The Andy Warhol Diaries

by Andy Warhol

  Wednesday, June 15, 1983

  Chris called me up and was mad because Jon told him that I’d never take him and Peter to dinner again because they just order everything and have it wrapped to take it home. And I told him it was true. But later when I got home Peter had sent an orchid plant, so I felt bad.

  Our old office architect Peter Marino was featured in The New York Times this week for doing Marella Agnelli’s apartment. So I guess he’s rolling in bucks now.

  And Richard Gere is finally calling back, he says now he may do our cover. He must feel he has a flop movie coming out.

  Thursday, June 16, 1983

  Timothy Hutton came to be interviewed by Maura and me. Maura, I could tell, wasn’t really hot for him, the sparks weren’t flying. But (laughs) I was hot for him. He was so adorable. He looked scruffy. He’s just finished Daniel.

  Frank Zappa came to be interviewed for our TV show and I think that after the interview I hated Zappa even more than when it started. I remember when he was so mean to us when the Mothers of Invention played with the Velvet Underground—I think both at the Trip, in L.A., and at the Fillmore in San Francisco. I hated him then and I still don’t like him. And he was awfully strange about Moon. I said how great she was, and he said, “Listen, I created her. I invented her.” Like, “She’s nothing, it’s all me.” And I mean, if it were my daughter I would be saying, “Gee, she’s so smart,” but he’s taking all the credit. It was peculiar.

  Then Stellan from Sweden was waiting and we went over to Sandro Chia’s on West 23rd and 10th Avenue. And he has almost the whole building now. He has a lithographic press that he wants other artists to use. I guess he’s making it like a foundation, a tax thing. And he’s supposed to be giving me a picture, and that’s why I wanted to go over there, but he gave me one I didn’t like. I wanted a Floating Man one. And Benjamin said he looked in Chia’s eyes and that they were “wild eyes.” And afterwards I said to Benjamin, “Well what do you mean?” I said, “Look into my eyes and what do you see?” And Benjamin said, “Troubled eyes.” I said, “Oh who do you think you are?”

  Sunday, June 19, 1983

  Victor called and I’m just afraid that drugs have taken over Victor’s brain, because you know, you’re emotional, and then you take all the drugs, and do all the fighting, and then suddenly it happens—you’re over the brink. I’m afraid he’s having a nervous breakdown. He said he was in a hospital and had all these stitches and bruises, and it was too crazy. And he said that the night before, the air conditioner had broken at Halston’s, but I wasn’t sure if it had really broken or if Halston had just wanted to drive him out. I guess it really must have been broken, though, because Halston wouldn’t have wanted the orchids to die and they were dying.

  And I’ve been thinking about these people who sell things on the street, because I watched on TV and this newscaster was just beaming doing this story about how the city confiscated $485,000 in street vendors’ merchandise. But I mean, there were these black people out there working, trying to actually sell, and now they’ll just start stealing! I mean, vendors are messy and dirty and they slop up the streets, but they’re trying to do workl And here they’re beaming on TV that they put them out of business. And they have the store owners on saying they pay big rents and it isn’t fair, but I mean, do the stores sell the same stuff as the people on the streets? Not really.

  Monday, June 20, 1983

  Timothy Hutton stood up the photographer and stylist for his Interview cover. He just left them waiting which I was surprised about, so that upset us. He called later and said he’d had an earache, and that they could do the cover in L.A. I guess when you get that successful at twenty-one …

  Friday, June 24, 1983—New York—Montauk

  We got on the plane to Montauk and I’ve never had anything like this happen before—this two-engine plane wouldn’t start, and so they backed up another plane to it and tried to jump-cut the wires. I couldn’t believe it. And Halston’s saying, “Listen, darling, these pilots don’t want to die, they know what they’re doing.” And I said, “I’ve flown in a lot of planes and I’ve never seen anything like this.” And finally it got too ridiculous. They couldn’t jump-start it and so we got off. And they (laughs) offered us pretzels and peanuts. They were embarrassed. So then we got another plane (food $5). Then we flew out and the ride was fast and beautiful—the moon was coming up full and we flew over all the big houses.

