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LAS VEGAS’ WEEKLY CITY MAGAZINE
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FOUNDED FEBRUARY 2010
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Michael Skenandore
EDITORIAL
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VEGAS MOMENT
Last Call
Check out a gallery of photos from the Hard Rock Center Bar’s final night at VegasSeven.com/HRHCenterBar.
| July 2–8, 2015
The Hard Rock Hotel has seen a lot of changes in its 20 years of existence—most notably, the 2006 departure of original owner Peter Morton and the rise of a millennial generation fueled on Fireball. But on June 28, progress fnally caught up with the hotel’s oncetrendsetting Center Bar. Amid a crowd of well-wishers both young and … less young, the bar served up its last round of shooters. Some signed their names to the wood fxtures that have stood frm and unchanged since the latter grunge era, even while knowing that the wood would soon be sanded down or ripped out to make way for what sources say will be a new mixology bar. But in the moment, nobody was thinking about the future. They were too busy toasting to the memories with booze that, as closing time neared, was being served free of charge.
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Photo by Krystal Ramirez
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Gibson. More conservative Southern Nevada Democrats weren’t pleased, nor were some Northern Nevada Democrats who hadn’t liked Titus’ support for Southern Nevada during her term in the Legislature. Titus fell to Republican Jim Gibbons, 48 percent to 44 percent. Um, that worked out well. ➜ In 2010, Sharron Angle won the GOP Senate nomination, partly by running far to the right of opponents Sue Lowden and Danny Tarkanian, and partly by being the most prominent northerner in the race. In the general election, a lot of Nevada Republicans felt she was too far out there, including the late Bill Raggio. Our longest-serving state senator and the party’s legislative leader, Raggio crossed the aisle and publicly endorsed U.S. Senator Harry Reid. After Angle lost, Raggio’s colleagues stripped him of his leadership post, and he subsequently resigned. Raggio took many right-wing positions in his time, but he also knew how to compromise. Plus, he resented Angle having run against him two years before in the GOP primary (and he only beat her 53 percent to 47 percent). How much of Raggio’s endorsement of Reid was ideological? Probably little of it; he simply understood the power Reid wielded in Washington, plus he knew that Angle was so far to the right that she met the far left coming back around. But would he have made that endorsement if he had liked Angle personally and respected her politically? We’ll never learn the answer, but this much we do know: Intraparty scuffes have been and always will be part of our political process. If only Twitter existed when the Founding Fathers were around ...
What’s the first thing that pops into your head when you hear that friends are coming to town? It’s probably something like, “I hope they’re staying in a hotel and not our house!” Well, that shouldn’t be a problem right now. Aside from December’s post-NFR, pre-New Year’s Eve period, July is the best month of the year for room bargains, with rates so low that nobody should have to be angling for a spot in your guest room. How low are we talking? In late June, LasVegasAdvisor.com did an audit of 93 hotelcasinos, and the results turned up 52 properties offering nightly rates of $50 or less. Of those, 38 were $40 or less, 21 were $30 and under, and five—the D, Golden Gate, Palace Station, El Cortez and the Plaza—were below $20. Pretty amazing results, but it gets better. While you’d expect to find great deals only Downtown and at locals digs, that’s not the case; several low rates were available on or near the Strip, including: Circus Circus and Flamingo ($26); Hooters, Luxor, and Wild Wild West ($27); Silver Sevens ($28); Harrah’s ($30); Stratosphere ($32); Artisan and Ellis Island ($34); Tuscany ($35); Bally’s and Gold Coast ($36); Hard Rock and Linq ($39): Orleans, Rio and Westgate ($40); TI ($41); Monte Carlo ($43); New York-New York ($44); Rumor ($45); and Planet Hollywood ($48). Want to upgrade the experience for a nominal fee? Check out the rates at these higher-end properties: Palms $51, MGM $52, Tropicana $53, SLS $55, Mandalay Bay $56, Paris $59, MGM Signature $76, Red Rock $80, Green Valley Ranch $88, Vdara $88, Caesars Palace $89, Trump $90, Aria $107, Delano $109 and the Cromwell $112. What doesn’t show up in these numbers are the strong bundled deals. For example, a nightly base rate of $73 at The Mirage comes with a $25 dining/drinking credit, effectively dropping the room cost to $48. The Fremont has a $36 base rate and a $20 credit. And the aforementioned $44 rate at NY-NY comes with a $50 bar tab and two roller-coaster rides, which makes the room effectively free! Notice the term “base rate.” The real rate is often $10 to $30 more thanks to nightly “resort fees,” those aggravating mandated charges for things you probably don’t use. But even with the fees, Las Vegas room prices this month are as low as you’ll find anywhere in the country, let alone in a premier resort destination. As I always caution when reviewing room rates, please note: These examples are the absolute lowest rates we found, even if they were available for a single day in July. So you may not be able to duplicate the numbers exactly. No matter; you’ll be able to get close enough to keep that guest room unoccupied for the rest of summer.
Michael Green is an associate professor of history at UNLV.
Anthony Curtis is the publisher of the Las Vegas Advisor and LasVegasAdvisor.com.
