New York City magazine

New York City magazine enters the diary through two distinct encounters with Andy Warhol: a Ronald Reagan cover he declined and an interview for an article on elegance and the things money can buy. Together, they show the magazine as an outside media outlet whose requests intersected with Warhol’s public image, political associations, and personal network, without making it part of the Interview operation he helped run.

An Outside Magazine in Warhol’s Media World

By the mid-1970s, Interview had become a central part of Warhol’s working life: he helped run it, and its promise of publication offered a new way to draw people into his orbit. New York City magazine appears separately in the diary, as another publication seeking his participation. The distinction matters: the diary records Warhol moving among media opportunities, not treating all magazines as one enterprise.

The Reagan Cover He Declined

In October 1980, Warhol turned down an offer to do the Ronald Reagan cover for New York City magazine. He noted that newspapers were describing him as a “One-Night Republican,” a label that placed the cover request beside public assumptions about his politics. The diary gives no reason for his refusal, so the decision cannot be reduced to a stated political position; it records the choice and the political shorthand surrounding it.

An Interview on Elegance and Money

In another encounter, Warhol interviewed Henry Post for a New York City magazine article about elegance and the things money can buy. Warhol suspected the piece would also promote Jed Johnson’s decorating business, since Johnson and Post were friends. That expectation links the magazine assignment to Warhol’s personal and professional network: he saw an article not only as a discussion of taste and money, but as a possible channel of publicity for someone close to him.

Distinct Editorial and Advertising Channels

The diary places these exchanges alongside Interview’s separate business. In the same account as the Henry Post interview, Warhol noted that Bob had secured Washington advertisements through Interview issues featuring interviews with the Reagan children. The juxtaposition shows overlapping worlds of celebrity, politics, and promotion, but preserves the distinction between New York City magazine’s article and cover approaches and Interview’s advertising activity.