by Andy Warhol
And I’m so nervous about my show. The Rolling Stones just got glowing reviews—and what they did was just a repeat of their old album. And here I am doing a show, repeating all the old Pop images….
I picked up the phone and it was my first superstar, Naomi Levine, and she was saying, “Oh I hear you’re having a show. I’m going to come and see you.” I said, “Oh, I’m not going to be there. Oh, am I having a show? Really? Where?” The dialogue was straight from the sixties. I heard myself going, “Oh really? Oh. Oh. Really? Oh.”
Tuesday, September 15, 1981
Ron Feldman was having a limo bring me down to the gallery, this is the day of the opening. Jon said he had to go to a video convention but that he’d try to come. John Reinhold was coming, and Wilson Kidde. And Rupert had arrived at the office looking like he was my son or something. Or like he was the artist. (laughs) A bow tie. White shirt. Blue blazer. Bluejeans. And cowboy boots. And then when I stared at him because he was dressed exactly like me, he got too embarrassed so he changed his bow tie into a long one.
Got there and there were so many people, all young. Nobody over twenty-one.
Chris got mad at me because he said he was really lonely and that I wasn’t taking care of him, that I wasn’t taking him off to any parties, and I told him I couldn’t that night because Halston had invited me to dinner and I couldn’t bring anybody and that was that. Chris was with the Loud girl and he just got mad and rode off in his car.
Went to Halston’s for dinner before the reopening of Studio 54. Halston had wanted to give a party for Steve before the reopening, but Steve told him Calvin was already giving him one. So then Halston asked Steve to choose between him and Calvin—Steve chose Calvin. But then Calvin smoothed things over by calling Halston to invite him. Went in Halston’s car and arrived to the Sovereign and went up to Calvin’s penthouse and everybody was either famous or beautiful—Brooke Shields and seventy-five other models, and Jack Nicholson was there.
And Godunov was there, he came over and he looked so beautiful and sexy and he’s just changed his whole personality, he’s so free and talkative now. Then we went to Studio 54 and the street was just mobbed like I’ve never seen it, and it made my art opening look like it’d been deserted. And Calvin took Brooke. It was so jammed they must have made a fortune at $25 a head. Went to leave at quarter to 3:00. It took us fifteen minutes to get out of the place.
Oh, and I forgot to say that Truman called on Monday and his voice—I didn’t even know it was him on the phone. He was saying cuckoo things, like that he’d died twice and that his brain had stopped for thirty-two seconds so that’s what he was going to call his next book—Thirty-two Seconds. Then the next day, Tuesday, at about 6:30, he collapsed in his lobby and all the newspapers and TV reporters rushed over to U.N. Plaza. He was taken to the hospital and it was front-page news, it got the cover of the Post and everything, and so I think he must have gotten the press that we were supposed to get at the Feldman Gallery. Because the TV people never came.
Wednesday, September 16, 1981
Bob said he was closer to getting Mrs. Reagan to do an interview, but I think she’s too old and it’s old-fashioned. We should have younger people. What is there to ask her? About her movie career? Oh it’ll never happen anyway. It started to rain and I got an umbrella ($5).
Thursday, September 17, 1981
The weather was rainy, walked around with Interviews and then went to Dr. Cott, who Ina Ginsburg said knew about nutrition, on 38th and Third, a big new building (cab $4.50). He was in 2-D and he had two secretaries. He looked like a Hollywood doctor. Wrinkled, but healthy-looking, young, white curly hair. Jewish. And he was like a psychiatrist, he asked me questions about my life and nodded and jotted things down. I told him I was born in 1931. Look, they don’t know, it doesn’t matter. And before I told him that I lost my pigment and hair when I was young, he looked at my hair (laughs) and said, “I hope you don’t mind cutting off some of your hair for a check on it.” So I told him I was there because of pimples because I want to model. We talked about vitamins and he told me all vitamins are chemicals and that vitamin C is made from corn. It took an hour and he prescribed so many medicines, like tryptophan because I said I couldn’t sleep. And I told him I’d taken that and that it made me feel so peculiar, and he said, “Well, then just take one.” And he told me that a fresh apple is the best thing to have before bed, because it has some sleeping powder in it. And I told him that I’d read that a turkey sandwich and a glass of milk was the best thing, and he said that was, too. And he told me to eat a lot of bananas because I told him I couldn’t remember things or something.
