Chapter 27
Thursday, November 20, 1980 Called the office ($.25 because I didn't have a dime). Walked down Madison. Somebody stopped me with really bad breath. I've been trying to clean Archie's teeth but it's not working. I love the natural toothpaste I get at Brownies-cinnamon and spearmint-but what I really love is Close-up and Ultra-Brite. Close-up is so good, really poisonous-looking. And when Brigid and I go to to May's, you see people opening the toothpaste tubes and taking a taste. Brigid does that. May's, you see people opening the toothpaste tubes and taking a taste. Brigid does that.
Worked till 7:30. Dropped Rupert off. Barbara Allen called and was upset with what Scavullo said in the newspaper-that he doesn't know how some people get into high society because they don't know anything, like Barbara Allen. And she had on her high-cla.s.s voice (cab $6).
Then I went to Lee Thaw's party at 72nd and Park for the Maharaja of Baroda because he'd just done a book called Palaces of Jaipur Palaces of Jaipur published by Alex Gregory who publishes all the big bombs. And the maharaja said he was going to be on published by Alex Gregory who publishes all the big bombs. And the maharaja said he was going to be on To Tell the Truth To Tell the Truth next week, which was so funny because I mean you hear people at these parties saying they're going to be on the next week, which was so funny because I mean you hear people at these parties saying they're going to be on the Today Show Today Show and and Meet the Press Meet the Press and things, and then and things, and then he he says, "I'm going to be on says, "I'm going to be on To Tell the Truth." To Tell the Truth." So they'll be guessing who he is. So they'll be guessing who he is.
I met s.h.i.+rley Lord, who's English, from Vogue Vogue. A beauty editor. She was fun. She has big t.i.ts. And next to her was Daniel Ludwig, the richest man in the world, and he wasn't talking and she wanted to get him to, and she knew the odd kinds of information, like how scientists can now look with microscopes at babies and predict where their future wrinkles will be. And then I talked to Mary McFadden and she was such a camp. She said, "People put down your portraits, and I defend you. I tell them, 'At least they have good color!' " Home at 12:00.
Sat.u.r.day, November 22, 1980 Got up early. Cabbed ($4) to the office to meet Diana Vreeland and Prince and Princess Michael of Kent.
I'd painted a background and thought it would dry before anyone got there and that I could roll it up. So I had it spread out on the floor and then suddenly they arrived and Prince Michael walked right on it, he thought it was a floor covering. So Fred asked him to autograph it. And he just signed it "Michael," he doesn't use "Prince."
Monday, November 24, 1980 Bob said that Cal-the friend of Ron Reagan called "Chocolate Boy"-called and said that Ron had just gotten married, so Bob set up a dinner the next night, Tuesday. Then Bob was being interviewed by some newspaper and he told the girl we were having dinner with them at Le Cirque and I got mad and told Bob he shouldn't have, so then he changed it to La Grenouille because otherwise they would have sent a photographer to Le Cirque. The story about the marriage made the papers by 5:30.
Fred intercepted a call for me from "Chuck Roast" because he thought it was a crazy kid, but it was actually the j.a.panese kid who came to interview me once who asked me to give him a name.
And downstairs the building directory was smashed right beside my name. It gave me an eerie feeling.
Tuesday, November 25, 1980 Mike the super came up and said that there wouldn't be heat over the holiday weekend. That was a big disappointment because that's when I was planning to get all my work done, that's why I was staying in town.
The Reagan kid cancelled dinner like I told Bob he would. Then it was in the papers that the Reagans were honeymooning with the Warhol crowd at Le Cirque.
Thursday, November 27, 1980 Got up and watched the Thanksgiving Day parade on TV. Happened to see Berkeley, John Reinhold's little daughter-Superman's float came up and practically touched them on the twentieth floor.
Chris Makos called, he was up in Ma.s.sachusetts seeing Jon Gould of Paramount Pictures.
Worked at the office alone. Curley called and invited me to Thanksgiving dinner, he was cooking it at his parents' apartment on Park Avenue. I said that I'd come up after dinner. Then Catherine called. I asked her if she wanted to come over and make it look a little like last year. She'd just gotten in from London and had had turkey dinner on the plane, and said she was the only one on Laker. I guess no one travels on Thanksgiving. Cabbed to Curley's with Catherine ($3).