  Halston’s brother who’s the attaché in Brussels was there with his wife and kids and stepkids. The kids were wearing Halston’s new line from J.C. Penney. I think it’s a hit.

  Saturday, June 25, 1983—Montauk

  Paul Morrissey said that someone called and offered to rent Montauk for $80,000. And Halston only pays $40,000. But it’s so much better with Halston, he keeps everything up and doesn’t have a lot of people out, and part of the reason he’s paying $40,000 is because he put furniture in. And Liza doesn’t come out anymore—she and Halston are still not on good terms. Because she didn’t wear a Halston to the Oscars. And I keep asking people, “Why would she have done that?” But I think it’s the Geros. They wanted to break her up with Halston so they’d have more control. I mean, when your husband tells you you don’t look good in these clothes … I guess Mark knew that Liza was using Halston’s to have assignations, too. But Liz Taylor will be coming out to visit Halston in Montauk soon—she’s getting Saturdays and Sundays off from Private Lives.

  Went into the town. And Halston was saying to me, “Oh darling, wouldn’t it be grand if your paintings cost a dollar and you could just cover houses all over the world with them, and a big one for over the fireplace would cost $50—but think of all the homes in America that you could just fill up.” The J.C. Penney concept.

  Sunday June 26, 1983—Montauk—New York

  We went over to Gurney’s Inn and I’d never been there. It’s next to Edward Albee’s. Gurney’s has the rustic look. It’s modern with a cave in the wall. It has balconies that are 4’ X 6’, and when we were on one balcony looking down on another, we could see these two men counting out hundred-dollar bills on green felt. I guess a boat had just smuggled in some drugs.

  Monday, June 27, 1983

  This morning a big bridge from Greenwich, Connecticut to New York broke and four cars drove off it.

  You know, I’m just not sure that people want to read interviews. Because when you read an article about somebody you find out all these things about their lives. Like the article this week in People on Jon’s friend Katy Dobbs, who’s the editor of Muppet magazine, and her boyfriend, Fred Newman. But then, since the sixties, after years of more and more and more “people” in the news, you still don’t know anything more about people. Maybe you know more, but you don’t know better. Like you can live with someone and not have any idea, either. So what good does all this information do you?

  Wednesday, June 29, 1983

  Richard Simmons has sort of disappeared. After being the biggest thing in America last year he’s just on real early in the morning.

  I was picked up by Ian Schrager and went out to Roy Cohn’s annual party in Greenwich and traffic was bad because of the bridge that had collapsed, and now they say that it was a seven-inch pin that caused the whole thing to go. It’s so abstract. People just kept driving onto it even when it wasn’t there—until a big tractor-trailer blocked it off.

  I talked to Bob Colacello. He’s going to Europe to do an article for Parade. Sat in a corner by the pond. Ate a fast dinner. Saw Calvin and told him that Juan Hamilton was very upset that Calvin hadn’t taken his call. I guess Juan and Georgia O’Keeffe feel that they treated Calvin so well when he was out there in New Mexico with them that he should be very friendly and do favors, but then I guess Calvin feels that he spent so much money buying Georgia’s paintings that he doesn’t have to do anything more.

  Thursday, June 30, 1983

  Let’s see, I started off with I Love Lucy which was a good one—Lucy doing everything to
Desi’s scalp because he thinks he’s going bald.

  Stopped at the new building and Robert Hayes really dresses up in a suit now, a really good look, the Bob Colacello look, it looks nice. But I mean, there he is with his dog at the office, and dogs can carry diseases… And I think, Oh what am I doing with my dogs, letting them get so close to me after they’ve been out on the streets. Halston never lets Linda go to the street. She poops in the kitchen. The one time Halston let her go to the park she came back with those fleas that Archie got on the same day in the park (phone $.50, supplies $17.32).

  And when people on the street turn me down when I offer them a free Interview, it just gets me right in the gut.

