johnsteed
Dormant Account
***
I'd like to take this time with you, to turn this stone to find out a little more about the one who's better known as...
"The Casino Watchdog and Player Advocate" known as "Casinomeister", which has been around for 8 years (in June), is in all likelihood the #1 casino related site (I'd imagine anyway). What does that mean to you, and did you ever have any idea that it would someday become what it is today?
It's my baby, and I am a firm believer that if you really enjoy what you do, you can make anything work and be successful. I consider myself to be very lucky; I have applied this train of thought and it has become Casinomeister.
What led you to come up with the idea of creating a website like Casinomeister?
I was working with a company in San Diego that translated websites. We translated a few, and i thought to myself "what a joke, online casinos - yeah, right." We were then approached by the local land based casino operators who wanted to go online, but they were very apprehensive to get involved because of all of the riff raff. So I thought to myself, that's a cool idea for a website. Have a list of casinos that you could trust, and a list of casinos that sucked. I called it "Casinomeister" since I always planned to go back to Germany.
Prior to your days being the #1 casino watchdog, your life has been peppered with jobs here and there, pretty much all over the world. What was your first job you've ever had?
Besides the obligatory paper route job (with I screwed up a lot), I worked at "Runners World" in Mountain View, California in the shipping department.
What job best prepared you for what you do today?
M60 Machine-gunner on patrol in the Honduran jungles (mid 80s). When things get rough, I look out my window and think of that. Then things don't seem so bad
How on earth did you land that plush job writing for "BLUFF Magazine"? Do you enjoy the process that comes with writing?
I write off and on for them when time permits. I've know M. Caselli and crew for years. Writing is what I'm here for, so yes - I enjoy the process.
Your dossier states that you were once an "English teacher in Creative Writing" at various colleges and universities. What was that like? Was it just not your cup of tea?
I love teaching, and I always had a good rapport with my students. And my teaching goes back quite a few years to when I was a squad leader - teaching troops how to survive all sorts of crappy situations, how to take prisoners, how to blow up things (I worked with demolitions - land-mines). I applied these techniques when I got out of the service and taught English as a Second Language to foreign students, and taught English Comp., Humanities, and Creative Writing to undergrads/community college students. I stopped teaching when I moved to Germany.
Do you long for your days in the military? It says here "He was decorated in the First Gulf War (Bronze Star) after his men (7 guys) took over 253 Iraqi prisoners of war and destroyed millions of $$ of Iraqi military equipment (excerpt taken from "About Casinomeister"). What the hell happened there? How many guys did you take out? Was this a "special mission", or did this just happen (and your squad of 7 men) were in the right/wrong place at the right/wrong time?
After 11 years in, it was really tough leaving. I left at the halfway mark to retirement. People thought I was crazy because I had everything going for me. I was promoted earlier than most of my peers, and I would have made Sergeant Major in 20 years. But I was in a pretty rough job. I was a master parachutist and people like me spent most of their time in an airborne unit. And the old guys jump with they young guys, and you're still digging foxholes and humping around 60 lb rucksacks. It wasn't fun anymore. Besides I had accomplished everything one needed to accomplish while I was in.
I was a squad leader in the first Gulf War, and our company was attached to the scouts that first crossed the border during the ground offensive. In fact my tracked vehicle was one of the first to cross the border that morning. My job was to identify the minefields with the scouts, and breach a lane through them so that the tanks could fly through. We didn't have much resistance for the first couple of days. We began collecting prisoners - no one wanted to fight us. Me and my guys had them in a collection point which was merely sting of concertina wire encircling a 100 sq. meter area. It sucked really. These guys were all messed up. Some were wounded. None had any rations for probably days. I had only rations for my men, so I couldn't really give them anything. It was dark, cold, windy and rainy. The MPs finally relieved us and we rejoined our unit. But this was only after some very personal moments with the Iraqi soldiers. It was so very strange.
That night we finally caught up with the Republican Guard, and that's when things got pretty bad. Our unit took casualties, and the Iraqis were pretty much annihilated. We spent two - three months after that searching bunkers in Souther Iraq/ Northern Kuwait for abandoned munitions and blowing up shit.
Bryan forwarded me some photos that you may or may not have already seen before...
