Saturday, December 11, 2004

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Tuesday, June 5, 1979

Watched The Stanley Siegel Show in the morning. Truman went into a "Southern Fag" character and began telling all the embarrassing things that Lee had told him over the years about people--that Peter Tufo looked like a ferret and was publicity-crazy riding on her coattails, and that Newton Cope who she's engaged to marry, still--even after calling off the wedding a few weeks ago-- was "no great catch," except for maybe he would be, in a "provincial town." And he told how she tried to seduce William F. Buckley, Jr. by asking him for spiritual advice and then when he didn't respond she accused him of being queer. If Lee was drinking before this feud with Truman, can you imagine now? Oh, Truman's making such a fool of himself. He should at least be drunk.

Liz Smith called Interview to say that she was going to do an item on the channel 4 news show at 5:45 about our interview with the Mondale kid because of the part where he said that in the vice-president's house where his parents live now, when Nelson Rockefeller used to live there, he had a trap door put in that connected his bedroom with the guest bedroom.

Halston said he was all for Truman, that Lee deserved what she got. Then we were talking about Steve Rubell and Halston said that confidentially he thought Steve was going up the river. Then Steve arrived and said his lawyers told him he could get off if he gave evidence to the government about the Washington people that've come to Studio 54 and taken drugs and things. Then he went to pick up Diana Ross to take her to Studio 54.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Monday, May 7, 1979

Went up to Hoveyda's exhibit at the Bodley Gallery. Hoveyda had a letter in the Times yesterday about his brother, a letter to the new regime that said his brother didn't run away from the country like all the other ministers because he believed in Iran, and Hoveyda called it murder, he said that the new prime minister could look forward to getting murdered, too. It was a good letter (cab $4.50).

Bob had a big lunch where he got lots of Lee Radziwill gossip. Everybody thinks she was just too drunk to make it to her own wedding. In San Francisco. She left the groom waiting at the altar. But I think she's probably just depressed because she got so skinny that her chemical balance changed and she doesn't know what she wants.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Wednesday, April 18, 1979

It was sunny day, walked over to Lexington, passed out Interviews, and then went over to the Russian Tea Room to meet Joan Hyler, my agent who's going to get me movie parts. She has John Savage and Meryl Streep for clients.

John Fairchild, Jr. called and invited me to see Manhattan on his father's tickets, but I looked in the book and saw I had a dinner at Alice Mason's. She's the real estate person in New York who got Carter elected president. Dropped Rupert (Cab $4). Went to 150 East 72nd Street.

And I wanted see her apartment, because after all, she's the big realtor, and when I saw it you couldn't believe it, it's just nothing, on a sixth floor with (laughs) paint peeling. Nothing special at all.

But it was a heavy-duty party. It was all big, tall, beautiful intellectual girls and old, rich bachelors. A room full of heavies. Bess Myerson, John and Mary Lindsay, John Kluge. Jaquine Lachman who was so thrilled that Mr. Lachman died, but now Rita, an Ex-Mrs. Lachman, is giving her problems.

The daughter of Alice Mason brought them into her mother's bedroom where my Carter portrait was and other photos of her with Carter. They had funny art around the house. At around 12:15 I slipped out.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Tuesday, April 16, 1979

Did I say that the other night Nureyev was in Elaine's? I never know what you're supposed to do there when you see somebody. Be very cool so you don't bother them? or should you throw your arms around them because I mean it is great when Diana Ross does it.

I didn't go to Steve Rubell's getting-out-of-jail party. In the paper it said that while he was in his jail cell he wrote his diary on Studio 54 cards that he had in his pocket. Isn't that great? He siad the cell was disgusting and that the first thing he'll fight for is jail reform.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Monday, March 19, 1979

Halston picked me up and we went over to Martha Graham's studio on I think 63rd, to watch her rehearse. Martha arrived and she's so great, so young. She has a guy who looks after her. then we went over to Halston's for dinner. Martha's going to England to do a command performance, and to Egypt, and to Lisbon. Her Iranian performance was cancelled, naturally, but I don't see how she can do it at her age, it's so hard, traveling like that. We talked about cosmetic surgery. I remember somebody telling me once that when Martha was down and out, a kind couple took her in and gave her a facelift and then her career revived. Now maybe she'll get a hand operation, tool she said, because really her hands are just like little stumps.

I told her I saw her dance in Pittsburgh in 1948 and she said she was from Pittsburgh, and Halston was surprised, he said that they never really talked. Halston give her clothes and somebody else gave her money to redecorate, but instead of redecorating she bought one expensive thing instead of doing the basics, but she said it was because she didn't have to do the basics, that she'll get to it. Halston served caviar and baked potatoes. And when Halston serves baked potatoes and caviar, it;s always with like a pound of caviar. I don't know if it's really caviar these days, though because with all the trouble in Iran, where can they be getting it? They may be just making it up.

And the Du Pont twins called me at Halston's, they were calling over town for me, and I wouldn't take the call, and then they had the nerve to ring the doorbell and they were drunk and giggling and I went to the front door and told them off.

Oh, and Halston's mad at Bianca because she never arrived from London, and it was supposed to be Mohammed's day off and Halston had him wait at home all day, and when he called her in London she said that she had food poisoning, but didn't believe her because he'd heard her use the excuse over and over again on other people while she was staying at his house.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Wednesday, March 14, 1979

The BBC was at the office doing a story on Fran Lebowitz and then on us interviewing Jessica Lange (Pastry $17, $2.77).

