
ยทE20
Cowboy Buzz
Episode Transcript
Hey, everybody, and Welcome to Life is a gamble.
My guest today is known as Cowboy Buzz.
But before we get into that, I just want to say you can always reach me at Life is a gamblepod at gmail dot com or find me on Twitter at RWM twenty one.
I always appreciate hearing feedback or ideas for interesting guests and things like that.
So our guest today, as I mentioned, is Cowboy Buzz, and cowboys are usually thought of as being from the Southwest, and Buzz is from the southwest side of Chicago.
Buzz, Welcome to Life is a gamble.
Speaker 2Well, great to be Richard, I really appreciate it.
I hope I can give you some good life stories here.
But before I start, just so you know, all the stories I'm going to be telling today are true and accurate to a fact.
I know you have a lot of integrity on your podcast.
However, my stories are kind of in the vein of the legendary whyat irked You remember him, the guns in the law man, of course, so he spent most of his life telling a story about what really happened at the Old K Corral.
He told it over and over and over millions of times.
So one day a reporter interviewed him.
He said, mister ir, how did you deal with having to tell the same story over and over and over?
He goes, well, Son, I just told him the way it was, and then I finished with this exact statement and I quote, and that's exactly the way it happened.
Give or take a liar too.
Speaker 1Right, right, Well, you have had quite an unusual life, which is why I wanted to have you on.
But let's start with how you got how and when you got from Cicero to Las Vegas.
Speaker 2Okay, So I grew up outside Chicago, Cicero.
Speaker 1My father was.
Speaker 2Very, very well known.
He was one of the largest vending machine operators in Chicago.
You know, read through the lines on that one.
Yeah.
Speaker 3Yeah.
Speaker 1The vending machine business in Chicago was very much like the trash hauling business in New Jersey.
Speaker 2Yeah.
Yeah, that's a good analogy, I guess.
Speaker 1Yeah.
Speaker 2Anyway, I was a pretty good athlete in high school.
I played baseball.
Was very fortunate.
I was offered a scholarship at Southern Illinois and at LSU.
But my dad's dream was for me to go to the Southwest, where we vacation and go to Arizona State and play baseball there.
So I turned down the two scholarships to walk on at Arizona State.
This would be in nineteen seventy, and I got very fortunate.
I got there the first day and there were twelve other catchers trying out.
Speaker 1Twelve.
Wow, I was the.
Speaker 2Only one from the Midwest.
And I thought to myself, Buzz, what did you do?
Make a long story short, I made the team I started.
I played there for two years, and after the sophomore year, they were gonna select the varsity team, which meant if you got selected for ASU's varsity team they had just won the national championship in sixty five, sixty seven, sixty nine.
Now it's nineteen seventy, you're going to sign the pro contract.
Well, at the end of the sophomore year, they do this evaluation and if you're not gonna make the varsity, they offer to send you to almost anywhere in the country you want to go play baseball, with the exception of their art tribal you know, sc in Arizona and Texas Flora Flora.
You can't go there, but anywhere else.
And I made the determination.
I took a shot.
I was really good, but I didn't make it.
On my freshman team, there were twenty three players.
Twenty two of the twenty three made it to the major leagues.
Speaker 1That's how.
Yeah, I was the only one who didn't.
Speaker 2So I was a little bunned out and I figured, well, a new path and I said, you know what, screw might really did.
My thing here baseball was I'm going to transfer to UNLV, get into the hotel administration school, and just start over in Vegas.
Speaker 1Now was part of that because your dad said, hey, I know people in Vegas and can get you a job when you're there.
Speaker 2Or never once said anything until twenty years later, I'm going to tell that story.
But he never pushed me, he never guided me.
And here's how it really works.
So I was a lifeguard and one of the most exclusive resorts in Arizona right behind Camelback Mountains called Mountain Shadows, and Dell Webb owned it with a bunch of other properties, and we had was a lifeguard there for a year and a half during my college days, and they had this program where you could transfer to any other Dell web property and get a job.
So I went to the guy, and they got me a job as at the Mint Hotel, the old Mint, as a casino cage cashier.
So you know, when I go to move up there, I got a job already.
Basically I moved up there.
I was a Sigma chi at Arizona State and they had a big Sigma Chai chapter at UNLB, so I met a few frattorney brothers.
But so now I'm going to work at the Mint and learning how to you know, cast people out.
I got really good with my hands with checks, which we'll lead to dealing craps later on.
But they had all kinds of rules they ever have cell phones, you know, one of the rules you can't take a personal call unless it's you know, a deathly emergency.
So I was only there about three months and the cage manager, her name was Rusty, just just a pit.
She comes up to me and she goes, Buss, you got a personal phone call?
And I go, Russie, what is this like a test, because you know I can't take personal phone calls.
She goes, you'll take this one.
I go okay.
So she hands me the phone and there's a guy on the other end and goes, hey, buzz yeah, this is Russ Dazio at the Stardust Hotel and Casino.
I go, great, mister Dashio, what can I do for He goes, well, we kind of heard about you and we would lock for you to come down and work with us here at the start us and everybody can hear what's going on, and everyone's like, oh, I'm going, uh, well, sure, i'd really like that.
I go, you know, I'll talk to my manager Rusty here, I'll give her my two weeks rest resignation notice, and I'll be right down.
Speaker 1It'd be great.
He goes.
Speaker 2Yeah.
He goes, it doesn't really work that way, Buzz.
We need you down here tomorrow at New.
He goes, you gotta suit right like gray black, something conservative?
Right conservative?
I go, yes, sir, I got all that.
He goes for your conservative tie on your coat and be down here at about five to new and he goes, and don't worry about Rusty.
She's gonna understand.
I'm going, okay, So everything's all set to go.
I hang up the phone and the Caja employees start applotting.
They and I'm going, okay, because you know, I'm twenty one years old.
I don't you know that much yet.
So Rushy comes up and he she goes, wow, who's your juice?
And I had no clue what she was talking about.
I go, juice, what do you mean juice?
She goes, who's your juice?
Speaker 1Who do you know?
I go, well, I don't really know anybody.
Speaker 2I know you.
She goes, no, you know somebody, you just don't know who it is, and you better find out who that is.
The starterist hotel doesn't call them mint and invite someone to go to work for him doesn't have so I'm off to the starter So I put my suit on.
I walked into the dice pit and there's mister Russ Dass you go, oh, boss Buzz, come on in, and he goes, just give us a couple of minutes.
Here, we got something going on.
This is the shift boss, Bernie Purlow was his name.
He goes, how are you doing?
And he goes, we got some stuff going on, and mister Dazio disappears.
I didn't see him for another two hours.
So now I'm standing next to who turns out to be the shift boss, and he looks at me and goes, okay, I want you to stand right there.
Keep your face forward, keep your mouth shut, don't answer any questions, don't talk to nobody.
Just stand still.
I'll be with you in a few minutes.
I'm going, okay, now, keep in eyeing.
I don't even know what the job is.
I don't know what I'm I pay a heel so anyway, so I'm standing there, and luckily for me, being an athlete, I have a pretty good periphial vision.
So down the pit there's this guy walking down, big tall guy, six, beautiful, magnificent suit on, and he's saying hi to almost everybody.
Dealers, the patrons, all the floor men.
Every one of them is shaking this guy's hand.
I'm going, okay, I don't know this guy is, but he's somebody.
So he comes up to the dish and not standing at the main desk, and right next to the main desk is a little podium that maybe one or two people could stand at.
So this guy walks up, and the shift boss walks over and the guy's going, uh, Bernie, how you doing.
I'm saying you, well, how's your wife feeling, how's the kids?