Walked with Bob over to Barneys for the opening of the new top floor that that Peter Marino designed, and it’s nice up there—little shops where they sell dishrags and jellies and things. We went to the Armani room for lunch. Gene Pressman, the son of the owner, told me I could get a discount on anything because of the ads I’m modeling in for them.
Friday, September 18, 1981
I had lunch with Chris. His new boyfriend’s back in Colorado and Peter’s on the Cape. Chris sits there with a magnifying glass looking at the eyes of his new boyfriend in the photographs he took. On a contact sheet.
Worked on the Andrew Carnegie portrait for Carnegie-Mellon. Jon was going off to Cincinnati to a Ragtime sneak, and then to someplace like South Carolina for the same thing. The reopening party at Studio 54 got absolutely no publicity. The Entertainment Tonight people had come but hadn’t seen any celebrities there. But actually there were low-key stars like the B-52s there and—oh did I say that Tony Curtis came up to me and said that his new career was doing collages?
Sunday, September 20, 1981
Cab to Mortimer’s for the dinner Nan Kempner was having for Ungaro ($3). I said to Diana Vreeland, “Have you seen Mommie Dearest?” And she said, “Have I seen it?! That was my life! That was the closest thing to me when I get mad, I really tear into people and that’s not entertainment!” Two hours into the dinner I could hear Fred’s voice so loud sounding like Diana. I call him “Dr. Hyde and Mrs. Vreeland” when he drinks.
Tuesday, September 22, 1981
I’d gotten up really early so I wouldn’t be late for my appointment with Nelson Lyon at the Saturday Night Live place. Cabbed to 30 Rockefeller Center ($4.50). Had trouble because the 6’ blonde girl downstairs didn’t know who Nelson was, didn’t know who I was, and didn’t know what Saturday Night Live was. She was very beautiful but really dumb. So finally I got there. We met in this big office with the producer and the director, Jean Doumanian. They wanted me to do something one week, but I told them that if I couldn’t be a regular I wouldn’t do it. Nelson thinks I should do something political.
And then the meeting ended Hollywood-style—that’s where the meeting’s suddenly over and they ignore you and talk about other things. They don’t say, “Thank you, it was nice of you to come.” Suddenly they just drop you, only you’re still sitting there, so it’s like you’re invisible. It’s kind of great.
Then afterwards Nelson and I went downstairs in the elevator and I was telling him about the beautiful 6’ blonde girl who didn’t know who he was or me either, and he made fun of how I always get things wrong—he said it was probably a 2’ black girl down there, and then we got downstairs and by then it (laughs) was a black girl. So we were really laughing and I said no no no, that it really had been a big blonde before.
Wednesday, September 23, 1981
I had to meet Peter Brant for lunch at the office. Also there was a woman who’d called me, she brought a portrait back because a little girl threw an apple at it and I have to fix it. So Peter Brant came and he was just awful. He picked out some prints, and now we’re all settled with him on the money he invested in Bad and he never has to come back. Good.
Christopher picked me up and we went to my modeling job at Saks (cab $7). Took Rupert with us and they thought he was a messenger. Two of Halston’s models were there—Alma, who was nic
e, and a blonde one who ignored me. These models are funny, I guess they think I’m taking their jobs away by being a model.
Monday, September 28, 1981
Got up early and was still half an hour late for my Janet Sartin appointment. And I noticed a pimple on Janet’s face so I questioned her about that.
Made phone calls to the office before I went to my exercise class at Lady Sharon’s. When I got there she was still in bed. Had an hour of exercises. I’m so tired from them that I really do sleep at night, and I get hungry from them so I eat more, too.
The office was really busy. Lucio Amelio was there. Vincent was working things out with the Saturday Night Live people: The deal is we’re going to get $3,000 for the first week’s one-minute thing and if that goes well we’ll do more. We have to send them some Philosophy books.
