Two Photos I Took of Salvador Dali at the St. Regis Hotel, New York, 1973

The first time I ever laid eyes on the Maestro, he was on the wall-mounted telephone just inside the lounge of the King Cole Bar at the St. Regis Hotel in New York.

When I asked if I could take his picture, he got up, walked over to a separate table, sat down, leaned back, and closed his eyes tightly. I snapped my picture, which you see here. But I got a "No, no, no!" admonishment from him that "Dali ees not ready yet!" I apologized.

He was prepping himself for some dramatic pose. Unfortunately, for reasons I don't recall, no such pose occurred. But I got a pretty cool shot of the Divine Dali, head back, eyes wide shut, mustache erect!