I asked Lynn to do an interview for Interview Interview because David Niven and his wife came in and I told David that I"d just been reading all about him in the papers because he"s been suing David Merrick. He was great-looking, he was so thin, and his wife was pencil-thin. And Sandra was just yapping away about all her books and she was so pushy we couldn"t understand how she knew Lynn and it turns out she went to Bennington with her. because David Niven and his wife came in and I told David that I"d just been reading all about him in the papers because he"s been suing David Merrick. He was great-looking, he was so thin, and his wife was pencil-thin. And Sandra was just yapping away about all her books and she was so pushy we couldn"t understand how she knew Lynn and it turns out she went to Bennington with her.
David Niven was so cute, he told us good stories and Jamie fell in love with him. Then we had to get back to the hotel because we were meeting Princess Grace at 4:00 in the lobby to show her the exhibition, it was down in one of the dining rooms.
We went up to our rooms and glued ourselves together, and then we came down. Just Jamie and Phyllis and Freddy Woolworth and Fred were invited, Jed was still at the beach. And we had to get in line to meet Princess Grace. I was the first one, and we were just all making funny jokes about standing in line and finally when we turned around there she was, and she had a little tummy. We were supposed to kiss her hand but I refused to kiss her hand and so we shook hands, and she didn"t really like me, she just liked Jamie. And then when Grace found out that Phyllis was a big du Pont, she was really social climbing, so she was really nice. And then we had to go show her the pictures, and I was trying to be funny but it just didn"t go over too well. And we chit-chatted about Cousteau and the fish museum that"s up near her palace and Jamie said that his father knew her father, they live in New Jersey now, they don"t live in Philadelphia. And we were talking about, I don"t know, just really boring things, she never let her hair down. And I told her that I heard she paints, and she said she just does collages, she had a big show in France that was a sell-out. And I asked her what else was she doing, and finally she told me that she"s on the lecture circuit in the United States reading poetry. She does a circuit tour like Truman for a couple of weeks so she brings home the bucks. And finally after forty-five minutes of chitchat she decided to go. And when she left she thought the security guard that has the revolver and watches the paintings for the Coe Kerr Gallery was Freddy Woolworth. So it was really funny, she told him she loved the show.
Fred and I had to go upstairs because I was doing a portrait. Mrs. Benedetti, who thought she looked like Marilyn Monroe. And I made her take off her clothes and put on white makeup. She kept posing like Marilyn with her mouth open and stuff and she was old, but she came out really easy, I had my contacts in and I couldn"t really see but everything was fine.
Went off to a couple of c.o.c.ktail parties down at the Loews, which is a hotel that was decorated by Sharon Hammond"s mother Mrs. Long but they have private apartments there, too. Douglas Cooper was giving a party and this lady named Madame Plesch-Ettie Plesch-was giving one, too, and they"re not talking to each other so you had to be careful and not say that you went to the other one.
Then Regine invited us all down to Jimmy"z and John La.r.s.en was there with his wife and he"s that really great guy, an old friend of Edie Sedgwick"s and mine from years ago, and now he"s really Jamie"s friend. He and Jamie are great dancers. And it was getting late and I was tired. And then Bo Polk arrived and he brought this beautiful girl along with him and then Phyllis saw Jamie dancing cheek-to-cheek with the girl and she went up to them on the dance floor and hit Jamie with her cane. And he got embarra.s.sed because he was really really dancing close. dancing close.
I got home and I didn"t have a key so I had to wake the chambermaid and so she put me in, it was about 3:00.
Sat.u.r.day, July 12, 1980-Monte Carlo Ran into Sylvester Stallone who cut his beard and looks great, he just flew in from Budapest with his wife, and I told him I wanted to do his portrait over again without the beard because he looks so handsome. And so he was going to come up about 6:00 so I could rephotograph him.
Then I ran into him again, on the beach, and all the people on the beach were taking pictures of him. He looked so great without clothes on, he"s pencil-thin, he looks like a muscle man, like Mr. America with small biceps, and I told him not to ever put any more weight on again. But he was saying he had to because he had to do Rocky III Rocky III and so I told him to do a fat suit. And so we left to go back to the hotel to refresh ourselves and wait for him to come. Then I glued myself together because it was time to get ready to go down to the opening of the show in the lobby. I was ready before anyone else so I decided I might as well go down and work, so I got downstairs about five minutes after 7:00 and Pam Combemale and Freddy Woolworth were standing there greeting people and I was next in line and I shook hands with everybody coming in, like a receiving line. They would introduce me and there were all these old bags, I mean, the oldest people in the world. And then Jamie came down and he was next to me and we went down the line and in it was Raymond Loewy! The guy who designed the Lucky Strike cigarette package and everything else! I was just so thrilled to meet him that I just jumped up and down and asked him if I could take his picture. And he was great. And then the old bags, there were just so many of them I couldn"t believe it. I think we got some portraits to do so that"s great. Then Stallone came all in white, and he looked really beautiful, and then Iris Love and Liz Smith came, and Liz said it was the chic-est party opening they"d ever been to. and so I told him to do a fat suit. And so we left to go back to the hotel to refresh ourselves and wait for him to come. Then I glued myself together because it was time to get ready to go down to the opening of the show in the lobby. I was ready before anyone else so I decided I might as well go down and work, so I got downstairs about five minutes after 7:00 and Pam Combemale and Freddy Woolworth were standing there greeting people and I was next in line and I shook hands with everybody coming in, like a receiving line. They would introduce me and there were all these old bags, I mean, the oldest people in the world. And then Jamie came down and he was next to me and we went down the line and in it was Raymond Loewy! The guy who designed the Lucky Strike cigarette package and everything else! I was just so thrilled to meet him that I just jumped up and down and asked him if I could take his picture. And he was great. And then the old bags, there were just so many of them I couldn"t believe it. I think we got some portraits to do so that"s great. Then Stallone came all in white, and he looked really beautiful, and then Iris Love and Liz Smith came, and Liz said it was the chic-est party opening they"d ever been to.