How are the grandkids?
And when that's all done, he kind of stops from right in the Mill looks at me and goes, who's the kid, and he goes, oh, yeah, it's his first day.
Phil Diogardi brought him in.
His family's from Cicero.
He goes, oh, who's this sponsor.
He goes Louis Sileerno.
He goes, oh, well, Louis from Melrose Park.
That's right next to cit that'll get along great.
He turns around, he looks at me and he goes, hey, kid, first day.
Speaker 1And I said yes, sir.
Speaker 2He goes, well, I want you to keep your eyes open and your ears open and your mouth shut, and I want you to listen to these guys right here.
You might learn something.
And I looked him right in the eye and I said, yes, sir, I can do that.
He gives me this staring look, and all of a sudden he breaks into a chuckle and he goes, kid, I think you're gonna be okay.
And that's the first time I met Frank left the Rosen thought.
Speaker 1So now he.
Speaker 2Goes back to business and he leaves the pit, and Bernie Purlow, the shift boss, comes up and stands next to me and he goes, kid.
Speaker 1You did really good.
Speaker 2He goes, but get ready Frank nicknamed you himself.
Now the whole joint's going to be calling you the kid.
And that's exactly what happened.
In fact, for the time I was there, I don't think that many people even knew my name because they would just call me the kid because I was the youngest guy in the pit at age twenty one.
So that's how it kind of started.
Speaker 1I'll get back to what was your job?
Your job was pit boss?
Speaker 2No, no, no, no, I had no idea.
So so finally this Dazzio guy comes back, you know, because the shift boss is Busyders, you know, Shrine.
So I go okay.
So mister Dazzer goes, you can call me Russ.
Actually you can call me the Duke.
That's my name, the Duke.
I go, okay, Duke, What am I going to be doing?
And he goes, well, you're gonna be in charge of credit on the casino.
Speaker 1Floor, and I freeze.
I don't know any think about credit?
What are you talking about?
Speaker 2You'll say, ah, I don't.
Speaker 1Worry about it.
We're gonna teach everything.
Speaker 2It's not really that hard.
You's gotta enter a figure here and a figure there, no problem.
So really, what the job was is when someone wanted a marker, want a credit, uh to verify it.
They would call from the twenty one pitter the bakrock to table and I would answer the phone and they say, kid, mister g wants two grands.
So I'd look them up and everything was in pencil in a notebook.
There were no computers at that time.
It's all in a notebook.
So you marked down two grand.
Now he's got eight grand.
Company had a ten grand line.
So that's what I kind of did all day long.
I was the guy who approved the markets.
Speaker 1And it seems like.
Speaker 2A real simple thing, right, hard to get into a jackpot as they would call it, you know, a stress situation.
As time went on, they started grooming you and teaching you all the different things.
Well, here's what the job really morphed to.
Not only were you handling the credit, but here's what would happen, maybe not on a daily basis, but every other day, sometimes twice a day.
So they recalled buys mister gez here and I go, okay, he's got a fifteen thousand dollars line and he wants fourth out, Go ahead and give.
Speaker 1It to him.
He's good night.
Speaker 2You know, tell him you just got here.
Don't let him speak, you know, I mean, play too fast too early.
A couple hours later, mister G wants another four k.
He can can't he can have it, and I was at half his limit.
You know, he's only been here two hours.
Okay, Now I calls back and I go, man, you got to stop this guy from speeding.
Speaker 1You know he's obsessed.
You know it's mister G.
Speaker 2You know, mister G is.
Maybe I did, maybe I didn't, didn't matter.
I can only give him what I could give him.
So now I get to his limit and here comes to call.
Mister G wants another four grand, which would make it nineteen grand, and he has a fifteen thousand dollars line.
So I got to tell him, no, no, he can't have it.
He's at his limit.
That that's all we're gonna.
Speaker 1Do right now today.
Speaker 2And he goes, you do know this is mister G.
Right, I go, yeah, it doesn't really matter who it is.
I can't give him money that that isn't there to give.
He goes, okay, get ready.
So about thirty seconds later, here's some guy screaming down in the twenty one pit.
Speaker 1Yeah, do you know what.
Speaker 2Sure, Now if here comes mister G.
Like I said, this would happen all the time, every week, not with one guy, but a lot of different guys.
So here he comes storming down the pit to the dice pit, which is the headquarters for the cause.
And he's not looking for me.
He's looking for the oldest looking guy in charge, the shift boss.
Speaker 1Right.
Speaker 2So he finds them and it's not quite upset yet, and so he starts to talk to the shift boss about his credit line and bitcher, they love this, they look forward to this.
To the shift boss, this look like entertainment to that because he would stop him dead.
And they're trying to go whoa, whoa, whoa, Wait a minute, I'm a shift boss, I run all the game.
I got nothing to do with credit.
You got to go over there.
You gotta go over there and talk to the kid.
And he's pointing at me twenty one years old, that that kid, I gotta talk to him.
So here comes mister G.
You little amm ab, who do you think you I'm And you're not thinking I'm good for them, And they would just rant and ran.
So part of the job was letting him rant.
And then then finally it stop him.
Now, keep in mind, as he's ranting at me, he's also looking over my shoulder just a little bit, because standing about six seven paces behind me is buster Buster is about six' four six foot, five one of the largest cut black Men i've ever seen in my life in a start as security uniform.
Packet he's standing behind.
Me so it's never really gonna get out of.
Control but sooner or LATER i hadn't, said, look mister G i know you're a little upset right.
Now but here's the.
Thing you, know we told you not to, speed you kind of did.
Speaker 1It.
Speaker 2Anyway we're not going to give any more money here.
Tonight but if you want to go see the, Show i'll put you in the front.
Row you want dinner At Moby, dick stay, whatever you want to go see the lounge show, Over i'll put you up for.
You you want to BROAD i can help you out with.
That but we're not gonna give you any more money.
Tonight so what the job really became was part of the job was cooling down the people that were at their limit who wanted more money because they didn't want to deal with all that because there's nothing you can either do it or.
Speaker 1NOT i, mean you know WHAT i.
Speaker 2Mean and if you couldn't do, it you couldn't do.
It but they appreciated you handling that.
Heat so there was no scene in the casino that they had to be part.
Of and that was kind of one of the real challenging parts of.
It AND i got to tell you my whole experience.
Speaker 1There these.
Speaker 2Guys you've heard a lot about these guys and the mob and all that, stuff but literally they were.
Geniuses they really.
Were they were so good at taking care of people because back then room, food boot, booze it was all.
Cocked wanted you at the, table, period, cigarette, cigar whatever you.
Want you gotta put your time in at the, table.
Speaker 3Right.
Speaker 1Yeah, actually now that you say, THAT i remember they used to have cigarettes on the table in some.
Speaker 3Place.
Speaker 1Yeah you just ask them for a pack of whatever you smoked and they would just give you.
Back.
Yeah, Yeah SO i GOTTA i gotta tell you a brief.
Story SO i moved To vegas in seventy seven AND i got a job breaking in, blackjack dealing blackjacket the golden, Nugget and you, KNOW i learned like you people were LIKE i would, say, man how do you get to a job on the, Strip and they would, say you got to have?
Juice and like, YOU i was, like what's?
Juice you?
Know and uh and and you learn right that it's your connections and all.
That and and one DAY i Was i'd been dealing about eight nine, months AND i had this regular older woman who would come in and play with me all the.
Time and she says to, me how come you're not dealing on the, Strip AND i, SAID i don't have.
Juice you.
Know everybody tells me you got to have, juice AND i don't have.
Any and she looks at me Like i'm an, idiot and she, goes your father's a lawyer In, chicago and you think you don't have any?