Tuesday, December 2, 1980 Richard Weisman called and invited me to the party for the famous Hollywood photographer George Hurrell at Doubles. Got there and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. was coming out, and I asked him why he was leaving and he said because he'd stood in front of his photograph and had his picture taken by the press so then it was time to leave.
The big stars there were Lillian Gish, Maureen Stapleton, Tammy Grimes. I met Mr. Hurrell and he's really strong and straight and Paul Morrissey had said that he was about to pop off any minute, but there he was and he knew all about me and he raved and he was sweet and I asked him if I could take a picture and he said sure.
Maureen O'Sullivan was next to to me and she was saying, "Oh, I've just been throwing out so many Hurrells and Clarence Bulls, we've been moving." I asked her what it was like to get so close to Johnny Weissmuller's body and she said it was okay but that she only was interested in intellectuals, my dear. I said, "So is Mia really going to marry Woody Allen?" And she said that she really didn't know, and then I told her that I was only kidding, that I didn't care. And I met Teresa Wright and she looked good. me and she was saying, "Oh, I've just been throwing out so many Hurrells and Clarence Bulls, we've been moving." I asked her what it was like to get so close to Johnny Weissmuller's body and she said it was okay but that she only was interested in intellectuals, my dear. I said, "So is Mia really going to marry Woody Allen?" And she said that she really didn't know, and then I told her that I was only kidding, that I didn't care. And I met Teresa Wright and she looked good.
Diana Vreeland called and said how much she loved her cover story in Interview Interview. The cover makes her look about twenty, and she said, "The only problem is I'm beginning to think I look like that woman on the cover."
Thursday, December 4, 1980 We're taking the Reagan kids to dinner on Sat.u.r.day, just Bob and me, because his wife Doria wants to to work for work for Interview Interview-they're going on the road for four months and she wants to do a column for us from the road. Jerry Zipkin said that they liked Chinese or j.a.panese food, that that was more their style.
Friday, December 5, 1980 Catherine said she was going to France for a week because her n.a.z.i step-grandfather just died, Sir Oswald Mosley, and her family was getting together there so she thought it would be a good thing to do for the book on the Mitfords that she's helping her father with.
And did I say that when Florinda Bolkan came down to have her picture taken, she wouldn't do a thing until Marina Cicogna said it was okay-she wouldn't even put her head down. And Marina is just like a truck driver, she pushes everybody around, and if that's what love is, I guess that's what love is.
Sat.u.r.day, December 6, 1980 I called Bob to see if our dinner with Ron and Doria Reagan was on and he said it was. Rupert was there waiting at the office when I got there, and Jay came in. And then Joe Dallesandro called from California, somewhere around Sacramento, I think. He was calling for money of course, he said he was in a truck with his mother, they live in a truck or a trailer, I don't know. I told him he should go to Los Angeles and be discovered. It's so absolutely boring-he never calls and says do you want to do something together, it's just always for money.
Worked all afternoon. Decided to go Christmas shopping. Rupert took some Interviews Interviews and we went down to the Village. People seemed out shopping early. I think this is going to be the most gigantic Christmas for sales, I really do. Country-wide. and we went down to the Village. People seemed out shopping early. I think this is going to be the most gigantic Christmas for sales, I really do. Country-wide.
Ron and Doria were already at Nippon when we got there. The owner took us to one of the private rooms. Ron was in his alligator T-s.h.i.+rt to show off his muscles. The Secret Service jammed the place. The owner kept bringing in toys for us-he gave the Reagans this new kind of bottle-opener gun that opens up and you really could kill somebody with it. Bob asked if we could go to the inauguration in January and they said we'd be getting invitations. They said they were going to Bermuda soon, and Bob said he was seeing Lily Auchincloss so he'd ask if it was okay for them to stay at her house there. Doria's really sweet and charming. Bob was so happy. We left them with the Secret Service and got home-walked-about 12:30 or 1:00 (dinner $200). And life gets more exciting every day, but then I had to go home to my horrible home life where the situation with Jed is getting worse every day.