Mary Richardson came and Kerry Kennedy and Mona Christiansen and a cute little girl Vicky, who"s the daughter of Frank Gifford. Mona told a story of how Garbo picked her up on Madison Avenue a couple of weeks ago and took her home for tea, but then, she said nothing happened, they just compared face jaw-lines. I don"t believe her but it was fun to hear. Mona was feeling up all the girls, really feeling them up.
Sunday, July 13, 1980-Monte Carlo Fred picked me up and we went down to Stallone"s room to photograph him, he"d been switched from his big suite to a smaller room and he was complaining. He was in his blue bikini. We finished the pictures, we only took three rolls, and chit-chatted and then we got a little nervous and we left. We invited him to dinner but he said he was busy.
Monday, July 14, 1980-Monte Carlo Murray Brant just called to say that Sandy Brant had triplets and the boy weighed five and a half pounds and the two girls weighed five pounds each.
We were going to a c.o.c.ktail party at Donina Cicogna"s and all the girls were downstairs and it was so much fun, you run into everybody in the lobby, and so we cabbed to her place (cabs $30). And when we got there it was too crowded and Lady Rothermere was there and we picked up a real cute old friend of Fred"s named David Rocksavage, he"s an earl, one of the richest kids in England. Then we went to Jimmy"z.
Mona and I were bored so we decided to look for Prince Albert, we knew that he"d be around someplace, so we went searching and just couldn"t find him, so I said something like, "Oh s.h.i.t, we just can"t find Prince Albert," and he was standing right in back of me. So Mona got really aggressive with him and said we really loved him and wanted to get to know him, she pushed her way right in, and I said, "Do you want to meet all these great girls like Kerry Kennedy?" and he said no. Then Regine caught our eye and she ran and got drinks and shoved them all in our hands, and Prince Albert sat there and drank all of his drinks and just ignored us. Then Regine was smart enough to know what to do, she went down and got the kids like Kerry and Mary Richardson and brought them up and we introduced them, and Mona stepped on Prince Albert"s toe and he said, "Do it again." And then he said he was not staying, he had to meet somebody and they were going over to Paradise. And Mona and I said we"d go over and see them there, so we were really excited because we"d worked so hard to get this far. And I didn"t bring my tape recorder because I was wearing Jed"s jacket and he wouldn"t let me put anything in it because it stretches the pockets. And so I couldn"t tape.
Then we went over to Paradise and there was Prince Albert and Mona grabbed him and really tried to hustle him again but he said he had to play soccer the next day early, so he had to leave, and we were stuck.
Tuesday, July 15, 1980-Monte Carlo So Schlumberger invited us and the girls and Rocksavage and Warren Adelson from the Coe Kerr Gallery and his wife LaTrelle and her little son to Cap Ferrat, to the little house she was renting. I was just starved, I hadn"t had anything since breakfast so I just began eating everything and photographing, the house was pretty and had a beautiful view. We were there till 5:00. And Mona was going to St. Tropez and the girls were going to Venice to stay at Gianni Volpi"s palace, but Kerry was having to wait for her brother and Vicky Gifford for her boyfriend. Which are the same person.
Wednesday, July 16, 1980-Monte Carlo French TV came and asked me how did it feel to come "from the underground" to this glamorous place, and I told them they were full of baloney because I"d come here so many times and it wasn"t "from the underground." And then I did a radio program and then I ran upstairs and found that Jed had gotten the copy of L"Uomo Vogue L"Uomo Vogue with me on the cover which makes me look so awful, and there were a lot of good-looking people inside wearing bluejeans. with me on the cover which makes me look so awful, and there were a lot of good-looking people inside wearing bluejeans.
We divided up in cars and went out to have lunch with Helene Rochas and Juliette Greco"s sister Charlotte and her architect husband. Everybody went swimming and we had bullshots and they were so great, and then we had lunch, the best fish I ever had, the best food, it was just so glamorous, breaded fish with anise, and then we had anise down by the swimming pool and we dished everybody. And then we left around 5:00 and Rocksavage dropped us off.
There was a birthday dinner for Lynn Wyatt but I haven"t bought her anything yet. Johnny Carson was going to be there and I couldn"t wait to meet him. We ran into Maxime Mesinger in the lobby, she"s that wonderful gossip reporter from Houston, she came here just for Lynn"s birthday party.
Got dressed, cabbed to Lynn"s in Cap Ferrat ($35). We thought we"d be early but we weren"t. We got there and Estee Lauder was there and Lynn took me around to introduce me to people. And the first person she introduced me to was Johnny Carson. That was really exciting. He"s not short. He"s tall. He has grey hair and he looks so healthy. I took lots of pictures of him. And his wife Joanna is beautiful, she used to be a model with Norell so we dished the dresses and fashion and junk like that and I didn"t take any pictures, I was just too-I thought it would be too much. Everybody was too scared to sit at the Johnny Carson table but David Niven sat with him and we sat with Liz Smith who was sitting at the last table by the swimming pool. And then the king or prince of Yugoslavia said he had a Mao painting of mine.
Everybody sang "Happy Birthday" to Lynn and then they had great fireworks, all the way around. A lot of sparkles and pink smoke and really loud firecrackers.
There"s so much in the papers about Ronald Reagan and it looks like he"s on his way to become president, it does look scary. I voted once. In the fifties, I don"t remember which election. I pulled the wrong lever because I was confused, I couldn"t figure out how to work the thing. There was no practice model outside, it was a church on 35th Street between Park and Lex. This was when I was living at 242 Lexington. And then I got called for jury duty and I wrote back: "Moved." I"ve never voted again.
Sat.u.r.day, July 19, 1980-Paris Pierre Berge never called back.
