The Andy Warhol Diaries

by Andy Warhol

  Thursday, May 10, 1979

  It was another really hot day in the nineties. Paul Morrissey’s out in California. He wants to do Trash II where Holly’s an entertainer and Joe’s living in the Bronx, still shooting up, and their son is selling drugs in school. Nelson Lyon’s in town, he said he gave Paul the idea.

  Saturday, May 12, 1979

  Got up. Nelson called and wanted to know why I’d left Studio 54 so quick the night before—he said did I go to a “better party.” Can you believe it? (laughs) The same old paranoid Nelson.

  Halston and Steve Rubell aren’t getting along so well anymore—there was a picture of Steve in the front row at Calvin Klein’s fashion show.

  Sunday, May 13, 1979

  Went to church in the afternoon. I hadn’t gotten any calls from John Fairchild, Jr. for five or six days so I tried calling him. Curley keeps calling, telling about his escapades at Studio 54.

  Nelson called from Tarrytown where he’s working on the trailer for Apocalypse Now. And Bobby De Niro says he might be able to get money for Trash II. Nelson’s writing it with Paul.

  Oh, and I’ve been running into Crazy Matty on the street a lot again. I told him to come by the office. I want to tape him and have that be my abstract movie. He said he’s staying at the Grand Union Hotel on East 32nd Street.

  Saturday, June 2, 1979

  Truman called and he was so mad at Lee Radziwill for giving the deposition against him in the Gore Vidal lawsuit. It was so scary. He said she’d be “shitting razor blades” after he goes on The Stanley Siegel Show on Tuesday to “really let her have it.” And he kept saying, “Well, don’t you agree? Don’t you agree? What’s the matter, you’re not saying anything.” It was really horrible. He said, “She’s going to wake up and hate herself. Don’t you agree? Don’t you agree?” And I said, “Well, Truman, she’s so weak now, she might commit suicide.” And he said, “Too bad.” He said, “If I told you all the things she’s said about you….” I said I didn’t care, that I never thought of her as a friend, that I’ve always known what kind of a person she is, that she was just somebody who was renting our house in Montauk, so whatever she said, it didn’t bother me, I knew all about it already. It was scary how vicious he could get over someone he was best friends with. When Truman turns, he really turns.

  And Halston’s going to rent Montauk, we think. Vincent was out there this weekend showing the place to him. Victor was with him and I got scared about that, visualizing Victor painting red footprints all over the main house.

  Sunday, June 3, 1979

  Nelson called and told me the plot for Trash II: Joe’s working in a pizzeria, and Holly wants them to move from the Lower East Side to a better place—(laughs) Lodi, New Jersey, the town with the chemical spills—but they don’t have the money until one of the kids gets hit by a cab and they sue the cab company and they’re able to buy a house.

  Oh, and everybody seems to like the Popism manuscript. Bob and Fred and Rupert. They were reading it in Paris.

  Tuesday, June 5, 1979

  Watched The Stanley Siegel Show in the morning. Truman went into a “Southern Fag” character and began telling all the embarrassing things that Lee had told him over the years about people—that Peter Tufo looked like a ferret and was publicity-crazy riding on her coattails, and that Newton Cope who she’s engaged to marry, still—even after calling off the wedding a few weeks ago—was “no great catch,” except for maybe he would be, in a “provincial town.” And he told how she tried to seduce William F. Buckley, Jr. by asking him for spiritual advice and then when he didn’t respond she accused him of being queer. If Lee was drinking before this feud with Truman, can you imagine now? Oh, Truman’s making such a fool of himself. He should at least be drunk.

  Liz Smith called Interview to say that she was going to do an item on the channel 4 news show at 5:45 about our interview with the Mondale kid because of the part where he said that in the vice-president’s house where his parents live now, when Nelson Rockefeller used to live there, he had a trap door put in that connected his bedroom with the guest bedroom.

