Truth in Music - Chapter 3

In today . . . The 9th Circuit Court has overturned the Nevada District Court ruling in Herb Reed's Manager's suit against long time concert promoter Larry Marshak's use of The Platters name. Their decision is based on a Supreme Court decision. The manager, who never had anything to do with the success of The Platters, has been trying to get rights to the trademark since Reed passed away a year ago. It's interesting, but odd, to watch the court cases continue - for more than 60 years now - after everyone involved with the structuring and success of the group has passed on with the exception of 90 year old, retired publicist/manager Jean Bennett. We'll be keeping an eye out here at the Snare to see what happens next since there are still at least two cases in court at this writing. We're still waiting for the truth in Truth in Music. So far there has been none.

Doing Downtown

There has been so much talk about what is going on in downtown Las Vegas I had to take a tour.  The Grand, where the old Lady Luck stood, is now open as is the Downtown Container Park a.k.a. Tin Can City.  There are now many bar open or opening on East Fremont.  There was little, if any, business in any of them. 

We started the tour at the Downtown Container Park.  This is a complex of shipping containers that, from the outside, put a ghetto to shame.  It is really tacky!  However, once inside, there is an very energetic parklike setting with a stage and a couple of dozen businesses in 10' x 20' containers - all that have interesting decor.  The places I stopped in weren't selling much of anything except odds and ends, but more power to the entrepreneur.  There several of bars that were rather busy, but the complex had only been open four days when we were there so they could have been curiosity seekers like us.  I was fascinated that there was a guard at the exit making sure no one took alcohol out of the park.  Most of the casinos on Fremont now have outdoor bars.  People have been walking around with drinks since I first came through town.  But what's in the Downtown Container Park stays in the Downtown Container Park.  Most curious of all were the fast food restaurants.  I can't imagine any of them staying in business for long.  Why would anyone stand in line to get a plate of ribs and beans for $14.95 when they can go down the street to Main Street Station of The Fremont for a fabulous, all you can eat buffet for less.  Time will tell.

We walked across the street to the El Cortez.  While Jackie Gaughan is still the spokesman, we've been told that the casino is under new ownership.  They haven't made many changes but they have upgraded the washrooms.  I always judge anyplace by their washrooms.  I love the ones at the El Cortez.  They have a warm feel.  The mirrors are fantastic and I would love the lighting fixtures in my living room. 

We went across the street and walked through the Medical Arts Building.  It is meant to be a hangout for the artsy crowd, but it is disgusting.  You could feel the dirt hanging in the air.  There was a little coffee bar that I believe had food.  I would not eat there. 

We moved on to the Grand.  I was looking forward to seeing it.  There has been great publicity about this new casino.  Coming up to the parking lot was a delight.  The old, huge, ugly white geodisic dome of the Lady Luck days was gone replaced by a new classy entrance.  But that's where the class ended. 

As we stepped through the doors, I looked down expecting to see some type of grand flooring.    My first thought was "I've seen this somewhere before.  It looks like it's salvage from another hotel" . . . but it was nice.  Not great but nice.  I was sure I had seen the carpeting in another casino.  It too, although it was in good shape, looked like salvage.  A casino is a casino is a casino.  They are big barns with slot machines, bars and gaming tables.  The only thing that sets one apart from another is what's on the floor and hanging from the ceiling.  What was on the floor was not impressive.  The casino was brightly lit.  There were a few people at the bar in the center of the room.  I don't remember seeing anyone playing the machines.   There was a "yuppie bar" - haven't used that word in years - down a hall at the back.  There were several people there.  We went up the escalator and I was wowed by the chandeliers.  But that is because I was wowed by them when I saw them in the convention area of the Venetian.  I don't know if these were salvaged from the Venetian or new but they are beautiful - and much to big for the low ceilings at the Grand.  The Grand reminded me of the failed remodel of the Gold Spike.  Only time will tell how it does.  It's not a place I would go back to, especially when the coffee shop steak is $31.  Come on people.  This is Las Vegas.  If I we're going to pay $31 for a steak, we want atmosphere and service not a short step up from Denny's.