Went over to the Flore but it was closed. Deux Magots was open so we sat around there, hoping that Shirley Goldfarb would come by, but Shirley is I guess rehearsing for her big show that Pierre is giving Thursday night for her where she"ll sing the menu of every restaurant in Paris. She"s doing it in Pierre"s theater, and he wanted us to stay on and see her. She"s going to sing, in addition to the menus, songs like "Merry Christmas" and "Auld Lang Syne," and I think it"s going to be a big trauma because I think she"s really going to do it seriously and it"s going to be so horrible. I think it sounds sounds funnier than it"s going to be, unless she can really do a lot of good menus. funnier than it"s going to be, unless she can really do a lot of good menus.
Monday, July 21, 1980-Paris-New York The plane left right at 11 A A.M. when it"s supposed to and when it does that, it"s just perfect. The food is getting sort of boring, though. And they serve it too fast. You"re finished in an hour and a half and you have all that time to sit around and get edgy. And I stole so much silverware and I was afraid about customs, I don"t know if you"re allowed to take them in or not. Got to customs, and although I didn"t beep coming through the thing this guy took me to a room and had me empty my pockets and I had my vitamins on me, I don"t like them to go through the beeper, and he was feeling them all up, and then he went through my shoes and pulled down my socks, and then he said, "What"s that?" when he saw my other drugs, my painkillers, and when I was trying to explain what they were, he got impatient and said, "Oh, go away." I"m really going to be careful what I take with me because I can just see them going through all my wigs and asking me why I have so many.
We went from the freezing cold of Paris to 101 degrees in New York and it was a shockeroo. That"s a Diana Vreeland word (cab $40).
Tuesday, July 22, 1980 I met someone on the street who said wasn"t it great that we"re going to have a movie star for president, that it was so Pop, and (laughs) (laughs) when you think about it like that, it is great, it"s so American. But they never talk about Reagan"s divorce. I thought you weren"t supposed to be able to get elected president if you were divorced. when you think about it like that, it is great, it"s so American. But they never talk about Reagan"s divorce. I thought you weren"t supposed to be able to get elected president if you were divorced.
Worked till 7:30, dropped Rupert off (cab $5). Whitney Tower called and said he wanted to talk about some movie ideas and he invited me for drinks. The rain had started. And then my bell rang and it was Whitney and Averil and Rachel Ward. I"d put the dogs to bed and that woke them up. I left the kids outside on the doorstep in the rain while I got myself together and then we walked to Le Relais. John Samuels was at the bar, he was going off to Suzie Frankfurt"s for dinner-she was giving a dinner for John"s father and his boyfriend.
Whitney invited me to the Adirondacks. They were up there over the weekend and they said Mick was there diapering a baby and they said he was an expert at it, that Bianca never did it, and he said he"d done Jade all the time.
Oh, and the best thing was the thank-you notes that Jerry Hall sent for her birthday presents. I got one and Jed got the exact same one and Averil got the exact same one. It"s in this little baby handwriting and on flowered notepaper and it says the exact same thing on all of them, line for line, s.p.a.ce for s.p.a.ce, word for word. (laughs) (laughs) I should call up everybody who gave her a present and collect the notes from them and make a book out of it. That would be funny, wouldn"t it? I should call up everybody who gave her a present and collect the notes from them and make a book out of it. That would be funny, wouldn"t it?
Thursday, July 24, 1980 Rupert brought the proofs for the prints by that he"d taken it upon himself to finish completely without ever showing them to me. He tried to be artistic and he sure was, he sure was. This is the Shoes with the diamond dust. He had them completely finished, with the diamond dust on and everything. I don"t know why he did that. I"m doing shoes because I"m going back to my roots. In fact, I think maybe I should do nothing but (laughs) (laughs) shoes from now on. shoes from now on.
Sat.u.r.day, July 26, 1980 Up at 7:30, glued myself and was meeting Rupert at 11:15 at the office (cab $4.50). I went to the farmers" market in Union Square to freshen supplies ($18). There were lots of new trucks, I can"t tell which are the real farmers and which are the people who buy the stuff someplace else and bring it there. I think the real farmers (laughs) (laughs) are the ones where the vegetables just look ugly-like beat-up and deformed and wormy-things that look like they"re from your backyard. Worked at the office from 12:00 to 7:30. are the ones where the vegetables just look ugly-like beat-up and deformed and wormy-things that look like they"re from your backyard. Worked at the office from 12:00 to 7:30.
Sunday, July 27, 1980 Up at 7:30, watched TV. Rupert called, I was supposed to go to work but the weather made me tired so I stayed home and went through magazines and books. Watched the death of the Shah on TV all day on the all-day cable news channel. I didn"t know that one of the Shah"s sisters had a house built by I.M. Pei in Tehran, they showed it and it was really beautiful with a dining room. I wonder who she gave dinners for. The palace that we were in was just a dump.
Monday, July 28, 1980 I"ve just been reading Gloria Swanson"s book about sugar and she has me in it as the prime example of evil because she read the Philosophy Philosophy book and interviews with me talking about how much candy I eat. She said the reason we lost the war in Vietnam is sugar, and that everywhere Americans go they bring Coca-Cola and fake orange drinks and then take the good rice and de-rice it. And it did make sense, so I"m going to try not to eat so much sugar. book and interviews with me talking about how much candy I eat. She said the reason we lost the war in Vietnam is sugar, and that everywhere Americans go they bring Coca-Cola and fake orange drinks and then take the good rice and de-rice it. And it did make sense, so I"m going to try not to eat so much sugar.
The Donahue Show Donahue Show was on the flasher problem. This is a big important new problem, right? Men who flash. A wife and her husband who flashed were on, they were in the dark, and businessmen and lawyers who flashed. was on the flasher problem. This is a big important new problem, right? Men who flash. A wife and her husband who flashed were on, they were in the dark, and businessmen and lawyers who flashed.
At the office Arma Andon from CBS called and invited me to dinner at the Russian Tea Room and then on to see Eddie Money at Trax. Then after I said yes, Vincent told me that I had an early dinner for the North American Watch thing at the Pierre. And they usually don"t take long, there"s speeches and it"s over quickly so I thought I could do both. Worked, then dropped Rupert (cab $5). Glued myself and walked to the Pierre. Walter Cronkite was going in with his wife, he was the head speaker, he"s on vacation from the news now. Gerry Grinberg met me and put me next to a girl who had to know who I was, I mean, my place card was there and everything, but she was saying things as if I were Truman Capote, like, "I still use your list from the Black and White Masked Ball for invitations." So either she thought I was Truman or she thought the Black and White party was mine. And I always hate to make a person wrong, so I tried to change the subject but she kept going back to it.