Tuesday, September 29, 1981
I got up early because I had a yoga class at 9:30. And I’m so surprised I never took yoga years ago. It’s just so nothing, just sitting and stretching. And that’s why I gave up Martha Graham years ago—in Pittsburgh I took a class from one of her teachers who was married to an Indian.
And Nelson came down, he said he’d been up for forty-five hours, and he was trying to do dialogue for my spot which we have to film on Friday morning. He wanted me to talk about the old Saturday Night Live show. I said I never watched it. Belushi’s staying at his apartment in Los Angeles.
Took my vitamins. Felt like I was flying all night.
Wednesday, September 30, 1981
Nelson came up with the script for Saturday Night Live and I was getting cold feet about the thing.
I made an appointment to see Dr. Rees the plastic surgeon. I stopped taking the vitamins and I feel much better.
Thursday, October 1, 1981
Got up early, still was late, got to Janet Sartin’s at 9:30. Then ran to yoga class but since yoga is calming, I didn’t want to really rush, so I ran, but calmly, but by then the girl had gone.
I was seeing Dr. Rees at 2:30. I called the office and told Brigid to meet me at Tiffany’s and we would shop until my appointment.
Got to Dr. Rees’s on East 72nd Street and I had to fill out forms, and I saw the doctor and he was dying to do my face. I told him what I really wanted was a few mini-lifts, that I just wanted to go in for a little bit on different days. But he said he’d have to do it all at once, that he would cut all around the ear, and he showed me how it would look. He said I’d be black and blue for a while and I’d have to stay in town for two weeks. So I told him I’d think about it.
Cabbed to meet Don Munroe ($6.50). He and Vincent were setting up to shoot me for our segment on Saturday Night Live. We did our lines and I was terrible, I don’t think it’s funny—three reels, an hour and a half of work. But then later Vincent said they really liked it and I asked if I had to go down to do any more on it and he said no. I’m scared about this Saturday Night Live thing. Jon thinks I shouldn’t be doing it, because if it’s bad, so many people will see it, so I’m hoping they don’t use it after all.
Friday, October 2, 1981
Went over to my exercise class at Lady Sharon’s. Sharon doesn’t do the class with me.
Diana Ross came at 3:00 and she loved all the portraits, she said, “Wrap them up,” and they all fit in the limousine, and she had a check at Bob’s place by 5:00. And she wants me to do the cover for her next album.
Saturday, October 3, 1981
Called Vincent to see if he’d heard anything about Saturday Night Live and he said that he had, that yes, they were going to use it, that they were really happy with it. They still didn’t have a guest host.
Jon picked me up in his car. Made a lot of phone calls trying to find the new Maud Frizon shoe store ($.60). And then we found out it was on 57th between Madison and Park (cabs $5, $6, $3, $4.50). Still we couldn’t find it and there was a crowd of people in the street and I asked one of them if they knew where the Maud Frizon store was and they said that that’s what the big crowd was looking at. They said, “Cher’s in there.” So everyone was looking in the store at Cher trying on shoes. So we went in and I was too embarrassed to look at her. And Sonny Bono was there, too with his girlfriend, Susie Coelho, who’s really beautiful.
And I guess these people just buy clothes and shoes all day, because Rupert told me he saw Rod Stewart in Parachute buying a few thousand dollars’ worth of clothes and reading Interview. And Sonny and Susie were trying on shoes, and Sonny had on the exact same leather Armani jacket that Jon had on, but his was in brown and Jon’s was in black. And the shoes Jon liked they were out of, they said Rod Stewart had bought ten pairs the day before.
So then we were leaving and a boy who worked there asked if we wanted to go out the back door and then he said, “Cher said that she would be honored if you did her portrait,” so that was great, and Jon said I should go back inside, not let that slip through my fingers. So I did, and we talked, and she’s at the Pierre.
Sunday, October 4, 1981
So many people must see Saturday Night Live, because instead of people on the street saying, “There’s Andy Warhol the artist,” I heard, “There’s Andy Warhol from Saturday Night Live!” They’d seen my first segment on it the night before.