Breaking Ranks
Documenting Nevada’s long history of intraparty squabbles
July 2–8, 2015
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REPUBLICANS HAVE BEEN ATTACKING
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Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts for voting to uphold Obamacare, which is based on a plan put forth by the right-wing Heritage Foundation—a plan that was a signature achievement of then-Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney (a Republican). Meanwhile, large numbers of Democrats have called Barack Obama a tool of every Republican and corporation for wanting a free-trade agreement. To invoke a phrase introduced by either Justice Antonin Scalia or the Hamburglar: This kind of intraparty, intramural argle-bargle has gone on for a long time, including here in Nevada. And, as has been the case nationally, sometimes our family bickering has been ideological, sometimes political, sometimes personal: ➜ In 1910, at the height of the Progressive Era, onetime Tonopah mining millionaire Tasker Oddie ran for governor because he lost it all and needed a job. One problem: The Republican Party’s anointed candidate, conservative William Massey, had money and support from powerful mining magnates George Nixon (then a U.S. senator) and George Wingfeld. Oddie overcame all that, defeating Massey in the primary by running a Progressive campaign, attacking the Southern Pacifc Railroad and demanding government reforms. In the general election, Oddie ran with the rest of the GOP ticket (which Wingfeld supported) and won. Two years later, Nixon died in offce. The progressive Oddie offered the Senate appointment to Wingfeld, who turned it down. He then appointed Massey. ➜ In the 1940s, U.S. Senator Pat McCarran constantly pitted other Democrats against one another, especially in U.S. Senate races. McCarran was known for breaking with other Democrats and thinking
communists lurked under every bush, but his main issue wasn’t their ideology; rather, McCarran was concerned that other Democrats might undercut his power at home or in Washington, D.C. ➜ In 1958, a pair of primaries further divided the frequently divided Democratic party. The most liberal candidate for governor was Elko County’s Grant Sawyer, who lobbied for rural support against his two Southern Nevada opponents: Harvey Dickerson (who was the choice of whatever Democratic machine there was at the time) and George Franklin. Meanwhile, the Senate race pitted the more liberal Fred Anderson of Reno against Las Vegas moderate Howard Cannon. Sawyer and Cannon won, and the men they defeated … supported them. More than just party loyalists, all of them were closer to one another ideologically speaking than they were to the GOP candidates. ➜ In 1982, Cannon, at this point seeking a ffth U.S. Senate term, faced a primary challenge from four-term Democratic Congressman Jim Santini, who was more conservative at a time when the Reagan Revolution was in full swing. Cannon barely won. In the general election, some Santini supporters either sat on their hands or backed Cannon’s GOP opponent, Chic Hecht, who ended up winning. In this case, the differences were political, ideological and personal—and they not only cost Democrats the Senate seat, but cost Nevada a big chunk of its power. ➜ In 2006, Dina Titus easily won the Democratic primary for governor against Henderson Mayor Jim
ILLUSTRATION BY KRYSTAL RAMIREZ
JULY IS THE PRIME TIME TO SNAG LOW ROOM RATES
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CHARACTER STUDY
Brawn and Order Meet Meredith Weiner, an attorney with real muscle
July 2–8, 2015
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“PEOPLE ARE REALLY SHOCKED
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that an attorney can do things outside of just being an attorney,” says Meredith Weiner, a defense lawyer at Patti, Sgro, Lewis and Roger who also happens to double as a bikini ftness competitor. “My boss Tony [Sgro] is in a band and has another life. It’s like when you’re a kid and you can’t believe that your teacher can have another life outside the classroom.” Outside the classroom (or courtroom, in this case), Weiner follows a strict training schedule. She wakes up at 5 a.m., then works out for two hours, seven days a week. Her routine is focused primarily on weight lifting (“Women should not be afraid of heavy lifting,” she says), mixed with some cardio, which she increases as she gets closer to a competition. Sometimes she’ll even read case briefs while climbing the StairMaster. Weiner began frequenting the gym as “an outlet” from studying in college. The habit stuck through her career, and when one of her regular workout buddies started training for a bikini competition, Weiner was inspired to do the same. She trained persistently and entered her frst competition in August 2014, her second a few months later, and placed in the top fve of her division at both. Along the way, Weiner receives guidance from trainer Lexi Harris. (The two met through City Athletic Club, and while Harris is now based in Seattle, the two still work together.) Harris guides Weiner’s diet: six small meals of lean protein and vegetables a day. “Refeed,” or cheat days, are rare,
but when she gets them, Weiner likes to indulge with rich pasta and wine. “I’m a carb girl,” she says. Harris says that Weiner’s drive is key to her physical prowess. “I can count on the fact that she’ll follow our plan to the best of her ability, even though she has such a demanding job. I’m just super proud of her and how hard she trains.” That same discipline and motivation has helped shape Weiner into a successful attorney. After feeling like she’d plateaued at her desk job at Paris Las Vegas, Weiner “secretly” took the LSAT, scored well, then took it again to improve her score before applying to law schools. These days, she manages 20 to 40 cases at a time, and she’s worked on some high-profle projects, including contracts for Prince and the extradition appeal for Survivor producer Bruce Beresford-Redman. Between the work and the workouts, Weiner says prioritizing is paramount. “You really have to take some time to plan in advance how you are going to accomplish things with some kind of a checklist. At work, it may be a sticky note with a written list of things to accomplish for the day. At the gym, it’s a mental checklist of all the different body parts and exercises.” Weiner’s third competition is Jon Lindsay’s NPC Patriots Challenge on July 4 at the Orleans. As with previous competitions, she’s expecting friends, family and even clients in the audience. She’ll spend a few short seconds onstage, showing off her muscles and months of hard work. Then she’s going to Parma for pasta and wine.
PHOTO BY KRYSTAL RAMIREZ
By Camille Cannon
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DISPATCH To Cuba, from Vegas: Havana's Hotel Nacional (this page) and the Hotel Habana Riviera were both built by onetime Vegasbased mob associate Meyer Lansky.
Not-So Foreign Relations
As Cuba begins to pivot toward a new economic era, one Las Vegan pays a visit and afrms the bond shared between the communist island and our capitalist desert
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By Launce Rake
July 2–8, 2015
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VegasSeven.com
WHEN FLORIDA SENATOR AND REPUBLICAN
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presidential hopeful Marco Rubio, a second-generation Cuban-American, visited his former hometown of Las Vegas in late May, it was just the latest reminder of the connection between Vegas and Cuba. Two other reminders: Rubio’s cousin is Nevada Senator Mo Denis, D-Las Vegas. And fellow CubanAmerican Otto Merida, who emigrated here at age 14, is the president of our city’s Latin Chamber of Commerce. But the Cuba-Vegas bond runs deeper than a handful of dignitaries: Before the
Marxist-led Revolution of 1959, Cuba was a model for gaming and casinoresort development. The Mafa, allied with the military dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista’s thoroughly corrupt government, had remade Havana’s seaside skyline with high-rise hotel-casinos. After the Revolution, expat Cubans with casino and hotel-management skills focked to Las Vegas, some of them directed to the desert by Cuba’s onetime top investor and mob associate Meyer Lansky. In present-day Cuba, Havana’s seafront Malecón—a seawall and boulevard
zas of the “Old City” are busy peddling tomes about American gangsters and pre-Revolution Cuban history. Indeed, despite a nearly 60-year ban on legalized gambling, Cubans remain fascinated with Las Vegas, as I confrmed during a recent visit to the island.
