I am currently reading The Times We Had by Marion Davies, who was newspaper magnate, William Randolph Hearst's mistress for many years. It's a wonderfully entertaining book that will put a smile on your face. She comes across as funny, smart, and very lovable. You can see why Hearst was so smitten with her. I wish I could go back in time for one night, so I could hang out with her, sipping cocktails in her hilltop mansion and having a gay old time.
My friend, Jaime, recommended the book, so I e-mailed her yesterday to discuss Hearst's behavior in the beginning of the story:
Me: Slightly stawkerish. He’s constantly following her around! It’s kind of endearing, but then when you start thinking about it, it’s creepy. Ridiculously rich men can get away with stalking, I guess.
Jaime: Yeah, I mean he was also giving her rolls of hundred dollar bills to use as tampons. And it seemed like he never forced her into sleeping with him. It just seemed like a lot of cuddles and buying giraffes. Right now it sounds like the ideal situation. I've had passionate relationships and, with few exceptions, nothing good has ever come of them. So if some guy came along that wanted to buy me things and hang out with me and build me a palace in the mountains, I'd tuck my dog under my arm and be off.
Me: I love how he gives her a diamond watch, and she loses it! So, her friend calls and tells him, and the next day, she receives another one – no note or anything, just a watch! She mentions how it’s not as pretty as the other one! And, he’s always bailing her out of situations, and she barely knows him. He’s just this looming figure in the shadows, but he’s loaded, so nobody gets freaked out. Because if Mr. Hearst was "William Hearst the Chimney Sweep", they would’ve called the cops on him long ago for stalking little girls. The story is great, and I love her. She’s so adorable in the way she tells a story. In my head, she sounds just like Betty Boop.
Dude, giraffes and cuddles sound awesome. It’s a win win, in my book. Who needs passion or sex when I can host parties and drink all day and night in a lavish mansion with marble pools and elaborate gardens! Passion is seriously overrated, and it only causes problems in the long run. I’ll take my diamond watches, exotic animals, and champagne any day, thank you very much.
Related Posts: Dick Whitman or The Guy from Simply Red?
3 comments:
Ohmanohman, the fantasies I've had about being some ambitious rich thing's pet! Giraffes and diamond watches, I tell ya!
And at the same time, something inside me is crying "WASTED RESOURCES! SPEND THAT MONEY ON THIRD-WORLD CHILDREEEEN!!111"
Tell me about it! Every time I look at my bank account, I think where are my giraffes, cuddles, and diamond watches, dammit!
Marion Davies actually donated a lot of her fortune to children's medical research and set up two clinics: one original clinic, and then another one built to replace it after being destroyed to build a highway.
Well, that's the way to go about it, I suppose. I should know how rich people like to spend money on poor people - my mother worked in the corporate and trust philanthropy field for five years. :D
Post a Comment