Saturday, August 06, 2005

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Friday, February 4, 1983

It was freesing out.

Steve Rubell called and said he was sending tickets to the Joan Rivers thing at Carnegie Hall that night and invited me to Calvin's for drinks before the show. He also told me that he'd sent Bob over to see about the Page Six job at the Post, but that they couldn't believe the expense account he was asking for. I knew these places don't pay much, just from the days when I used to work for Harper's Bazaar. I guess you get perks, but ten years ago The New York Times sent a letter to all the writers saying that they could accept absolutely nothing for a gift. I guess Diana Vreeland, though, used to get so much, so many shoes and dresses.

Went to Calvin's on Central park West (cab $4). I asked Steve if he'd invited Bob Colacello and he said no, that since Bob wasn't working for any place why invite him. Calvin had fourteen boys and one girl--Sue Mengers. Barry Diller was there and Sandy Gallin, the big agent.

It was fun talking to Sue, she's such a pic. Then we went in limos to Carnegie Hall. Steve gave us two seats way off, separated from the center seats that he had.

Joan Rivers came on with her boa, and she's funny, but I don't know how she can say the things she does and get away with it, how she's not sued. Like she said that Richard Simmons is carrying Red Reed's baby, and she says that Christina Onassis looks like an ape, and she did a thing about Nancy Reagan picking her nose with a breadstick. But then afterwards everybody was talking like her, so I guess she's popular.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Monday, January 31, 1983

I watched Chinatown on TV. Why isn't Robert Towne writing great things like that now?

Went to meet Lidija (cab $6) and worked out. Then had an appointment to see Keith Haring in Soho (cab $3.50). Went with Chris and Peter. he rents a huge studio without a bathroom for a thousand dollars, and it's great. And there was this Puerto Rican kid sitting there, and I asked what he did and Chris said the kid does the writing in Keith's graffit paintings, so I got confused, I don't know what Keith does. He paints around the words, I guess.

ORIGINAL ENTRY:Thursday, January 27, 1983--New York--Atlantic City, New Jersey--New York

I was going down later to Atlantic City, my first time, with Diana Ross to see the Frank Sinatra show and bring a print of the portrait I did of her down to the guy who owns the Golden Nugget. Diana had just signed a contract with the Golden Nugget to play in this room, they're paying her a lot, and she's never played a small room before, so she wanted to see it.

And I had a fight with the assistnat art director girl at Interview, I called her dumb, but then I cooled down. It was like Mr. Brodovich, the famous art director at Bazaar, when he used to scream at me. You know, it was just people doing what they want to do after you tell them what to do. But Fred told me that you can get more out of people if you tell them they're dumb in a nice way, so the situation cooled down.

And the Twiggy cover came out so bad--it was so ugly, Twiggy in a snood--that we're going to use a Rober Risko caricature for the cover. Because Vanity Fair is coming out and they're stealing all our artists, so we wanted to get this look out first since it's going to be their look.

Then suddenly it was 5:00 and I had to be home by 5:15 when Diana Ross was picking me up to go to the helicopter (cab $5.50). Just had time to put my contacts in. The doorbell rang and it was just Diana alone, so I was nervous. Then we went to the 60th Street place and got a Pan-Am helicopter that the Golden Nugget was paying for.

We had to wait a few minutes for her lawyer, and also going down with us was Frank Sinatra's tailor who had an Italian name but looked Jewish. and I liked the lawyer, there was something adorable about him. I've noticed that all these people on top have a twinkle in their eye, their eyes twinkle. and he kept calling Los Angeles all night because of the big floods there, to find out if his house had gone down the drain with his wife and kids. As a matter of fact, everybody from California was calling to find out if their houses were still there. Diana called, too. And You'd hear things from the phone like, "Oh, no! The neighbor's house just went!"

I told Diana she should really marry Barry Diller and she said how could she take a girlfriend's man--meaning Diane Von Furstenberg. I told her she really be friends with him again because he was in with that crowd, and she said that they had been really good friends, that he was so great to her when her mother had cancer, he took her to Sloan-Kettering when she had no idea at all what to do, and I asked her when this was and she said, "Last year." So I said, "Well, what happened?" And she sort of said Dreamgirls, the musical that's about the Supremes but they don't call them the Supremes. Geffen produced it. She said that at first she was going to sue but then she didn't.

And Diana tips people herself and does everyting herself. It's really great.

And as we left New York the skyline was so beautiful.

When we got to Atlantic City the guy who met us was somebody who Edmund Gaultney had brought to the office once. He took us to the Golden Nugget and it turns out his brother, Steve Wynn, owns it. He was there with his wife and kids, and they're a good-looking American family--I couldn't tell if they were Italian or Jewish.

and Diana couldn't decide which of two outfits to wear. I said I'd be her hairdresser and decide, but then I couldn't decide, either. She finally put on a skimpy white dress, but then later changed her mind and wore tight black pants and a top. So I got a tour of the Golden Nugget and that was exciting. There were literally eighteen reataurants, and Victorian was the style for everything. I asked the guy why everything was Victorian and he said nobody gambled if it looks modern.

We went up an escalator five stories high. They said they'd send a plane for me whenever I wanted, but when I said I wasn't a gambler they dropped me. Diana is a big gambler, though, but she hasn't gambled there yet.