Could you share with us your experience working on a fish boat out of Kodiak Alaska? Were these the quiet years of Bryan Bailey?
I worked on the fish boat out of Petersburg (Southeast AK) before I was in the army - and I worked on the boat again out of Kodiak when I got out. Yes, these were the quiet years. I needed time to wind down. I was a little whacked out when I left the army, and this gave me time to get things going in my head. I did a lot of writing up there - a lot of it found it's way into my MFA thesis.
There is nothing like living on a boat, especially in a place so desolate, and yet there is a great community of fishermen and crew, and townspeople. Work hard - party hard. And we ate like kings.
Why did you decide to leave Southern California for Germany? What are some of the benefits in living in Germany over residing in California, or better yet, the U.S.?
I married a German - that's a reason. We also felt it was a better environment to raise kids - which it is in my opinion.
Benefits:
1. You aren't saturated with news here. In the states, the are "News Breaks" for every commercial break. And in the evening, it's all over the tube. It's really too much. Here you have your morning paper, and if you want to watch it in the evening, there's a 15 minute/ half hour news. You don't get all stressed on the news here - this is one point that I agree with Michael Moore on - that the US media uses fear to sell the news. They always have you on the edge of the seat. Here, there is not much to care about (except for the economy).
2. Beer - and the attitude people have with alcohol. No puritanical hypocrisy here.
3. Labor laws - you are required by law to give employees no less than 23 vacation days per year, and that doesn't include weekends or holidays.
4. Food - I'm into good baked goods. You really can't find these breads and pastries in the states.
5. Easy to travel in Europe to really nice places.
6. If your into castles or old ruins, this is the place to be.
Disadvantages:
1. I have to drive eight hours to visit a beach.
2. Germans are lazy when it comes to language. All movies in the theaters and on television are dubbed. I have to go to the UK, Canada, the US, or Sweden to see a movie in the original language - or rent the DVD.
3. I miss Doritos.
4. No Mexican food or Sushi where I live.
5. Germans can be very materialistic. If you drive a Mercedes, you get treated differently than if you drive a VW.
6. Nothing is convenient where i live. If I want to look at a stereos or a TV, I have to travel 45 minutes to the nearest retail store that sells media stuff.
7. TAXES
I believe I've listened to the majority of your webcasts (all of those which links will allow me play them), and it's easy to recognize that you're a pretty whimsical and outlandish person (at least for your webcasts). What kind of comedians have played a role in molding that side of Bryan Bailey?
Dr. Demento. Frank Zappa (if you could call him a comedian). I like Conan O'brien.
I can see how Zappa could be viewed as a comedian. I know that you love doing the webcasts, as you've mentioned this fact a good number of times. Have you ever wanted to do them on a weekly basis? And if that's just too crazy of a question, what kind of time-frame are we looking at in terms of work being put into just a single episode?
Weekly would be ideal, but they are time consuming to produce. They take a full day. An ideal day is when I am able to write the outline for the webcast in the morning. Then do the recording in the early afternoon, with the production of the broadcast made late afternoon, and uploading etc. early evening. But I need to multitask while this is happening so the upload doesn't happen until around midnight my time.
Here's a question I've been dying to ask ever since I heard the webcast, roughly a year ago today (although it's at least a couple years old by now). Did the guy from "Slotland" actually visit your home in Germany? Are you still in contact with him today?
Yes, that was "Ray St. Jon". He was here in my studio and interviewed by "Vortran" and myself. We're in contact, but not as much as we were since he's doing other things at the moment.
What does the set-up of your office/webcast center look like? Do you lock yourself into your secret lair, and go online for 16 hours a day, patrolling and marshalling the online realm of everything to do with casinos?
It's a rather large room, with a huge picture glass window with glass doors that lead to a balcony that looks over a cherry and apple orchard, hills and trees, and the neighborhood. I face this beyond my computer screen - which is a good thing. If I'm not looking into the cyber-world, I'm looking at the snow coming down, or blossoms, or leafy tree tops, or neighborhood activities. It helps one to remain in the real world.
