Taki Taki

Infamous bites in history

issue 04 May 2013

Which is the most infamous bite in history? Surely Adam’s, but then the one Steve Rubbell took off Halston’s leg was far more expensive. Let me explain for you young whippersnappers who’ve probably never heard of these people. (Both died of Aids in 1990.) The bite theme is inspired by Luis Suárez, no stranger to controversy in Britain but a hero in his homeland of Uruguay, where biting is the equivalent to our kissing, or so the volatile Liverpool footballer wants us to believe.

I broke the Halston-Rubbell-Bowes-Lyon-Princess Margaret story in this here column back in 1979 or 1980. It came back to me recently when I saw a documentary on Halston, a milliner who became famous because he designed the pink pillbox hat Jackie Kennedy wore the day her husband was assassinated. Actually Halston was quite a talented designer, but I wouldn’t know about such matters so I will stick to his constant partying in Studio 54 and profuse coke use.

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