It was on to the D.  I like this place more every time I go in.  The first thing the new owner did - before any remodel - was clean it.  I didn't know you could make old stuff shine and smell so good!  After cleaning, they began with a carpet change.  I love this carpet.  The Stratosphere did new carpet a couple of years ago.  I love it.  I would like a piece in my living room.  Which I like better is a toss-up between the Stratosphere and the D.  I think, when it comes to casino, the D is the winner.  But I wouldn't want it in my house.  And the new restrooms are well-done.  If you like modern, the red and black of these rooms is "cool."  There is one problem at the D - the volume of the piped in music.  The D has has a second floor, and they have done something fun.  The second floor is Vintage Vegas with old machines - coin in and coin out on some of them.  The music there is for the older crowd, but the volume is too high.  Instead of making your sit, listen and play a machine it makes you want to get up an dance.  Downstairs - heaven help them - they have chased business away with the loud, banging, distracting "music."  It's not a nightclub.  It's a casino!  I've been going to this property since the mob owned it decades ago.  I have never seen empty tables no matter the time of day or year.  However, on our tour, there were only about three people at the tables.  I realize that the rap crap is now Golden Oldies, but keep it down!  People don't even know why they're getting up and leaving, they just do.  And the bimbo Go Go girls.  Stop!  I have no problem with Go Go Girls.  I was one.  Actually I was one of the first ones, but there is a place for them, and it is not distracting gamblers.  They have expanded their showroom, but time will tell how that goes.

The Fremont is still the Fremont.  Not elegant.  Not classy.  A casino where people can go and enjoy themselves while losing their money without distraction.  And they have a good buffet. 

The Four Queens.  Same as the Fremont - except they don't have a buffet. 

The Golden Nugget - semi-upscale gambling hall.  It's THE place for entertainment downtown!

The Bayou and the Golden Goose - thank goodness they haven't changed.  'Nough said.

Then there is the Golden Gate.  If you can do it wrong, these new owners have succeeded.  The Golden Gate is the oldest property downtown, and they invented the Las Vegas Shrimp Cocktail.  There was always at least a twenty minute wait in line for the shrimp cocktail or hotdog.  That area is gone and has been replaced with slot machines no one was playing.  The tables, which were once busy 24/7, were sparse.  Again there was the loud, banging drum beat that drives people out.  And the restaurant . . . it breaks my heart.  This was my favorite place in town!  They had a great menu.  Wonderful specials.  Good food.  And elegant atmosphere.  A couple of years ago they screwed up the ceilings.  Some of that has been repaired.  But it is no longer a Las Vegas Casino restaurant.  It's DuPar's.  It I want to go to an inner city coffee shop, I don't need to come to Las Vegas.  AND, they have been closed down by the health department at least twice in recent months.  This is the restaurant I used to recommend to everyone coming to town.  Never again.

The Plaza has to be the biggest loser of all.  Once a typical casino and money maker it was beginning to become the downtown hangout when Barrack had it.  But there are new owners, and you can always tell when a casino is not doing well.  The highly taxed slot machines begin to come out and gaming tables go in to take up floor space . . . and then lounge areas are added to take up more space.  I don't know that the Plaza ever had many slot players, but the tables were always busy.  Again, like the D and Golden Gate there were no more than a half dozen people at the tables. 

It's not even worth talking about the Las Vegas Club.  Once a hangout where old time Las Vegas blackjack and craps players had been going for years it is now virtually a ghost town.  There were few players.  It was dark, dirty - but not nearly anything like the Medical Arts Building - and the Ogden Street side is completely closed. 

Binions - Can't figure out what is going on there.  The hotel is closed.  The casino had some business, but not like the days of the World Series of Poker.  It's Ogden Street side is also closed to gambling with a t-shirt shop displaying its wares in the entrance and a small, cramped Elvis Museum taking up some floor space.

The California Club caters to a clientele from Hawaii.  They always seem to be busy.  No entertainment.  A couple of bars, restaurants and fast food places.