Jessica wants to be a serious actress. She's thirty and she's pretty but she has caps on her teeth, I think. They asked me where I found Fran and I said, "In the gutter." And then they asked me if I'd read her book, and I said no. I hope it came out right. What they were actually saying was that since she's so good, how come she writes for you. I asked Fran to help us interview Jessica, and she said she didn't do interviews. And then she didn't have her column for us, so we were upset. She actually did give funny lines, though, this time. She told Jessica she loved King Kong, and Jessica said she hadn't seen it. And Jessica said to Fran, "I love your book," and Fran said, "I haven't read it."

Picked up Jed and Paulette Goddard and we limoed to the armory for the Cartier party that Ralph Destino was giving to celebrate the anniversary of the Santos Dumont wristwatch that he got Bob to help get celebrities for. Truman was there in his sailor's cap--he looks like he's lost a lot of weight. It's strange. it's as if they took his face an chiseled off some of it. It's not like he looks younger. It's just thinner. And his scars are all gone. The only one left is the one from the fold on his nose. And Monique Van Vooren was there, she said that Nureyev was coming. Adn I said are you sure, and she said, "Don't worry, if he's getting a free watch he'll be here." And right then he walked in. He really looks so old.

Mr. Destino spent so much money to get the airplanes into the armory--wristwatch was invented for a pilot--and the whole party probably cost about $100,000, but it just didn't work. Robyn Geddes's mother, Caroline Amory, was there, and Lynn Wyatt, and Joanne Herring. And Catherine was there, she's very fat but she looks beautiful. Like a sexy English Fatso, a beautiful body, but all filled in. Like a jelly jar.

Paulette was wearing so much jewelry it must have been $3 million worth of rubies, and she was saying she wants to sell off her paintings, and she was saying how much money she had. She decided she didn't want the woman's watch, that she wanted the man's watch, adn she told Mr. Destino and he said fine. Thee watches they were giving were $1,300 watches, and they gave eight of them, and I guess they cost them $600 apiece. Marion Javits didn't know who Mr. Destino was and she said to him, "These watches are crap," and he said, "I'm the president of Cartier." And so she was going crazy because she couldn't get out of it--literally going crazy. Finally I told her, "Well look, marion, It'll be a memorable evening for him--he'll never forget it."

Bob and I took Paulette home. And Bob was gushing and sentimental and telling Paulete he loved her, and so just to make things lighter I said, "Gee, Bob, you never tell me you love me." And so I go home and fall asleep and the phone rings and it's Bob saying that he's never said so but that he does love me, and I mean, what's wrong with him? Is he flipping out?

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Friday, February 16, 1979

I called the Neil Sedakas and they were out but the decorator was in, and he invited me up first to his office on 81st and Park and then to go over to see the Sedakas' apartment that he decorated before they move in, on 5th and Park. I went up to the decorator's and he has like a private entrance in a big building. It's a beautiful office but it's decorated horribly. He had paintings like I've seen at other people's apartments, they're just like scribbles and I don't think he paints them, but it's somebody's paintings. I just couldn't face asking him whose they were. I'm going to, though. He wears Christopher Street clothes, army boots and a leather jacket and chinos, and he has a mustached and a beard. He looks like Victor, like a Gay Bob Doll. Then he took me upstairs to see his partner's apartment, and she had a duplex with more scribble paintings.

Then we went over to the Sedakas' apartment. Thee renovation job looks like it's costing $3 or $400,000 and they're doing things like moving a door one inch. But they're putting in saunas and things.

Cabbed to U.N. Plaza ($3). Truman looked like Dr. Frankenstein had just finished with him. He had scars up and down and across his face. He looked like he had the little screw missing. Then we cabbed over to Dr. Orentreich's office ($4) and we slipped the back way. It was like sneaking in with Garbo. Okay, let me describe Truman's costume: He had a scarf ove his head, then a funny little hat with folds in it and a babushka and a jacket and a scarf over his mouth and dark glasses and a leather jacket and a coat. I mean with the scarves and funny hats draped all over him, he was so conspicuous. Otherwise nobody would have noticed him and he would have been just a strange person with blood leaking down his face.

And he decided he wanted more done--he wanted more pain, I guess--so he was going to have the fold on the bridge of his nose done, too, right then. It's an operation that Truman says he invented and that Dr. Orentreich has rehearsed on two women first, and now he was ready to give it to Truman.

There were eight really beautiful nurses. It was like watching Hugh Hefner and his Bunnies. And they aid to Orentreich, "What a great sewer you are doctor." When he was done tucking Truman's furrow--the furrow had been about a quarter-inch and the scar was about three inches--they glued him up. Truman was awake, and he said ti didn't hurt, but I don't see how it couldn't have. He made an appointment for Monday to take the stitches out.

Then we cabbed back to U.N. Plaza and Truman was talking about "our magazine." He said that in addition to the big editorial meetings, he wanted to have an opinion page and letters-to-the-editor column and now I'm just bracing myself for some letter to arrive from his lawyers.

He says his next improvement is hair transplants. He said his troubles were all because of John O'shea and that now he really hates him. But then later Brigid told me that he had her send O'shea a subscription to Interview.