Monday, December 8, 1980 Walked to Halston's. All his girls were there wearing all his clothes. There were three limos out front and we went to the Met Museum, to Diana Vreeland's opening-night Costume Inst.i.tute dinner. It was the 650 people you know best. Someone who came in said John Lennon was shot and no one could believe it, so someone called the Daily News Daily News and they said it was true. It was scary, it was all anyone could talk about. He was shot outside his house. and they said it was true. It was scary, it was all anyone could talk about. He was shot outside his house.
When I got home I turned on the TV and they said he was murdered by somebody he gave an autograph to earlier in the evening.
Tuesday, December 9, 1980 The news was the same news that had been on all night, pictures of John and old film clips. Had to take Archie and Amos down to the office to be looked at by the Lewis Allen dummy people (cab $5). When I got there Howdy Doody was waiting for me. I'm doing his portrait, he's one of the Big Myths.
After I photographed Howdy, I got into the barber's chair that the dummy people brought. They did the back of my head, they put a wig hat on me. There were two photographers and Ronnie was taking 3-D pictures. They put gook on and covered my ears and eyes. They said, "Pinch me if you want to get out of it." It was making me sick, and I had a cold, and I had phlegm that I couldn't cough up, it was awful. They finally took the mold off but then they dropped it. They were saying, "We can save it, we can save it." But then they said they might have to do another one and I said, "No you're not." They stuck my hands in some more gook and that got some air bubbles so they lost a couple of fingers on that try. Then they did my teeth. And while this was going on, Ron Reagan arrived, he'd just had lunch with his father at the Waldorf. I was so out of it I couldn't really talk. Bob had given Doria the day off-she's working for him now -but she didn't go to to the Waldorf lunch because Nancy still couldn't get over the idea that her son had married without her consent. the Waldorf lunch because Nancy still couldn't get over the idea that her son had married without her consent.
And Bob was feeling his oats because the collector's issue of the Daily News Daily News that had "John Lennon Shot" headlines is the one that had the big story on him in it-"The Man Behind Andy Warhol." It was a long article, but it was boring. that had "John Lennon Shot" headlines is the one that had the big story on him in it-"The Man Behind Andy Warhol." It was a long article, but it was boring.
I watched the John Lennon news and it's so scary. I mean, the other day, the kid named Michael who's been writing me letters for five years just walked in-somebody buzzed him in-and he walked over and handed me another letter and left. Where does he live? In inst.i.tutions?
Wednesday, December 10, 1980 The papers still have the Lennon news. The one who killed him was a frustrated artist. They brought up the Dali poster he had on his wall. They always interview the janitors and the old schoolteachers and things. The kid said the devil made him do it. And John was so rich, they say he left a $235 million estate.
And the "vigil" is still going on at the Dakota. It looked so strange, I don't know what those people think they're doing.
Sunday, December 14, 1980 I was in a cab with a black driver during the minutes that were supposed to be silence to remember John and pray for his soul. He had a black station on and they had a ten-minute silence and the disc jockey said, "We're up there with you, John," and the driver laughed and said, "Not me, baby, I'm stayin' right down here." So he turned to another station and that that station was station was (laughs) (laughs) talking about the silence. talking about the silence.
Catherine was thrilled because Tom Sullivan is back in town and he's telling her he loves her, but he's full of baloney and she should be careful. She was leaving her key in the mailbox for him.
Bob said that at the Ann Getty dinner
Monday, December 15, 1980 I asked autograph seekers outside the Regency who they were waiting for and they said James Cagney was staying there and that he was really hard to get.
A lady from 67th Street rang the bell and said we were flooding her house and I looked in the back and there was a lot of water, but I didn't know what to do until Jed came home. It was a water pipe broken, shooting upwards.