Then it was 9:30 and by this time I was supposed to be at the Russian Tea Room. But then Walter Cronkite started to talk and it was so interesting. He told a Rolex story about how the Rolex guy gave him a watch and he went to interview President Johnson, and all of a sudden Johnson was looking at his wrist and said, "That d.a.m.n guy said that only presidents get that watch." And then after that that"s all Johnson could think about and he couldn"t answer any questions.
Finally at 11:00 I was able to slip away. Because the thing was I was right up front and I just couldn"t leave before that. Outside I couldn"t get a cab so I ran all the way to the Russian Tea Room and I almost had a heart attack and then when I got there, the man said they"d already left, but I was glad when I heard "they," it meant Arma had somebody with him, probably Fred, who I"d sent because I thought I might be a little late. So cabbed to Trax ($3) which I couldn"t find and I walked all over and finally found it.
Don Mahoney, Eddie Money"s brother, who"s a cop, came out and introduced Eddie, and the brother is so good-looking, I really liked him. Then Eddie Money sang, and he"s just great, like a singing John McEnroe. And he"s so familiar, like somebody from Max"s, that type, I just feel like we know him, I think. Vitas was there, and Richard Weisman. And I just know Vitas dyes his hair and sets it in rollers, he thinks he"s losing it, the look. Then we met Eddie Money and he was cute, he said he was rooting for me at Columbus Hospital in "68 when I was shot because he was a cop then at the precinct right around the corner. Then Fred was tired, he"d come in that morning on the Concorde.
Tuesday, July 29, 1980 It was Fred"s birthday and Richard Weisman was giving him a surprise party and the phone kept ringing all day and Robyn was having to invite people and not let Fred know, so the whole day was whispering.
Dropped Vincent (cab $4.50). Suzie Frankfurt said that I had to be at her house there on time, at 8:00, because it was a surprise party. Got there at 8:55. Every kid from the office and their date was there.
Fred came in and he was really surprised, he was shocked. John Samuels was there and he was sweet, he invited me out to his father"s house on Long Island that used to belong to J.P. Morgan. John Scribner was there, and D.D. Ryan. And Eddie Money came with Vitas and Arma Andon. A girl came out of a cake for $500 and it was a big dud. A big nothing-Suzie was complaining about the price. Richard paid. Averil sent a singing telegram. She was there, though. She was drunk and tongue-kissing me and she got mad because I wouldn"t tongue-kiss her back. The two Frankfurt kids were here. I sat in the kitchen eating good kosher sandwiches.
Curley was the real drunk of the party. Diana Vreeland didn"t come, she was too tired. Patti LuPone was there and her brother with his wife, he"s really good-looking. I tried to tape some of the birthday song but it was too noisy. Jay Johnson and Susan were there, and Tom Cashin who"s leaving The Best Little Wh.o.r.ehouse in Texas The Best Little Wh.o.r.ehouse in Texas this week. He"s going to California to play the role out there. I got fat eating sandwiches. this week. He"s going to California to play the role out there. I got fat eating sandwiches.
Wednesday, July 30, 1980 They were having a costume auction at Sotheby"s at 1:00 and one of the things in the auction was a costume I"d done in the sixties for the Dalton twins-the "This Side Up" dress. Sotheby"s just had it thrown in with the other clothes, they didn"t realize I"d done it. If somebody had put it in a frame it could have sold for $10,000 but somebody"s probably going to get it for $25. It"s the last thing in the auction.
Mr. Stern called and said he was coming down at 5:30 to look at his Flower paintings. They"re diamond-dust fluorescent.
Friday, August 1, 1980 I had an appointment to meet the new Lone Ranger, Klinton Spilsbury, at the office. Robert Hayes and I were going to interview him. He"s on TV tonight and I think I"ll take a look. He was really good-looking. Long hair, 6"5", and a face that"s a cross between Warren Beatty and Clint Eastwood. He had a bottle of wine. He was an art student, he said, out in California and he was married and had a little baby, but his wife-she was rich-she left him, he said, because he needed too much time (laughs) (laughs) with his own thoughts. He was making movies, directing, and then he said he wanted to know how it felt to be an actor, so he took acting lessons and then an agent saw him and he went out for a part, and they gave him the first one, the Lone Ranger. But he didn"t want to sign at first because it included all the extra things he"d have to do, like wear the costume and sing things, but then they took that stuff out. He said he modeled once, that he didn"t really want to but someone had just asked him to, so he did. Then he was really drunk and gave me his belt. Then he started really talking, he told me that he"d been at Studio 54 and I"d gone over and said, "You have to be careful, you"re dancing with a drag queen." Klinton said he"s a friend of Dennis Christopher"s, he fell in love with Dennis Christopher and then with that kid Bud Cort, who was in with his own thoughts. He was making movies, directing, and then he said he wanted to know how it felt to be an actor, so he took acting lessons and then an agent saw him and he went out for a part, and they gave him the first one, the Lone Ranger. But he didn"t want to sign at first because it included all the extra things he"d have to do, like wear the costume and sing things, but then they took that stuff out. He said he modeled once, that he didn"t really want to but someone had just asked him to, so he did. Then he was really drunk and gave me his belt. Then he started really talking, he told me that he"d been at Studio 54 and I"d gone over and said, "You have to be careful, you"re dancing with a drag queen." Klinton said he"s a friend of Dennis Christopher"s, he fell in love with Dennis Christopher and then with that kid Bud Cort, who was in Harold and Maude Harold and Maude. Then he said he"d been picked up by Halston and woke up in bed with Halston. And it was nutty, he was telling me all this and blowing his whole image.
