time-jail-s-the-worst-place-ever-and-you/) [Stephen Glover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-glover/) > [“But Daddy, I never knew that's what you expected of me. I mean on the plus side, I've never been arrested or anything..”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-smith/but-daddy-i-never-knew-that-s-what-you-expected-of-me-i-mean-on-the/) [Andrea Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-smith/) > [There is the possibility to be suddenly arrested for hacking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-elbakyan/there-is-the-possibility-to-be-suddenly-arrested-for-hacking/) [Alexandra Elbakyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-elbakyan/) > [“I don’t do drugs, I’ve never been arrested, and from what I hear, I’m not too shabby in bed. Not that any of you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-peterfreund/i-don-t-do-drugs-i-ve-never-been-arrested-and-from-what-i-hear-i-m/) [Diana Peterfreund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-peterfreund/) > [ I'd been arrested many times by then. I'd been an organizer, so many things had changed over those three years \[from 1965 till 1968\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/i-d-been-arrested-many-times-by-then-i-d-been-an-organizer-so-many/) [Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/) [Browse all 480 Arrested quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arrested/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'd known the people at Rolling Stone for a while. I'd gone to them with a piece I'd done on Beirut for Vanity Fair that Vanity Fair didn't want to publish, because they said I was making fun of death... This was Tina Brown.But they paid me for it. So I've got this big chunk of a piece, and Rolling Stone liked it, but they thought it was a little dated. But then they called me back and asked me to do a similar piece about the Turks and Caicos Islands, where the whole government had been arrested for dope smuggling. 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