Tuesday, December 16, 1980 Truman was reading at Lincoln Center and Brigid decided she wasn't going to go because she felt too fat, but she made me promise to swear that she was there if he asked. Jane Holzer was sending the limo to pick me up. It was the Mitzi Newhouse Theater, we had fourth-row center, next to Halston and Martha Graham. Lester was there, and Suzie Frankfurt, and Rex Reed. It wasn't completely sold-out, but it was pretty filled. Truman was cute, he explained each thing first, he got up on his toes and snapped his fingers and it was like disco and that was the best part. He read and acted the parts out. He read the maid story, and he read "A Christmas Memory" and a couple of other ones. Then afterward everybody was telling him how wonderful he was, because it was all friends. Rex told him the reading "touched my soul." Truman was shaking. The first thing he asked me was where's Brigid and I swore she was there, and he said, "Well, then where where is she?" and I said she had to go home, but I think he knew. is she?" and I said she had to go home, but I think he knew.
Wednesday, December 17, 1980 I was upset because two paintings cracked, I guess because of the cold. Then a limo arrived and I had to leave with Robert Hayes to go to the Mayfair to meet this German guy from Dusseldorf who wanted to meet me. We only had drinks with him, champagne. I was being funny, I told him I wanted to work on a line of "invisible clothes." And as I was leaving he said [imitates] [imitates], "Just send me da particulars, I vant to work vid you on dis line." He wasn't kidding.
Thursday, December 18, 1980 Got an urgent call from the office saying that there was a rock star down at 860 waiting to have his picture taken by me. I called Fred to find out what it was about but he didn't remember. I said I'd be right down, and it took twenty-five minutes (cab $5.50). He turned out to be Rie Ocasek from the Cars. They're from Boston, and he has an earring and capped teeth and he's not really good-looking because he has dyed-black hair, but he's sweet and as charming as David Bowie. Lunch was actually for Diane Lane who Ara Gallant was bringing down. She's fifteen and so beautiful.
Then Bob was busy on the phone, and we had to meet Doria and Ron and their friend Cal at the movie Flash Gordon Flash Gordon on 53rd Street. They were in the next-to-the-last row with the Secret Service behind them. The movie wasn't really good but it was fun to watch. Then after the movie they went in their car and didn't offer to take us so we got a cab up to the Gibbon restaurant to meet them. Those kids aren't going to have any friends, because it's just too scary being with them, with all these big guys guarding them, you think you're going to get b.u.mped off. And the Secret Service rented a room from a lady in their building-her living room-and they sit in there and watch with the door open all the time. The Secret Service guys I guess don't like j.a.panese food because they just had coffee. on 53rd Street. They were in the next-to-the-last row with the Secret Service behind them. The movie wasn't really good but it was fun to watch. Then after the movie they went in their car and didn't offer to take us so we got a cab up to the Gibbon restaurant to meet them. Those kids aren't going to have any friends, because it's just too scary being with them, with all these big guys guarding them, you think you're going to get b.u.mped off. And the Secret Service rented a room from a lady in their building-her living room-and they sit in there and watch with the door open all the time. The Secret Service guys I guess don't like j.a.panese food because they just had coffee.
Cal said our invitations for the inauguration had been sent out already and Bob asked Ron and Doria if we were invited to the right parties and they said they thought so. They said they weren't going to go in a limousine, they were going to try to rent an army truck. Bob said how it was easier to just go along in the limousine.
Bob told his Liz Taylor stories, but then he started talking about the bas.e.m.e.nt of Studio 54, and I don't know what he was thinking of. Doria is going to interview Adam Luders from the New York City Ballet for us.
Friday, December 19, 1980 C.Z. Guest called and I really have to make up my mind if I'm going out there on Christmas Eve. And Cornelia was at the office all dolled up, getting her picture taken. She wants to be a model.
John and Kimiko Powers came by with a present.
Sat.u.r.day, December 20, 1980 Vincent was having a party so cabbed there ($5). It turned out to be a really great party. I was taking pictures of this handsome kid I thought was a model and then I was embarra.s.sed because it turned out to be John-John Kennedy. Fred brought him and Mary Richardson. And Chris Makos was there taking party pictures. And Debbie Harry gave me a present, and she said to open it up and I said no, that I'd wait till I got home, and I'm glad that I did, because I just don't know what it is. It's this black thing. I wonder if it's a c.o.c.k ring, because it's rubber with a stick on it, but it has this one piece that doesn't make sense.
Monique's getting ready to push her book, and she wants the cover of Interview Interview, which actually might be fun.