Last and certainly not least is Main Street Station - the jewel of downtown.  I thought The Grand was going to give Main Street Station a run for it's money.  But the Grand barely compares to the older casinos.  On the other hand Main Street Station has the best food, best priced and most elegant decor of any buffet in town.  We usually hold business lunches at the Triple 7 Brewery.  The atmosphere and menu are terrific.  When it  comes to what is on the floor and ceilings of a casino, Main Street Station is the winner - not just downtown but in Las Vegas. 

So there was our tour.  The new.  The disappointing.  The odd.  The dirty and the prefectly beautiful.

Gay Marriage

Someone asked me the other day what I thought about gay marriage.  I laughed.  "Better you ask me what I think about marriage in general," I said and launched into the following lecture.

Marriage is a legal and binding contract regarding property rights.  It has nothing to do with love or sex or children.  Well, the children part is wrong.  It has everything to do with children inheriting property.  That's why, if you're not married, the kid is a bastard and isn't entitled to anything - which has created a huge market for attorneys in this post-women's lib, drop your drawers society we now live in.

If a person writes a will, he/she can leave their property to anyone they want.  They can set up whatever trust they like for whoever they want.  But if you don't have a will, marriage a.k.a. property laws prevail.      

So when you're signing on the dotted line for a marriage license, forget about love and sex and cheating and a family and happy home and all the other mushy stuff people get married for today, and think about what that contract really means which is - who gets the house and the cars and the kids and who gets to visit in the hospital and who gets to make decisions for you when you're sick.

Personally, I don't care if Fido and Bowzer get married to insure their dog houses are inherited by the right partner.  So if two guys or two gals want a legal and binding marriage contract to protect property rights, more power to them.  But, please . . . please . . . please . . . if you're a woman don't introduce me to your partner as your wife or your husband.  That's screwed up!!

Wife is a woman.  Husband is a man.  Those titles are achieved when a man and woman get married.  Fido and Bowzer, Susie and Sally, Ben and Burt have PARTNERS!  But that's my opinion, and I'm old - thank goodness - and I still believe in waiters and waitresses, chairmen and chairwomen and mailmen and mail-ladies.

Marva Whitney - Soul Sister #1



Have you ever had a "phone buddie"?  Someone you've never met in person, but, through happenstance, met on the telephone and became friends.   That was Marva Whitney and me.  We never met, but we spent hours on the phone.  Marva had called Jean Bennett hoping Personality Productions could help her get some bookings.  Personality had already been sold, but Jean had Marva call me anyway.  I told her there was nothing Jean or I could do to help, but we started to talk about "Playboy After Dark."  I had worked for the agency that booked the atmosphere people.  Marva had been a guest performer.  Those had been good days.  We were young, full of energy and still full of hope, despite that fact showbiz had already kicked us a couple of times.  Now were weren't so young anymore, but we were certainly not ready to quit.  Marva would call me early a couple of times a week around seven in the morning.  I'd always be asleep and groan about the early hour.  She always sounded like she had a horrible cold.  Her voice would be thick and scratchy.  My first words were always, "Are you all right?"  Gramps usually answered the phone at the hour, and after I'd hung up, he'd want to know if she was all right.  I told him that after we talked a bit, her voice sounded better - but never great.  Marva and I talked about her bookings, her band in Japan, and about seeing if we could get her booked in Las Vegas.  She sent me copies of her new CD, and she gave me the highlights of James Brown's funeral.  We talked about the reception she received in Europe, and we planned for the future.  All the time I protested there was nothing I could do, but at the same time I thought just maybe I could.  Every conversation had a "when are you coming to Kansas City.  I don't know.  Can you come to Las Vegas" moment.  The last time I talked to her was a little more than a year ago.  She sounded amazing!  Her voice was clear as a bell.  I kept saying, "You sound great."  She told me about being on stage in Australia.  One minute she was singing.  The next thing she remembered was waking up on a gurney.  They said she'd had a stroke on stage.  She didn't sound like it.  She didn't think the diagnosis was right.  She said her doctors here couldn't find anything wrong.  She thought she'd had a reaction to the chemicals in the smoke machine used in the show.  Her apartment had flooded.  She was moving - into a senior's complex.  Seniors!  Old people.  But it would be fine.  It was a nice place.  She was working with someone new and was excited about the future.  I kept telling her how good she sounded and said that in 2013 I was going to concentrate on writing and publishing.  If I didn't do it now, it would  never get it done.    January 1, 2013, I sat down and uploaded the first of five books to Nook and Kindle.  January 3, 2013, Marva was laid to rest.  I didn't know she had passed away until a couple of months ago.  I had emailed her, and when it came back I thought I had the wrong address.  She had changed it at least three times.  I wouldn't have been on her "people to call list."  We were only phone buddies.  And I've been sitting in this chair ten and twelve hours a day writing, typing, editing, posting and re-posting to the exclusion of everything else.  A couple of times Gramps had asked if I'd heard from Marva.  I said no, but she was probably on the road.  She'd call when she was back.  Because she had sounded so good, it never entered my mind that anything could have happened that wasn't fabulous.  Maybe I was right, because now she's singing with the angels.  And what could be more fabulous than that!  RIP my friend.

