The Andy Warhol Diaries

by Andy Warhol

  Jackie was there with the Morgan Library guy, Charles Ryskamp. She had Gloria Vanderbilt at her table. And the de la Rentas. Oh I hate them. Françoise doesn’t kiss me anymore. Good. They wanted to go home early.

  Got home and the music in my house was blasting from top to toe—Aurora was entertaining a gentleman friend and I was so embarrassed that I’d come home before she expected. They were playing my new Bee Gees record.

  Tuesday, October 14, 1980

  It was a Paloma Picasso day. Went to breakfast at Tiffany’s for her. The jewelry was pretty but I have the same stuff from the forties. It’s copies of the forties. And Paloma did her little heart-shaped Elsa thing. It was expensive stuff—$27,000 for a bracelet.

  After work I glued myself and went to Mr. Chow’s for dinner for Paloma (cab $4). Saw Fran Lebowitz and told her she should go find a guy to have a hot love affair with because then if she ever has to write about one, she won’t be blank-a-roo. Perry Ellis looked really sexy with long hair. Everybody was somebody. Thomas Ammann was in town from Argentina, he said it’s so expensive there, he doesn’t know how anyone lives. He had a limo and I got home at 1:00.

  Wednesday, October 15, 1980

  Paloma was on the Today Show and she shouldn’t do it—talking about all the jewelry she has—she’s going to get kidnapped.

  Had a meeting with some South American lady to pick out her painting. She brought a couple of beautiful Venezuelan ladies with her. And the infamous Ronnie Levin came down. Somebody had warned me he was in town so it wasn’t a shock. Nobody paid attention to him at the office and he walked around like he owned the place and then he left.

  Thursday, October 16, 1980

  Vincent was setting up to videotape the interview that John Richardson was going to do with Paloma. She came with her husband Raphael and the friend, Xavier. The Tiffany’s guy arrived with the jewelry.

  And David White came by with a letter from Rauschenberg—David works for him now—saying that the tables I have were done by him, because he did them when Jane Holzer was trying to go into the art furniture business in the late sixties or early seventies, and then the business fell through, and I got them. So it’s great, that Rauschenberg wrote the letter saying they were by him because now maybe someday he’ll sign them.

  Then Juan Hamilton called and said that he and Georgia O’Keeffe were at the Mayfair and they were coming down at 4:30, and I said to come right away because Paloma was there, so they did. Everyone was thrilled with everyone.

  People thought Juan was going to marry Georgia, but he just got married to someone else and now his wife is expecting a baby. Georgia was wearing a black thing around her head. This time she seemed really old. You have to catch her every minute as if she’ll sit in a chair that isn’t there. But on the video Vincent made she looked young and alert. She does know everything that’s going on, it’s just that she moves older now.

  Then they all left. Rupert came up and then I got some work done. Worked till 8:30 and Jay Shriver agreed to stay late, too. Then because they worked overtime I invited Rupert and Jay to 65 Irving and I had John Reinhold meet us there. Jay’s from Milwaukee. He said his mother is all Czechoslovakian. Not from there, but a hundred percent.

  Oh, and Mary Tyler Moore’s son committed suicide and now Ordinary People is really going to do business and everybody’s going to really hate her because they’ll be thinking that that’s really the way she is.

  Tuesday, October 21, 1980

  I ran into John Curry in the street but I didn’t recognize him when he said hi to me—not till three blocks later. So I decided to call and get tickets to go see him in Brigadoon.

  Oh, I ran into a boy whose job is to go shopping for John and Yoko, to buy them clothes and things. I asked him if they’d ever made him bring anything back and he said just once. I asked him if they ever wore any of the clothes they bought since they don’t go out, and he said, “They’re going to make a comeback. They’ve been wearing them to the studio.” Oh, and the best thing he said was that when he started to work for them he had to sign a paper that said, “I will not write a book about John Lennon and/or Yoko Ono.” Isn’t that great? He said he loves his job. I should find somebody to help me shop—show me where all the good new things are.