My "This Side Up" dress went for $450 at the auction.
Sat.u.r.day, August 2, 1980 There was a big rainstorm but it didn"t cool off the city. Picked up John Reinhold for dinner, we went to Cote Basque. Left the place and I had a dish from the restaurant that I"d stolen and I dropped it on the street and it broke and then suddenly the police were there-they were down the street and they thought they heard a window break. But they recognized me and said, "Oh all right, Mr. Warhol." It could have been bad. They could have taken me to the precinct.
Sunday, August 3, 1980 I got dressed and walked in the heat to church. I was going to go to work but it was so hot, I didn"t want to see anybody. It was Archie"s birthday and he"s eight or nine or even older. I gave him a box of Hartz Mountain treats.
Tuesday, August 5, 1980 Missed watching the Today Show Today Show with Truman but it sounds like it was the same old thing. Brigid tried to get Truman on the phone but he had it off the hook. The review of with Truman but it sounds like it was the same old thing. Brigid tried to get Truman on the phone but he had it off the hook. The review of Music for Chameleons Music for Chameleons in the in the Times Times didn"t mention that some of the stories were from didn"t mention that some of the stories were from Interview Interview.
Halston wanted to give me a party for my birthday but I said I was going to the theater with Stephen Graham. I"m going to invite Susan Johnson for him because he likes dumb girls. I wonder if they"ll hit it off. No, she won"t like him.
Halston gave me a whole box of ugly shoes for my birthday.
Wednesday, August 6, 1980 It was my birthday but I hadn"t slept all night so at 7 A A.M. I took a sleeping pill, but it acted more like an up. I really feel like an old-timer this time. I can"t believe I"m so old because that means (laughs) (laughs) that Brigid"s old, too. It"s too abstract. I can"t even squish a roach anymore because it"s just like a life, like living. I glued myself together and wanted to walk. Got a lot of phone calls about my birthday. Todd Bra.s.sner called and I told him to come down and bring me a present, but he didn"t. Victor Hugo sent orchids with beautiful ribbons. From Renny, that must be a very chic place. that Brigid"s old, too. It"s too abstract. I can"t even squish a roach anymore because it"s just like a life, like living. I glued myself together and wanted to walk. Got a lot of phone calls about my birthday. Todd Bra.s.sner called and I told him to come down and bring me a present, but he didn"t. Victor Hugo sent orchids with beautiful ribbons. From Renny, that must be a very chic place.
I had an appointment with Chris Makos at 860 (cab $5.50). Then the kids kept coming by. Curley brought me a piece of junk, an airplane light. I asked him to stay for lunch.
Richard Weisman called to say he was coming down. I said I was going to 65 Irving for lunch, and to meet us there. We went over, ten of us. Pingle-the Princess Ingeborg Schleswig-Holstein-came, who works at Interview Interview now. She"s related to Queen Elizabeth. And Brigid came. We were having pina coladas and then strawberry daiquiris and then Richard had the idea to have blueberry daiquiris. It was fun. now. She"s related to Queen Elizabeth. And Brigid came. We were having pina coladas and then strawberry daiquiris and then Richard had the idea to have blueberry daiquiris. It was fun.
Rupert gave me 300 ties. Robert Hayes gave me a silver set of Elvis records, every record he ever made. Mimi Trujillo brought two dresses to show me and Victor made her give them to me, they"re great. Then I had to go to the theater. Halston sent a singing telegram that had three people singing it. They were awful. They"re trying to be in show business and I asked them not to exaggerate it and to sing it quietly. Halston sent a big cake in the shape of a shoe and it must have been the best cake because Brigid ate all of it.
I glued and was late but then Susan Johnson was even later and I screamed at her. Stephen was already inside on the aisle when we got there. Annie Annie was wonderful (cab $6). It was packed, you"d never think there was a recession. Standing room. The audience loved it, mostly old people. I was trying to keep awake. Afterwards we went backstage. I didn"t see Alice Ghostley. I went to school with her husband. was wonderful (cab $6). It was packed, you"d never think there was a recession. Standing room. The audience loved it, mostly old people. I was trying to keep awake. Afterwards we went backstage. I didn"t see Alice Ghostley. I went to school with her husband.
We got a dumpy limo outside to go to Mr. Chow"s. Mr. and Mrs. Chow greeted us. I didn"t want to sign the guest book there because I wanted to do it with my own pen the next time. Tina Chow wished me happy birthday. We had champagne. Robin Williams came in and said h.e.l.lo, I asked him to join us but he said he was at the bar with someone, that he"d see. With some lady friend. And then I remembered that somebody told me he met a girl the day he married his wife and that they"ve been having an affair ever since. Anyway, he didn"t come back. He had a short-sleeved shirt on and his arms are so hairy, that"s how Susan recognized him. I hope Popeye Popeye is a hit for him because his TV show just died. Stephen invited a girl to join us for dinner, a sculptress who lives down near Rupert. She made a sculpture out of a napkin as a present for me, but then we didn"t notice when the waiter took it away. Stephen was nervous and he almost started drinking. We dropped him on 57th and Second, then I dropped Susan (cab $5). is a hit for him because his TV show just died. Stephen invited a girl to join us for dinner, a sculptress who lives down near Rupert. She made a sculpture out of a napkin as a present for me, but then we didn"t notice when the waiter took it away. Stephen was nervous and he almost started drinking. We dropped him on 57th and Second, then I dropped Susan (cab $5).
Thursday, August 7, 1980 We drove out to Old Westbury with Whitney Tower to see the studio of his great-grandmother, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, to see if Interview Interview might want to do some shooting there (toll $1, gas $30). The house was just beautiful, Whitney said it was designed by William Adams Delano. She had a whole room with murals done by Maxfield Parrish. Her sculptures were all around. Then we went next door to Whitney"s grandmother"s, Mrs. Miller, but she"s in her eighties and she was "resting" so we just wandered around. might want to do some shooting there (toll $1, gas $30). The house was just beautiful, Whitney said it was designed by William Adams Delano. She had a whole room with murals done by Maxfield Parrish. Her sculptures were all around. Then we went next door to Whitney"s grandmother"s, Mrs. Miller, but she"s in her eighties and she was "resting" so we just wandered around.