Juice and like the thought had never occurred to.
Me AND i called my dad AND i was, like, hey you, know would you talk to your friends and see if any of them know anybody that can get me a job on the.
Strip he calls me back the next day and he, goes, yeah go see this Guy Frank rosenthal at the.
Startest AND i had been in, town you, know eight nine.
Months by that POINT i KNEW i did not want to go work at the Startest SO i, said you know, What i'll.
Pass i'll work on finding my own.
Job so, YEAH i didn't, go AND i kind of WISH i, had just Because i'm sure the stories would have been amazing about, this because you, know that was like nineteen seventy.
EIGHT i remember when his car blew.
Up but, now what years were?
You how long did you stay there at The?
Speaker 2Stardust, okay SO i was there from nineteen seventy three to nineteen eighty, one but intermittently because And i'll get to the, story because they sent me to The Sundown west to breaking in twenty ein.
Blackjack then they sent me to The fremont to break into.
CRAFTS i actually dealt baccarat at The, starts so they were Sending SO i wasn't at The start the whole, time but pretty much if three years in a row and then maybe every other, YEAR i came back to deal crafts way later.
On that's a different.
Story but back to their.
Genius oh, yeah, yeah, yeah let me tell you how they built their gambling.
Speaker 1Database it was.
Speaker 2Genius So i'll take mister g fifteen thousand dollars line and he's over by three grand or.
Whatever so before he, leaves you, know we have a little set down with.
Him it was actually a stand up in the dice.
Bit but, okay mister, JAY i see your three thousand over your.
Limit don't worry about.
Nothing just pay off the.
Markers we'll send another plane back and we'll do it all over.
Again i'll tell you.
What you know that extra three, granules don't worry about.
That we're not gonna collect.
That just just just pass the fifteen.
Thousand that'll be.
Good just you, know are kind of good wishes to, you, right and the guy, goes of, course he, goes, yeah well, THANKS i really appreciate.
That and they, go oh, yeah one other.
Thing so let me send the plane out for.
Speaker 1You next.
Speaker 2Time you got to bring a friend with.
You he's got to have your same credit your same credit.
LINE i don't care if it's your, brother brother in law and, neighbor it doesn't.
Matter but you got to bring somebody with.
You, sure and we'll comp.
Everything so now that guy comes back, in mister G now he is shilling off to his brother in.
Law, right come, Up, oh you got to meet the.
Kid you got to meet the, kid you got, oh you can get you whatever you.
Speaker 3Want.
Speaker 2Yeah so same thing happens To, bobby and we Bring bobby.
Aside, okay but we're gonna forgive this twenty five.
Hundreds, uh but next time you, come you got to come to someone else and someone different than mister.
G you all can come, together but you gotta have somebody With and that's how they built their.
Database not only did that assure good credit and, collection but they were also targeting, uh specific areas Like, Chicago Kansas city where the people that were coming from those places they were not a risk of any, kind you know What i'm.
Saying and they had, money they were most of them were business.
Owners, yeah that's how they built their.
Database you imagine how that multiplies over.
Time they, were they, were they were.
Speaker 3Geniuses and now the other thing, is so those years that you were there for everybody who's seen the Movie, casino those were also the years Of Tony, spilatro who was getting his fingers into the stardust and causing some.
Speaker 1Problems so did you have any run ins with?
Speaker 2HIM i know this is maybe hard to, believe BUT i never saw, HIM i never met.
HIM i cannot remember.
Him being in the casino WHEN i was there, anyway AND i worked really SO i worked all three shifts throughout the.
Week now there were, rumors they were probably, true that he used to go back in the poker room and he had a poker gang and they, would you, know rip off the.
Tourists you, know they ain't going to be that.
Game so there was, That but actually have a conversation or seeing, THEM i ONLY i take it.
BACK i saw him one time at a social, function but it was from forty yards.
Away yeah you know WHAT i.
Mean but so my recollection from WHAT i in the, movie they had him running everything and, YEAH i.
DIDN'T i didn't see that.
Happening ye, left he was running everything every day Period and what kind of guy was?
HE i, mean did you spend much time talking to him or interacting with?
Him and what kind of guy was?
He after a, WHILE i guess he kind of liked me because one day he might have Been yeah it Was Bernie pearlov.
Again on day.
Shift he, Goes, Bernie i'm going to take the kid with me for a couple hours and he, Goes, OKAY i didn't know what that.
Meant so what that really meant WAS i would walk behind him about five paces and we'd walk through the casino and all, day law not all, day for the two or three hours a.
Day SOMETIMES i would do.
This he would, say, kid go get me that, kid go get me that.
Report, kid let me know What tommy up on phone number four said about The creton.
Speaker 1Game that's SO i was like his gopher.
Speaker 2Then SO i got to know him pretty.
Good he was a.
Genius he.
Was it's so smart it was.
Unbelievable and compared to the, MOVIE i would say he was way more in control of his.
Emotions he could get, emotional no doubt about, it but not like most of the rest of the pit, bosses who could go off any second for any reason for, hours like, Huh frank wasn't.
Speaker 1Like that's exactly WHY i didn't want to go work, there because they had that.
Speaker 2REPUTATION i mean one of the bosses' nickname was Little.
HITLER i, mean come.
On so then one DAY i only did this one about three different, times but he, said he, said can't.
Coming we're going on.
Tour so what that meant was we all into all these.
Properties we had the, startist we had The.
HACIENDA i think we had a secret interest in The tropicana because we would go.
There then you had the Old sundance In.
FITZGERALD'S i think that's the d.
Speaker 3Now, yeah the D, YEAH i Mean sundance In fitzgerald's was the same.
Speaker 1Place they just changed.
Names.
Speaker 2Now The Sundance west was the old carousel across the street from The fremont.
There, anyway it was very small casino used to be called The, carousel and right next to the carousel what they call the jam.
AUCTIONS i don't know if you remember.
Them, No, yeah that's a whole different.
Story, anyway we would go and do the same THING i was doing for him at The, starts but at The.
Hacienda SO i got to know like pretty much everybody in the, family being his.
Gopher and then at one point in time he, said you, know you got to learn how to.
Deal he, goes you ain't going to go.
Nowhere you got to deal all the.
Games so then they sent me to The, sundance send me The fremont to learn all the.
Games and that was my road kind of into being a boss, basically so.
Speaker 1To kind of.
Speaker 2Continue that because that came on En i'll get there in.
Second AFTER i learned the, DEAL i came back to the Start us And dell craps because if they knew IF i could handle the game at The startus because big.
CRAP i, mean you had to be.
Good if you could handle the game, there you're good.
Speaker 1To, go.
Speaker 2Basically and then SO i was actually dealing craps and my, Sponsor Luis, lerno he, goes kids are lucky.
Day we're gonna take you out of.
Here we're gonna send you down to a place Called Foxy's.
Speaker 1Firehouse oh, yeah cross from The.
Speaker 2Sahara, yeah So i'm twenty four years old now, RIGHT i, go, okay, yeah what do you want me to do?
There he, Goes you're going to be graveyard shift?
Speaker 1Boss?
Speaker 2Was he, goes?
Speaker 1Yeah did they even have table games at that?
Speaker 2Time at that time they had nine blackjack, tables one crap.
Table they had a poker room with one.
Table they had keno in probably four or five hundred, slots so they had pretty much all all the.
Games and so the other partners they probably had major interests were two guys Named Earl wilson And Mel.
Wolzina sure you heard those?
Names Earl wilson's name is on top of the stadium AT.
Unlv they Owned United Coin company back when you had to use tokens for the, machine And Noel wolsinger became the majority stockholder at The Golden.
