By Slim Man
Before we get started, I need to tell you that Woody’s–that revered Palm Springs jazz club–has moved down the street (450 S. Palm Canyon Drive) and is now called Woody’s Palm House. I’m doing a cookbook signing and a concert there with the full Slim Man Band on Wednesday, July 27th.
Here goes…
A couple weeks ago I got a phone call. A man introduced himself, and as he was talking, I looked him up. He’s a multiple Emmy award-winning TV producer, has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
He told me he had heard me sing at Barbara Sinatra’s party a few weeks prior. He told me he knew Frank Sinatra, and thought I not only did his songs justice, but made them my own.
Then he asked me if I’d do a birthday party for his friend. A guy named Clive Davis.
Clive Davis is a legendary music biz guy. He signed Donovan, Janis Joplin, Santana, Springsteen, Earth Wind and Fire, Aerosmith, Alicia Keys, Billy Joel, and lots of others.
I got a call from Clive’s assistant the next day. She asked for a list of my Sinatra songs. I sent her one. She told me Mr. Davis requested I sing seven songs:
The Best is Yet to Come
You Make Me Feel So Young
I’ve Got the World on a String
It Had to Be You
I’ve Got You Under My Skin
Makin’ Whoopee
The Way You Look Tonight
The day of the show I called my friend Benicio.
That’s not his real name. The first time I met him, I was playing at the Riviera Hotel, a cool hotel in downtown Palm Springs.
I saw this guy walk in, looked like Benicio del Toro.
I yelled over the mic, “Benicio!”
When we took a break, I went up and introduced myself. We’ve become the best of friends.
Benicio is a car guy. He takes old cars and makes them new. He’s now renovating a 1966 four-door Lincoln Continental convertible.
He also has a Maserati. A guy came into his shop, told Benicio the car had been a gift to his wife, she had cheated on him, and he wanted to get rid of it. So Benicio got it for next to nothing; it’s been collecting dust in his garage.
I told him to rinse off the Maserati and bring it over to the Slim Shack. Benicio drove up, I got in, and we drove off, like Frank and Dino going to the Sands.
We drove to La Quinta, and pulled up to the house. The 13 bedroom, 11 bathroom house. Stunning.
We walked into the living room, which was the size of a football field. Clive Davis walked in. We had a chat, and then the guests started arriving. Benicio and I started mingling.
We walked over to two gals who had on cocktail dresses that were so tight you could read the dry-cleaning labels.
I introduced myself to one of them. She asked me what I did for a living.
“I’m a lion tamer. Have you heard of Siegfried and Roy? I taught them everything they know.”
My guess is she didn’t think it was funny; her eyes glazed over and she strolled away.
It was a good old-fashioned cocktail party. Well-dressed folks drinking exotic booze and sampling hors d’oeuvres that needed long explanations from the waitresses.
After the cocktail party, everyone went to a nearby restaurant. After dinner, I sang my seven songs. When I finished, I wished Mr. Davis a happy birthday, and said goodnight.
Clive motioned to Benicio, who was standing behind him. Benicio gave me the signal to do another song. I did.
Clive wanted more. And more.
After the show, Mr. Davis came over and thanked me. There was a woman on his arm.
“I’ve seen Sinatra a dozen times. You’re every bit as good.”
Those words were echoing in my ears as Benicio drove me back to the Slim Shack in the Maserati.
The next morning, I was picking up puppy poop out back, little presents left for me by Ruby the Rescue Pup.
That’s showbiz.
Slim Man has a new cookbook, available at slimman.com