Sixty Years of HIts: Straight From the Horse's Mouth

This is interesting.  Press releases, letters and photos exactly as written over a 50 year period.  Seems there was never a press release about The Platters that went out of the Personality office that did not mention Buck Ram.  Not one in 50 years!  It's pretty amazing that this whole who's the owner, who started the group thing has been going on that long, but here's the truth without opinion, dreams, wannabes and do-gooders personal opinions.  The Platters were the #1 group of the 50s.  I doubt there are many people under fifty who give a rats behind about the group or the behind the scenes goings on, but it's interesting that so much of the court's time is being spent on the matter in 2013.  Perhaps Judges Navarro, Pro, Segal-Ikuta, McKeown, Wallace, and Magistrates Foley, Johnson and others and their office staffs should take a look at the truth as written at the time it was happening and stop wasting the taxpayers money on something that means nothing to the public.  But I won't hold my breath.  In following this, I have learned that the courts have nothing to do with the truth.  The only thing that matters is if one attorney can put their lie over with no regard for the truth over the other guy who may or may not be telling the truth.  I've started watching some of these Forty-eight Hour Mysteries on television with a whole new attitude.  Just how much of what these prosecutors and defense attorney make-up do the judges and juries believe.  That makes me think about OJ and Sam Shepard again.  What a pile of horse manure those two trials were!!

No Truth in Truth in Music - Chapter 2

And the saga continues . . . It has been flying around the last few days that Jon Bauman has submitted his personal statement, or perhaps a statement on behalf of Truth in Music or the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, in a court case brought by Herb Reed Enterprises (Herb is dead) against Monroe Powell stating that Buck Ram began a new company in 1970 to promote a group called The Buck Ram Platters. I can tell you for a fact that is not true. This case is yet another battle over the ownership of the name The Platters. If you count the little skirmishes that lasted a day or two, there have been at least a hundred cases over the last sixty years. The correct information is that Personality Productions managed The Platters from 1953 until 2006. Buck Ram SOLD Personality, a management company representing thirty-three acts at the time, to Jean Bennett in 1966. Buck stayed on as Music Consultant. That's it. He washed his hands of the whole Platters mess on 1966 - except for music. On that score he had the final say. Buck had been a successful songwriter when Herb Reed and the other "original" singers were in diapers. The guys who started the group before Reed and Tony Williams joined were younger and weren't even born when Buck was hanging round the Apollo with Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington and Chick Webb and writing songs with them. It is true that The Platters began to be referred to as The Buck Ram Platters about the time Bennett bought the company because of all the counterfit groups springing up around the world. But it was not Jean - or Buck - who began referring to the group as The Buck Ram Platters. It was the bookers. They wanted to make sure they were getting the group whose music and performance came directly from the master. Although Buck threw in finacial support if needed, Jean, not Buck, fought the battle for the group and the name from 1966 until she'd had enough. With Buck and all the singers passed on, I'm still trying to figure out what these people bringing lawsuits today - and there are at least two and maybe more in courts at this moment - have to do with The Platters or the success of the group. Herb Reed did not start the group. He was reportedly in the Army when they began. They were originally a bunch of high school kids. Cornell Gunter was 16. Herb Reed and Tony Williams were 25 or 26 years old when they got involved. And what has Bauman or Reed's manager, who is apparently now claiming rights to the name, got to do with The Platters?