Nugget so that's WHO i was working.
FOR i, mean you talked about connected and they were all, great and, really you, know you hear about all the emotions of all the bosses and all.
That in, reality the vast majority of these guys were pretty good.
Guys they were classy, guys well, dressed well.
Spoken they weren't the the.
BRUNOS i, mean they really weren't like.
That they were.
Classy you.
Speaker 1Know you, know, now were you when you first started at the?
Starters was this still the era when they would whack people?
Out in other, words bring in a dealer to cheap players that were winning too?
Speaker 2Much okay to my knowledge, now they they would change.
Dealers you, Know, NO i don't.
KNOW i.
Speaker 1WASN'T i wasn't one of those.
Speaker 2Dealers, yeah SO i don't really recall.
That they could have been probably did do, that and you wouldn't, know it's just another dealer coming.
In but they weren't talking about, it especially to.
Me you, know the youngest kid in the, pit and what does the kid you even know about?
That you, Know, yeah WELL i didn't really see, that AND i DIDN'T i didn't know about them taking anybody in the back room and breaking their.
Knuckles it could have.
HAPPENED i personally didn't see any of.
That and they didn't really talk about.
That there was no pride in.
That if they did it to these, guys they just didn't talk about.
Speaker 1It and none of.
Speaker 2That you, know you learn first thing about what you want to know and what you want to don't.
Know, Right, no, seriously you have to be.
Careful you, know you say the wrong thing to the wrong person at the wrong, time in the wrong, situation you might lose more than just your.
Speaker 1Job.
Speaker 2Dude, yes so you got very smart at reading, people so you didn't find yourself and what they called the.
Jackpot so there's a, great great learning experience and they and they knew you were young and they were bringing you.
Along, well Here i'll give you this is a good.
Story in, FACT i got the way out on my bedroom.
Wall So i'm gonna charge of.
Credit and we have this guy From, Texas Dallas.
Texas name Is Bob.
McLean never forget him any one hundred thousand dollars credit.
Line, okay so we're at that's as big as you get at that.
Speaker 1Time that was just like the seventy.
Speaker 2To, me it's seventy three or early seventy.
Four wow, yeah, Wow.
Okay so, anyway this guy starts playing crabs and he's down NINETY.
K i thought he was actually down one HUNDRED k BECAUSE i forgot to make an.
Entry so he's at his, limit, Right, Yeah So foeman comes, over he goes he wants another ten, thousand SO i thought he was at, ninety SO i, go, yeah.
Speaker 1Give it to, Him.
Speaker 2Richard this guy takes the ten grand and rolls it up to a little over nine nine hundred.
Thousand you are a statistical mathematical.
Genius at the, time you could only bet five hundred dollars a, number five hundred on the, line one thousand on the.
Back now they let him go five thousand on the back five, times not like today would go ten or.
Twenty but just think of those increments and how to get ten thousand to a.
Million, yeah he was at the table for thirty one.
Hours they kept bringing him food and.
Everything SO i go.
Home BEFORE i go, Home frank shows up and they're talking to, him AND i hear him say from the little.
Podium he, goes, well who gave him the?
Money and this Ship westler's right at.
Me he goes the kid And, frank And frank turns and looks at me and gives me this look and just starts shaking his head back and.
Forth but he didn't say a.
Word very.
Unusual you.
Know they were, GOING i watch, This he's gonna but he didn't say a.
Word SO i go.
HOME i didn't sleep all.
NIGHT i got to double back to do the day shift BECAUSE i left at four in the.
Morning this is at the end of the.
Swing, shit So i'm coming back at.
Noon so NOW i didn't sleep at.
All i'm, Wondering, okay what's gonna?
Happen SO i walk in the end of the twenty one AND i can see that the guy still rolling.
Dice, Man i'm going, on he probably owns the joint right.
Now so coming by me was one of the old.
DUDES i think it was from The Purple.
Game you can look him.
Up his name Is Milton.
Jaffey probably was part owners some, way somehow out OF i believe it Was.
Detroit an old, guy he's probably eighty years.
Old they called him The magician because he could do all these things with his.
Speaker 1Hand he was a.
Speaker 2Crow so, anyway he comes up and Dream he, goes, hey, kid how'd you.
GOING i haven't seen you a.
WHILE i, go, well Mister, jeffy, Honestly i'm not doing so.
GOOD i didn't sleep all.
Night you, go, oh, OKAY i, go, WELL i see MISTER g is still over there rolling.
Dice you, know he had me for almost a million dollars last.
Night and he looks over there and, goes you mean that.
GUY i, go, yeah MISTER.
G he, goes, oh that.
Guy we got the million back and he's into us for two hundred thousand.
Now AND i was so relieved, because you, KNOW i, said you know they're firing.
You you, know they just forgot last.
Night, anyway so he looks at me and he, goes so what did you learn here?
Speaker 1Today?
Speaker 2Kid because they loved and TEACH i.
FROZE i didn't know what to.
SAY i said something, dumb like you just got to keep a positive, attitude and he, goes, no that's not what you learn here?
Today here's what you learned, today and he sticks his finger right in my face and, goes don't sweat the, money just keep me at the.
Speaker 3Table wow, wow because, there you, know the reputation was that they sweated the money like crazy there at.
Speaker 2Least but he told me and then he finished because this happened too many a lot with the chuckle, GOING i think you're gonna be, okay, Kid, WOW i got Another milton Jeff daphne story like this one.
Unrelated but so he comes up to me in the pit and he's got this string in his hand about a foot.
Long then he takes with his right, hand he takes a string and he puts a knot in it with one.
Hand then he puts the rope into the little string into his left, hand and he ties another knot in it with one, hand and then he puts a third one in.
Speaker 3It.
Speaker 2Right so he does all this stuff with his hands in proof that baby is.
Gone you, know no, Clue he, goes so where do you think it?
WENT i, have Mister, JEFFY i had no.
Idea he, goes, well what did you learn here?
Today AND i, GO i guess that the eye the hand is quicker than the.
Speaker 1Eye he, goes, good he, goes what else did you?
Speaker 2Learn AND i go he, goes here's what else you.
Learned don't let people get too close to.
YOU i didn't know what that.
Meant he, goes reach into your right hand suit.
Speaker 1Pocket SO i did guess what was in?
Speaker 2There the?
Stream, yeah he, goes someone nudges, you bumps.
You you immediately go to your pockets for your.
Cash immediately he goes that, Way you're not gonna ever get.
Ticked don't let people get that closed.
On we don't do the hugging.
Thing so you're teaching me how to not.
Pickpocket so that's How that's how these guys really.
Were SO i just had the the greatest experience with those guys and the way it, is it was a pretty good.
Story so my father was in the restaurant.
Business BENDING i had the dream of having An italian restaurant In Las.
Speaker 1Vegas of all Police so, wait, Wait i'm, sorry your father had An italian restaurant In Las.
Speaker 2Vegas he had, restaurants cafeterias inside of these big industrial complexes mostly that made stuff for the, military bombs and all, That and he would have restaurants inside those, places.
Cafeterias, yeah he.
Had he Made italian, sausage he had his own sausage company's Own Jarden air, Company.
Pepper's, yeah he had a lot of.
Speaker 1Stuff but did you say he had a restaurant In?
Vegas?
NO i wanted, To oh you want, okay.
Speaker 2OKAY i wanted to follow his swit.
Set so anyway that.
HAPPENED i hooked up with a couple fraternity brothers and we're gonna put this thing together called The Untouchable Sound.
Shop and keep the.