Back to the city ($1). Stopped at Philip Johnson"s apartment, talked to David Whitney for an hour. He"s working on the Jewish Museum project. He says the show should be plain, with no gimmicks. But I think it should be funny, I don"t know, I think the designer can really make a show interesting. But I guess the museum has no money to spend.
Richard Weisman had invited me to meet Ann Miller, Patti LuPone, and Phil Esposito and him at "21" for dinner at 11:00. At "21" they looked at my bluejeans and they were about to say something but I rushed in fast. I finally talked Bob into putting Patti LuPone on the cover of Interview Interview. She"s so funny and Bob finally fell in love with her.
All I could do was stare at Ann Miller. Her face is flawless. Not a wrinkle, not even a smile line, and she said, "One of these days I"m going to have to get a facelift." I don"t think she has, really, because her skin isn"t pulled at all-her face is fat but it"s unlined and not pulled. And she has tiny pet.i.te hands with long fingers. She"s been married two and a half times-one was annulled. She said, "I married the richest Texans in the world, but as soon as the marriages started, the romance was over." She was cute, she ate like a Hollywood starlet on her first date-she had chicken hash. That"s Hollywood style. And her nose is so fine, so perfect, it has has to be a fake nose. to be a fake nose.
Ann said that when she was at the bottom some people dropped her and now when those people send her flowers for Sugar Babies Sugar Babies she writes back, "Thanks for nothing." And the person who really did it the worst was Betsy Bloomingdale, Bob"s best friend. And she said that Denise Hale was "trash." And she"s known Reagan for years but said she wouldn"t vote for him. But she"s like me-after every putdown she says, "Oh but don"t get me wrong, Reagan"s wonderful, I just wouldn"t vote for him." she writes back, "Thanks for nothing." And the person who really did it the worst was Betsy Bloomingdale, Bob"s best friend. And she said that Denise Hale was "trash." And she"s known Reagan for years but said she wouldn"t vote for him. But she"s like me-after every putdown she says, "Oh but don"t get me wrong, Reagan"s wonderful, I just wouldn"t vote for him."
Bob walked me home and when we got to 66th Street there was a big fire across the street from me in front of the Ugandan building. A brand-new tree was burning because someone had set fire to the garbage underneath it, and this whole family was sitting on the steps just watching the fire burn-it looked like Puerto Rico-and I just got furious-it looked like Africa-and they were just staring at this beautiful tree burning that was put in right when the one in front of my house was, and they didn"t even call the fire department! And I don"t understand because the doormen on the block must have seen it, too, and n.o.body was doing anything. So Bob and I went in and he called the fire department and they came in one second and put it out, but I don"t know if the tree will make it.
Sat.u.r.day, August 9, 1980 Vincent was at the office with his whole TV crew. Don Munroe and everybody. They filmed me doing some introductions to the shows he"s shot, to give me a bigger presence in the programs. I think they"re going to call it Andy Warhols Andy Warhols TV. It"s interviews with people-just the people talking to the camera. Painted at the office till 8:00. Bill Schwartz called, he"s in town from Atlanta for the Democratic convention and he asked me for dinner, he"s staying at the Mayfair House. TV. It"s interviews with people-just the people talking to the camera. Painted at the office till 8:00. Bill Schwartz called, he"s in town from Atlanta for the Democratic convention and he asked me for dinner, he"s staying at the Mayfair House.
Glued, and walked over to the Mayfair House. When I got there a man signing in said, "You painted my wife." And I didn"t recognize him and then his wife was there and I didn"t recognize her, either. It was awful because there weren"t too many people around. She"d dyed her hair blonde and that threw me. It was Mr. and Mrs. H&R Block. And I was looking so squarely at them. It was really bad. I invited them down to the office.
Sunday, August 10, 1980 Bob called and said I was meeting him at 7:30 to pick up Ina Ginsburg to begin coverage of the Democratic National Convention with the Newsweek Newsweek party at the Rainbow Room that Katharine Graham was giving. Went up to the Metropolitan Club where Ina was staying. Ina was in a black one-shoulder dress held up with a diamond pin that was maybe a Halston. She had on white shoes, she was nice. Then cabbed to the Rainbow Room ($3.50). Liz Carpenter was there, she used to be Lady Bird"s social secretary. And she"s big and fat and Texan and she was wearing an American flag dress with a watermelon across the front of it. And Peter Duchin said, "I know that dress is patriotic ... somehow." party at the Rainbow Room that Katharine Graham was giving. Went up to the Metropolitan Club where Ina was staying. Ina was in a black one-shoulder dress held up with a diamond pin that was maybe a Halston. She had on white shoes, she was nice. Then cabbed to the Rainbow Room ($3.50). Liz Carpenter was there, she used to be Lady Bird"s social secretary. And she"s big and fat and Texan and she was wearing an American flag dress with a watermelon across the front of it. And Peter Duchin said, "I know that dress is patriotic ... somehow."
It was wall-to-wall everybody rich and famous and you couldn"t understand how they were all in town because it was August, and then you know it is is a great city if the convention could get all this together. Tom Brokaw was there and Barbara Walters with her beau, and Ina knew everybody and was introducing us to everybody but I could only remember half of the names of the people I knew, so I wasn"t so good for her. a great city if the convention could get all this together. Tom Brokaw was there and Barbara Walters with her beau, and Ina knew everybody and was introducing us to everybody but I could only remember half of the names of the people I knew, so I wasn"t so good for her.
John Tunney came over and put down Reagan and Bob got in a snit. John Tunney called me "Peter," though (laughs) (laughs), and he thanked me for doing the Kennedy poster. He thought I was Peter Max. And then it was funny because then somebody came up and said, "Oh thank you for doing the Carter poster." Saw Art Buchwald, and Jan Cowles was there with her husband, and Mrs. Graham we said h.e.l.lo to and later on goodbye to. Her daughter Lally was there with Alexander c.o.c.kburn.
