June 1

I was away unexpectedly on Memorial Day, so I was unable to post a small group of vintage photos of WW II soldiers. World War II was the deadliest military conflict in history. Over 60 million people were killed, 418,500 of them Americans. Please take time to consider that each soldier photographed here was away from family, friends and loved ones while serving his grateful nation. The cost of freedom is high, and some gave the ultimate sacrifice while protecting our country. Even though Memorial Day is past, it’s never too late to remember our nation’s heroes.

WW II soldier feeding a kitten.

Below is an Associated Press photograph (1943):
EYE ON THE TARGET
"This 20mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft gun is manned by youthful Frank Kalar, of Riverside, Ill., crew member of a destroyer escort. No sit-down job for Frank as he swirls around strapped to his gun."

Now, back to our regular programming.

The Dupont Twins, gay kings of debauchery

The Dupont twins, as they were known, were introduced to Andy Warhol in 1977 when they were all of 17 years old. The artist, then in his late 40s, took to Richard and Robert immediately. In an interview in New York magazine, Richard said, "Andy would kiss me, and yes he touched me. He would sometimes jerk me off."

In 1977 the pair of identical twins worked for caterer Martha Stewart in Westport, Connecticut. Gay, 6-ft. three, blond, eager and sexually available, Richard and Robert Lasko were high-school juniors. They had been adopted at birth by a couple who owned gas stations in Fairfield County. The twins experimented with drugs and sex, and had insatiable tastes. They wanted more of just about everything. One night, after working a Stewart-catered party in Manhattan, another of her employees took Richard and Robert to a new club called Studio 54. They found a world of excess even more immense than their appetites, and within six months, the Laskos had run away from home, renamed themselves the Dupont twins, and become darlings of café society, hobnobbing with Mick Jagger, Liza Minelli, Truman Capote, Diana Ross, Halston and Salvador Dali. New York’s celebrity art crowd misbehaved extravagantly at Studio 54, and it didn’t take the twins long to meet Andy Warhol and his set, who acted at their most predatory.

Robert: “I think we got into Studio 54 that first night because we were wearing the tuxedos left over from catering Martha's party. We had brought a 14-year-old boy from school with us, which made us the youngest people there, so everyone wanted to give us things and dance with us. I remember the smell: Halston Z-14 cologne, flowers, and poppers.”

Richard: “Hours went by, and we were having a hell of a time. Someone offered us cocaine. We lost our young friend the minute we got there, but when we walked onto the dance floor, it felt as if we had found a new home. Our friend eventually found us, hours later, and he was, like, “We all have to go to school tomorrow!” We didn’t get home until five in the morning. Oh my God. Martha called the next day because that boy’s parents were furious. She was concerned.”

According to the brothers, once they became regulars at Studio 54, sexual favors were traded for cocaine and cash. The lads would often receive $100 from Warhol at the end of the night, or, when they were really lucky, a bit of Chairman Mao silk screen wallcovering be handed over.

The Dupont twins were used by Warhol to solicit sales of art from Studio 54's customers. Richard says, "Andy would say, 'Can we get one of those rich men you're sleeping with to buy a portrait?' And later it became more like, 'Why don't you go sleep with that one, and then talk him into having me do his portrait.' We did that a lot."

"Sometimes we'd be in the back of the limo," says Richard, "and Salvador Dalí would say, 'Pull it out, pull it out'... One time I did it for Andy and Dali together while we were in a black limousine, going uptown on Park Avenue South.”

Robert: “Andy always wanted to know everything about what I did in bed. Later he wanted to know everything about every man that Richard or I slept with. He would ask, “Was he ugly?” “Did you fuck him?” “What’s his apartment like?” “Does he have any money?” “Did he buy you anything?” “What secrets did he tell you?”

Richard Dupont with Andy Warhol.

Men would give us gifts like Cartier lighters and David Webb cuff links, and when we showed them to Andy, he would take them away from us. “You’ll lose them,” he’d say. Later, when we asked him what he did with all those things, he couldn’t remember.

Andy liked porn, and he liked porn stars. On Monday nights, when Studio was closed, we would go to this discothèque called the Ice Palace on 57th Street that was full of prostitutes and porn stars. I remember meeting two of them, and Andy saying, “You and your brother should do it with them.” Even the thought of doing it with Robert – in the same bed with my brother – God no! We always said no when Andy asked to film us having sex or pose naked. “You’ll be famous,” he always said. “You’ll be a star. We’ll make a movie.”

Later, when the twins were at the top of their form, Warhol became wildly jealous when the twins were invited to parties from which Warhol was excluded, like John Kennedy Jr’s 18th birthday party. Afterward, Warhol pressed them for every detail, jealous that they had both talked to Jackie.


Photo below: the Dupont twins today with socialite Cornelia Guest.

But the darlings of the wicked society set eventually grew up. They became famous "walkers" for the cream of New York society's wealthy women, escorting the wives of rich and famous men to parties, concerts, ballet and gallery openings. What could be better for a society matron than having a good-looking erudite gay man on her arm as a "walker" for a social event? Two good-looking erudite gay men, of course.

Now sober and clean from drugs, the twins began writing a Friday column for the New York Social Diary's West Coast edition, known as “Los Angeles Social Diary.” Begun in 2005, the feature written by Richard and Robert was called “The DuPont Twins in Hollywood.” And the beat goes on.