  Our TV show got a mention in Time in an article about Entertainment Tonight.

  Paige Powell had a big lunch for the Black Star & Frost jewelry guy, to try to get ads. And Victor called and asked me if I stole his book on St. Sebastian. And I had to say yes. But how can a person who’s so drugged-out know that I stole his book?

  Dropped Benjamin ($6). Then got another cab to the Olympic Tower to meet Halston, to go out to see Liza perform in New Jersey ($3). Nancy and Bill Dugan were coming, and Bill now wears his coat over his shoulders just like Halston.

  So we got there and it was a place with a top but no sides and it was freezing. Liza’s show was just great, two acts, better than The Act. She’s fabulous. She wore her YSL for the opening but with an Elsa Peretti belt, and then after that the outfits were Halston. A hairdresser punked up her hair, she’s decided to be punk. I was starved, hadn’t eaten, and there were no hot dogs or food being sold.

  And then Liza came in the car with us going back. And she said she didn’t like a dark limousine, she had to have a light, and so she turned on a light and it was on me and I couldn’t stand it and so then I turned the light so it was on her, and she liked that. She was in this spotlight all the way back.

  Friday, July 1,1983

  Worked at the office all day. Fred was planning his trip to Europe. He’s going on Tuesday—one of the Lambton girls is getting married. And then Catherine’s getting married on July 16, she called me to ask if I was going and I’m not.

  Got myself together and picked up Peter Wise. Cabbed to Keith Haring’s ($8.50). And he had such beautiful painted kids there, all like Li’l Abner and Daisy Mae. Wearing earrings and punk fun clothes. And black 6’ pickaninnies.

  And this was a party because Keith just broke through into another apartment. He’s just got a tent in it where he and his black boyfriend sleep. We’re going to photograph it for Interview. Keith was such a good hostess. This is at like Bowery and Broome.

  John Sex was there who has the beautiful hairdo. I took about fifty pictures. I shot without my contacts and I took one of a girl in the bathroom and she almost beat me up, and then when I left I found out I didn’t have any film in the camera.

  Saturday, July 2, 1983

  Went over to Mr. Chow’s for a birthday party for Jerry Hall who looks so stunning, so beautiful. White flowers and white roses were the decorations downstairs. Her sister who was in Urban Cowboy who married the Robin Lehman guy was there, and she had sort of a different attitude toward me, sort of cool. And I’d just seen Urban Cowboy on TV a couple of times and she was so slim in it and now she has those wide Texas hips.

  Clarisse Rivers was there, really fun. And Earl McGrath was funny. Mick happened to sit near me. Jed was there and I think he was with Alan Wanzenberg, and actually I think it was Alan who was sitting next to me but I wasn’t absolutely sure. The seating was a free-for-all. There was a big white cake with all the candles. The party went on and on. It was great. Left at 1:30, and was miserable.

  Sunday, July 3, 1983

  It was hot out. I went to church. Called Jay Shriver, cabbed down to meet him ($6). Opened up, worked all afternoon. Called Earl McGrath and asked if I could bring Jay to dinner. Cabbed to West 57th Street ($8).

  It was very air-conditioned at Earl’s. Camilla makes great food, a good Italian cook. Annie Leibovitz was there, and she said Jann Wenner’s mad at her because she accepted a year’s contract with Vanity Fair and he said she couldn’t work for Rolling Stone and Vanity Fair, too.

  Then everybody had to read poetry and that was the funniest thing. I didn’t, but everybody else did. They took them off the bookshelves. Really, it was so sick. Earl’s such a camp. I was laughing, everybody was. But reading straight. Like Jerry Hall reading straight like, “I am so-and-so, king of kings/Look at me and despair.”

  Tuesday, July 5, 1983

  There was a party at the Statue of Liberty, but I’d already read publicity of me going to it so I felt it was done already.

  Wednesday, July 6, 1983

  I had an appointment with Karen Burke because she’s leaving for Europe and she wants to test me to see if she can give me collagen and I’m going to do it because she worked out well for my pimples. I read that the collagen only lasts three to six months, but so what, then you just have it done again.