Sunday, December 21, 1980 Jed's decided to move out and I don't want to talk about it. The apartment he bought on West 67th Street to work in, now he's decided he'll live in it, too.
Went to church. Worked in the freezing cold at the office and I'm not going to send in the rent.
Monday, December 22, 1980 A terrible day, no Christmas spirit at all, and it even got worse as the day wore on. I screamed at everybody, and I made them feel bad, it was like that all day. I couldn't shake it, even at night. Curley started crying and I told him he had to stop it or I was on the verge of cracking up.
I was supposed to go out to lunch with de Antonio but I didn't want to. I just ordered in and De and I ate in the conference room and the place was freezing and Mike the super, the only one who knows how to get a little heat out of the boiler, was out. I was in a terrible state, I felt a cold coming on, and I just can't work in the cold.
Hans Mayer came by to pick up some paintings and we had them bubble-wrapped. I gave Hans a painting and I gave De a painting, trying to get into the Christmas spirit, but I couldn't. I paid some bills.
I thought C.Z. Guest's Christmas Eve dinner would maybe be just the thing to get me finally in the mood, so Bob and I decided we would go out there and take Jerry Zipkin and Liz Smith and Iris Love, so that's settled. I'll take Popisms Popisms to give as presents. to give as presents.
Curley called and invited me to dinner and then Whitney Tower called and said Mick and Jerry would like to see me, and I asked if I could bring Curley and they said yes. I stayed by the electric heater all afternoon, but if I moved an inch away it was freezing.
I sent roses to Jon Gould-I want him to get Paramount to advertise in Interview Interview.
Curley picked me up in a limo at 9:00, then we picked up Whitney. Jerry has a new apartment at 135 Central Park West and she just got a farm in Texas with her money and she wants a tractor. She gave me a present, just what I've always wanted-a complete set of china from the Concorde! And I was so surprised, I was so thrilled, I don't know how she knew I liked it. But it's so funny to get something you really really want. And Mick was so friendly for the first time, talking and talking, and it was like we were best friends, telling me all about leaving for Paris on the twenty-seventh for the Herzog movie, of china from the Concorde! And I was so surprised, I was so thrilled, I don't know how she knew I liked it. But it's so funny to get something you really really want. And Mick was so friendly for the first time, talking and talking, and it was like we were best friends, telling me all about leaving for Paris on the twenty-seventh for the Herzog movie, Fitzcarraldo Fitzcarraldo. And telling me all about it and being really nice.
Meanwhile Curley was getting really drunk and I knew I had to get him out of there soon when he started calling Mick "Michael" and taking pictures. Curley still believes my father died in the Pittsburgh coal mines and because his mother's family, the Melions, own Pittsburgh, he feels guilty, so that's funny. So I got Curley out of there and I thought I could sober him up a little if I took him to the Bra.s.serie. He's drinking so much these days, and it's still fun, but if he keeps it up, it's like it's going to turn. At the Bra.s.serie I ordered just everything ($50). Then Curley started crying and I said he had to stop so then he was good and started laughing and staggering again. He dropped me, and it was still only 1:30 and still freezing.
Tuesday, December 23, 1980 I've been having the most un-Christmas spirit of my life. Woke up with my little cold. The office called and said there was no heat down there, so I was thinking about that, and then it started to snow and the flakes were so big and beautiful but before I could get to the window with my camera it had stopped.
The office was having the Christmas party, they said they were waiting for me, they said they had turkey and ham and booze. I wanted to Christmas shop but then I decided it might be too hard later to get a cab, so I got one right then (cab $7). John John Kennedy was at the office, and Cornelia Guest, and John Samuels, and Jimmy Burden-all these kids that I knew when they were babies, it was so strange. And Jackie O. didn't invite me to her Christmas party this year. I gave out some Popisms Popisms. Ronnie gave me one of his artworks, it was really great-a spear.
The article in The New York Times The New York Times about Francoise de la Renta was just so disgusting, as if she and Oscar have this great life, when it's all just him and the friend and her suffering through it. And John Richardson was disinvited by them to Santo Domingo because he gave a quote, which wasn't even really bad. And Bob told me that it turns out Francoise wasn't born in Paris, she was born in Mozambique or someplace like that, and she's just-trash. about Francoise de la Renta was just so disgusting, as if she and Oscar have this great life, when it's all just him and the friend and her suffering through it. And John Richardson was disinvited by them to Santo Domingo because he gave a quote, which wasn't even really bad. And Bob told me that it turns out Francoise wasn't born in Paris, she was born in Mozambique or someplace like that, and she's just-trash.