  Oh, and I had a fight with the real estate guy. The building I wanted so badly on 22nd Street that I told him to keep me informed on, he said went into contract on Friday. I was so mad. And then he told me that we had an appointment to look at the Con Ed building on 12th Street. And that’s a great building but it’s just too far downtown, I can’t face it. It’s $1.5 plus it’d be another million to fix up.

  We missed the opening of Brigadoon. John Curry wasn’t great, he was just adequate, but he’s a good actor. I just loved the show. The guy in front of us was from George Lois with a good Irish name, maybe Callaghan, he’s the one I worked with when I did that Braniff commercial with Sonny Liston. And he told me the best sick joke. What are Bing Crosby and John Wayne getting for Christmas? Steve McQueen.

  Backstage I told John the show was so exciting and he said how I didn’t recognize him on the street and I explained that it was the hairdo, that I recognized him three blocks later. I asked him to dinner but he said he was having dinner with friends.

  Wednesday, October 22, 1980

  Vincent was trying to get the Copleys down to the office because Bill Copley had suggested getting a portrait done of his new wife, Marjorie the madam. He suggested it. Bill’s very happy, but she’s gotten him to fire all the servants who were with him before she married him, and it’s all too strange. I hope nothing happens to him.

  The good-looking Glorious Food waiter who’s getting his master’s in psychiatry at Columbia had invited me to dinner. But then I got cold feet and told him I had to do an interview with Bob, which I didn’t. He was going to show me around Columbia. But I just can’t go out with people I don’t know. But then, it’s hard to take girls places because you have to pick them up. It’s easier to go out with boys who’ll pick you up. I’m getting like Mrs. Vreeland.

  On channel 2 they had a hidden camera on some 1980 census workers drinking and taking cocaine on the job and then sitting down and making up names to fill out forms because they got $4 a name.

  Saturday, October 25, 1980

  It was gusting winds, stood on the corner for twenty-five minutes before I got a cab. Sean McKeon the Wilhelmina model called from Japan. It was Sunday there. Bob was working on the Ten Straight Men For São dinner that he’d promised her, still trying to find some straight guys. Every straight man cancelled. I guess they won’t come out with us without Richard Weisman and the athletes. Dropped Rupert (cab $6.50).

  Bob was ringing the doorbell, he had a limo with São. We went to Hélène Rochas and Kim D’Estainville’s at the Olympic Tower for a drink. It was windy. São had just had her hair done and she said that she would never live there because when you walk in the door the draft is so strong that your hairstyle always goes. She said she knew a couple of women who’ve moved out because of that. So before she went in, we had to go in and have the guy close the inner door and that got rid of the wind and then she came in.

  Then we went to dinner at 65 Irving. We picked up Franco Rossellini on the corner in our limo. We yelled, “Mary!” and he didn’t hear us, and then, “Porno Queen!” and he still didn’t hear us and he was wearing a cape and finally he saw us. He’d told Bob earlier in the day that he was retiring from the movie business because he’d made so much money on Caligula.

  Sunday, October 26, 1980

  Iran was supposed to be letting the hostages go. But then it seems like the Republicans are the ones that keep saying they’re getting out, so that when they don’t it’ll look even worse for Carter. Like the Post has it front page and they’re for Reagan. And on the news they’re saying that Israel is giving parts to Iran for their military equipment. The cable TV guy in a small town said it was true but the government denies it.

  I watche
d Sabrina on TV and William Holden and Audrey Hepburn looked so old. It seemed so old-fashioned talking about Long Island and the North Shore. I walked the dogs. I watched Hooper and my God, it was great, just Burt Reynolds and his usual lines. He played a stunt man.

  Monday, October 27, 1980

  Bob and I were talking about how hard it was to find Ten Straight Men, and somebody said that that should be my next portfolio—ten men who’ve never had a homosexual experience.

  I had to meet Marjorie Copley, who was having her picture taken for a portrait. Rupert was the makeup person. She’s light, her hair was in pigtails and she took them out and it went down to her ass, she’d just washed it and it smelled good. We had lunch. She’s going to school. She was a science major but she wasn’t smart enough and now she wants to do social sciences and I told her oh no. Bill looks great. The only thing we’re still worried about is that she did fire all the people who worked for him. She didn’t seem pushy or tough like I expected, though. She just did whatever I asked her to. She was nice.