Brief it was a salmon shop and each sandus was the name of the, game The Frank, Nady italian sat Al, Capone italian Beach, Leg's diamond cornbe you.
Know and then we delivered all Those So i'm at the start us back and this is after A.
FOXES i went back AND i actually Deult crafts for a little, bit and they promised me we have something else, coming meaning in the, stardust you know WHAT i.
Mean so Now i'm gonna quit to open up the.
Restaurant, well you just don't.
Quit you got to go to the casino manager about who at the time Was Bobby stella the same timeframe as what was the comedian who played him in the.
Speaker 1Movie Don.
Speaker 2Rickles.
Yeah so SO i went to Mister stella AND i explained the situation and he starts taking it and he, goes.
Chit he, goes, Wow i'm really kind of.
Surprised he, goes you, know we invested a lot of time and money in, you and now you're telling us you want to go do the restaurant.
THING i know your dad's in the.
RESTAURANT i get.
It he, Goes if you really have your heart set on, that go ahead and do.
It you have our Blessed you don't have to, worry feel guilty or.
Nothing something goes.
Wrong you, know it's a tough business.
Restaurant you can always come back here and work for, us but you can't be a boss.
AGAIN i go.
Okay he, goes oh, yeah and one other.
Thing we're gonna support.
You but the cops money is no.
Good And i'm looking at what.
Huh, yeah the cops money is no.
Good so when they come, in you.
Come that's how we do.
It so that's the only FAVOR i.
Wanted you don't worry about.
It we'll set all kinds of people down.
There so NOW i got to go back to my partners that, go we get we're caving the cops, boys and't it anyway to make a long story short on that when it is the best thing that ever.
Happened we were open twenty four, hours high density.
Thing where was the Shot it was on just one block Off Maryland parkway on twin and right behind it were something crazy like twenty thousand.
Apartments yeah that's right WHERE i.
Lived, yeah, yeah that's.
So you, know they would call in and order and we would.
Deliver, now the delivery boys.
Speaker 1Had a hat what do you call?
It fedora?
Speaker 2Hat and they had a real, lightweight short trench coat on and they carried a violin case and inside the violin case were the.
Speaker 1Sandwiches that's.
Speaker 2Funny so when they went up to the, door they'd.
Open, now you, know the biggest PROBLEM i had was getting the delivery boys back because they were all getting it down with the.
Girls i'm telling you it was hard to get him.
Back but they made a.
Fortune, yeah and they.
Did they came.
In we had a cop card a lot at all.
Times we never because it got out real.
Fast oh, yeah the cops worked there and the Start us owned, it so nobody messed with.
Us, yeah you, know it's kind of, like you know at that time to Start ust, opinions you just didn't get out all, night right he.
Did in, fact this is a little, Gruesome But i'll tell you a quick story because EARLIER i SAID i didn't see anybody getting beat up or.
Anything but so When I'm i'm breaking in crafts at The Fremont, graveyard get off at, noon and every DAY i would go right across the street To Bidion's horseshoe because they had the main bar and it was fifty cent.
Drains they had no slots on the bars back, then you.
Know so you, KNOW i was there for a little over a.
YEAR i got to know the, Bartender, luise who wound up staying there forty two years or.
Speaker 1Something got to know him real.
Speaker 2Well and it's right ACROSS i mean it's eight feet from the, crab it's from the dice, pit And louis points over at the you, know something's going, down AND i look over.
There you Got Jack, binyon a guy who's probably the shift boss and probably the casino, manager and they're hawking this.
Game SO i kind of stood up to look at the, game and it ain't that big a.
Deal it's, like what are you looking?
Speaker 3At?
Speaker 1Man you know WHAT i?
Speaker 2Mean it's, like, huh.
Speaker 1Not a lot of money on the.
Speaker 2Table, YEAH i, know there's standard.
Stuff and there's these three high powered, guys Including Jack benyon, himself watching the.
Game all of a, Sudden benyon himself puts his hand out over the, table stops the, game takes his hand and reaches it down inside of the boxman's suit gilt and pulls out a handful of green.
Speaker 1Checks.
Speaker 2Wow now this boxman used to be a boxman at The.
STARDUST i actually knew the, guy not very, well BUT i MEAN i knew he was you get him.
Up and at that, time you heard all kind of stories about you do something At benyons and they take it down the, stairs and you heard all that, stuff, RIGHT.
Speaker 1I and two friends that they did that, too actually beat them half to.
Speaker 2Death, okay SO i Guess i'm verifying.
It the bathroom at The freemont is right across the street from the entrance To, benyons on the side of the the first street or whatever it.
Is so BEFORE i go up to my.
Car AFTER i, LEFT i go into the bathroom at The fremont AND i walk in and in one of the bathrooms stall you can see a guy's laying down his feet are like out, Right i'm going On.
NO i opened the, door take in and it's the box man and he's bleeding from.
Everywhere it's all.
OVER i freaked, out SO i went out AND i got you, know he had house.
PHONES i got the.
HOUSEHOLD i, called not THINKING i call Stick charity to save the.
Guy but THEN i, figured, well it's Not bingon, security It's.
Freemont they probably don't, know and you can't let the guy just lay.
There and THEN i got out of there as fast AS i.
COULD i never said a.
WORD i don't know what.
Happened he was in bad.
Speaker 1Shape.
Wow.
Yeah you know what's funny is WHEN i was a, dealer maybe three or four people got caught stealing from joints and you, know and got, fired and every single one of.
Them the next TIME i saw, them they were dealing at The horseshoe AND i asked a boss THAT i worked, with kind of an old timer, guy AND i was, like all these guys got caught stealing and the next TIME i see, him they're dealing at The horseshoe and and he, says, yeah they'll hire him because they figure like nobody's going to have the balls to try to steal from.
Them.
Speaker 2YEAH i, mean, well you, know there were some real ironclad.
Rules first of, all all these old they used to call the mustache.
Pets, yeah their work ethic was beyond.
Believe these guys are.
Old they never ever missed the day of.
Work they were never late.
Ever it was.
UNBELIEVABLE i mean they had to be going to the hospital before they would miss the day at.
Work all these old, guys it was.
Unbelievable so you couldn't this.
Work you had to be on time because the whole casino ran on on the.
Speaker 1Clock you.
Speaker 2Know you, know you couldn't steal, obviously but we would never even think of.
That it never even crossed my mind once working for at The, stardos you, know you know What i'm, saying Yuh And and what was the other.
Thing, yeah the other thing was you couldn't wear white, belts white, shoes and you couldn't have any facial.
Speaker 1HAIR i remember, that no facial, Hair BUT I i never heard the white belt or.
WHITE i, mean we always had to wear black shoes and black pants and you, know so.
Speaker 2And then, yeah they had another weird one at the start us no peanuts in the pit because they were so superstitious about, everything is.
Speaker 1It, yeah you, KNOW I i worked with a lot of, those not a, lot but some of those old Must Stash pete.
Guys and my big regret is THAT i didn't spend more time talking to those.
Guys guys who worked in illegal joints In, Newport, kentucky Or Hot, Springs, arkansas and you, know really came Into vegas like in the fifties and, sixties.
Speaker 2Right, Yeah and and most of those, GUYS i DON'T i don't.
KNOW i don't know IF i was smart enough at the time or IF i just did.
It but they liked talking to younger.
People you, know they don't got nothing to, do they're in charge of.
It, yeah they loved talking to young people and kind of teaching.
Them as long as you kind of proved to them that you were actually listening and you had you know WHAT i, mean that you weren't some wise guy trying to be funny all the.
Time they would pick you out just on THAT i gotta go back to my.
JUICE i gotta finish that.
