There were a lot of eccentric personalities in the late 1970s, and Olga Deterding, the heir to Shell oil, was one of them. It was not as wild as the characters in “Frantic,” my nostalgic novel about the early 1970s (“A white girl dressed in a lion coat, with waist-length black Japanese hair, was leaning against the stage, mouthing excruciating obscenities from her lips exquisitely … every time this creature from a lost planet parted her hairy lion fur, she was totally naked underneath ‘), but she got pretty close. Olga was a high society enthusiast, and at the party The opening day of the Wedgies nightclub on Kings Road, she was as agitated as ever, that she spent most of her time crawling on the floor under tables. This antisocial behavior was considered the norm in those days, so no one cared. if she was making a fool of herself. One person who did was a German girlfriend, who was staying with me at the time. She thought it was shocking that this middle-aged woman was doing a show. or herself. Perhaps members of the coffee society were hesitant to reprimand an heiress, but my girlfriend had no idea who anyone was and even if she did, she wouldn’t have cared less. Get up immediately! You are becoming an idiot. Can’t you see that the whole world laughs at you? – barked my Teutonic friend. Olga Deterding might have been drunk, but she actually listened and managed to get up off the ground and flop into a chair from which she quickly fell back.
He entertained himself generously in his multi-story penthouse on Piccadilly across from the Ritz Hotel, which was ideal for parties. He once hosted an after-show party for his equally eccentric sidekick, Quentin Crisp, after his sold-out solo show at the Duke of York. If I remember correctly, the attic walls were painted bright white and the decor, which consisted of realistic sculptures of sheep nibbling the grass-colored carpet, was a topic of conversation. Olga was single (her exes included Alan Whittaker) and, like women of “a certain age,” was regularly escorted by members of the gay community, which included Quentin Crisp. Olga was a louche socialite, from whom everyone ran when she was at her peak in a fit of drunken exhibitionism. But she possessed a heart of gold, unlike many ‘brunch ladies’ in those days. Most of them praised their hairdressers and fashion designers, and were committed to the art of looking fabulous. Olga had stopped caring about her appearance as she staggered from party to party. At least she was dressed for dinner when she choked to death on a piece of meat while dining at a club. His premature departure made headlines.
Copyright: 2006