Andy Warhol’s Interview Magazine | Peter O’Toole | October, 1972

This was one of the very first issues of Interview Magazine to feature a Richard Bernstein cover. The magazine was just beginning to take shape as we remember it at its height, but these early ‘70s issues still have the playful, subversive feel of a zine- albeit a very arch and elegant one. The cover story is an interview with Peter O’Toole about his role in The Ruling Class, one of my favorite black comedies. Other highlights include Fran Lebowitz’s “Best of the Worst” columns, which isn’t published anywhere else. Nowadays, satirical reviews of bad movies are very common, but she was probably the first one to do it. 

There’s so much stuff I love in this issue, I won’t be at all sorry to keep it. Other highlights include Bette Midler, Zandra Rhodes, Marc Bolan, Marlene Dietrich, and a hilarious, if very niche column by drag queen Sylva Thinn. Fran says she used to do drag as a butch lesbian, à la Dietrich, which was very unusual for the time. 

Condition is better than average, as this particular issue was never folded into quarters. There is, however, some splitting along the fold at certain pages and wear at the edges. I found it very easy to read through on a flat surface without doing any damage to the fragile newsprint.