Richard Bernstein

Richard Bernstein is depicted in this account through a brief encounter at a film screening, where news he shares about Robert Hayes and Peter Lester turns a social gathering into a moment of anxiety about AIDS.

At the Screening

Grace Jones invited Andy Warhol to a 6:00 screening of Conan the Destroyer. She arrived late, delaying the start; Richard Bernstein was among those present. The diary records no further background about him in this scene, but his presence becomes significant when he tells Warhol about two people he has visited.

News of Robert Hayes and Peter Lester

Bernstein said he had seen Robert Hayes in the hospital, where visitors had to wear masks. He had also visited Peter Lester, who had AIDS and spots; Lester looked well, Bernstein reported, but wore a shirt to cover them. These concrete details—the masks, the spots, and the concealing shirt—made Warhol feel terrible. Bernstein’s report conveys the illness not as distant information but as something entering the circle of people around them.

Narrative Role

In this scene, Bernstein serves as the source of news that changes the emotional temperature of the evening. The diary moves from a delayed movie screening to the hospital and the visible signs of illness, making his account a point where ordinary social life meets the fear surrounding AIDS. The evidence establishes this role without supplying a broader biography or a sustained personal arc.