flled with visitors and locals—is bracketed by two hotel-casinos built by Lansky: the Hotel Nacional on the east and the Hotel Habana Riviera to the west. Lansky’s partners in the two properties, which today are operated by the government but whose casinos haven’t accepted a wager since the Revolution, included such Las Vegas luminaries as Ed Levinson of the Fremont Hotel, Wilbur Clark of the Desert Inn and Moe Dalitz of the original Las Vegas Riviera. A few blocks away from the hotels, booksellers in the busy colonial pla-
A trip from Las Vegas to Cuba, while challenging, is far from impossible (see sidebar). And despite U.S. sanctions against Cuba, you won’t get arrested upon setting foot back on American soil. In fact, recent decisions by the Obama administration have made it a lot easier to visit without getting fned. Still, the island continues to have a unique relationship with the United States, one that’s vacillated between friendly and violent. Cuba is one of the few places in the Western Hemisphere that has succeeded in thumbing its collective nose at American power. Today, there’s talk of relations that are “nor-
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take on other industrial work. (My visit was considerably less strenuous.) Although Cuba remains a communist state, the heavy hand of the party is much more gentle than in years past. This explains why the State Department on May 29 dropped Cuba from its list of “state sponsors of terrorism” and was set to announce July 1 that the countries will re-open embassies in each other's capitals. Also, earlier this year, the U.S. allowed the importation of a Cuban-developed lung-cancer vaccine that has been validated and used for years in Europe and Canada. Today, Cuba operates under a peculiar, often confusing and occasionally amusing sort of socialist dictatorship—one that's part Pyongyang, part Montego Bay. Case in point: Walking through the airport, I immediately felt the government’s presence in the form of uniformed functionaries. Along with dozens of armed men dressed in various uniforms, there were just as many attractive young Latinas whose stark-green outfts with black epaulets gave a distinct air of authority … until I looked down and noticed their fowery black fshnet panty hose. You can see the same panty hose on female servers in the ubiquitous government-run restaurants and on other young female government workers—so, pretty much everywhere. It’s a distinctively mixed message to
Although the number of Americans prosecuted for traveling to Cuba has in recent years dwindled to zero, a trip to Cuba for “tourism” purposes technically remains illegal for U.S. citizens. Rather, Americans can only visit Cuba under 12 classifications, including cultural exchanges, for religious purposes and an all-inclusive euphemism that most American visitors use: to support the Cuban people. Authorization from the U.S. State Department is no longer required; just fill out a simple form listing the 12 predetermined justifications before boarding your flight. Upon landing on the island, Cuban customs officials give American citizens the option of having their passport stamped with their required visa, or not. In other words, unless you publicize your visit, there’s no need for an official record that it ever happened. Yes, upon returning to McCarran International Airport, you will be asked about the Cuban cigars you absolutely did not purchase and reminded—as I was—that tourism in Cuba is against the law. But, as was reported earlier this year, of the many thousands of U.S. visitors to Cuba in 2014, only one penalty was assessed by the State Department—in that case, against Red Bull, which violated trade rules back in 2009. Of course, if you do choose to trek to Cuba under the existing rules, you will have to find a travel company willing to arrange your visa and flight. Although regular ferry service from Florida may eventually come, as of now there are only a few direct flights from the U.S. to Cuba (and none originating from Las Vegas). But if you see a local travel agency with a large neon sign in the shape of a certain island country flashing Viajes a Cuba!, you may have found a broker. Or you can try the Internet. While diplomatic relations between Cuba and the U.S. are improving, it’s unlikely that the U.S.-imposed embargo will be lifted anytime soon. But if it ever happens and travel restrictions are eased, expect a rapid influx of American visitors—and likely a quick and sharp price escalation from the $30-a-night beachfront apartment rentals now in ample supply on the island. –LR
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malized,” but that seems an odd word to apply to Cuba. Because Cuba is different. Like the rest of the Caribbean— over which I have traipsed, east and west, pretty much all over—Cubans enjoy music and dancing, strong rum and time at the beach. Unlike the rest of the islands, a Marxist dictatorship comes with that piña colada. The good news? Once you get to Cuba, everything is cheap. Really cheap. A beachfront apartment in Guanabo, a typical residential community where I stayed, is $30 a night. And my apartment came with a lovely terrace, air conditioning and a kitchen, so I could cook at home and free up more Cuban pesos for rum-infused endeavors. I knew most of the country’s accepted history long before I arrived. For my lefty friends, Cuba was supposed to be the socialist paradise of the Western Hemisphere—a place that would forever be free of the cutthroat competition, environmental destruction, and social and economic inequities fostered by (they believed) the corrupt capitalist tyrannies exemplifed by the United States. Since the late 1960s, thousands of American volunteers (including many Las Vegans) have gone against their government’s wishes and traveled to the island nation to cut sugarcane (a horrendous, backbreaking and dangerous job) and
DESTINATION: CUBA (BUT NOT FOR TOURISM)
July 2–8, 2015
HOTEL RIVIERA BY LEANDRO NEUMANN CIUFF
So you can understand why the natives, while proud of their history, welcome the development that capitalism is bringing. And let me cautiously suggest: Tourism means capitalism.
visitors. But that’s Cuba, a nation desperate to attract and develop tourism, but one still burdened by a centralized, command economy that looks a lot like the Soviet Union of the 1970s. Cubans are justifably proud of the schools and health care and roads that are pretty good compared with other parts of the Caribbean (including islands under the U.S. fag). But most government workers—including highly skilled doctors and engineers—have private side jobs working as taxi drivers or other tourism-related gigs. The average monthly government wage, subsidized with ration tickets for food, housing and other needs? $20. So you can understand why the natives, while proud of their history, welcome the development that capitalism is bringing. And let me cautiously suggest: Tourism means capitalism. Then again, this is still a nation where the government owns sparkly new international resorts and car rental agencies, but where gas stations often have no gas, and where those numerous car-rental spots are flled with new-looking vehicles that do not run. It’s a nation where large and modern high-rise beach resorts (controlled by the government) sit empty and closed at the same time that neighboring resorts (also controlled by the government) are completely booked. It’s a land whose seven cable TV channels happily rebroadcast U.S. dramas (in English with Spanish subtitles), as well as music videos from the likes of the Killers. (No joke, I saw our local boys on a show called Rock & Rollando—I doubt they got their royalty check.) Yet these cable channels are government-run, and while the programs that are aired happily supply information on Internet links, access to the Web is so limited and tightly monitored that even connecting online (as I discovered) can be an expensive exercise in futility. It’s a culture that’s defned in part by its incredibly rich, varied and beautifully rendered music, yet Celia Cruz—the First Lady of Cuba’s distinctive salsa heritage—is a nonperson, without offcial acknowledgement for her sin of leaving the island. It’s a place that desperately wants U.S. dollars—its international currency is pegged to the dollar—yet you have to make sure you’ve exchanged those dollars for Mexican or Canadian currency before arriving, or face an exchange penalty ranging from 10 to 15 percent. (As for your gringo credit card, in Cuba, it’s just a useless piece of plastic.) Right now, though, more than anything else, this is a society, an island, a people on the precipice of enormous change. You can feel it in the air, see it in the airport flled with international tourists, and hear it from the people on the streets who are eager to embrace (and desperate to proft from) a new way of economic life.
