Vegas Highlights - part 2: Cab Driver or Crown Prince???
On our last night in Wegas (per George Poon) or Begas (per Jack Lemonds) - we caught a cab from downtown back to the strip. The cab driver was a very interesting fellow named Hassan who explained that he was only in Vegas for a few weeks before he was off to New Zealand, Australia, then South Africa, then catching a flight to Ethiopia before heading home. He claimed to be in the midst of a multi-year world tour that had taken him through Europe (staged out of Stokholm for a year), the mediterranean, the Pacific (including Hawaii), and a large portion of the mainland US. He explained that he only arrived in Vegas a week before (the establishment date on his cab license seemed to confirm this) and that he took a job driving cab so he could really experience the city. When I commented that it must be expensive to travel so frequently - he simply said that life is short. At the end of the cab ride I paid and he pulled me inside to show me pictures of him standing in full arab headdress surrounded by bodyguards. On the back it read "Prince Hassan". When I inquired he said that he was in fact, a prince of Eritrea (a small country on the Red Sea opposite Saudi Arabia and Yemen). To prove it, he showed me another picture of him standing with Gene Wilder. That's royalty to me baby.
Friday, April 20, 2007
Dealertainers!
Vegas trip highlights - part 1: Dealertainers!
This was initially horrifying, but eventually became strangely comforting and even a bit endearing. Talentless pop celebrity look-a-likes (and some frankly look-nothing-at-all-likes), when not busily dealing cards or working table games, would "perform" by standing on a tiny stage and dance and lip-sinc to tunes ranging from Alice Cooper's "(no more) Mister Nice Guy" to the Michael Jackson's "Billy Jean". We had Madonna, two Elvises (one I thought was supposed to be Johnny Cash), the ever-popular Cher, the Blues Brothers, Louis Armstrong, and a couple others that I have mysteriously forgotten. There was one poor sap that nobody in our group could ID - he was definitely supposed to be a country singer - but what was about all we could piece together. Any way, right in the middle of "friends in low places" (Garth Brooks?) the tape deck craps out but the mic still worked - so we got to hear at least a few seconds of "real" singing - which was really, really bad - before the dealertainer broke the cardinal rule of show business and just stood there like a talentless guy in boots and a bad hat. All in all, though, you have to give these guys credit - they were out there working it! The best by far was the mock King of Pop - it was almost as freaky as the real thing...
Speaking of celebrity - I almost forgot - we ran into Hannah Montana! This is Billy Ray Cyrus' daughter - she was walking into the Wynn hotel as we were walking out - nice kid.
This was initially horrifying, but eventually became strangely comforting and even a bit endearing. Talentless pop celebrity look-a-likes (and some frankly look-nothing-at-all-likes), when not busily dealing cards or working table games, would "perform" by standing on a tiny stage and dance and lip-sinc to tunes ranging from Alice Cooper's "(no more) Mister Nice Guy" to the Michael Jackson's "Billy Jean". We had Madonna, two Elvises (one I thought was supposed to be Johnny Cash), the ever-popular Cher, the Blues Brothers, Louis Armstrong, and a couple others that I have mysteriously forgotten. There was one poor sap that nobody in our group could ID - he was definitely supposed to be a country singer - but what was about all we could piece together. Any way, right in the middle of "friends in low places" (Garth Brooks?) the tape deck craps out but the mic still worked - so we got to hear at least a few seconds of "real" singing - which was really, really bad - before the dealertainer broke the cardinal rule of show business and just stood there like a talentless guy in boots and a bad hat. All in all, though, you have to give these guys credit - they were out there working it! The best by far was the mock King of Pop - it was almost as freaky as the real thing...
Speaking of celebrity - I almost forgot - we ran into Hannah Montana! This is Billy Ray Cyrus' daughter - she was walking into the Wynn hotel as we were walking out - nice kid.
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