Then they said that Frank Sinatra always goes on on time and so we got to the room and it's about 500 seats. They sell 200 and give 300 to the high rollers. Frank came on and he did all his songs and it was great.

And he introduced Diana Ross and me in the audience, he said, "We have tow fabulous, famous people in the audience, each in their own fields, one an artist, one a singer," and the introduction went on for along time. And Barbara Sinatra was between us. She was wearing a little balck dress, she looks great. I couldn't think of what to say so I asked her if her son was still dating Barbara Allen, although I knew he wasn't

Afterward we went to their suite and for the first time Frank shook hands with me. And gee, he looks great. How old is he? About sixty-seven? And he doesn't wear a toupee. I'm sure. I'm an expert, and I really would say absolutely not--I think he's maybe had transplants and that they look really good. And the tailor was there measuring for suits, and he was straight but he was kissing and hugging all these guys like a gay seamstress. It was so camp. And I didn't have my camera so I didn't take pictures, but anybody who tried to, the security people put their hands over the camera in sort of a great way.

Frank said he was doing a song on his next album with Michael Jackson, and Diana said, "Why don't you do one with me?"

When diana and I were alone for a moment, I told her that there were so many people with "funny names" here, and she pushed her nose sideways and said, "You mean like this?" And it was funny, it looked so Mafia. Home at 12:00

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Friday, January 7, 1983

The newspapers had a lot of Bob Colacello items and the office was still buzzing about it. Jane Holzer called and said that Steve Rubell had told her and then I changed the subject and asked her what was new with her, and she said, "You're so cool about all this," and what else can I be? I mean... but it's a big savings for the office payroll. Fred doesn't think we should rush into hiring a new editor--Robert Hayes has been so nice we'll just see what he can do.

Nick Rhodes of Duran Duran came to the office and he brought his girlfriend, Julie Anne. He's Twenty and she's twenty-three. He was wearing twice as much makeup as she was, although he's half as tall.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Thursday, January 6, 1983

When I got to the office Vincent handed me a letter. It was from Bob. He quit. No one at the office knows except Gael and Robert and Fred. And I hear he has the agent named Janklow, a big literary lawyer. I wonder if Jann Wenner's offered him a job because he's been having meetings with him lately, but I don't think so, because they'd never get along. I'm happy for Bob. Really I am. But I mean, he should have kept working until we found a replacement. It's awful of him to just leave with no notice. Fred called and talked to him but nothing changed. I think Thomas Ammann must have encouraged him. Thomas has gotten so grand, too. I mean, I see people that I knew so long ago, and suddenly they have airs.

So nobody at the office knows except the people I said. But (laughs), everybody outside the office knows. But this has been building up for a while. Before Bob went away for the holidays I'd told him he could have any painting he wanted for Christmas and he said a Hammer & Sickle, and I only have two of those and I said, "Gee, Bob, just anything but that," and he got mad. but Bob had gotten so grand, he goes to these rich people's places and he thinks he should have it all, too. But magazine editors don't make that much. And Bob made so much off other things--he got commissions on the portriats and he has 50 percent of Bruno photography portfolio. But what he really wanted was 50 percent of Interview--at least I think said 50, I couldn't really hear if he was saying 50 or 15. I told him then, that he could have a percentage of the profits, when Interview started making some profits, but it's not making any yet. And then he said that it was. But it's just not. And if Bob was smart, he could have just hired someone to do the routine things that he does for Interview and just overseen the magazine, do it freelance. I think maybe that's what Fred's going to ask him to do. Anyway, I think he'll be back.

And John Powers brought a possible portrait by--a plastic surgeon from Florida. And Mr. LeFrak came while they were there and John was great, he embarrassed Mr. LeFrak into finally accepting the portraits--he told him what more do you want, and then later he told me, "I can't believe you made him look so good."

so I got home about 7:00, dropped Jay (cab $5). Decided to stay home, talked on the phone to Christopher and Fred.

You know, about Bob leaving, it's not about money, because he was making a lot. And it's not about the Hammer & Sickle, because if it wasn't about that it would have been about something else. He's been leading up to this for a long time. Maybe he's going into business with Thomas Ammann, too. Because Bob is good at selling art. If a person says they don't want a portrait, Bob will just make a face and walk away. And he's not shy about asking people to pay their bills. Even Fred is a little shy about that. But Bob isn't. If he's got a good new job I'm happy for him. He just shouldn't have quit with no notice. That's the bad thing, it's not professional.

Sunday, January 2, 1983--Aspen--New York

I didn't have one drink the whole time I was away. And I didn't gain weight, either. I just got weighed and I'm 126 still.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Friday, December 31, 1982--Aspen

Chris went skiing with Cornelia on Buttermilk. Mark Sink called. He's the bicycle racer who does circulation for Interview in Denver.

Drove over to Jimmy Buffett's. As soon as we got in Couri Hay had taken one of our tables and filled it up with boys--Tab Hunter and a mincy boyfriend. But then Jamie Buffett gave us another table and then the party started getting good. Barry Diller arrived with Diana Ross, and Jack Nicholson with Anjelica Huston--Jack's got a big fat belly now. It was all country-western.

Five minutes before New Year's we decided, Jon and I, that we didn't want to be in a crowd and so we went right outside, not to hear them singing "Auld Lang Syne." Then we watched the fireworks outside and went in ten minutes after. So it was great, nobody even knew we were gone, and they had finished all their kissing and stuff.