Paige Powell, Joey Arias, and Unidentified Men

Friday, October 31, 1986
This was the day of the surprise birthday party Steven Greenberg was giving for Paige at Nell’s. For days I’d just been shuffling papers for Paige’s party, trying to help Tama do a good guest list, and I couldn’t get it together, and then Gael took over and did it all really fast. Worked all afternoon. I went home and then Paige picked me up, and as far as she knew, we were just going to a blind-​date dinner at Nell’s. So we get to Nell’s and Paige still doesn’t suspect anything and then right at the last second, right outside at the door Glenn O’Brien’s wife Barbara was getting out of a cab and said, “Hi, Paige, we’re here for your surprise party.” We couldn’t believe it, but Paige was distracted enough so it didn’t really sink in and I think she actually was really shocked when she walked into the club and everybody screamed, “Surprise!” Gael did a really great job pulling it all together and the party was so nice. I sat right where I did on the opening night— right by the front door— and I didn’t move once. The party took up the whole street- level floor, and then they let the public in at 10:00 but they sent them downstairs. And it’s the new look in restaurants—going for the sort of phony rich look. Dark with stuffed furniture. And let’s see, Thomas Ammann was there and Tama, and Nick Love from L.A. who’s staying at Fred’s. And Larissa was there, and Jay, and Wilfredo, and Gina and Peter Koper. And the new kid who works for Interview who was at Paramount, Kevin Sessums.
Excerpt from The Andy Warhol Diaries © The Andy Warhol Foundation. Used with permission.