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NIGHTLIFE
What are some of your favorite songs to play right now?
Right now DJ Snake is killin’ it. I’m lovin’ this song he did with Major Lazer, “Lean On.” That’s defnitely one I can’t go a night without playing. I did a song called “No Tomorrow”; I produced it, and it’s actually my voice in the song. It’s super-high energy; in Vegas, anything with high energy gets the crowd going. For a third, I would have to say, “You Know You Like It.” It’s an Aluna George [and DJ Snake] song. What do you listen to the rest of the time?
When I’m not working, I like a lot of hip-hop. A lot of trap music now, too. I listen to hip-hop in the gym. Like the new Drake album [If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late]. I have it on repeat. When you have time off, do you ever hit any Las Vegas nightclubs?
I usually work on the weekends. The nights that I have off are usually during the week. It’s perfect, because my favorite DJs spin in Vegas: Diplo and Skrillex. They’ll play at XS on Mondays. I always check them out. What’s your drink of choice when you’re out at the club?
I pregame at my house with Remix; that’s [my brand of pre-mixed cocktails]. Then at the club, some vodka and water’s pretty’s good. Because it’s summertime, so you gotta stay ripped up for the pool. Are you more of a bottle-service kind of guy, or do you like to be out on the dance floor?
I like bottle service, because I can vibe with my friends and have a good time, drink some Champagne with them. I know you put out a few singles and you’ve mentioned an album. What else do you have coming up?
I still want to continue—obviously—killin’ the nightclubs every single weekend. DJing all over the world is truly what I love to do. And Vegas is defnitely one of my favorite places to DJ. I’m not just saying that ’cause I like your magazine. I want to continue droppin’ singles every now and then. I like to surprise people with them. Behind the scenes, I’m workin’ on songs and stuff like that. I just like to drop them as they come. Then, once I have enough, I’ll come out with an album. What’s your timeline for that?
I actually don’t have a timeline. I like to go with the fow. I like the element of surprise and just hit ‘em with it.
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I defnitely want to go back on television. There are some things in the works. You’ll be seeing me on TV pretty soon. I just can’t discuss what it is yet. We have to do a big release. Maybe we’ll do another one of these interviews when I’m able to talk about it. Which do you prefer more: performing live DJ sets or being on TV?
DJing live. It’s my favorite thing to do. I’ve been DJing since I was like 14 years old in Rhode Island. I loved it just as much then as I do now. It’s a dream for me to be out here in Las Vegas, to see my face on billboards. It’s still surreal to me. I pass the billboards and take photos of them.
Pauly D plays Liquid last summer.
PHOTO BY JOE FURY
July 2–8, 2015
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Any future plans to go back on TV?
MSTRKRFT.
SUN 5 If you’ve got a Twitter account, you’ve seen Deadmau5’s tweets. The Canadian progressive house producer is known for his sharp tongue and undeniable wit. Over the years, he’s openly called out big-name DJs, including Krewella and Martin Garrix, and also Paris Hilton for their lack of skills. We think he’s being a little harsh, but he’s definitely got the talent to back it up. Experience it firsthand at XS’ Sunday Nightswim. (In Encore, 10 p.m., XSLasVegas.com.) New York DJ duo the Chainsmokers hit up Omnia for a postIndependence Day party. They revealed via a Reddit AMA in May that they’ve got enough music to be able to release a single each month in the foreseeable future. They may play a few tonight! (In Caesars Palace, 10 p.m., OmniaNightclub.com.)
MON 6
THU 2
July 2–8, 2015
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Even though we’re able to see the best DJs in the world on a weekly basis, there’s nothing more satisfying than hearing the right song at the right time. At Artifce, you choose the next song during Thursday Request Live. Roc will mix your request with his own remixes, so there’s no hard work involved. Oh, yeah, there’s no cover, either. What’s a megaclub again? (1025 S. First St., 10 p.m., ArtifceBar.com.)
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FRI 3 It’s First Friday! Head to DTLV to scope out some of the newest work by local and national artists and grub on food from several local food trucks. Plus, you can always embark on a mini bar crawl on Fremont East after the chaos. (Downtown, 5 p.m., FirstFridayLasVegas.com.)
Want to party harder? Let GTA’s “Hard House” give you that extra push into holiday weekend party mode at Light. A photo they posted on their Facebook page hints at a collaboration with trap producer RL Grime. The song is bound to be a banger, but for now, get down to their twerk-able remix of Rihanna’s “Bitch Better Have My Money.” (In Mandalay Bay, 10 p.m., TheLightVegas.com.) And for the complete Independence Day weekend low-down, see Page 42.
SAT 4 Celebrate Independence Day with a pool party and groovin’ tunes! Electro rock's MSTRKRFT hits Foxtail Pool for a patriotic pool party. The duo has been pretty quiet as of late in regards to new music, but that’s because they’re busy
giving fans around the world a taste of their … KRFT. Since the release of 2009’s Fist of God, they've played nearly every major festival in the U.S., including Coachella and Outside Lands. Since it’s a huge weekend, we’re hoping they will bring some of their collaborators with them. E-40 and Ghostface Killah, anyone? (At SLS, 7 p.m., FoxtailLasVegas.com.) Virginia crooner Chris Brown just can’t keep himself off the front pages, can he? Early last month, his attempt to reconnect with his ex-girlfriend Karrueche Tran ended with the singer banging on her door after she kicked him out of his SUV, according to TMZ. com. His actions might seem a little iffy, but you can’t deny that “Yo (Excuse Me Miss)” and “New Flame” are incredibly catchy. See him perform at Drai’s. (In the Cromwell, 10:30 p.m., DraisNightlife.com.)
English DJ/producer Ashley Wallbridge is known for bringing together progressive house and trance in his sets. He dropped a remix of fellow progressive house/ trance DJ Audien’s “Insomnia.” Since they both dabble in the same genres and are both Marquee residents, chances are that Audien will appear to support. (In the Cosmopolitan, 10 p.m., MarqueeLasVegas.com.)
The Chainsmokers.
TUE 7 Feeling hungry after a long day at the offce? Hit up Park on Fremont for Taco Tuesday. Enjoy $2 tacos and $1 Coronitas from 3-7 p.m. Move the party to the front patio and enjoy your food with the best peoplewatching in the city. Given some of the crazy things we’ve seen on Fremont lately, this is your better option. (506 Fremont St., 3-7 p.m., ParkOnFremont.com.)
