By John Katsilometes
The man sings “Brass Monkey,” followed seamlessly by the theme from “SpongeBob SquarePants.” Then it’s “Baby Got Back,” stumbling into a medley weaving such classic sing-alongs as “Careless Whisper,” “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” and “Karma Chameleon.” It could only mean that it is Sunday night in Vegas and Richard Cheese and Lounge Against the Machine is at the wheel. And really kids, what’s not to love?
I caught Cheese’s most recent sold-out show at AJ’s Steakhouse at the Hard Rock Hotel, which delighted an audience of about 200 hep cats, many of whom crooned along with such Cheese staples as “You Shook Me All Night Long,” “Another Brick in the Wall” and “Me So Horny.” For the uninitiated, Richard Cheese formed in 2000, meaning he dates to the beginning of the Bush administration but is not nearly as interminable. The quartet puts a swanky, swingin’ spin on contemporary rock, rap and dance tunes. The most obvious comparison would be to Bill Murray’s recurring lounge character on “Saturday Night Live,” but Cheese has made a career out of the character – to the point where he asks that his real name not be used for this piece. I’ll comply. As the kids say, it ain’t no thing but a chicken wing.
The first time I saw Cheese and Lounge Against the Machine was shortly after they organized, at the now-defunked (I mean, defunct) Venus Lounge at the Venetian. That space was eventually devoured by Tao. But the reliably grate Cheese is returning to its Vegas beginnings and will perform exclusively at AJ’s each month in 2008, and possibly beyond. The restaurant/lounge becomes “RC’s Steakhouse” – but no food is served, just the Cheesy stylings. The band’s next appearance at AJ’s/RC’s is Nov. 11, and Cheese is back for a pair of triumphant shows on Dec. 29 and Dec. 31 to close an eventful 2007. By then, as we have previously blogged, his seventh CD, titled “Dick at Night” will have been released – the CD should be available on iTunes by the end of next week and is due to drop (by that we mean, it will be available for purchase) in September. The new release is a collection of Cheese-ified TV show theme songs. Cheese is also working on two more CDs for 2008. As he says, “I am doing this because – boy, I love money.” Later in the interview, he adds, “I love money, and chicks.” And as always, we wouldn’t have it any other way.
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Strip sights: The application of the TRUMP atop the high-rise project of the same name has obscured the news across the Strip that the golden “Palazzo” at the Venetian is in place. Also, the “Love” wrap around the top of the Mirage that was taken down a few weeks ago will be returned shortly, says MGM Mirage spokeswoman Jenn Michaels. I asked if I could have the old wrap, with which I would decorate the exterior of my new house, and was told it was “pretty dirty,” which I took as a no.
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There is an important meeting in Montreal next week centering on Cirque du Soleil’s tentative plans to move into an office in the Arts District, which would be the best news to surface in the district in a long time.
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Jason Alexander (the former “Seinfeld” star, not Britney Spears’ unfortunate ex-husband) has long talked of starring in a Las Vegas production. And earlier this week, Alexander took in a showing of “Monty Python’s Spamalot,” a show that is likely losing John O’Hurley in September. I could see that hookup happening, in a purely speculative sense.
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New commercials for Viagra play off the song, “Viva Las Vegas.” It’s, “Viiiivaaaa, Viagra!” To me, a good cure for what Viagra treats is a vintage shot of Ann-Margret.
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The cover story in the latest issue of Rolling Stone is a piece on the 20th anniversary of the seminal Guns ’N Roses album “Appetite for Destruction” (and I use “seminal” as a nod to the great music writers of my generation). Steven Adler, who today lives in Las Vegas, was GnR’s drummer in those days, and had a famously difficult struggle with heroin and cocaine addiction. He was eventually thrown out of the band for that illness, no small feat, and two years ago was the subject of an intervention to finally get clean. The person who organized that intervention was Slash, and wow are you sick if Slash is calling for an intervention.
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Speaking of which: Ask Vegas publicist Laura Herlovich about her authentic GnR T-shirt. It’s a hell of a story.
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Release me: My e-mail has been percolating with word of this Britney Spears appearance to open LAX at the Luxor on Aug. 31. I’m up to eight releases! And I’ll apply an exclamation mark to that point! And this is not a complaint. I’m glad to be invited to anything. To Craig Nyman of Kirvin Doak, keep ’em coming, Brother.
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Vegas moment: On display over the weekend at the Crossroads of the West Gun Show at Cashman Center, the actual C&R Armalite AR 18 weapon used by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the “I’ll be back” scene from “Terminator.” The man displaying the glass-encased firearm said he had documentation to prove that claim, but I took him at his word.
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On our menus: The specialties on the menu of the Green Door Café are headed, “Special Tease.” This item is supplied by one of the Fabs in the field. Really.
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PL8 in my head: Displaying impressive return time on the Viagra theme, STMMUL8 on what a reader describes as “a large pickup, the raised-up kind.”
Fabulous Las Vegas appears at this Web site. John Katsilometes can be reached at 990-7720, 812-9812 or at [email protected]