5 OCTOBER 1991, Page 42

High life

The vast tycoon

Taki

Athens

hehe only person I've ever heard say something nice about Robert Maxwell was his daughter Ghislaine, and that was direct- ly after I asked her if her old man was as bad as the press made him out to be. Ghis- laine, although imperious and a bit rough around the edges, is a loyal daughter, because I hate to think what would happen to her if she wasn't. Maxwell is to human kindness what Lavrenti Beria was to com- passion.

What amazes me are the stories of how the fat man humiliates those who are unable, either by inclination or financial stature, to respond in kind. There are examples galore, as when Annunziata Asquith and Sarah Crawley, of the synony- mous art gallery, were summoned to Maxwell's office to show him some paint- ings. The fat one apparently kept them waiting for two hours, and emerged only to dismiss their wares with the single word no, then turned around and disappeared with- out a sound.

Now there are no two nicer girls around than Annunziata and Sarah, and both have had their share of tragedy, but leave it to the one with dyed hair and eyebrows to be rude. Mind you, I did not get the story from them, as they are both too decent to talk about the porker.

As in the case of Gutfreund, I would not exactly cry if Maxwell one day bites the dust. I'm sure he is the first to know the difference between going bankrupt and going broke.

And speaking of bankruptcies, I read in the Herald Tribune that Time Inc. is laying off hundreds, while the chairman, Steven J. Ross, took home $77 million last year alone. I wonder what his middle initial stands for — jugular or joke, because it certainly doesn't stand for justice. He start- ed out in life by marrying the daughter of a man who owned cemeteries, and has never looked back. (Except to divorce the wife who got him started.) Time Inc., once a healthy company, is now billions in debt because Mr Ross likes to have perks and compensations. Like Maxwell, I think his days are numbered.

Needless to say, there are tycoons who are good for their companies. Lords Han- son and White come to mind, ditto Jimmy Goldsmith, Gianni Agnelli, Kerry Packer and Rupert Murdoch. They all have one thing in common, they are liked and respected by their employees, a sign of a winner in my book. Slobs like Maxwell and Ross confuse respect with fear, just as some politicos do.

And speaking of pols, I was in Mykonos yet again last Saturday night, dining out at Philipi's, my favourite joint. I was still sober when a familiar face approached my table. It was the Greek Prime Minister, Constan- tine Mitsotakis, with his wife and another couple. I jumped up and had a brief chat. Later on, in a nightclub, I ran into his spe- cial branch people, the premier having gone home. They were shocked at my appearance and slurring of words. 'But you were fine only one hour ago,' said one of them. 'One hour is a long time in a drinker's world,' said my friend Zographos to no one in particular.