I read The New York Times. They still haven’t reviewed my Myths show. They’re ignoring it. Roy has a show now at the Whitney. I haven’t seen it. I’m sure it’s good, though, he’s my favorite painter after Rosenquist. Then cabbed to Jon’s to work on making a play—a musical—out of the tape transcripts. We now have enough dialogue but I wish I could think of a strange story to use it in.
Monday, October 5, 1981
I had a fight on the phone with Ron Feldman, he’s so awful, he didn’t want to take the whole series of Myths, he only wanted to take the specific images that are selling the best and I thought he was just awful, and I wound up yelling and I hate to yell on the phone.
Tuesday, October 6, 1981
So many people keep saying they saw me on Saturday Night Live. I guess people do stay in, I don’t know, I’m surprised.
Thursday, October 8, 1981
I had a fight with Jon so I wasn’t taking his calls.
Rupert came up with some Dollar Signs, but they were looking like Jasper Johnses, sort of. Vincent had gone up to Sotheby’s to the auction where they had some of my portfolios and he bought them back. Some Campbell’s Soup Cans and some Maos. But not the Marilyns because the Marilyn prices have stayed up, they’re around $3 5,000 apiece now. Mrs. Castelli’s having a prints show soon, so Vincent was bidding against Castelli Graphics and I guess Leo was mad, but …
Nelson came down and wanted to work on the Saturday Night Live thing. I think for my next show I’m going to paint and talk about painting.
Friday, October 9, 1981
I finally took a call from Jon and said we could talk about the script at Joe Allen’s restaurant before going to see Nicholas Nickleby (tickets $200).
Paul Morrissey was at the office talking about the Montauk property—about Halston and Lauren Hutton wanting to buy land, and he’s trying to work out some things.
Leo Castelli came with his girlfriend Laura de Coppet and he was drinking and they were hugging and kissing and I just can’t believe this old man. This is the girl who gives Jackie Curtis money. Leo’s commissioning a portrait of her.
Saturday, October 10, 1981
I wanted to see Duran Duran at the Savoy because their videotape was so good, it’s called “Girls on Film.” When I got there the first band was still on. Duran Duran are good-looking kids like Maxwell Caulfield. And then afterwards they wanted to meet me so we went backstage and I told them how great they were. They all wore lots of makeup but they had their girlfriends with them from England, pretty girls, so I guess they’re all straight, but it was hard to believe. We went to Studio 54 in their white limo and Steve Rubell was really nice to them. He took them to the booth and gave them drinks. Ran into old friends, met a bunch of new kids and got home
at 5:00 (cab $5).
Wednesday, October 14, 1981
Bob warned me that when we go to Washington to interview Nancy Reagan for the cover I couldn’t ask her any “sex questions.” And I just couldn’t believe him. I mean, I just couldn’t believe him. Did he think I was going to sit there and ask her how often do they do it? And then Bob told me that I look like a fool on the runway doing my modeling jobs. I told him I didn’t care, and he said that he cared, that it made his job harder if I looked like a fool. Worked till 7:00.
Thursday, October 15, 1981 — New York—Washington, D.C.—New York
We were early getting to the White House, we got in and then Nancy Reagan came in and we were in the same room. And a waiter brought in four glasses of water. Doria was with us. We talked about drug rehabilitation and it was boring. I made a couple of mistakes but I didn’t care because I was still so mad at being told by Bob not to ask sex questions. She had an assistant who sat there and took notes, and they said they weren’t doing their own tape of the interview but I’m sure they were. Bob had his tape recorder and I had mine. I took four pictures. Mrs. Reagan gave Doria a piece of Tupperware, not wrapped or anything, and she gave her three boxes of socks for Ron. Bob was telling Mrs. Reagan she was such a good mother. He asked what they were doing for Christmas and she said they were going to stay at the White House because nobody ever stays at the White House. At 4:30 the interview was over. She and Doria talked for about fifteen minutes while Bob and I waited to the side. Then we got a cab to the airport.