Friday, July 27, 1979

I'd just gone to bed at 6:00 but at 7:30 Halston was knocking on my door. He hates being away from New York and he wanted to get back, but it was a horror trip getting up. And the hotel was just so beautiful, it had the geraniums in the window and red awnings. And Steve didn't want to get up and go, either, but after a half-hour of coaxing he did get up. We had to sit and eat breakfast but it was torture. Victor had his own room upstairs that he'd gotten after having an agitation, and he was cranky.
     Halston really enjoys screaming. When he's paying he gets so grand and yells and tells everybody off about how rotten the service is for what he's paying, and when he pays the bill he makes you feel--well, he's like me, only worse.  He tells you how he has to go back to New York to slave so hard so he can make money so you can go on spending it all, and oh, God!--he makes you feel so funny about it. But then it is just incredible what hotels cost now.
     Finally Victor and everybody was in the car and we got to the Concorde on time, and Steve wasn't tipping the driver who hadn't even slept, he'd been out with us all night, so I gave him a fifty.
     As soon as we got on the plane everyone fell asleep. The stewardess woke Halston up and he screamed at her that she better not wake him up again.
     I wanted to get the Concorde silverware, and I wanted to wake Victor up and ask him to ask for food so I could get more settings--I'm working up to a twelve-piece setting--but I didn't wake him up so I only got one set. It was an easy flight. Then we went through customs and the customs guy used to be a cabdriver who had me in his cab once, so he sailed me right through. Got home and went to the office. Cab fares had gone up ($4).
     It was a hot day and when I got to the office nobody was doing a thing. Brigid was waiting for the cake lady from New Jersey to deliver a cake for her mother's birthday, she was taking it out to the country for her later on.
     David Whitney called and said I had to get some of the portraits to Paris, and I called Fred but I couldn't get him. Worked till about 7:30 with Rupert. Read my mail.


Warhol, A. (1989). The Andy Warhol Diaries (P. Hackett, Ed.). Pg. 231. New York: Warner Books.

Monday, July 23, 1979--London

Went to some punk stores with Victor and Catherine, one was called Seditionaires. We got shirts that were made out of Nazi symbols and that you could tie yourself together with, And a T-shirt of two cocks pissing on Marilyn Monroe's photograph saying the word "Piss." Catherine knew a little Italian restaurant where her family goes on Sunday. Nice Italian lunch ($100), and after that we got some flowers for Catherine's mother ($20) and Catherine took us to see her stepfather's mansion on Cheyne Walk. Whistler lived there once.
     Victor and I went back to the hotel (cab $7). It was Martha Graham's opening at Covent Garden. We all got ready and met in Halston's room--John Bowes-Lyon, Dr. Giller and me, Randy, Steve, Victor--Fred went off with his date, Sabrina Guinness. Liza went on before us. We all had front-row-balcony seats.
     They did three numbers and then Liza came on with "The Owl and the Pussycat." Then Martha gave a long speech, about half an hour. They were all wearing beautiful Halstons. Lynn Wyatt was next to Fred, then moved up next to John Bowes-Lyon.
     Then backstage, hello to Liza and Martha, and then a little cocktail party in the bar part of Covent Garden. Covent Garden was very beautiful, it looked like the old Met. Then drinks, and then we all walked to the Savoy--Halston was giving a private party. We were upstairs and we didn't know the party was upstairs and downstairs. The downstairs party had Princess Margaret and Halston, Liza, and everybody, and when we finally realized we were missing it, we went downstairs. Halston was nervous but his party was terrific, had the best time.
     Victor wanted me to meet Princess Margaret, and I didn't but I got two pictures. Victor got two photos of Princess Margaret and Roddy Llewellyn. They didn't want to be seen together and they wanted to take his film away, but then Fred said not to, that Victor was with Halston.
     Left the party about 4:00, went to Liza's room. She was wearing a really beautiful see-through fabric dress with her hair brushed back like her mother used to wear it--that's the way she wears it in "The Owl and the Pussycat." It was a wig but I couldn't tell.
     Then Halston and I left Liza's room and we began taking everybody's shoes from in front of their doors and moving them to other places. The funniest thing I ever did. Then to bed and read a little bit more of the Martha Mitchell book.

Warhol, A. (1989). The Andy Warhol Diaries (P. Hackett, Ed.). Pg 229-230. New York: Warner Books.