Politics

I started to write something about my opinion of politics the other day, and the computer froze up. I guess even an inanimate object has an opinion about the direction the world is taking. Seriously, I don't understand politics. Everyone I've known personally who was involved in running the government has either been a drunk or nuts. There are some exceptions but those have been raked over the coals and had their careers destroyed. It's my experience that it does not pay to be honest in politics. The bad guys will always get you. There are lots of labels in politics I don't understand. I know being a Democrat or Republican or Liberatarian is a club of people you like that you can join and vote with. It's like picking a church or joining Girl Scouts or Boy Scouts or a fraternity or soroity. I was a communist for awhile. When I first came to Las Vegas I thought it was cool that you could register as an Independant. American Independant to be exact. I later found out that American Independant in Nevada is the communist party. Hmmm. Wonder if Obama could have run on that ticket in Illinois too? I guess the New Party he ran on doesn't exist anywhere but Wisconsin now. But that's what confuses me. All the names and labels and parties no one has heard of. I understand the TEA Parties. Taxed Enough Already makes sense to me. I don't understand why there are so many "groups" of TEA Party people. From the days when I had cable I know that the people involved are older, washed and combed, carry guns - big guns - shout down politicians and don't leave a mess behind them. I don't get the 99 Percenters. They are apparently ticked off because there are some smart, rich, ruthless guys out there who have more - lots more - than they do and think those people should give them some of what they have earned. Why? And I don't understand why they think it's all right to destroy public and private property and cost taxpayers millions of dollars. Seems to me there are some snapped synapses there. Then there are liberals and conservatives, righter wingers and left wingers, progressives and the "extreme," John Birchers and who knows what else. It's nothing but a bunch of name calling that accomplishes nothing. I know that during the last election I thought if I heard Harry Reid say "extreme" one more time I was going to scream. Oh, that's right. I did scream. Several times. In the privacy of my own home. If I'd gone to one of his rallies, I'm sure I would have been screaming "Shut up, Harry" at the top of my lungs. I also don't know why Harry has to keep going on television and saying idiotic things. Is anyone so stupid that they don't know Harry is President? Nothing goes to Barry without going through Harry first. If Harry doesn't like it, it sits and mellows on this desk. Gee, to think, we have a Mormon President without the election process. How's that for a joke on all the people who think religion matters in politics. Actually, the only thing in politics I like is the Constitution. It is amazing how brilliant the founders of this government were. I find George Washinton interesting for someone with wodden teether. I don't care that Jefferson slept with a slave. I don't think Lincoln was a great or brilliant president. He was a guy who failed in business sixteen times until he discovered politics, and, like Obama, he was a great speech maker. I think FDR was the worst president in the history of the country. I liked Jerry Ford until I learned that all the "diversity" crap started under him. I was sure Carter would take the country down the toilet the first time I saw him on television, and I was right. Reagan was the ultimate great speaker who increased the national debt by a bizillion dollars, and I don't understand the adoration. I'm not sure what I think about Nixon. I don't think "opening up" China was a good thing. One the other hand, I know that Watergate was a SEX scandal that got blown out of proportion because a bunch of guys broke into an office looking for info on SEX. They broke into Hank Greenspun's office, the newspaper publisher in Las Vegas, too because he was the one feeding Jack Anderson info about politicians coming to Las Vegas for hookers. NOTE: In Las Vegas they are not hookers. They simply have a job. Girls who work in outcall servies and strip bars make the BIG bucks. My opinion of George H. W. Bush, Clinton and Obama is the same. They are - as many before them - proof that the country is run by congress.