WED 8 After the Fight of the Century, it’s no surprise that Floyd “Money” Mayweather sits comfortably atop Forbes’ World’s Highest-Paid Athletes list. According to an article the magazine published last month, the Money Team monarch brought in $300 million from June 1, 2014, to June 1, 2015. See the offcial TMT DJ, D-Miles, at Hyde. Since his boss just racked up an unthinkable amount of cash, he might have enough to buy you a bottle. (In Bellagio, 10:30 p.m., HydeBellagio.com.)
Deadmau5.
THE CHAINSMOKERS BY AL POWERS; DEADMAU5 BY DREW RESSLER
NIGHTLIFE
By Ian Caramanzana
4 T H O F J U LY W E E K E N D
TICKETS
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VIP
R E S E R VAT I O N S
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OMNIANIGHTCLUB.COM
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702.785.6200
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FRI SAT SUN
JUL JUL JUL
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AFROJACK CA LV I N H A R R I S THE CHAINSMOKERS
NIGHTLIFE
PARTIES
MARQUEE DAYCLUB The Cosmopolitan [ UPCOMING ]
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PHOTOS BY TOBY ACUNA AND AMIT DADL ANEY
July 2–8, 2015
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July 3 Ashley Wallbridge spins July 4 Dash Berlin spins July 5 Carnage spins
NIGHTLIFE
PARTIES
FOUNDATION ROOM Mandalay Bay [ UPCOMING ]
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See more photos from this gallery at SPYONvegas.com
PHOTOS BY BOBBY JAMEIDAR
July 2–8, 2015
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July 2 DJ Seany Mac spins July 4 Bubbles for Beauties Ladies’ Night July 6 DJ Sam I Am spins
DINING
“He’s one of only a handful of people in this town who can battle me factoid for factoid over obscure Las Vegas dining trivia.” {PAGE 64}
Restaurant reviews, news and Tao Group confrmed to increase its presence at the Cosmopolitan
The ahi tacos at Public School 702 earn an A+.
Summer Session
Public School 702 is educating Downtown Summerlin in the art of beer-friendly cuisine.
also a beautifully balanced dose of jicama avocado salsa, ponzu and lemon aioli. Some chain restaurants toss ingredients like that onto a menu just to sound fancy. These guys, however, actually know how to use them. Other nice touches include a dusting of togarashi on the cornmeal-crusted calamari, and the kick of the green chili cornbread waffes that accompany the fried Jidori chicken (not to mention the rich side of bacon red-eye gravy that comes with that chicken and waffes). And while I have yet to try the bangers and mash entrée, I did sample the wonderful chicken sausages that go into it as part of a happy-hour special, and will gladly return for the full meal.
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actually delivering food and beverages of higher quality and consideration than the cookie-cutter cuisine I’ve come to expect from a typical shopping mall. The beer-friendly menu ranges from such predictably juvenile choices as deviled eggs and burgers to surprisingly mature options, including an ahi tuna Niçoise salad and a roasted poblano pepper with quinoa, black beans and squash. But the grown-up dishes didn’t surprise me so much as the sophistication of some of the more clichéd offerings. I’ve probably had more ahi tacos in my life than I care to remember. But the ones here are of a quality I’m sure I won’t forget for a very long time: light and fresh thanks not only to superior fsh, but
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I DON’T KNOW A LOT ABOUT PUBLIC SCHOOL. My parents gambled that 16 years of Roman Catholic education might turn me into a respectable young man. (Their return on that investment is questionable at best.) To me, the public school kids always seemed to be having a lot more fun. So the Downtown Summerlin opening of Public School 702—which bolsters its primary education theme with a rotating selection of craft beers—sparked my curiosity. Like so many of the spots in Downtown Summerlin, PS 702 is part of a national chain. It has three locations in California and another in Dallas—each named for the associated city’s area code. And like several of the more recent additions to our latest suburban dining hub, it’s
July 2–8, 2015
PHOTO BY GARY MOSS
By Al Mancini
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THE BAR NUT
By Xania Woodman
PHOTO BY KRYSTAL RAMIREZ
“I’M AN IOWA BOY—IT’S RETRO-SEEENA,”
The Goodwich’s Josh Clark said. “Retro-shenna,” countered his then-business partner, Jake Leslie, in earnest, “because that’s how it’s pronounced.” This witty repartee worthy of a scene from Seinfeld took place last fall, while the two were consulting on a small, speakeasy-esque bar in the back of Radio City Pizzeria on Fremont Street. Neither one is still involved in the project, and Clark has returned to his core business of “stacked-right sandwiches” (Reubenish, you haunt my dreams). But the name has stuck, and the bar fnally opened on June 19. Just 23 hours before the doors opened to welcome Count Edoardo Branca as the frst customer, funky tables and chairs were still being assembled to provide the 50 or so seats in the courtyard-style former storage space, now crisscrossed with festival lights and fanked by powerful misters. Red
painted brick is set off by pops of color from the living wall, as well as potted trees and trellised plants. “It’s an intimate, beautiful outdoor setting with a very European feel, and we want to really focus on customer service," barman Bryant Jane said as he screwed a highboy table into its top. "It’s a place to get away from the hectic nature of Fremont Street.” Retroscena is Italian for “backstage,” but also for “underhanded,” an appropriate detail that you’ll instantly appreciate as the bar is situated behind the recently refreshed restaurant. You can reach Retroscena through the Radio City Pizzeria dining room till 11; after that, enter through the back alley behind Park on Fremont (wave to the smokers on the seesaw!) till 2 a.m. Thu-Sat. The pizzeria and bar are owned and operated by Radio City Restaurant Group, which in addition to Jane consists of founder Elias Gha-
nem, bartender/mixologist Lyle Cervenka and chef Sean Collins, formerly of Rose.Rabbit.Lie. and Japonais. As you approach Retroscena, look up to take in the hand-lettered globe sign and the hand-wrought ironwork with a Stardust starburst pattern by Randy Mendre (Jane: “Only neighborhood guys for us!”). Then, as you enter, notice the “living wall” of cocktail-friendly herbs (sage, rosemary, lemon verbena, lavender) by Gaia Flowers owner Peter Frigeri, the JW Caldwell mural with that same starburst design and the walls covered in Fernet-Branca posters. FernetBranca also went into the back-bar stain, a subtle homage to Jamie Boudreau’s shelving stain treatment at Seattle’s Canon bar that included Angostura aromatic bitters. Which is all very ftting as this is an amaro bar, boasting more than 70 varieties of amari, digestivi, digestifs and bitter liqueurs. Jane and Cervenka will make their own fernet.