Story oh, yeah so about twenty or twenty five, years twenty years after the, starters so we're talking about Late i'm gonna say maybe ninety, five ninety four somewhere in.
There, anyway so we're at the table and my father's tired down In, arizona and we're at the table talking about the old days In, vegas and you, know, so you, know how'd you get to the stardust came up AND i, said, well you, KNOW i GUESS i must have done pretty good because these guys just discovered me out of.
Nowhere, MAN i, MEAN i THINK i was Really.
Sully to my dad's looking at, me he, goes what he, goes, yeah THAT i, mean you, KNOW i think they found me and discovered, me and you, KNOW i was.
Speaker 1Lucky he, goes that's not what, happened and he.
Speaker 2GOES i Called Phil, diogardi who was the twenty one BOSS i think for forty two years at THE.
Speaker 1Startus he was a.
Speaker 2LEGEND i Called phil Dio.
GUARDIAN i, told, look my son's in.
Town could you give him a job and kind of look after.
Him so it doesn't get in.
TROUBLE i don't want any.
Problems And phil hired you.
Again he, Said phil Dear gott he brought.
UP i didn't know Who phil Dear gott he was until.
Later and then the same With Luis, CLENA i didn't know who he, was you.
Know so twenty years LATER i actually found out who my juice.
Was and my father never said anything those whole twenty.
Years it was pretty.
Amazing but so.
Speaker 1What happened after the sandwich?
Shop you you opened the sandwich?
Speaker 2Shop, yeah that's a bad.
Story by, TIME i just blew it with my, partners lost my, share AND i went back to, dealing and then from, DEALING i got into the telemarketing.
BUSINESS i became a really big telemarketer in.
Town that's a story for a different time, Maybe BUT i got one other STORE i think your folks will.
Like it's about my, Sponsor Louis celenna From Milrose.
Park so he's the graveyard shiftwa wash and we really hit it.
Off he really liked, me and he was.
Interesting and as all these guys, were they Were sharper's tax they really.
Were they could read people like no One i've ever seen since ofs so.
Anyway out of the.
Blue one Day louis, goes, so, KID i think it was there three or four months, maybe and he, GOES, o, kid where are you?
Living AND i told, him, Well i'm living off on the other side of The tropicana Country club there.
OFF i can't remember the name of the.
Street i'll think of it the.
Second but he had these apartments on one, side and he had the golf course with the condos on the other, side right past The maxim what's the name of that street right behind where the, yes thank You Coo cobo.
Lane SO i told him.
That he, goes you're staying in those?
PLACES i, go, yeah it's.
Okay so it's a studio type of.
THING i, go that is an.
SHOLE i, go, no it's, Okay.
LOUIS i Mean i'm here six days a.
Speaker 1Week you.
Speaker 2Know he Goes, No he, GOES i will not have.
It he will not be standing.
There and he goes tomorrow after the, ship twelve, THIRTY i want you to Meet bruno across the street at those.
Comps you're gonna know Who bruno.
Is trust, me twelve thirty you be, there, yes, SIR i mean and say no the shift, boss you, know so get off work twelve.
Thirty sure, enough there's this giant dude with all the gold chains on Named.
Bruno oh you must be the.
Kid, yeah let me shut me coming.
Down so, yeah let me show you in the.
Pad so he opens up the door and it's a totally tricked out two.
Bedroom what DO i need two bedrooms for two?
Bedroom sweet on the golf.
Course i'll never forget walking in the bathroom and they had one of those brass lion heads where the water came out the.
Speaker 1MOUTH i was, like that was it for, me you.
Speaker 2Know so the guy comes.
Back he, says come, on let's go look at your.
Backyard so he opens up the, curtains opens up the door and it's just grass all the way to the eleventh eighth hole of The Tropicana Golf.
Course there's no.
FENCES i mean you just walk out by twenty feet twenty thirty.
Speaker 1Feet it was.
Speaker 2Incredible So louie told, me he, goes when you're done With bruno at one, THIRTY i want you to go and check out the.
POOL i, go, sure, okay, yeah one thirty.
Okay Well bruno was pretty efficient and we were done at like, Wan, so, oh, YEAH i got to check out the.
Pool SO i go down to the pool and look at the, pool and it's a.
Pool you, know it's really, nice very, clean all the chase, lounges you, know but it's a, pool you, know.
Speaker 1Beautiful.
Speaker 2Okay SO i get to work the next day and, goes, SO i, mean even go, bro it's all.
Great and he, goes how did you like the?
POOL i, go it was.
Beautiful crystal cleare.
Clean they really have good in, maintenance you.
Know he, goes, yeah but how did you like the?
Pool LIKE i was supposed to be in it or, something you, KNOW i didn't.
NOTICE i, go, yeah it's a.
Pool it's, like it's really nice AND i appreciate.
It he, goes when did you go down?
THERE i, GO i don't.
Speaker 1Know we were down to like five to.
Speaker 2ONE i probably one.
O'clock he, GOES i told you one, thirty DIDN'T.
I i told you to go down there at one.
THIRTY i didn't say one.
O'CLOCK i said one.
Thirty he's, like at, It i'm going, okay.
Okay he, goes, TOMORROW i want you there at one, thirty not one twenty, nine not one thirty one one.
THIRTY i, go, yes.
Sir next day rolls.
Around i'm looking at my, watch it's one twenty, nine almost one.
Thirty i'm off to the, pool and right in front of the gate is the same guy from the pit buster is his knee six, five three hundred pounds hut packing with a startist security uniform.
ON i, mean just a huge.
Dude AND i walk up seeing this guy and he, goes, yeah Kid louise said to be coming.
Today he, goes have a good time in.
There And i'm looking at this guy like, okay AND i opened the gate and my jaw drops AND i freeze BECAUSE i don't.
Speaker 1Know what to.
Speaker 2Do there are five of the most beautiful women you have ever seen in.
Speaker 1Your, life and all five of them are.
Speaker 2Naked fuck, naked nothing there walking around or in the chaise lounge.
CHAIRS i didn't know what to.
Do so one of them comes, up never forget name Of.
Sherry she, goes, oh you must be the Kid louis said you were gonna come.
Down and she, goes, yeah don't worry about all.
This she, goes you're gonna get used to.
This you, know we're dancers in The lido and we can't get.
Tamline so we come out here a couple of days at you, know we don't got to worry about anything because we Got buster, here you, Know and SO i met the.
Girls here's what here's what What buster's role really.
Was it was.
INSANE i used to watch us all the.
Time so we're on the.
Fifth uh, no, yeah, athol it's a par, Five so they're tee off and then these jokers would intentionally duck hook their second shot by the pool so they can walk by and see the, girls right because they knew they Were, well guess you're standing out there on the edge of.
Speaker 1The, fairway Old, buster.
Speaker 2Did you see a ball come?
By?
Here he goes see.
It it's way out of, bounce lost.
Ball you, Know, well can we come in and that ball's?
Gone now the green's only one hundred and twenty yards from.
Me you can drop one right.
Speaker 1Here.
Speaker 2Yeah but he was there to keep the riff raff away from the.
Speaker 1Girls but, Yeah, so now were they paying for this new apartment or?
Speaker 2No, no, no, NO i paid for.
It because that's another shock to.
ME i, go, ah you don't worry about.
It you're making good.
Money you'll be able to afford.
It don't worry about.
Speaker 1Nothing and he was.
Speaker 2Right it was totally.
Affordable SO i don't know about the because the girls looked there, too AND i.
Didn't they were down a little bit for, me AND i don't know what their situation, was because once, again you know something you don't want to, know don't need to, know just LIKE i never went out with any of them because you didn't do.