  Halston said he was all for Truman, that Lee deserved what she got. Then we were talking about Steve Rubell and Halston said that confidentially he thought Steve was going up the river. Then Steve arrived and said his lawyers told him he could get off if he gave evidence to the government about the Washington people that’ve come to Studio 54 and taken drugs and things. Then he went to pick up Diana Ross to take her to Studio 54.

  Wednesday, June 6, 1979

  Truman called and told me that all the Washington papers and the California papers had his thing on the Siegel Show on the front page. But the New York papers haven’t really played it up.

  Daniela Morera gave me a black linen Giorgio Armani jacket and it’s too small, but it’s beautiful, no lining, the way the Italians are making them now.

  I had to autograph a copy of the Philosophy book and I was rereading it and I wonder why it didn’t make it big—it’s got a lot of good lines in it.

  Thursday, June 7, 1979

  Truman called. He said he got a telegram from a fan congratulating him on The Stanley Siegel Show saying that it was the best thing on TV since Ruby shot Oswald. Steve Rubell said that his flower guy was at Lee’s to deliver and she wouldn’t answer the door.

  At home I put on my new black linen Giorgio Armani jacket. It’s the stiff fine linen like what used to be under crinolines.

  Anyway, the big party Studio 54 gave for Interview last night got ruined for me because Jed had trouble at the door with Mark, the doorman. And I mean, it’s confusing, because Steve said he let Jed in, but Jed says that Steve saw him and wouldn’t let him in.

  Sunday, June 10, 1979

  Worked at home. Went to church. And I’m just remembering, John Fairchild, Jr. told me that William Pitt went to an EST conference in New Hampshire and flipped out and now he thinks he’s God. He’d already gone through EST and this was like a refresher course, and it was supposed to last for eight days but he flipped out in one. Pepe Balderago was with him there and confirmed that he absolutely flipped out and “realized he was God” and left. So when I went downstairs at New York/New York and I saw him, I said, “Hi, God,” and he called me a genius for knowing. And it’s true, he actually does think he’s God. So I walked with Pepe Balderago and God over to Studio 54. I talked with God as we walked. When we got to Studio 54 I saw John and told him that God was on the dance floor, and he ran away.

  Monday, June 11, 1979

  As I was talking on the phone to Brigid, they said on TV that they might come on with a news bulletin, but then they didn’t, and then later on the regular news they said that John Wayne died.

  Tuesday, June 12, 1979

  Cabbed down to Chembank ($3.75), walked around Union Square then went to the office. Oscar de la Renta and his friend Jack Alexander, who does the advertising, were there. It was a business lunch to talk him into advertising in Interview. Bob was telling Oscar that young kids don’t know about him. Oscar reminded him that Jerry Hall was young and she wore his clothes. And Barbara Allen stopped by and she came and sat down and she made the lunch more interesting. She’s going to Maria Niarchos’s wedding, and she talked Bob into going over for it, too.

  A lady Ivan Karp sent over came to see if she wanted to have her mug done. If you closed your eyes you’d think it was Lee Radziwill talking, so I guess she went to the same school as Lee and Jackie. She said her original idea was to have Scavullo do a photograph, and since that was going to cost $5,000, she thought why not go all the way and see about a Warhol portrait. I doubt if she’ll ever get it done. I think she just wanted something to do for the afternoon. Then Oscar left and Brigid and I rushed out and went to Mays to get some supplies for the office ($11.55, $22.68). It was such a beautiful day. Then rushed back to meet Famous Amos the cookie man. He’s good-looking, sort of like that black record guy who managed Nico at first—Tom Wilson. But I do think he has chops. His teeth looked too
perfect. He doesn’t look good-looking on the package, though, because the picture makes him look like a pickaninny. He brought his white girlfriend Christina—they live in Hawaii. And he brought his son Gregory, about sixteen or seventeen. While we were talking Amos ate some cookies, but I’m sure he must be so sick of them. I asked why the cookies inside don’t look like the ones on the package and he said because it took too long to bake to make them look like that.