Wednesday, December 24, 1980 Cabbed up to Jerry and Mick's apartment for Christmas lunch. Jerry's pregnant sister Cyndy just married Robin Lehman, and so everybody was happy. Jerry's mother was there. Jerry had an ap.r.o.n on that when you unzippered it a big c.o.c.k came out, so I was taking funny pictures of that, her cooking a turkey with a c.o.c.k in her hand.
Earl McGrath was there, and Ahmet Ertegun stopped by for a second. The food was ready at 5:00 but it was supposed to have been ready at 2:00. Everything was great, though, it was the best turkey and everything was fresh, the peas and everything, so I porked it up.
The limo came at 6:30 to take us out to the Guests'. We picked up Barbara Allen who was wearing a green taffeta YSL and then we went to the "hem of Harlem"-that's what Jerry Zipkin calls his neighborhood-and picked up Jerry and he had Nelson Seabra with him. It was a sit-down dinner and the turkey was terrible. It was like canned stuff, and the cranberry sauce was canned and there were eighteen different desserts but none of them were good. I was next to "Suzy" and Bob was next to Liz Smith and Iris Love, and Iris had a kilt on and let me feel if she was wearing underpants. Cornelia looked beautiful.
Then I had to get back to Halston's in town and it had suddenly dropped from forty degrees to minus fifteen. Halston gave me a green beaded dress to hang in my closet. It's like a $5,000 dress. It's his art. But it's not really my favorite green although it's a nice green. I would rather have had a red one.
I felt another cold coming on and I wanted to go home to bed, but since the house was empty I didn't. I gave Halston a chocolate box of art candy that I made, not too great, and a Diamond painting, and I gave Victor a Shoe one. I got home about 1:30 and opened my packages. John Reinhold gave me a little TV set, a 2" x 2" Sony Trinitron.
Thursday, December 25, 1980 It was the coldest day ever. And I'd been afraid to go to sleep because I was alone in the house. I'd like to get Nena and Aurora's brother Agosto to be a bodyguard, although he's like only two feet high, but he's just out of the Marine Corps and it's "Yes, sir!" and "No, sir!" and he's great. I was on my way to work but since there was no heat, I decided I just couldn't.
Picked up John Reinhold and we went to Sharon Hammond's for Christmas dinner (cab $5). But there wasn't anybody good there.
Sharon took me in the other room and showed me a picture of her English lord p.i.s.sing, and his c.o.c.k is like a horse's. She doesn't know if she should marry him, but I told her she should, with a c.o.c.k like that. He didn't give her the pillows she wanted for Christmas, he just gave her a TV for the bathroom. And no jewelry. He'd given her jewelry for her birthday and five minutes later she lost it in a cab so I guess he decided not to give her any more.
Friday, December 26, 1980 The day after Christmas and I was doing Christmas cards for next year for John Loring at Tiffany's. Since he took ads in Interview Interview, I have to do it, and it's a really good idea-diamonds with real diamond dust on it, a set of nine. Each card has part of the diamond and when you put the nine together it makes one diamond. It's artistic, so if they don't like it... What I always remember when I think of Tiffany's is how in the fifties I left my drawings there once and somebody stole them.
I called Marina Schiano to say Merry Christmas. She's going to Naples to see her mother in the hospital. She gave me her sympathies about Jed moving out. And she brought up how he's out in Colorado skiing with Alan Wanzenberg.
Wednesday, December 31, 1980 Still no heat at the office so it was hard to do things. Brigid called the landlord a b.a.s.t.a.r.d on the phone, he's in Horida.
Wilson Kidde called and said he'd made it with a girl.
I was busy till about 8:00, then we left. Dropped Rupert. Went home, glued, then went over to Halston's. Victor was helping his friend Benjamin Liu get dressed in drag. When he's in drag he calls himself Ming Vauze. Then we went to the Olympic Tower for Halston's New Year's Eve party. The people there said that Steve Rubell had just called and said he'd be out of jail in two weeks.