I don't need to lock myself away. It's a home office, a busy household, but if my kids come in to show me something or help them out with whatever, I'll usually do it. I'm a lucky guy. I have every meal with my family (and we have four here: breakfast, lunch, coffee and cake, and dinner). I begin work at 8-8:30 am. Break for chow 12-1pm. Afternoon break: 3 or 4 for about a half an hour. And then work until 18:30. Most evenings I'll put in a couple of hours after the kids are in bed. I don't work on weekends.
In your mind, what is the worst casino that you've ACTUALLY deposited at? Or better yet, what's been your worst personal experience with a casino?
I actually deposited at some iGlobal media casino a few years ago to test the slots. The same with a "Digital Diamond" casino. $20 bucks shot to hell.
What's the greatest casino game you've come across thus far? And the worst?
The greatest games are actually some of the ones offered by IGT/Leading Edge - Multi Strike Poker and Ace Invaders.
They aren't available for the online casino realm, but perhaps Wager Works might pick them up since IGT owns Wager Works.
As for the games we're most familiar with - well, I play a lot of MGs Power Poker Deuces Wild (4 hand) and Spring Break. I think the Spring Break/Thunderstruck/Ladies Nite template is really hard to beat. As long as the free spins are coming!
In all the years of "Casinomeister.com's" existence, what has been the most interesting thread that you've come across?
It would have to be the "Pirate Episode". It included all aspects of a wild encounter. A guy was able to win $1.3 million off of an RTG casino. The operator calls the guy to get him to state he used a robot, meanwhile the player recorded the same conversation to protect himself. The operator described how the software detected this (in the forum), then RTG came in and stated that the operator was full of crap. It went on and on. The main stream press picked up on it - and the player ended up being paid (much less than the original figure - because the casino couldn't afford this). This thread was taking all sorts of turns and meanwhile I'm being fed bits and pieces from people behind the scenes. Verrrry interesting.
What has been your greatest regret you've had to date, at "Casinomeister.com"?
Not having the time to get some of the projects I have in mind up and running (webcast going to video for one thing). Not being able to communicate effectively. There are many people who either misunderstand me or don't bother to read what I have to say. It's quite frustrating sometimes.
If you, Bryan Bailey, could start a band (now or via time-machine), what kind of direction would you want to go in? What sound do you believe you could pull-off the best?
It would be something either very "Tool-ish". Or reggae. Wow, some extremes there - but I would feel close to home with either. I learned some bass techniques by listening to Jack Bruce and some of his jams in Cream (not that I could play like him, but long jams influenced me) I could probably pull the "Tool" sound off the best, as in a deep gutty bass that can smack one up side the head. But I like playing reggae, so it would be a mix.
How many years have you being playing bass and keyboards? What other instruments do dabble with?
I've played bass on and off since high school. Back then I played mostly Led Zep, Hendrix, Cream covers. Now it's a lot of things. I'm really into Reggae - but I play that mostly in the Spring and Summer. Reggae while it's snowing outside doesn't cut it for me. This winter I was playing a lot of Audio Slave, Creed, grunge stuff. I have a beautiful bass - 5 string Fender Precision. I'm not in a band though; I just have a guitar buddy who comes over once a week or so. His musical tastes are much different then mine.
Keyboards, ha! I'm more like "Ross Gehler" on "Friends". I can play stuff by ear, but it's pretty rudimentary.
If your favorite genre of music is punk (that's just a well-formed guess), what genre are you most put-off by?
Anything that comes across just trying to make a buck. I hate listening to commercial radio - especially in Germany. They are a bunch of music haters and I despise them.
What's the best concert you'd ever been to? The worst?
Best: Devo. Santa Cruz Civic auditorium 1980
Worst: I don't think I have any worst. If the concert was boring, we would just get high and look for chicks. This was in the seventies of course.
Were you at one time were heavily into the American West Coast punk rock scene of the late '70s? Examples of this would be none other than Ramones inspired Black Flag, or other punks greats such as Bad Religion, Circle Jerks, Dead Kennedys, and Bad Brains. Did any of these bands make any kind of impact on your life (living in California)?
That's a definite "yes"! Black Flag, the Circle Jerks, and of course the "Dead Kennedys" were very big with me. I had everything they produced on vinyl, buuut my living arrangements prohibited me from seeing them as often as I wished. I was in the Army in 1981 during the height of these bands careers. