Mr. Vahe was my first and only swimming teacher. He used to hit me, my cousins, and even my parents, on the head with a long bamboo pole if we did not follow his instructions. The result is that swimming is the only sport I am good at and still practice with some degree of happiness. 11
12
Gian-Carlo Bussei was my cousin. He taught me about good tailors and good shoes. But now I have stopped taking his advice and wear baggy trousers and sneakers. 13
He was the captain of my father’s boat and he gave me a love for the sea. He took me on my first boat, he gave me beautiful models of sailboats to play with, and he taught me to fish. I love the sea because it always changes; it’s so unpredictable. It can be flat, it can be angry, it can be charming, it can be dangerous. You have to have a lot of respect for the sea as it can change quickly and it is full of amazing creatures. 14
15
Claude Cerrol is the only teacher I ever liked at the Jesuit school in Paris. He tried to teach me French literature, Latin, and Greek, and failed on all counts. 16 16
18
I met Vincent Bolloré in 1966 and hated him because he could seduce all the pretty girls in Paris, but we have remained friends. Now I admire how he has built one of the biggest companies in the world.
19
Phillippe Boucheny made me laugh more than any of my other friends from the age of sixteen to twenty. He introduced me to Parisian life and had a very sophisticated way of telling funny, gossipy stories. 20
21
22
Cyrille is a childhood friend who took going to Regine’s nightclub in Paris very seriously. Later on he became my lawyer, but sadly, he became unaffordable. 23
24
Gianni Agnelli is the only real prince I ever met. He was so elegant, fun, witty, and curious—even when he was quite old he was always asking about new art, new technologies, and juicy gossip. 25
26
I went to see Jimi Hendrix at the Olympia concert in 1968 in Paris. I think it was my first rock concert. I took my camera because, from the age of fourteen, I always went everywhere with a camera around my neck. 27
28
John is the man on the left in the glasses. His mother helped me write the application that got me into Harvard. He is an amazing businessman and looks younger every year. The man next to him is his son, Tucker Halpern, who is one of the greatest DJs on the planet. 29
I met Paul Josefowitz on my first day at Harvard in September 1970. He said, “You must be European because you eat like a pig.” We became very close friends for years, until he passed away a few years ago. 30
31
I know Jeff is a big shot in Hollywood but I never understood what he did. I met Jeff at Harvard in 1970 and he is the only friend I have left from my college years. 32
33
34
I met Jean-Pierre Mahot in New York when I studied at Harvard. He was a true gentleman and a dandy. He made me godfather of his daughter Penelope. He lived in New York but always stayed French. He dressed like a Frenchman, ate French food, and had lots of French friends. 35
Robert Fulton was my film teacher at Harvard and taught me about jazz, Robert Frank, cinematography, and to tidy up all my photo equipment after every shoot. 36
37