Halston was still in the same kind of down mood, so he had mostly the girls and boys who work for him. He told me he dressed all the girls in tulle to make the place seem like it was full. From the window we could see the ball in Times Square coming down, and we could see the fireworks in the park. Marisol was there looking glum. Everybody was somebody you knew so you had to kiss them all.
Sat.u.r.day, January 3, 1981 Worked all afternoon. Went to Chris Makos's birthday party. Peter Wise had decided to give him a hotel room for a present, he got him one at that hotel on Central Park South that n.o.body seems to go to anymore, the St. Moritz, and so we all went there (cab $3). And Peter was sweet, he'd brought all Chris's toiletries and Chris loved it, he was thrilled. Jon Gould the vice-president from Paramount arrived with an airline steward. I think the roses that I keep sending him at work are embarra.s.sing him, so I'd better stop. He tries to play it macho.
Then we went over to John Reinhold's apartment to see how the decorating job by Michael Graves is coming, and it's taken like nine months for one room-they keep making the window either one inch too small or too big so it keeps having to be redone.
Sunday, January 11, 1981 Called Vincent and woke him up. He said a lot of my paintings at the office cracked from the cold.
I watched Giant Giant on TV from 1:00 to 5:30. It's so long. I even went to church in between and when I came back it was still on. James Dean's acting when he gets old is the worst thing. But they did a good thing-when he's drunk and talking into the microphone it's like a rock star, he's right on top of the microphone and it's just noises coming out and so it's abstract. on TV from 1:00 to 5:30. It's so long. I even went to church in between and when I came back it was still on. James Dean's acting when he gets old is the worst thing. But they did a good thing-when he's drunk and talking into the microphone it's like a rock star, he's right on top of the microphone and it's just noises coming out and so it's abstract.
I had some wine and a couple of aspirin to try to get rid of the pain in my back. I'm also trying to take two aspirin a day so I don't become senile because I just read that it stops the hardening of the arteries. But I don't know, my mother took millions of aspirin and it didn't do any good.
Bob said the inauguration is on Sat.u.r.day. I didn't realize it was so soon. Bob doesn't care about discoing now, he's just so happy with all his Republicans-with Doria and Jerry Zipkin calling him.
Monday, January 12, 1981 The sun was s.h.i.+ning so I decided to work up front at Ronnie's desk. I had to do some Joseph Beuyses. But Ronnie was careless, he'd left some paint in the middle of the floor and I kicked it and it went all over my boot and pants and it took the whole afternoon to clean up-that was the first time that'd happened. And then the rock star from the Cars, Ric Ocasek, wanted to bring his band by to see his portrait, so he did.
Tuesday, January 13, 1981 I looked for ideas on the New Myths series. Also looked for Mother Goose pictures. But I think the best thing we decided to do is have people come and dress up in the costumes and we'll take the pictures ourselves, because that way there's no copyright to worry about.
Wednesday, January 14, 1981 I had Brigid write a thank-you note to Gloria Swanson telling her how much I loved her book and saying that thanks to her I'm trying to get off candy. The purpose of the new thing of writing notes is to get notes back-the Joan Crawford thing. Oh, and Steve Aronson did one of his good, long interviews with Gloria Swanson in Interview Interview, and she called the office for his number and invited him over for tea with no sugar.
And I was looking at Bob's interview with the Borchgrave guy and Bob does do good political interviews, he knows his facts.
Tuesday, January 20, 1981-Was.h.i.+ngton, D.C.
The driver picked us up at Ina Ginsburg's at 10:00, his name was Carter and he got us as close to the Capitol as he could and then we had to walk a couple of blocks and there were big crowds of people everywhere, lots of kids, lots of troops, marines, police. And finally we got through all the checkpoints and found our seats in section E and I was complaining about how far back they were, but then we saw this black Marine march up to two white marines and salute them and they said (laughs) (laughs)-well, we thought they'd say something like, "The heads of state will be arriving soon and security is tightly under control," but they said, "Robert Goulet and Glen Campbell are sitting in row sixty-four." And then the three of them went marching off to look for more stars. We had binoculars. I focused on Rosalynn, she looked so sad.