  Jed bought the apartment right across the hall from Stuart Pivar’s in the building on West 67th Street next to the Café des Artistes. He’s going to use it as an office for his decorating business so his clients and all the workmen won’t be tramping in and out of the house all day anymore, so that’ll be a relief.

  I called Jane Holzer. I said I’d pick her up for the Diane Von Furstenberg party for Diana Vreeland. Worked till 8:00, then cabbed ($5.50) to pick Jane up at the Volney on 74th and Madison where she’s got the penthouse with Rusty now. Jane’s apartment is small but nice. Rusty answered the door and he’s put on weight because I guess he spent the summer with his father, Lenny, but he’s so charming. It’s like listening to Cary Grant. He says, “Love to you, Mommy.” Jane’s now in investing and real estate and movies.

  So then cabbed to DVF’s ($3). As soon as we got to the building Warren Beatty walked in behind us, but when he saw us he went outside again, he didn’t want to go into the same elevator. I told Jane he’d come in and then gone out again and she said that if he’d seen her he wouldn’t have done that. Right after we got upstairs Warren came in and he kissed Jane and I told him, “Oh Warren, you’re so mean, you wouldn’t ride up with us,” and he said he was looking for someone he was supposed to meet downstairs. But he didn’t come in with anyone, so … He looked sexy but a little older and a little puffier—his hair’s that Hollywood way, you know, that looks like a hat? Richard Gere was there and I introduced him to Jane and he said, “Oh Baby Jane, you’re a legend. I read about you in Popism.” Apollonia was there and ‘man and a beautiful young girl named Diane Lane—I don’t know if she was with Lou Adler or not.

  Thursday, October 30, 1980

  At the office John Cale came over, he wanted me to do an album cover for him. He’s looking good. He had a girl with him. I signed all his old record covers.

  Lewis Allen came down with the dummy-makers who’re making a robot of me for his play. We had to sit around with them for an hour so the dummy-makers could study my face to see if I’d be a good dummy. And they were funny-looking, the people from Walt Disney or someplace like that. And if a dummy moves and it makes, say, three mouth movements and two eye movements, that takes 100 motors and every time you add another movement you have to add like 20 more motors inside the figure. We still haven’t signed with Lewis Allen because we sent the contract up to Paul Weiss and they said it was a ridiculous piece of paper because it’s so involved.

  Friday, October 31, 1980

  Halston had a bash in his showroom at the Olympic Tower for the birthday of Hiro. Then Victor said we should go downtown to the big new place called the Saint that’s in the Old Fillmore East theater. The old Village Theater.

  We went down and Victor got on his knees and begged for us to be let in. I found out that it’s owned by our old friend Bruce Mailman who used to run the St. Mark’s Baths and was always around with projects and things. He was probably at the Saint when we were, but I probably didn’t recognize him. It’s better than Studio 54. They have a room in the back and everybody looks alike—bluejeans and no shirts and mustaches, and no girls allowed, except they let Pat Cleveland in, and they let ten lesbians have memberships. There’s a waiting list for two years and they said you can only get in if somebody drops out. The light show was great, like the Hayden Planetarium. Then Halston was leaving at 3:00 and I left, too.

  Wednesday, November 5, 1980— Düsseldorf—Baden Baden—Stuttgart

  I woke up at 3:00 in the morning and I heard the sad news of Carter losing so desperately to Reagan. It was the first time a president conceded so early. He had tears in his eyes.

  I couldn’t sleep and I took a Valium.

  Thursday, November 6, 1980—Frankfurt—Düsseldorf

  Met Dr. Siegfried Unseld, he’s the publisher of Hermann Hesse and Goethe, really good-looking. I thought he was going to be easy to photograph because he was so good-looking, but he was really hard. His good looks didn’t come through for the camera.

