High life
Ever upward
Talc'
Social mountaineers, once treated with contempt by their peers, are now becoming a
dominant force in international society. And riding on the coat-tails of upwardly mobile folk, in their frenzied dash toward social nirvanah, are the groupies, that 'sixties Pop culture phenomenon, the curse of tile 'nouveau riche' and the famous. In fact, the two are now symbiotic. 'All groupies are soeial climbers and vice versa,' was the way Lord Charles Churchill explained it.
Not necessarily so,' responds John AsPinall, wild animal breeder, game park owner and proprietor or Aspinall's, London's most exclusive gaming club. 'Some groupies prefer to remain followers all their lives as they are social primates; the real leaders show their strength early and drag the tribe upward with them.'
Whatever the scientific argument's results may be, there are now more social climbers surrounded by groupies than ever before, and there are no more parties in Which the climbers don't dominate. Even the most exclusive of gatherings have been all but taken over by the Himalayan set. 'The more exclusive the gathering the better I like it,' says Louis Basualdo, a six goal handicap Argentinian polo player. 'Cow, here in England it is so easy, the women are always after us, and the husbands smile. All You need is a mallet and a gomina hair.'
And although Basualdo might be accused of arrogance, it is a fact that South Amen Polo players have been causing havoc While cutting a wide swath among the female population in English country houses. Social observers, in the meantime, have not missed the irony. It was only tWenty years ago that the late, unlamented AlY Khan was quoted as saying: 'They called me a nigger and a wog and I boffed their wives.'
However unpleasant, such attitudes Proved that despite the loss of empire, England still possessed some pride. Because Aly Khan, although connected with horses, Was not only called names he was also refused access to certain houses. Today all this is past. As one Volvo estate owner put It; 'we deserve everything we are getting; not only do they take our wives but, more important, drink our port and smoke our cigars.'
Given the fact that the first social climber in history used her phyical attributes for advancement, the Argentinians are hardly original in their climb. The real social phenomenon is the pop culture groupieclimber.
Mark and Lola Winters entertain in their opium den in South Kensington. Lola scans Heathrow's discarded files and checks the best hotels to find which celebrities are staying there. Mark spends his days in his art gallery telephoning people who are about to give a party, and asking them to come dinner on the same day.
When the victim refuses but invites them instead to join him, Mark asks if he can bring, say, Bianca Jagger or Jack Nicholson, 'who just happen to be in town and we cannot leave them alone.' Once safely at the party the couple protect their precious cargo like Swiss guards. The only people allowed access are photographers and social peers. Then the cargo is dangled as bait.
When dope became de rigueur for the beautiful people during the 'sixties, social mountaineers were quick to grasp its importance. Now, a Bianca, a Mick, or even a Jackie are not worth three grams of pure Peruvian snow. Acapulco gold and Peruvian pure have in fact managed to save enormous amounts of money for the climbers. Why go into the needless expense of renting chateaux, yachts, flying over orchestras, or giving balls in horrible places like Venice when all one needs is a pad to crash out, loud music, a few straws and a pipe. If you cannot get to the summit of your social ambition, you are sure to get the son or daughter.
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