Ina introduced us to a girl named Dolly Fox, a rich girl who"s staying at the Ritz Towers and she"s a runner but she has a pink ticket and that means she can go all the way to the president at the Sheraton. She"s in high school still, but she acts like an older person. Her mother Yolanda was a Miss America in the fifties. We invited Dolly to dinner with us at Pearl"s.
Pearl"s was jammed with convention people. We got a table. And then Ina noticed that the Blair boy and his father, Bill Blair, the amba.s.sador to Denmark, were also having dinner and she went and invited them to join us, but the boy said it was his eighteenth birthday and he"d like to have it just with his father and that they"d come over for coffee. Liz Carpenter was there with I.M. Pei and his wife and a woman who"s the Secretary of Education, Shirley something, and she I think was drunk and tough and asked me my philosophy on education and I told her I couldn"t even think, and she said, "You have to! Quick!"
We ordered dinner. Bob got screaming and crazy for a second when Ina said something against Reagan, but he caught himself and apologized. Ina and Jerry Zipkin want Bob to get them invited to Richard Weisman"s lunch for Miz Lillian. Then the Blair kid came over and talked and he and Dolly sort of picked each other up. But Dolly is seventeen and acts forty and he"s eighteen and acts ten. Dinner was cheap and we even had champagne for the boy ($125).
Then we cabbed to Park to a party that Ina got us invited to given for the Rhode Island delegation. A lot of rich presidents of corporations. Alice Mason was there looking like a mammy in a turban and a red dress. She came over and said she was so thrilled to see me. Bob thought she was being mean, but she was nice. Everybody thinks Carter will win on the first ballot and then they"ll have to work really hard to get him reelected. There"s so many Democrats around. They had good coffee-you can always tell if a party"s good by if the coffee"s good. This may have been the kind from a restaurant that you get in a container. I don"t know.
Left there about 12:00, walked Ina back to the Metropolitan Club. Home around 12:30.
Monday, August 11, 1980 It was a busy day around the office. Mr. Stern called and said the Flower paintings were dented when they got to Hartz Mountain in New Jersey. Robyn called to find out about it.
Worked on paintings and paying bills up front where it"s air-conditioned because it was too hot to work in the back. The Princess Holstein hovers around me when I work. I gave her to Ronnie so he could show her how to trace. Robyn decided to ask around about the Holsteins and found out that they"ve got lots of t.i.tles but no money. We put on a TV to watch the convention.
I dropped the princess (cab $4.50). She wants to help me with painting instead of work at Interview Interview, but I can do it faster without her.
All the real American people from the convention are around town and it"s sort of exciting. I saw a lot wearing cowboy hats.
Went home and glued myself together. Victor said he"d meet us at Halston"s. I got there and Bianca was asleep under the covers in a white evening dress that I thought was a nightgown.
Halston was working late, he had to finish the collection for China, he"s going to China and j.a.pan.
I read the papers and ate potato chips.
We decided to go to Elaine"s. I wanted to get the Blair boy for Bianca but I couldn"t remember his first name or his phone number. Had a table in the back. Elaine"s a little heavier now.
Bianca waved and Nick Roeg thought she was waving at him and came over. He was drunk and obnoxious-one of those people who scares me because they change in a second. He directed Mick in Performance Performance. He just finished Bad Timing Bad Timing with Art Garfunkel. He was telling Bianca that he"d loved her for years, and I said, "Why don"t you use her in a movie, you can get her." And he screamed, "How dare you, how disgraceful of you to say that, what bad taste!" and Bianca was protesting, too. She was nice to him, though, she didn"t put him down. I guess she does hope she"ll get work from him. He was hugging and kissing her. He said he loved with Art Garfunkel. He was telling Bianca that he"d loved her for years, and I said, "Why don"t you use her in a movie, you can get her." And he screamed, "How dare you, how disgraceful of you to say that, what bad taste!" and Bianca was protesting, too. She was nice to him, though, she didn"t put him down. I guess she does hope she"ll get work from him. He was hugging and kissing her. He said he loved Bad Bad.
And then he told me he saw "my mother" on TV in England, that stupid David Bailey "doc.u.mentary" about me where Lil Piccard made believe she was my mother and Nick was going on and on about how wonderful she was and how sweet and how great it was to have a mother who loved me so much and he wished his did and I just didn"t have the heart to tell him that wasn"t my mother. He said it was so touching it had him in tears. He was yapping and driving us crazy. He"s fifty-two and he said how handsome he used to be and that look at him now, he said it all fell apart just recently.
Then he and Victor had words. Victor had his Sony Sound-about on and Nick Roeg said how dare he be so rude and not listen to the conversation. And Victor said, listen, that it was his his table and he could do whatever he wanted, that Nick was his guest and how dare he complain when he"d barged in where he wasn"t invited, and so then when he saw that Victor was intelligent he was hugging him and apologizing. table and he could do whatever he wanted, that Nick was his guest and how dare he complain when he"d barged in where he wasn"t invited, and so then when he saw that Victor was intelligent he was hugging him and apologizing.
Tuesday, August 12, 1980 At 12:00 I had an appointment to meet Debbie Harry at the office (cab $4). I was early and Debbie and Chris were on time. We worked all afternoon. Debbie was sweet, every picture came out perfect. Vincent was taping her for the Andy Warhol"s TV Andy Warhol"s TV show and he had Lisa Robinson there interviewing her and Chris. I sat in on it so that I"d have a higher profile on the tape for the TV show. Lisa is a good interviewer. They were there till 4:00. show and he had Lisa Robinson there interviewing her and Chris. I sat in on it so that I"d have a higher profile on the tape for the TV show. Lisa is a good interviewer. They were there till 4:00.
