Actually, fuck that. If we go infinitely back in time we have to talk about old school iconoclasts like Upton Sinclair and George Orwell who changed reportage forever and whose ghosts still magically appear every time you flip through a magazine. We can’t even do the past thirty years or we’ll get lost in Rolling Stone’s golden age and the list will be dominated by Hunter Thompson’s gonzo greatness and lesser-known gems like “Death of a Cheerleader.”

Actually, fuck that. If we go infinitely back in time we have to talk about old school iconoclasts like Upton Sinclair and George Orwell who changed reportage forever and whose ghosts still magically appear every time you flip through a magazine. We can’t even do the past thirty years or we’ll get lost in Rolling Stone’s golden age and the list will be dominated by Hunter Thompson’s gonzo greatness and lesser-known gems like “Death of a Cheerleader.” Let’s stick to the past six years. It means we can’t link to Paul Begala’s fantastic attack on the baby boomers in 2000 but I just did so there.

The best six articles of the past six years meet the six criteria required to come under the title “Greatest.” First and foremost, they have to be written well. That is, they have to be such a smooth read they appear to be way shorter than they are. Second, they need to provide a new way of looking at something you previously took for granted. Third, they need to haunt you for days and then permanently change your life. Fourth, they have to be fearless and controversial enough to make the writer some enemies. Five, they should avoid using first person. And finally, sixth, they should let the research take them where it may and not stick to some preconceived notion like making a list of criteria six points long just because the theme for the piece appears to be six.

So, without further to do, here’s the bestest six writings of the past six years in gynecological order.

THE DEATH OF MY FATHER by STEVE MARTIN
This is not funny. It’s an incredibly serious and sad article by Steve Martin. It breaks Rule #5 by using nothing but first person but when it’s someone you’ve grown up staring at, it’s not not good. Especially when the real thrust of the article is our often-harrowing relationship with our family and the merits of relentlessly trying to make things work.

PULL QUOTE: “I can’t tell you the pull quote because it’s the tear-jerking slam-dunk of the whole article. Here’s a clue: It starts with ‘For all the love.’“

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