  I’d brought Chris Makos on the trip to help me, but he wouldn’t carry my bag or do anything—all he cared about was taking photographs for himself.

  The next location was like an hour and a half away, in Darmstadt. Went to photograph a lady who’s sort of a German Diane Von Furstenberg, she’s a top clothes manufacturer—her company’s called Tink or Fink. The house was beautiful. She was dressed really like a businesswoman, though, in a velvet suit with hankies coming out of everywhere. She was really sweet and all the pictures came out well.

  After a long drive to Dusseldorf, Chris and I had a fight because the walls at the Breitenbacher Hof Hotel are very thin and through the wall I could hear Christopher in his room making phone calls and I got nervous because I’m hearing him dial eighteen digits and I know he’s calling long distance to Peter Wise in New York and it’s expensive.

  Friday, November 7,1980—Düsseldorf

  There was some crazy artist at the Rodney Ripps opening at Hans Mayer’s gallery and I had to go into the bathroom with him, so I made Christopher go into the bathroom with me and the crazy artist made me sit in the shower with my hands on the floor and he Polaroided, and then he made me take off my shoes and Polaroided my feet and I looked like a dog on all fours and it was so stupid. They say he’s the new Beuys and he’s a bald-headed weirdo with plaid pants and very tall and he looked like he had a big dick. And I don’t know, does that sound like he was a fairy? No, he was too serious to be a fairy.

  Saturday, November 8, 1980—Düsseldorf—Paris

  It took me till 11 A.M. to pack all the souvenir dishes into one suitcase and all the postcards and stuff. Had to get to the airport fast. Flew to Paris.

  Cabbed to Fred’s apartment ($30). Thomas Ammann arrived in town just for the day with a decathlon discus thrower. We went around to all the wonderful shops and there was so much Deco around you just couldn’t believe it.

  Later Jerry Hall called and said she wanted us to come to see her and Mick’s new apartment on that island in the middle of the Seine. Mick was in the recording studio. She asked me to bring two bottles of champagne so I bought some ($200) and we went over there.

  I talked to Thomas and I really made him tell what he knew about the Jed situation and he finally did. Thomas Ammann is the person who brought Alan Wanzenberg into the picture, Thomas knew him first.

  Then Fred wanted to go dancing and I just wanted to go home so Thomas dropped me. And I came home and waited around for the phone to ring and it didn’t and I was depressed and I put my earphones in with La Bohème.

  Sunday, November 9, 1980—Paris

  Thomas called from New York, he’d taken the Concorde early in the morning. The stuff he told me the night before had made me really upset. He said not to repeat anything because he doesn’t like to get involved with talking about people’s relationships. But he actually didn’t tell me anything that I didn’t already know, it was just that it was upsetting to hear it.

 
; Monday, November 10, 1980—Paris

  Philippe Morillon called and said he was bringing over some Interview material at 7:00.

  Mick was coming over at 4:00 and I wanted to avoid him because, I don’t know, what can you say to Mick Jagger? He wanted to be alone with Fred Hughes anyway—Fred’s the one he talks to, I don’t know what about.

  Christopher and I walked to Cerutti’s and Bambi was playing right next door and since it was a holiday the mothers were standing out there with their kids and it was the longest line of tiny little kids waiting to get into a movie. It seemed so sad that these little kids had to wait, they should’ve opened the doors and let them right in.

  Went to the Café Flore looking for Shirley Goldfarb’s ghost (cab $8). And Shirley’s ghost was not around. We sat inside and didn’t see anyone we knew.

  Went to a bookshop and I finally came across the next idea I really want to work on—mothers with babies sucking on their tits. It’s just so erotic, I think that it’s a good subject. Actually Eunice Shriver gave me the idea, and the other night we saw a madonna in an apartment, a little baby on top of a sexy lady, a cherub sucking on a tit, and there’s something about that that looks good. So Christopher’s going to find me some mothers with babies just born.

  Then Chris’s hotel was right next to the Flore so he took me up to show me his room, which we’re paying for and I thought it was such a dump, but he had gotten a TV and he was really thrilled.