That you didn't mess with anything at the casino, property you know WHAT i?
Speaker 1Mean, yeah, yeah, sure just.
Speaker 2Not there were so many babes you didn't need to do, that you.
Speaker 1Know.
You, well, listen we've been going for about an hour, here but there are a couple of THINGS i still have to ask you before we, Go and the first one is how did An italian kid From cicero turn Into?
Ay how did?
That because every Time i've seen, you including right, now you're wearing a cowboy hat and we're always in western, garb and so how did that transformation?
Speaker 2Happen, Okay So i'll go back in, time so get To, vegas AND i guess it really started on one of the tours With.
Frank he didn't, know but we wound up going to the hacienda and the guy running the twenty one kid was this tall six' to.
Three guy he looked like a.
Speaker 1Movie star he looked Like A robert redford.
Speaker 2Kind of but he had a really expensive but a cowboy yolk, cut jacket, you know and he had boots on.
Exotic, boots now he was the ONLY one i saw in any of our properties wear.
Cowboy, boots ever you just didn't.
Wear them he didn't.
Do it, so anyway after about the, second tour and his Name WAS.
Big d they so about two or three months after, That tour i'm Off, ON monday i go across the Street On Convention.
Center drive there can.
SILVER something i can't remember what, it was but it was a cowboy, place actually, You know AND so i kind of started, liking it and all of a sudden in comes.
This guy ed, the toe got the, hat on, the boots, the buckle the, whole deal And IT'S.
Big d now the guy's about thirty years older than he maybe more maybe.
Thirty, five well we became friends and we.
Started partying when this guy, walked in every head in the bar looked at.
Speaker 1This guy that's.
Speaker 2Kind of the persona, he had being.
The cowboy so that's kind of where.
Speaker 3It.
Speaker 2Started uh and to finish, that story check.
This OUT when i got into one of my, telemarketing businesses there's a girl about fifteen years younger, than me and she used to Joke, About sonday i'm going to.
Marry you.
Speaker 1Yeah joke not.
Speaker 2Happy anyway to make a long, story short ten, YEARS later i did.
Speaker 1Marry her.
Speaker 2So she came from a family where the father was here and the mother was there and they're all over, the place totally dysfunctional kind of at.
That TIME but i, didn't know, you KNOW so i.
Speaker 1Figure out, you know we got to do the.
Speaker 2PROPER thing i got to introduce myself to your father wherever he is and get.
His permission and, she, Goes okay so she writes down this address and it's In the winterwood Area Of, las vegas by the.
Golf course AND so i got.
To THINK so i get out of, the car, walk up a knock on the door Looking for.
Kathy's, father right guy opens the door And it's big D and, i, go, okay dude, he, goes kid where have?
YOU been i haven't seen it for?
Ten years how YOU doing, I go i'm.
Doing great, he goes what?
BRINGS you, i, GO well I think i got the wrong.
Address here i'm looking for some Guy Named.
Don, galuska yeah that's ME and i once again my, jaw Dropped and, i'm going this is the guy he used to party.
Hard with and he gives me one of those looks like he's gonna, kill me and then he.
Starts laughing, he goes you must be.
Speaker 1The Kid that's.
Speaker 2Mary and my youngest daughter come.
On it and we became.
Best FRIENDS but i didn't Know THAT big d was gonna be.
Speaker 1My father.
That's Funny small so where were we going?
Speaker 2Before that what did you ask?
Speaker 1Me about how does how the?
Cowboy?
Transition, oh, yeah okay so that's where.
It.
Speaker 2Started then, you know Me And max rubin had the band and it was predominantly custom country, western music so that kind of contributed to it and, the rodeos, you KNOW so i just kind of got.
INTO it i really wasn't a, real Cowboy although i'm, getting THERE but i was used to wear a country western stuff.
On stage.
You know for the twenty five years we played all the lounges and all the bars and.
Speaker 1All that but where it really.
Speaker 2Kind of proliferated is At The black jab because everybody Had, a monica everybody, had Nickname and max Called Me.
Cowboy boss so that's how it really got kind.
Of entrenched but when it really took effect WAS when i moved and retired Here to FLORIDA because i got this job running a.
PARKING lot i so.
Parking, ATTENDANT no i don't get in the car and.
DRIVE it i move a cone and.
Parking there it turns out to be one of the most lucrative jobs on the.
Whole, ISLAND anyway i would wear the cowboy HAT and i would wear this and the belt buckle and my bat my thing would say cow.
Boy bus so on a, Daily basis i'm still, WORKING there i will meet and greet anywhere from about seven hundred to eight hundred people.
A day that's howbody walk, by me because you got to walk by me to get To The bridge street into.
The beach so set.
Cowboy BUS so i turned the whole deal Into a vegas lounge.
Show, act oh first time Here On.
Bridge, street okay let me tell you how they get the most out.
Of, it okay when you get out there On.
The street whenever you.
Get there it doesn't matter where.
You go when you, get there you just tell them cowboy bus set you and they'll take care, of you or they'll charge.
Speaker 1You double.
Speaker 2So what these people, would do these twuris would go whatever shop, they're in they would go in and, they say, cowboy bus, send me and it kind of.
Caught on so then the whole island started calling me.
Cowboy bus to, THIS day, I think, I again i'm not trying, to ARROGANT but i was written up last year one of the top, five personalities but nobody knows.
Speaker 1My name, right now you perform?
Still right you played guitar, and SING and.
Speaker 2I performed twice a week at the world famous one hundred year old, drift in which is the it's kind of like the World Famous jimmy buffett style bar on the beach Here On Ana.
Maria island really really, good musicians and so they let me get up.
And sing AND now i sing twice.
A week He's on, Friday afternoon, saturday afternoon but it's it's one hundred five star.
Dive, Bar again i'm the only one with they.
Had on but.
Speaker 1So there's one LAST thing i just want to ask you about that IS so i met You Through max Rubin And, anthony curtis who you guys were on a rugby team together for a.
Long Time and max tells me that you are still.
Play.
Speaker 2Rugby Yees so, i'm saying how old?
Are you i'm seventy three And this, december twelfth which is what about ten days?
Or, WHATEVER yeah i will start my fifty third consecutive.
Rugby season NOW sometimes i only play two games, a year, but SO and i.
Don't know my wife is trying to get me to retire after.
This one it's Down In fort lauderdale At The rugger fist.
Speaker 1Down there i'm?
WHAT about, i mean how old are the people you're?
Speaker 2Playing With so i'll play one game over fifties and one game.
Over, Sixties wow now the fifties game is.
A CHALLENGE i m not only pay ten or fifteen minutes.
In, that yeah maybe, we'll See but i'll go a good half the in the over sixties OR until i can't.
Go see because the way you, do it, you know you, Would, Think okay i'm gonna save MYSELF so i don't.
Get hurt, you Know just.
E's, Out, no no.
Speaker 1You will get hurt.
Speaker 2For sure that way we have balls out from the very get go until you can't, go anymore and then you don't.
Play them then you, come out and that way time and.
Come out.
Speaker 1You, know yeah that way they're more afraid of them getting hurt.
By you so, you, uh.
Speaker 2Oh if you, go halfway you just.
Get, hurt yeah you're just gonna.
Get hurt, you know we got no.
Pads on you can only hit somebody so hard with no pads on before you.
Hurt yourself so, you know you just gotta go all out or you will.
Get hurt plus then like, for me the deal's over in.
Eighteen minutes so what.
It's great we're gonna tell you the last one if you.
Got, time yep this is a.
Good one this IS how I MET max rubi check this, out now kind of bring you through rugby and the band and the.
Whole Thing SO i'm i got the job at the at.