  Ran into Pepe Balderago who said he just doesn’t know what to do with Bill Pitt, that he’s still flipping out thinking he’s God. And so Pepe called Bill’s father and said, “Look, you’re the family, you have to put him in the hospital.” I told Pepe to take him to a steambath—in case it was LSD in his system, to sweat it out—and then he said he’d tried that but Bill wouldn’t go in when they got there.

  Wednesday, June 13, 1979

  Bill Pitt called and he thinks I’m Walt Disney. I told him he should get some rest, really go to bed and stay there for a while. Curley called up and invited me to his birthday party. I called Henry Geldzahler to invite him because he said he wanted to go. I couldn’t get Curley back because his father’d given him a box to answer calls.

  Vincent called Doug Christmas and he’s so awful. They swear up and down that the check was sent and give you the bank number and everything and when you call back they’re “out to lunch.” The girls at his gallery there must feel horrible having to say things like that. If he’d just say, “I can’t pay you,” you’d know where you stood.

  And Philip Niarchos is still going with Manuela Papatakis who I never liked at first, but she’s really sweet and classy—one of those short girls who make themselves look tall. You know, they wear those high shoes and I just don’t understand how they walk in them, you’re always on your toes. I’ve put some on and that’s how I don’t understand it.

  Bob Weiner called and accused us of having an anti-Semitic newspaper because of some line in Truman’s interview about stuffing all Jews and putting them in the Museum of Natural History. He said he’d read it to five people and they all agreed.

  Thursday, June 14, 1979

  Henry Post called from out in Long Island where he’s still recovering from his car crash. He said that his bones were all set and he’d gone back on crutches but then when the doctor was examining him he suddenly flipped him over and by mistake rebroke every bone that’d been set. He’s in terrible pain.

  And Pepe Balderago put Bill Pitt into St. Vincent’s Hospital, he’s really out-there.

  John Fairchild, Jr. called and invited me to go roller skating Friday night.

  Cabbed to Pearl’s for Curley’s birthday ($2).

  We had a round table with ten boys at it so I had to tell Pearl it was a stag office dinner. Everybody was blond except for Henry Geldzahler and me who were grey. Henry was being very funny, showing his commissioner’s badge, and it was one one-liner after another. He’s so funny, so bright. I took pictures. Then we went over to Studio 54 and my birthday present to Curley was getting them all in.

  Friday, June 15, 1979

  Some kid I met asked me if I could get him and his friend into Xenon that night and I said oh sure, that it was so easy. So when I got to the office I called Xenon. I told the girl who answered who I was and she said, “You don’t sound like Andy Warhol.” I said, “Well, it is.” She said, “How do I know it’s you?” And this went on and it turns out she was just setting me up, I guess, because she said, “I’ll call you back to see if it’s you.” So the phone rang and I said, “Hello, this is really embarrassing, I mean …” And she said, “Well, we had eighteen Angela Lansburys call this week, so …” And I said, “Well, so what, I mean the place isn’t that busy, and here I’m telling you about two cute kids who want to come and pay! And one even wants to be a member, so …” And then she said, “Just a minute, I’ll have to call you back.” So then in a few minutes she called back and said, “We decided over here that we don’t want to ever see you again at Xenon.” I said, “Whaaat?” She said, “We’re all upset about what you did the other week.” Meaning the party Interview gave at Studio 54 on the same night as the Xenon anniversary, which we didn’t even know about until afterwards. I mean, I don’t know if the girl’s crazy and she was just embarrassed because she didn’t believe who it was at first and had to prove something, or if she asked Howard Stein and he said that, because if Peppo Vanini were in the office I don’t think he would be that mean, and besides, I think Peppo’s over at Maria Niarchos’s wedding. But I mean, they’re turning away $30. It was such a shock, and then I realized that I should never call places myself. But then it could have been worse, she could have said, “Fine, send your friends over,” and then not let them in.

  So I (laughs) called the kid up and said, “You won’t believe this, but I can’t get you in—they told me they never wanted to see me there again, either. I’m sorry.” And he was embarrassed. I guess somebody else would have made up some story, to save face, but I just told him.

