Dinner last night with the agency’s founders, David Kennedy and Dan Wieden at a swanky place in Mayfair. As Dan said, ‘This is the kinda place you need a coat.’ The two of them are over to give this evening’s President’s Lecture at D&AD. This was the first time I had met David Kennedy, who is pretty much retired now, and after a while we were able to get the two of them talking about The Old Days of Wieden + Kennedy. There were some great stories.

Tony Davidson (London CD) and David K. 

Kim Papworth and Tony listen as the anecdotes are recounted.

There was the story of Alexis, the Greek restaurant by the agency in Portland where they always used to go. Dan was known to the staff as ‘Scotch and squid’ and Dave was called ‘Scotch and sheep’ because of the consistency with which they ordered the same dish and drink.

There was the tale of the time that Ken Kesey, counter-culture hero, author of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and notorious instigator of the ‘acid test’ parties, attended a W+K party and left shaking his head, saying, ‘You guys could teach the hell’s angels how to party.’

Then there were stories of topless fire dancing, throwing ice sculptures off roofs, David telling us, ‘I used to be a marine; I know how to handle guns’, and Dan explaining how it came to happen that on the occasion he finally got to meet a hero of his, George Plimpton, he (Dan) was in full drag with makeup and a wig on.

What a long, strange trip it’s been.