John Forbes #

Any frayed waiting room copy of Who
could catch this scene: flash Eurotrash
surveys a sulky round faced
überBabe who’s got the lot—what else
could this painting mean, except that
superstars can will their luck, or
just how little raw envy’s hidden by
contempt, so words like ‘Wow! Great
Tits!’ or ‘Comic Opera Wop’ sum up
the observer, not Anthony and Cleopatra,
attached to pets & entourages—our
contemporaries minus coke & sunglasses.
What’s that pearl without price she’s
dropping in her glass? A mirror of
their self-regard, replaced by each
others’ glances. Still, it glows, blue
& blank at the centre like their hearts,
flanked by idlers on balconies leering
& placing bets. But if they suggest Eros,
what role does Agape play in this–
downstairs & screaming, being shown The
Instruments? You wish, voyeur, you wish.