And I"ve decided I"m not going to call girls anymore and invite them places because they"re too difficult. I called Sean Young, that really pretty actress who I met with Linda Stein, because I thought that Richard Weisman would like her. But she wouldn"t give me her home number so I could call her back and it"s too hard. I asked her if she wanted to go to a baseball game and she said she"d been to one once already. She"s in some James Ivory movie that"s about to come out.
I had to leave early because I invited Bianca to the Peking Opera, she said yes, and I invited John Samuels, too. We ran into the Met Opera House and had just missed the curtain so we had to wait with Chinese people screaming why couldn"t they go in. I think it"s so ridiculous that the Met tries to be so sophisticated and not let you in if you"re twenty seconds late. Especially with something like this Chinese opera because Chinese people talk all through their operas and make noise anyway.
Then after ten minutes we could go in. Fran Lebowitz was there with Jed. The opera was boring. Good costumes, lots of tumbling. Drag queens.
I saw Margaret Hamilton, the witch in The Wizard of The Wizard of Oz, and got so excited and went over to her and told her how wonderful she was. She does the Maxwell House commercials now. She"s really small. Oz, and got so excited and went over to her and told her how wonderful she was. She does the Maxwell House commercials now. She"s really small.
Bianca"s trying to get Halston to get a ticket for John Samuels to go on the China trip, too. I asked her why she went on the Tomorrow Tomorrow show if she didn"t have anything to say. And she said that she did, that she was in the new Burt Reynolds movie, show if she didn"t have anything to say. And she said that she did, that she was in the new Burt Reynolds movie, Cannonball II Cannonball II. But big deal-she"s in one scene, she worked one week.
Wednesday, August 13, 1980 Sat around the house waiting for it to be time to go to Richard Weisman"s lunch for Miz Lillian. The rest of Truman"s time on Donahue Donahue was preempted by the convention. Jerry Zipkin was picking Bob up. So I met them at Bob"s and we went to U.N. Plaza. There were press people outside, they took some pictures, but there weren"t any really big stars. Suzie Frankfurt and Patti LuPone were there, and a 6"11" basketball player, I don"t know his name, he was white, really cute, he kept trying to be friendly. Miz Lillian was in the other room. There was so much press and not that many people. was preempted by the convention. Jerry Zipkin was picking Bob up. So I met them at Bob"s and we went to U.N. Plaza. There were press people outside, they took some pictures, but there weren"t any really big stars. Suzie Frankfurt and Patti LuPone were there, and a 6"11" basketball player, I don"t know his name, he was white, really cute, he kept trying to be friendly. Miz Lillian was in the other room. There was so much press and not that many people.
A girlfriend of Robyn"s who kept asking about him was there. She has a volunteer job with LeRoy Neiman, she carries his bag for him, I think. And LeRoy Neiman was there, he"s doing a drawing of Miz Lillian for the Daily News Daily News. Then we went and found Miz Lillian talking to Barbara Walters. Lillian keeps saying the portrait I did of her raised $65,000 but I never heard a thing about that. They brought out a cake and I taped the "Happy Birthday." Then LeRoy said he had a car downstairs and we could ride in it, so we all left with Miz Lillian. And it was an actual car, not a limo. My tape jammed and I put in another one, and it jammed, too, so then I knew it wasn"t the tape, that the Secret Service guy had done it. He was cute. People were looking and waving at the car, they had Miz Lillian balloons. She said, "Every smile is a vote."
At the hotel there were sisters and brothers and cousins from Georgia. She said, "Sis!" to one but I don"t know if it was really her sister. We went up to the penthouse and then took another elevator to the next floor to her room, and she said when times were better she used to have a whole suite.
LeRoy was drawing those terrible drawings of his, asking her questions, saying anything to her. It was great. He told dirty jokes, and she told them back. Like his was one about a bear using a rabbit after every c.r.a.p to wipe himself, and she laughed. She"d left the liquor that Phyllis George sent at Richard"s and someone went back for it.
Phyllis George is sending a lot of things, she wanted her husband to introduce Jimmy or something like that, but Miz Lillian said it was impossible, that it was protocol. Phyllis also sent two pictures of her baby. She also sent Miz Lillian a sequined jacket, and Miz Lillian said, "Now how could I wear that." I gave her a Philosophy Philosophy book. I ignored Ruth Stapleton Carter because I didn"t recognize her. There were a lot of Secret Service in the room because Carter was next door or a few doors down. I felt like a groupie. book. I ignored Ruth Stapleton Carter because I didn"t recognize her. There were a lot of Secret Service in the room because Carter was next door or a few doors down. I felt like a groupie.
Miz Lillian was putting down Harvard people, she hates them, she was just on the point of calling some Harvard guy she was in the Peace Corps with a fairy, but she didn"t.
I told Le Roy he was such a good interviewer that I wished he would work for Interview Interview. He said he could talk so freely with Miz Lillian because she reminded him of his own mother. I left him and took a walk down the avenue. I was signing autographs and a girl came over and handed me an "I Love New York" b.u.t.ton, and then she asked me for money, and actually I was about to give her something but then she was so horrible and aggressive that I handed the thing back to her and she grabbed my finger and slammed it in her book and squeezed it and I was going to hit her with my tape recorder.
I pa.s.sed out Interviews Interviews and then at 4:00 had an appointment with the H&R Blocks at the office (cab $3.60). The office was busy. They brought their daughter and I think a senator from Missouri. They"re from Kansas City. They were thrilled with the office. I gave them a and then at 4:00 had an appointment with the H&R Blocks at the office (cab $3.60). The office was busy. They brought their daughter and I think a senator from Missouri. They"re from Kansas City. They were thrilled with the office. I gave them a Popism Popism. Worked till 7:30, dropped Vincent (cab $5). Had a drink and got very tired, decided to stay home and watch the convention which was boring.
Thursday, August 14, 1980 Got to the office and the Secret Service guys were everywhere, all over the block. I gave them Interviews Interviews. Then I remembered the Mondale kid, that I"d invited him. Liz Carpenter was there, a camp, she had her hair Bo Derek-style, just beads in it. She wanted me to give an art education lecture to the Secretary of Education.