LETTERS

Good Day,

I would like to commend you on an overall well-written article on the Bond-Aire Club in the (October 6) Las Vegas Weekly. The Bond-Aire Club is a typical "local's" bar that will be lost forever when the luxury condominiums are constructed in the future.

Your comments with regard to Dana, Jack (the owner), the cost of the drinks, jukebox, as well as the stage where bands perform are all well-appreciated. These aspects of the Bond-Aire Club make this bar one of better bars where "locals" can go to enjoy a night of relaxation.

The Bond-Aire Club is one of the oldest bars in Las Vegas. This bar has been in existence since the early 1950s. This bar has served over five decades of customers with pride since it opened. Keeping this in mind, the final comment in your article that, "the lighting muted the fact that you look like a trailer-trash serial killer on a crack 'n' Kamchataka binge" are wholly inappropriate.

I have been a customer of the Bond-Aire Club for approximately 20 years. The final comments in your article regarding this bar are in no way an overall accurate evaluation as a "locals" bar. I was sadly disappointed in the final observations with regard to this bar.

Disappointed,

Lissa Townsend Rodgers replies:

The line to which you objected was not describing the fine patrons of the Bond-Aire. Earlier in the piece I refer to a photo that makes me look like hatchet-faced prostitute and murderer Aileen Wuornos. On one of her bad days. Thus, the closing bit about the homicidal maniac jacked full of drugstore vodka and rock cocaine is a description of myself and no one else. I apologize for the misunderstanding.

Dear Mr. Bell,

I read your article about the two Rocky Horror casts (October 13) with interest. Currently, I play Brad for Frankie's Favorite Obsession and have enjoyed doing so for the past year. Generally things are quiet between the two casts. They do their show and we do ours. Of course, there's always drama if you go looking for it, but most do not. Both casts are comprised of various individuals with various ages with various amounts of talent all performing for nothing. Not one penny does the theater throw our way. But we're fine with that so long as they give us a home to shadow-cast a movie that has come to mean so much for so many people across the world.

I think both casts are fearful of one day being ousted from the theater. It is this nagging fear that keeps both casts distant from each other; neither wants to be the first to go. This is why each cast does its best every Saturday to put on a good show. Neither cast wants the theater to close, or to stop performing their own show—which is why each cast is concentrating their efforts to advertise and promote their highly anticipated Halloween shows. As far as I know the theater will be letting all ages attend the Halloween shows; of course, parental guidance is suggested. Right now FFO is rehearsing a special Thriller pre-show as well as a costume contest and other scary surprises. Divine Decadence will have their show at 8 p.m. followed by FFO at midnight on October 29th. Both casts will be thrilled to have you attend; trust me, it's like seeing two different shows. What better way to spend Halloween than with a late-night double-feature Rocky Horror Picture Show!

Sincerely,

Dear Editor:

As co-cast leader of the LV Rocky Horror cast, Frankie's Favorite Obsession, it is our turn to speak up in rebuttal, a privilege we were deceived and manipulated into giving up before said article by Josh Bell was published.

As you can tell, there are two Rocky Horror live casts in LV. Megan Tabor, whose favorite quote is "Sex Sells," has long been initiating sabotage since our formation in 2001, in her dogged, hell-bent pursuit of being the only performing cast and eradicating the infidels who have invaded her long-monopolized turf. This is the heaviest artillery we have been shelled with since our debut performance in June 2004, which has included audience-tampering and interception of said audience in the parking lot of the theater, constant disposing of our flyers and advertising to date, and visiting our flyered businesses in person to bad-mouth and disparage our show. She is obviously running scared, scared enough to prevent us from speaking to a reporter.

Our cast leaders received (an) ... e-mail on September 28, from Ms. Tabor (instructing members not to talk to Weekly reporter Josh Bell).

We complied when contacted by Josh Bell, out of respect for the GM and the theater. Unbeknownst to FFO but not to the theater, Megan Tabor had already given the initial vile, self-serving interview to Josh Bell, and continued to do so ... my point being that we were carefully connived into silence.

To be allowed to address in defense right now would seem appropriate:

We had absolutely no knowledge or involvement in the initial damaging e-mails from "Gary Shelton," which we first read about when they were published by a DD member on a public Rocky Horror forum. In subsequent contact with AOL, they have stated positively that these e-mails did not come from Steve's account. None of us have been to a DD show since June of 2004—there is no way we would even have known the content detail of DD's shows, or involvement with underage girls. A public apology was issued profusely by the DD accuser on the above-mentioned news group, as well as an explanation of the correct machinations of an IP address, negating previous misinformed statements and accusations. This information was carefully omitted from Mr. Bell's article. It has long been my suspicion that these e-mails originated from within DD itself, in an attempt to plant their origin on FFO, and end result: usurp our performing time slot (first and third Saturdays, at midnight) for their epic cast of 55. ... As a perk, the in-depth description of their show content (nudity, underage minors) by "Gary Shelton" also served as titillation to try and attract more audience. In contrast, FFO's shows have always been clean, covered, and free of lewdness, and elaborately movie-accurate—a fact our following has preferred. It's nice that audiences can even choose ...

So let me "Celebrate my ego," to quote the article: There is no ego left when you are producing an expensive and heavily-invested-in show being done for not one penny of compensation, other than joy—while holding down a full-time professional medical career, making costumes and props, rehearsing your cast twice a week or more, advertising and promoting on our own, happy to bring in income for a theater in exchange for a home—and staving off low shots from a conniving, idle, jealous person. As Megan admits, the "ousting" of yours truly and my co-cast leader never happened; an "oust" comment just fit in there so nicely. We quit when we thought and ultimately succeeded in creating our own much more accurate and elaborate show, sans titillation.

Readers and audiences, you decide. Come and see FFO's show—see both casts even for comparison. Support Rocky Horror's existence in Las Vegas or we will disappear. Check out our website at rhpsvegas.com. Don't let petty machinations and deviousness keep you away. I personally can guarantee you a good time and a unique experience at FFO shows.

Sincerely,