  Went to 55th and Broadway with John Fairchild, Jr. and Belle McIntyre. It’s this brand-new roller skating place run by Negroes that nobody knows about yet, and it was great. They let us in free and gave us skates, which they don’t usually do. It was great to skate, so much fun. I’m going to buy skates today.

  Then we went to the Stage Delicatessen and had good Jewish Celebrity sandwiches. The “Diana Ross” was the worst, though—liver with jelly and peanut butter. Then we stood on the corner and John went to 54 with Curley and I dropped Belle (cab $4).

  Saturday, June 16, 1979

  Got up and called Curley, he was too tired to go out to Manhasset with us to the Brentano’s bookstore where we were taking Blondie to autograph Interviews.

  Barbara Colacello picked me up and then we picked up Rupert at the Pierre because it was near a subway stop. Then went over to pick up Blondie. She lives in the great building on 58th and Seventh. Blondie—Debbie—was sweet, her hair was fixed up, and you’d never believe she’s in her thirties—no wrinkles and so pretty. She said her grandmother lived to be ninety-five and all her family looks young. She spends all her money on makeup. She must not have been pretty all these years, though, or I would have noticed her. She must have tried to look bad or something. But I guess some people look better, actually, when they get a little older. I didn’t know what to call her. I guess I call her Debbie. But when I introduce her, I call her Blondie. But Blondie is the name of the whole group, so … She was really great on the ride out, she didn’t complain about anything and she didn’t want anything.

  So we got to Brentano’s and the thing was a big dud. The store didn’t advertise that we would be there until that same day’s papers, which didn’t come out until one, and so even if people did read it they wouldn’t rush down, probably. But the kids who came all came just to see Blondie, they didn’t care about me, they were a whole new young crowd. What they did was go next door and get copies of her record and had her autograph that.

  Then Debbie had to get back to rehearse for her new album. We got back around 5:00. After we dropped her, Rupert and I went for a late lunch.

  We had aquavit and caviar ($70). We were getting drunk talking business, and we didn’t pay attention when a guy next to us was down on the floor screaming, and finally he said, “Oh, can I have your autograph?” and it turned out to be John Lennon! And I just wished we’d noticed him before—he was with Yoko and her mother and it would have been so much fun. John’s very skinny now. I don’t know what kind of diet he’s on, maybe rice. They live at the Dakota. Then I went home, and I was drunk so a movie was out. I really can’t drink in the afternoon.

  Thursday, July 19, 1979—Paris

  Such a pretty day, walked around, stopped at Fauchon ($20). Went past the Beaubourg. Bought some magazines and Vogues ($8). Went by the Flore but it was closed. Made dinner plans to meet Anthony Russell and Florence Grinda at Castel’s. He’s still working on his rock and roll. Cabbed to Castel’s ($3).

  There
were Florence and Anthony and Florence’s brother and a big beautiful model named Margo. Mick and Jerry arrived. Mick has a beard. Jerry’s wearing some pearls that he gave her. And he’s making a record. They were talking about Anita Pallenberg’s seventeen-year-old boyfriend killing himself on the bed. Jerry was in between going back and forth to Houston, working in the John Travolta movie, Urban Cowboy. She was thrilled about that, said John was just adorable. We all chipped in for dinner. Fred walked me home. Sat up reading, called Curley to find out what was happening in New York—he was off to Bermuda because his family’s caretaker there died.

  Friday, July 20, 1979—Paris—London

  Up very early. Fred arrived at 8:30 A.M. and pretended that he’d been in bed and just gotten up. Later, he said he’d been with Jerry Hall and I don’t know if he was kidding. He was so tired he fell asleep, I had to get him up at 10:30 because we had to pack and go to London. We had to buy some tickets ($600) at Lufthansa (tips $20, cab to airport $25). Took British Airlines, it was okay, a really big plane, jam-packed, one of those DC-10s, I think. Cabbed from airport to the Savoy ($30). At the airport while waiting for bags, we heard the people talking about Martha Graham coming in, that she’s old, and they should send a cart for her. We waited for her a little while but she never arrived.