The lifestyle journalist George Wayne has found himself in a peculiar situation due to financial troubles. He claims to only withdraw $20 at a time from ATMs. However, he frequents high-end restaurants like Cucina 8 ½ in Midtown Manhattan, where he was recently seen sipping a martini at the bar during New York Fashion Week. “Everyone dines here,” he remarked. “It’s essentially a cafeteria for hedge fund managers and influential people. It’s quite secretive.” Wayne sported tinted Oliver Peoples glasses, a Charvet dress shirt, custom pants, bingo-patterned socks, and Gucci loafers. He had gone to Cucina 8 ½ to attend a show by designer Cesar Galindo.
In the 1980s, Wayne, also known as “G.W.,” gained prominence in certain circles in Manhattan when he started R.O.M.E., a photocopied publication filled with gossip and wry commentary on celebrities, fashion figures, and nightlife personalities. The zine’s edgy design and sharp editorial voice caught the attention of media insiders and led to his positions at Interview, Paper Magazine, Allure, and Vanity Fair, which sustained him for about three decades.
However, glossy magazine journalism faced challenges, and so did Wayne. In an effort to turn things around, the 62-year-old journalist is close to completing a new issue of R.O.M.E., set to be released this fall. The new edition will serve as a greatest-hits compilation, aiming to evoke the look and feel of pre-internet New York, with some fresh content included as well. Wayne plans to print 200 copies and sell them at Left Bank Books in the West Village. He also mentioned a potential special collector’s edition of R.O.M.E., wrapped in cellophane, to be exhibited at the Georges Bergès Gallery in SoHo. However, he revealed on Tuesday that this part of the plan is in jeopardy due to a disagreement with the gallery’s owner.
Mr. Bergès, who presented Hunter Biden’s debut solo exhibition in 2021, confirmed on Tuesday his intention to display R.O.M.E. at his gallery. “We will showcase it properly on the wall as art,” he said. In an earlier interview, Mr. Bergès acknowledged his recurring disagreements with Mr. Wayne: “We have arguments and block each other for a month, then unblock each other. He sends me long texts in the middle of the night about how I’m against him and going to ruin him.” He added, “Truth be told, he’s one of my closest friends. I adore the guy.” Despite their differences, Mr. Bergès recognizes R.O.M.E. as an important part of New York media history. “If you wanted to get a real sense of what was happening culturally, in fashion, or with people, R.O.M.E. provided that,” he remarked. “I think, in many ways, other magazines changed their approach because of R.O.M.E., whether they realized it or not.”
In the almost finalized version shared by Mr. Wayne, the new R.O.M.E. is a nostalgic blast, filled with vintage celebrity names such as Cindy Adams, Warren Beatty, Barbara Bush, Keith Haring, Rock Hudson, Madonna, Lee Majors, Tennessee Williams, Ed Koch, and many more. It also includes an imaginary conversation with Truman Capote and tributes to Grace Jones and Naomi Campbell. At the time of press, Mr. Wayne was still undecided about featuring a piece on the 1999 film “Black and White,” in which he and Mike Tyson had cameo roles.
In its heyday, R.O.M.E. had a devoted readership, and Wayne is perhaps best known for his cheeky interviews for Vanity Fair. From the mid-1990s until 2015, he engaged in lively interviews with a range of celebrities, including Milton Berle, Jackie Collins, Fabio, Geraldo Rivera, Donatella Versace, and Anna Wintour. His work for Vanity Fair and other magazines was compiled in the 2018 book “Anyone Who’s Anyone: The Astonishing Celebrity Interviews, 1987-2017.”
These days, he serves as an editor-at-large for Park, a luxury quarterly magazine distributed for free to Manhattan households with annual incomes over $500,000. “That’s how I’m getting by,” Wayne admitted. “You not only have to write, but also go out and secure advertisements.” “I’m still hustling at my age,” he continued. “When you don’t have a Condé Nast contract, it’s a sink-or-swim situation. Some days, I survive on $1 pizza. Other days, I have friends who own restaurants and can provide a meal for me when needed.”
Wayne grew up in Jamaica and attended Munro College, a boarding school in St. Elizabeth. His passion for journalism ignited when a school nurse introduced him to People and Interview magazines at the age of 15. “Ever since then, I knew I wanted to move to New York City,” he said. “I simply fell in love with it while reading about Bianca Jagger and Andy Warhol at Studio 54. That was it.” He made his way to Manhattan in 1984, shortly after earning a journalism degree from the University of Georgia. He continues to reside in the same studio apartment near Washington Square that he rented upon his arrival in the city. “My little hovel is nothing,” he quipped. “I call it Lilliput. It has a bunk bed and filing cabinets filled with my archives. That’s all.”
The idea for R.O.M.E. originated during Wayne’s final year of college. “I told my best friend that when I move to New York City, I’ll start my magazine called R.O.M.E. with periods between the letters,” he remembered. “It doesn’t stand for anything. I just thought, ‘Make it an acronym.’ And I love the word Rome. I’ve never been there, but I love everything it represents.” He has been working on the new edition at SoHo Works, an exclusive workspace in Lower Manhattan. Although he is not a member, Wayne managed to gain access through persuasion. “I want Generation Z to comprehend what they missed,” he remarked about his project, taking another sip of his martini. “I believe these young individuals are fascinated by the analog era.”
Close to the bar, model Carol Alt engaged in conversation with the owner of Cucina 8 ½, August Ceradini, whom Wayne referred to as his “number one godfather consigliere.” Wayne grabbed his phone and snapped a picture of the pair. “How are you, Carol?” he greeted her as she walked by. “You look amazing.” “Thanks,” she replied. “Are you doing well?” “I’m hanging in there,” he answered. Alt joined a group of people heading towards a spacious back room, where the fashion show was about to begin. Andre Landeros Michel, a fashion designer on his way to the show as well, paused to recall his discovery of R.O.M.E. in 1992. “I thought it was brilliant and so genius, especially being produced on a Xerox machine,” he said. He also admired Wayne’s resourcefulness in photocopying ads from other magazines when lacking advertisers for R.O.M.E. “If you don’t have the advertisers, just Xerox them anyway,” Landeros Michel remarked. “He was incredibly ahead of his time.”
Before joining the others at the fashion show, Wayne finished his martini and called the bartender’s attention. “So, Jordan, I’m going to order some food, alright?” he said. “But you’ll keep it here. I’ll take it home as takeout. August said I could order whatever I want, so I’ll take him up on his word.” He requested a medium-rare New York strip steak, Tuscan potatoes, broccoli rabe, and focaccia. When he added spaghetti to his order, the bartender advised against it, suggesting tortellini or cavatelli instead because spaghetti might not travel well. “Cavatelli,” Wayne decided. “I appreciate you, Jordan. You’re the best.”