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Discovering a little slice of heaven in the alley behind Radio City Pizzeria
July 2–8, 2015
Curtain Up: Behind the Scenes at Retroscena Bar
Inside, caged, etched globe lights hang over the granite bar of two wells and zero guns; club service will reign here instead. On the menu (essentially, a stack of Polaroids), you’ll fnd $10 cocktails combining amari with rye, mezcal, gin, vermouth, grappa, rum, cachaça and vodka. Vodka also plays the role of jester in a $37 “barrel-aged vodka soda.” This would be Jane and Cervenka’s answer to the Double Down’s Ass Juice, wherein a composed vodka soda languishes in a small wood barrel until some hapless sot orders it, at which time it receives CPR in the form of a-laminute carbonation. “It’s just a joke,” Jane says. Hey, it’s your hangover. Fending off that hangover will be Italian-style robata, skewers of yellowtail, grilled beef, grilled veggies, a seasonal pickle and more—none of which require cutlery. These should pair incredibly with the beer program, which is split between the august portfolios of Bevi Beverages (Birra del Borgo, Birreria del Baladin), 12 Percent Imports and Shelton Brothers Imports. Draft beers are just $9, making this the best place in town to try Massimo D’Arrigo’s rarer Bevi beers. Bottles will include just Miller High Life (“The Champagne of beers”) and Quilmes. Says Jane, “I’m Argentinian, so …” A combined party is currently in the works for the grand re-opening for Radio City Pizzeria as well as the grand opening of this little slice of heaven behind it.
VegasSeven.com
It's hard to believe this little outdoor watering hole is in a Downtown Las Vegas alley.
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July 2–8, 2015
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A&E
Playwright Jamie Morris (inset) says you can't parody what you don't love. And boy, does he love Designing Women.
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More to the point—particularly for the Zumanity twosome who’ve written and directed the stage parody ReDesigning Women opening at the Onyx Theatre—is that the sitcom alternated dialogue like this … “I asked this Northern woman, ‘Where are ya’ll from?’ and she said, ‘I’m from a place where we don’t end our sentences with prepositions.’ So I said, ‘OK, where are ya’ll from, bitch?’” … with dialogue like this (deep breath, and stay with us): “I am sick and tired of being made to feel that if I am not a member of a little family with 2.4 children who goes just to Jerry Falwell’s church and puts their hands over their hearts every morning that I am unreligious, unpatriotic and un-American. Because I’ve got news for you ... All liberals are not kooks, any more than all conservatives are fascists. And the last time I checked, God was neither a Democrat nor a Republican. And just for your information, yes, I am a liberal, but I am also a Christian. And I get down on my knees and pray every day—on my own turf, on my own time. One of the things I pray for ... is that people with power will get good sense, and that people with good sense will get power ... and that the rest of us will be blessed with the patience and the strength to survive the people like you in the meantime!” My, my, my and fddle-dee-dee, Miss Scarlett(s). Dixie dynamos, they were— and are again, if you don’t mind that this time around, they have penises. “I’ve always worked with all-male casts and it just heightens the comedy. We can get away with a little bit more,”
says Re-Designing Women playwright Jamie Morris, who milks pop-culture irreverence out of TV/movie parodies. That’s when he’s not busy on other show-biz gigs, such as portraying pleasantly preachy Father Mark of Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding at Bally’s. “The writing on Designing Women was so crisp. They’re strong women, and gay men identify with strong, opinionated women. And it was groundbreaking with issues like HIV/AIDS that were not talked about back then. You can’t really see them on reruns anymore, so I wanted to bring them back, reintroduce them.” Fortunately, the puckish parodist who also writes for the sex-tastic Cirquetacular Zumanity at New York-New York had a ready partner—personally and professionally—in the director of this and all his spoofs: Christopher Kenney, who spends most nights in bawdy mode as Edie, the ribald ringmaster (ringmistress?) in drag of Zumanity. “Drag is campy, drag is funny,” says the drag-queen director of his dragqueen cast. “If it was [female performers] in Re-Designing Women, it would probably be fne, but it’s an added twist. We really go for it. We don’t want to be too cheesy or over the top, though. There is a fne line. You want it to be smart, and Jamie writes smart.” Racking up a résumé of parodies starring men with faux-racks, Morris is also the wickedly warped brain behind The Facts of Life: The Lost Episode, The Silence of the Clams, Gilligan’s Fire Island and Mommie Queerest. (Isn’t a drag queen Joan Crawford a redundancy?)
“It’s movies and TV shows I grew up with and have a special bond with,” says Morris, who played Crawford in Queerest, Mrs. Garrett in Facts and Hannibal Lichter (yes, “Lichter”) in Clams. “You have to love what you parody, and I loved watching Designing Women [when I was] growing up in West Virginia.” Debuting in Dallas in 2013, Re-Designing Women also played to audiences in San Diego and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, before landing in New York as an off-Broadway oddity. Having just shuttered there, the cast, including Morris in the lead dress—sorry, role—of Julia Sugarbaker has relocated for the Vegas run. “We get all kinds of audiences, we even get some silver-haired audience members,” Kenney says. “We recently did The Facts of Life: The Lost Episode, which is really dirty, in San Diego. Some people who didn’t know what they were getting into walked out and I’m like, ‘I don’t blame you!’ There are a few naughty jokes, but this one is not dirty. And at the Onyx, people know what they’re getting into. We usually play these fun, alternative theaters, and people who follow Jamie know his reputation.” In Re-Designing Women—in a plot that marries sitcom sensibilities to reality vulgarities—the sassy guys in gal clothing are struggling to keep their company aloft in a nose-diving economy. Desperate, they pitch a reality show to genre guru Andy Cohen of the Bravo channel and its Real Housewives hausfraus, which turns these Georgia
RE-DESIGNING WOMEN
8 p.m. July 9-11, 13, 16-18; 5 p.m. July 12, Onyx Theatre, 953 E. Sahara Ave., $25, 702-732-7225, OnyxTheatre.com.