Senator Pell gave Ina a seat on the president's platform for the swearing-in.
During the swearing-in a Marine stopped in front of each row and said in a low voice, "The hostages have just left Tehran, in case you haven't heard." And there were helicopters everywhere just patroling the sky. And they had bulletproof gla.s.s all around the podium.
Afterwards in the Capitol building by a staircase that said "Senators Only," we ran into Doria and Ron, so we had all these big helios. And then they got whisked away and we went down another hall and suddenly there was a voice saying, "Andy! Andy!" and it was Happy Rockefeller and she said, "Andy, why don't you ever come and see those paintings you did of me?" She was in a mink coat. The place was practically empty by then and she had a Marine with a walkie-talkie next to her. We were actually the only people in the whole building without our own marines.
Listening to the inaugural address you get fired up and I felt like being a Republican. But then when it was over and you looked around at the faces on all the Republicans, I was glad I'm a Democrat-there really is a difference.
Friday, January 23, 1981-New York I glued, had to meet Jill Fuller at Le Cirque for dinner. Le Cirque is the new Republican restaurant, I guess, since I saw Sirio down at the inauguration. My pictures came back, by the way, and at least I got a few good ones of the Reagan kids. I brought Curley's cute cousin David Laughlin for Jill because I told her that every time we had a date I'd bring her another boy that I thought she might like, one young and rich and beautiful.
Sharon Hammond was there and she was with a guy who lives in the Dakota and he has a bulldog and the bulldog was having puppies and he picked her up and was rus.h.i.+ng her to the vet and one puppy dropped out right on the spot where John Lennon had fallen shot and that puppy died.
Wednesday, February 4, 1981 I was sitting around the office with Victor and all of a sudden somebody said, "Look who's here!" It was Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager. They said they were in the neighborhood. Victor gave them the biggest hug and said that Halston was planning a dinner party for them on Sat.u.r.day. They said it had to start at 6:00 because they had to be back at the halfway house by 11:00. Steve looked really tan. I don't know how he got that tan. He was wearing a lot of clothes to hide that he'd put on weight with the prison food. Ian looked really good.
Friday, February 6, 1981 Vincent and I had to go up to meet with the Home Box Office people. This came about because a girl who knew Louis Waldon, our star of Lonesome Cowboys Lonesome Cowboys, works there and she told Vincent that they were interested in doing something with our cable TV show. Well, we walked in and they started putting me down, it was just like the old days. They started saying things like, "You're too far out." And they said, "Middle America doesn't know who you are." I was just going to get up and walk out but then I thought, well, you never know who you'll meet again, and Vincent was getting mad, too, but he was holding it in, too. Finally we got up and left. They just wanted me there so that they could insult me. We went back to the office.
Sat.u.r.day, February 7, 1981 Bob MacBride called and said that John O'Shea had put Truman in a hospital in Miami and did we know anybody down there to check him out of there. John O'Shea was Truman's roommate before Bob MacBride.
Tuesday, February 10, 1981 Got up at 9:00 and they keep predicting a big rainstorm but nothing happened. I stayed uptown because there was a lunch at Le Cirque that Bob was giving-actually it was a free one, from Sirio-and Averil and her husband-to-be, the doctor, Tim Haydock, were going to be there. They're about to go on a pre-honeymoon to Thailand and Averil wanted to meet Mercedes Kellogg and her husband Fran because he's friends with the queen of Thailand.
Because it was a free lunch I forgot to give the headwaiter a tip. I always forget you still have to when it's free (coats $2). The Kelloggs had just found out this morning that he wouldn't be getting the Chief of Protocol appointment that he really wanted. Mrs. Annenberg got it. I think Mercedes is the reason they didn't get it, because she's Iranian.
Thursday, February 12, 1981 Fred was on his way to Europe but then his mother called and said that his father had just died so he went to Texas instead.
I invited Jon Gould to the Rangers' hockey game but he said I should have called earlier.
Friday, February 13, 1981 Chris Makos said to come to his place at 7:00 to talk about projects and look at photos. He was having Jon Gould over there.