Rudolph Nureyev, Taki and Bill Clinton



What do former President Bill Clinton and Greek shipping heir and publisher Taki Theodoracopulos have in common?

We were wondering if there was a reason Rudloph Nureyev hit on heterosexual alpha males and then we thought: Maybe that's just what he liked. Anyone who knows Taki Theodoracopulos -- and have had the pleasure of dining with him at Elaine's -- this is oh-so-clearly not someone who would be into a little man-on-man action, unless, of course, it is in the karate arena. And yet, Nureyev made a pass at him. From Takimag:

" In 1963, while Rudy was living in Monte Carlo with the great Danish ballet dancer Erik Bruhn, he befriended my first wife and me. Cristina used to take ballet lessons from Maria Brazobrazovna, who lived high above Monaco in the hills and ran a dance school. She also instructed Rudy. One night the three of us got smashed and Rudy tried something in the cab. He was very strong, but I think I may have been stronger.

"There were no hard feelings, but he told me something that was confirmed by reading Gore’s book. If memory serves, while he said that both systems were rotten to the core, the reason Rudy left Russia was because in the Soviet Union he had to 'do it' in taxis and he was sick of it. 'Oh, is that why you tried what you just did?' I asked him.

"Never mind."

You brought it up, Taki. The story reminded The Corsair of another Nureyev encounter in Bill Clinton, My Life

"I went to Amsterdam with my artist friend Aimee Gautier. The streets were covered with Christmas lights and lined with charming shops. The famous red-light district featured perfectly legal prostitutes on display in their windows. Aimee jokingly asked if I wanted to go into one of the places, but I declined.

"We toured the main churches, saw the Van Goughs at the Municipal Museum and the Vermeers at the Rijksmuseum. At closing time, we were asked to leave the wonderful old place. I went to the cloakroom to pick up our coats. There was only one other person left in line to pick up his. When he turned around, I found myself facing Rudolf Nuryev. We exchanged a few words and he asked me if I wanted a cup of tea. I knew Aimee would love it, but just outside the front door, a handsome, frowning young man was anxiously pacing, obviously waiting for Nuryev, so I took a pass. Years later, when I was governor, I found myself in the same hotel with Nuryev in Taipei, Taiwan. We finally got our cup of tea late one night after we had fulfilled our respective obligations. Obviously he didn't recall our first meeting."