peaches’ sitcom existence—including their ex-con deliveryman and dipsydoodle pal—into a catty zoo. “There was a mother and her daughter who came to the show, and I met them afterward,” Morris recalls about the generational dynamic among audiences. “The mother grew up with Designing Women. The daughter had no clue, but when the Andy Cohen character came on, with all the Bravo references, she knew that, so they were schooling each other.” Even so: “I thought about doing a Real Housewives parody, but as I said, you have to love what you parody—and I hate them so much.” Dedicated, he says, to remaining true to the characters while also spinning the show in his own style, Morris says he was convinced one night to include a verbatim speech delivered in a memorable episode. Known in shorthand to fans as “the night the lights went out in Georgia,” it’s a tour de force moment for the Julia character, in which she tells off a former beauty queen who had mocked her sister, Suzanne. “We weren’t going to put that in there,” Kenney says, noting that they changed their minds after Morris hung out at a bar one evening. “That came on and every single person at the bar did it word for word with the TV set. Jamie thought, Oh, my God, I have to add this. Now the audience goes crazy, they just love it.” On the other end of the spoofy spectrum, they get a lot of mileage out of a little exaggeration, just in the physicality of the characters. “I did not think of Julia Sugarbaker having a certain walk. You think of her as strong and elegant and statuesque, but Jamie started doing this walk and the audience—we had to stop the show, they were screaming,” Kenney says. “Now he does it every time. And on Facebook, people will write, ‘The walk alone is worth the price of admission.’” Future farces? “There has been a Bewitched one in my head for years, and The Devil Wears Prada I want to tackle,” Morris says. “But I love the sitcom formula, the dialogue, the fast pace, that 22-minute, three-camera formula that’s been around forever.” Just my two cents: How about a drag-queen Jerry in the new hit spoof, Seinfeld: They’re Unreal But They’re Still Spectacular? Pulling off that parody would make Morris the master of this famboyantly funny domain.
STAGE
THE BAZ SINGERS For the Record: Baz is all over the place … in a good way
PHOTO BY DENISE TRUSCELLO
CHECK YOUR HEALTH PLAN—DOES IT COVER
For the Record: Baz? Medically speaking, you’d know the condition as whiplash—but with music, triple plots, doomed love, poison, gangs, a prostitute, angel wings, Shakespeare, actors hanging off half-moons, Fitzgerald, Madonna being touched for the very frst time, Elton John and voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir. You might not want to be cured. Bracing in its alternative-theater boldness—or alternative-nightclub boldness, depending on which of the twin target demos you are—Baz at Mandalay Bay’s Light nightclub is a rock concert crashing into “immersive theater,” the latter explaining the whiplash effect all around the multitiered nightspot. Action and actors are sprayed everywhere like snapping the top off a wellshaken Coke can. Cherry-picking hits from the pop-song scores of director Baz Luhrmann’s movies (backed by a live band), Baz intersects and overlaps love stories from the flmmaker’s Moulin Rouge!, The Great Gatsby and Romeo + Juliet by cleverly excerpting scenes from each, actors smoothly shifting in and out of each other’s stories, and even roles. Largely, and against the odds, it works, though initially, it feels off-balance. Like the shiny decadence in which Luhrmann luxuriates onscreen, the party scenes from Gatsby and Moulin Rouge!—brimming with opulent costumes and exuberant choreography— fzz like newly popped Champagne. Yet while those two intertwine well, we’re abruptly jerked into a dissonant world when the gang-warfare setting of Luhrmann’s contemporary Romeo + Juliet jumps into the fray. Also, Moulin Rouge! seems to get more time in the frst half to establish its ro-
mance between sensitive poet Christian and the courtesan Satine. Etching vivid portraits in short order in those roles are Constantine Rousouli and Ginifer King, the cast standouts. Though forced to play catchup, Gatsby’s Jay and Daisy (Ciaran McCarthy, Ruby Lewis) and Romeo + Juliet’s tortured lovers (Jason Byous, Olivia Harris) eventually emerge from the shadows. Even in truncated form, the script and the performers manage to get us invested in each story and character. Inside this mashed-up, light-speed, hellzapoppin happening, the survival of emotional resonance on any level is a minor miracle. You can easily get happily lost in this sensory circus (it is, after all, a product of Cirque du Soleil’s new theatrical division). Just look—everywhere. At the 60-foot video wall. At the ceiling monitors. At the crossbeams of colored light. At actors suspended on the aforementioned half-moon. At performers gliding down from the ceiling. At the ones running past you spouting dialogue. At the ones assuming positions above, below and beside you to rock out, amplifed by multiple giant speakers as your head and body swivel from your sofa-style seating. In Luhrmann tradition, contemporary tunes provide anachronistic fun—relative to two of its stories set 100-plus years ago—including “Lady Marmalade,” “Your Song,” “Kissing You,” “Love Is in the Air,” “Like a Virgin,” “When Doves Cry” and “Up Where We Belong.” As with Luhrmann himself, For the Record: Baz infuses high art with high camp to give Vegas an invigorating new vamp. Got an entertainment tip? Email Steve.Bornfeld@VegasSeven.com.
A&E
MOVIES
BEAR-Y MEDIOCRE The ‘2’ in this Ted sequel’s title should stand for its star rating By Michael Phillips Tribune Media Services
TED 2 UNITES MARK WAHLBERG’S INSECURE
wallfower character (it’s called acting, folks) with the chubby little cubby all stuffed with fuff and racial, sexual, scatological and ’80s-reference insults voiced, with movie-saving acumen, by co-writer and director Seth MacFarlane. “Saving” is relative. Madly uneven, more so than the mediocre 2012 hit that made half a billion worldwide, this one’s an easy predictive call. If you got your laughs out of Ted, you’ll likely come crawling back for Ted 2. It’s not the same flm, but it’s same-adjacent. Ted was rated R for “crude and sexual content, pervasive language and some drug use.” Ted 2, on the other hand, is rated R for “crude and sexual content, pervasive language and some drug use,” though with MacFarlane’s interest in keeping his lifelong pals forever in the vicinity of a nice big bong and a nonstop supply of weed, “some drug use” is also relative. The sequel opens with an absurdly lavish musical credit sequence, stealing from Fred Astaire and the Nicholas brothers, set to Irving Berlin’s “Steppin’ Out With My Baby.” (Broadway veteran
Amanda Seyfried plays a lawyer out to win civil rights for a talking bear.