THE minute i got a fraternity brother who Lives In, las vegas and He knows max because they're OLDER than i am in.
The FRATERNITY so i, say, Him yeah i'm Going, to Vegas but i'm gonna go Check Out lake.
Tahoe too i'm all Set.
In vegas, he, goes well if you're going, up there here's this guy's name, and number give him.
A call you need to meet.
This guy he's, a brother, older guy and It Was.
Matt TRUMAN so i drive up to the lake going To The Old scotties Castle and max is dealing blackjack and the.
Game's DEAD so i.
Introduced myself, he goes, oh yeah and, he, GOES so i got another three.
Hours here why don't you take my car and drive all the way around.
The lake this way you get to.
See EVERYTHING and, I go i got, A car.
I'm good, he, goes, no no take, my car and he wipes his hands like, a dealer looks at.
The, floor men those are, his pocket out, his keys and throws him.
At me, i'm, going, Okay OKAY well i.
Didn't KNOW so i go out to parking lot number fifty four and it's a.
Light convertible poor never driven a portion in, My LIFE so i drive all the way around.
The Lake couldn't THAT'S how i first.
Speaker 1Met, HIM so, i mean that's pretty amazing to just hand his portions to a guy he's never.
Speaker 2Met BEFORE don't i Don't think i'd spent a minim with.
Speaker 1Him yet it was.
Speaker 2That past, so anyway so then he winds up moving back down To to vegas and he was dealing blackjacket.
The frontier and because we were, for training brothers who got to know each other and this, And that and it TURNS out i got the band Started and max could actually.
PLAY harmonica i mean you.
Speaker 1Actually.
Speaker 2Could yeah now he will tell you he's a.
GREAT singer i would put him as a.
Great entertainer we do actual or playing.
The harmonica so we put it in the band, and wow we played sharows together for twenty, five years everywhere you can think Of.
In vegas along, with that.
Speaker 1He was just a.
Speaker 2Stud man he, was fit and turns out he was.
Lightning fast the boy, could run this little.
Speaker 1White, boy.
Speaker 2Yeah BABY so i invited him to play rugby football because we had just we we started the team in nineteen, SEVENTY five i think, it WAS and I think max got there in seventy six, or seven something.
Speaker 1Like that and he.
Speaker 2Was good he was.
Really good, in fact he played the, outside winger which means the kind of the goals get the ball out, to him so you can move and shake because one on one tackling a guy that isn't.
Gonna happen, so anyway he wound up scoring a lot.
Of points he's.
Really good and then Along Came, anthony curtis some this wrestler guy FROM somewhere i, can't Remember, zash yeah some.
Were, Famous yeah and this guy, was fast like Faster Than.
Max megalong story.
Short Again anthony curtis went on to break every single scoring Record For las vegas rugby until another guy by the Name Of mike rude.
Came Along But anthony curtis was as good as rugby player as you're.
Gonna, see seriously he was.
That Good so I'm at max there and we did the.
Speaker 1What do you?
Speaker 2Call it, the band and we did.
RUGBY together i could tell so many, rugby stories but we're run out of time a little.
Speaker 1Bit here and OF course i was at the very first blackjack ball in.
Speaker 2THE basement.
I was i was ACTUALLY the mc reading.
Speaker 1THE questions i didn't REMEMBER that i was, there TOO but i didn't remember you were the one reading.
Speaker 2The, questions well they were asking such they were so over.
MY head, I mean i learned so much about blackjack you know from you guys, And Others but i'm not in.
Your league i'm not one, of you, YOU know, i KNOW but i remember like.
THE question i didn't even understand.
The QUESTION little i know how to.
Answer it it was something like on a six deck Using a miraj's show for fifty two percent of the way through the deck counted plus four USING a calli betting system to win fifteen hundred dollars in?
An hour what's the?
Proper bet and all you guys set seventy five dollars.
Or whatever it was, no, computer no not that, it's like who are?
These?
Guys oh but there's so?
Speaker 1Much fun, All, right, well, buzz look this has.
BEEN great i just love hearing these stories from the old Days in, vegas ESPECIALLY and i just want to thank you again for.
Doing, this well.
Speaker 2Thank you it was, a treat, YOU know i really appreciate, it because believe it, OR not i don't get to tell these stories too often for.
Two reasons, number one a lot of people won't, understand them and you have to explain.
Too much, number two they're not going to, believe this that all this stuff could happen to.
ONE guy, I mean i was a clown Diver At.
Caesar's palace what a?
CLOWN diver i used to do clown dives during The high roller parties in the summer at the season's palace pool with what was, his name the guy original guy Who, Played Tarzan.
Johnny, wisemulo, yeah wait what is a?
Clown, diver okay so here's THE thing i hired me.
To do another.
Another story SO when i Got, to VEGAS number i was a Lifeguard.
In, arizona yeah and our off times we would go To the they still had three, meter boards the, big hygeboard and we would practice what we call, hog dives and they were these really weird looking dives that nobody, could do and you would land like you had a severe, belly flop only we developed a way to land to make it look like a, belly flop but you weren't.
Getting hurt there was a, talent.
Too ANYWAY so i would go To the sahara pool sneak, in there zoot the guys, tip THEM and i would practice my.
Hog diys, one day the guy who owns, the concession who owned about five other concessions at, other, hotels says, YOU know i got something for you Here At.
Caesar's palace you should go over there in audition and do your dives for The big iroller Party At.
Caesar's palace it's an all.
Water shill so he set me UP and i went.
Speaker 1Down here so here was.
Speaker 2My role they had a bunch of different things, going on but they had these three precise Precision divers i'll never forget From the University, of oregon and they would go on the three boards simultaneously doing the.
SAME dives, i mean they were, very skillful.
You, Know yeah and they would go through.
Their routine so, after that they would put me on a chair right next to the pool with A big panama hat one of those fake cigars that's about a, foot long With A CAESARS palace, t SHIRT and i had these special chef pants with suspenders, on THEM and i would ACT like i, was, drunk, like oh anybody can?
Do that YOU got i, watched THIS and i would walk Up and i'd fall through the Ladder because i'd practice all, this before get back on get on There and i'd do it dive and just LOOK like i absolutely.
Killed MYSELF then i dip backed out Right and i'd do.
Another stumba one of my best TRICKS is i would jump from the high dive to the low dive them do a dumber a double summersaw with a cannonball right next to, the edge so it got everybody on that.
Edge wet but the, last stunt this is, the greatest and it was one of, the girls one of the, naked girls gave.
Me that she gave me a silver.
Sequin, jockstrap like WHAT am i gonna do?
With THAT so i did it.
With IT so i put that ON and i had these chef pants with.
The suspenders well halfway through, the show OF course i was rid of, the hat, the cigar.
This shirt SO now i just got the pants and the.
Suspenders, on well the LAST time, I did i would jump on the high dive about seven, eight times and on the EIGHTH time i, REACHED down i would flip, the suspenders the pants would come, straight off stay on, the BOARD and i would do a swan dive in the big spotlight in the silver.
Sequin JOCKEY when i did that show for, two summers it was but THE point i was trying.
To make and again, nothing IMPRESSION but i just did so many different.
Things there it was just like, you know people won't believe it IS where i.
Speaker 1Was going, You know vegas was so much more fun.
Speaker 2Back then it was, IT was, i mean it was, the GREAT but i got so many other show and they will do.
It again i'll see if they.
CAN recollect i hope they.
Enjoyed this AND like, i said and just remember why it are and that's exactly the way.
It happened you ever take a liar, to y'ell.
Speaker 1That's the perfect place.
To end, thanks, again buzz have a.
Speaker 2Great day