  Christopher came back from California, and we talked an hour on the phone. Worked till 7:30 then decided to take the kids out on the town. We went to One Fifth because they’ve started to advertise again (drinks $59.47).

  Christopher was depressed because he’d fallen in love in L.A. and saw the kid as a young version of himself. He said that the kid could have been the most successful hustler on Sunset Strip but instead he decided to become a busboy. And Chris said to me that he’d learned his lesson about bad manners when somebody invites you out to dinner because this boy ordered six desserts and then took them home, and Chris said he would never ever do anything like that to me again. And it wasn’t until afterwards that Benjamin said to me, “But did you see that Chris had his steak wrapped up to go?” And I hadn’t. But he was depressed, so I would have had to let him get away with it anyway. He was so melancholy he had tears in his eyes. He put on his sunglasses. He was carrying his bags under his eyes. I told him look, that he was so in love with Mark from Denver at one point that it was wrecking his life, and now he doesn’t care a thing about him, so that he’d get over this, too.

  Thursday, July 7, 1983

  Well the news of the day was that Alfred Bloomingdale’s Vicki Morgan was found beaten to death. So all I could think of was the CIA. Unless she was in an S&M thing.

  Catherine called again to try to get me to come to her wedding. I just don’t know what to do. I don’t want to go. And Halston says he’ll only go if I go. Richard Weisman is going on Wednesday and he’s bringing her Halston wedding dress. Victor wants to go. Catherine says she’s saving room in her car for me.

  Sunday, July 10, 1983

  Chris is driving everyone crazy being in love with Byron, the kid he met in California, saying, “He’s so like me. It’s like seeing myself. His mother died when he was nineteen….”I said, “Uh, Chris, your mother’s still alive.”

  And he said that when they were doing around-the-world the kid said, “Whatever happened to Chris and Byron?” Like whatever happened to those sweet kids. So there they were engaged in this salacious scene saying what happened to their innocence. Oh I guess “Byron” would be too much. (laughs) It’s actually Brian. But it feels like Byron. Talked to John Reinhold. Stayed home and moped because I’m sick in the head. Too afraid to even walk the dogs because I don’t want to bend over on the streets and pick up the poop. So now I send them just out to the backyard. Jed didn’t take them this weekend.

  Monday, July 11, 1983

  Steve Wynn came by, the Golden Nugget guy from Atlantic City. He came with his wife, who’s intelligent, but she’s old enough that she could be traded in soon. They were in town because they were taking Frank and Barbara Sinatra to dinner at La Grenouille. And Steve Wynn had with him two checks that totalled a billion dollars, from some bank downtown—he showed them to us. He’s really sexy, he wears those kind of continental pants. When Benjamin went down to the car with him, it was a beat-up old limousine. Benjamin was expecting something flashy.r />
  Walked the Village and then went to Tower Records and bought the Talking Heads album that Rauschenberg did the cover for. He was upset because he only got $2,000. And I told him he was right, he should’ve gotten $25,000.

  Wednesday, July 13, 1983

  Okay, well this was the night of the glittering event, the premiere of Staying Alive. Got up early.

  Paige was having a lunch for two gay guys from Diener Hauser Bates. One had had my old friend George Clobber for a teacher at Pratt, so we talked about that. George Clobber was the first person who told me about the gay life.

  Went to meet Maura at 6:45 (cab $7) at the Russian Tea Room. And then we went over to the Ziegfeld and there were the crowds lined up. And now there’s a new thing—for Good Morning America when they photograph you they say, “Are you aware that you’re being photographed for Good Morning America? And do you give your consent?’ “ I said, “I do.”

  And then eighteen bodyguards came in and Stallone and his wife arrived and I was on the aisle and he saw me and stopped and said he was glad I’d come. Then the lights went down and Frank Mancuso gave a speech. And then Sasha Stallone gave an emotional speech about their autistic child that the benefit was for, and all I could think of was Bad because we were the first to have an autistic kid in a movie.