Rob Ashford choreographed, and beautifully.) Ted the magical talking teddy bear is celebrating his marriage to the woman he calls his “Bawston hoor,” played by gum-chewing Jessica Barth. John, played by Wahlberg, married Mila Kunis’ blandly tolerant female lead in the frst Ted but that union has been severed, and John’s alone and depressed and addicted to porn. What a lovable loser! Until you start dwelling on that particular detail; then he becomes something less cuddly. Ted’s marriage to his fellow grocery store cashier sours as well, until the genital-free plush toy and his bride decide to have a baby. With full sincerity Ted 2 believes in Ted’s own line: with a kid in an unhappy home, “it’ll teach us to love each other again.” Works every time. The serious bits in Ted 2 relate to Ted
being revoked of his basic civil rights, his personhood, when the courts declare him to be property, not human. Parallels to Dred Scott, the legacy of slavery and America’s history of prejudice and intolerance are made throughout the flm, sometimes effectively, sometimes in ways where you think: Huh? Wha? Ted’s marriage is annulled; he loses his job. It’s up to a fedgling lawyer (Amanda Seyfried, introduced lighting up a bong) to right the wrongs and reawaken John’s lust for life. I laughed three or four times, mostly at verbal byplay since director MacFarlane struggles when it comes to timing, flming and cutting sight gags, many of them (including the accident at the fertility clinic) straight out of his cash cow Family Guy. There’s a riff on F. Scott Fitzgerald that works mysteriously
SHORT REVIEWS
July 2–8, 2015
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VegasSeven.com
Dope (R) ★★★★✩
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Malcolm (Shameik Moore) is a high school senior who lives with his bus driver mom (Kimberly Elise). The events of Dope send Malcolm and his friends into a criminal and lucrative orbit. At a birthday party thrown by drug dealer Dom (A$AP Rocky), guns are pulled and Dom’s “Molly” gets stashed in Malcolm’s backpack. From there Dope becomes a survival comedy, with Malcolm on the run, though there’s a romance between Malcolm and Dom’s sometime squeeze (Zoe Kravitz). Pharrell Williams executiveproduced; Forest Whitaker narrates.
Inside Out (PG) ★★★★✩
A move to San Francisco shakes up Riley (voiced by Kaitlyn Dias). Her emotions scramble to work out an equilibrium. In addition to ringleader Joy (Amy Poehler) and her flip side, Sadness (Phyllis Smith), there’s Anger (Lewis Black); Disgust (Mindy Kaling) and Fear (Bill Hader). Joy and Sadness are plunked down into uncharted territory near Riley’s long-term memory storage. They must find their way back to the control center, amid an array of animation styles and dimensions, and assist Riley in her darkest moments as she settles into her new life.
Jurassic World (PG-13) ★★★✩✩
Business at the retooled dinosaur theme park off the coast of Costa Rica has hit a plateau. Scientists led by B.D. Wong have responded to requests for a new star attraction. Behold the genetically engineered hybrid Indominus rex. Chris Pratt is the hunky raptor trainer. Bryce Dallas Howard is the uptight operations manager. Vincent D’Onofrio is the InGen security honcho, out to weaponize the park’s dinosaurs for military purposes. I wasn’t expecting the world, but I wouldn’t have minded sharper jokes and grander action scenes.
well. The Liam Neeson cameo does, too. A lyric interlude, featuring Seyfried singing an original tune (“Mean Ol’ Moon”) written by MacFarlane and composer Walter Murphy, resurrects the old joke about woodland creatures cooing over the female protagonist’s musical charms: When the lobster rolls up with the raccoon and the fawn, it’s just stupid enough to click. The rest of the movie, eh. What I said three years ago about the formula in Ted goes for Ted 2: MacFarlane’s career is built on “a high quotient of startlingly crude ethnic and cultural stereotypes leavened by a sincere appreciation for American popular music of another era.” I’ve seen worse comedies this year, and I’ll see better. Ted 2 (R) ★★✩✩✩
By Tribune Media Services
Spy (R) ★★★✩✩
Melissa McCarthy plays Susan Cooper, a behind-the-scenes CIA analyst who works as the remotely connected intel expert for superspy Bradley Fine (Jude Law). When Fine runs afoul of Bulgarian arms dealers and disappears, presumed dead, Cooper gets her chance to enter the field. Where Spy goes from there is predictable in many ways but fresh in a few others. Paul Feig the director is required by Paul Feig the screenwriter to chase after a wearying amount of plot, sometimes entertainingly, sometimes less so.
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SEVEN QUESTIONS I loved it. I was really scared to watch the parts where I took drugs and where I was in a doctor’s program for nine years and he wouldn’t let me talk to my family. He had me cooped up in this house with a couple of bodyguards. It was really rough. Paul Dano portrayed me in my early 20s when I produced records like Pet Sounds and Good Vibrations. John Cusack, who portrayed me in my later years when I met my girlfriend Melinda, [did] very well. Elizabeth Banks [who played Melinda] is a sweet girl, and she did a wonderful, wonderful performance.
July 2–8, 2015
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What made you want to work with contemporary artists on No Pier Pressure, released in April?
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We said we’d like to try something new—three or four guest artists to give the album more variety. We called up Nate Ruess of the group Fun. He came down. I wrote a song for him called “Saturday Night.” We worked on it for about an hour and fnally got down to business, and he did a great job singing it. You’ve said you wrote “God Only Knows” very quickly. What’s it like when you get
Brian Wilson
The Beach Boy on his big-screen portrayal, the magic of ‘God Only Knows’ and his favorite spot in Vegas By Jason Scavone hit by that kind of creative lightning bolt?
I started playing the piano, and my collaborator Tony Asher started writing lyrics immediately. As soon as I started playing music, it was right there with his lyrics. It took us 45 minutes to write “God Only Knows.” Have you ever felt like that at any other time in your career, when everything came out just perfect and immediate?
No. It was an experience. The harmonies of it. In the middle section where it goes [singing] “ba-ba-ba-ba-BA-baba,” it was a pleasure to do. It was a gas to do. You’ve talked publicly about wanting to do a project centered on Chuck Berry. As someone who has continued to write
music throughout his life, does it surprise you that someone like Berry, who was so prolific, stopped writing music eventually?
He was prolifc. He was probably one of the greatest rock ’n’ roll artists of all time. He’s in his late-80s, so I’m sure he’s slowing down by now. “Sweet Little Sixteen” inspired me to write “Surfn’ USA.” It’s similar to “Sweet Little Sixteen.” Not every note or chord is the same, but it’s very similar. I wrote “Surfn’ USA” with him in mind to sing. But Chuck Berry’s music inspired me to write rock ’n’ roll songs. He was very infuential in my life. What do you want to do next?
I want to do a tribute album to the rock ’n’ roll greats, like Berry, Little
Richard, Paul McCartney and Barry Gibb—cover versions of their songs. We’re going to do it in about three or four months. By that time I’ll have all the guest artists—12-14— I want or need. It’s going to be a rough recording trip, but I think I can do it. At this point in your life, does the idea of shaping your legacy mean anything to you, or is it something completely out of your control?
I’m proud of my legacy. People have called me a genius, and I’m very, very proud that people consider me to be a genius at music. When you were performing with the Beach Boys and coming to Vegas in the ’60s, was there anything in particular that struck you about the city?
I liked the bathtubs in Caesars Palace.
BRIAN WILSON
With special guest Rodriguez, The Chelsea, 7 p.m. July 10, $50-$125, CosmopolitanLasVegas.com.
PHOTO BY RICHARD ISA AC/ZUMA PRESS
What did you think of Love & Mercy, the recent biopic about your life?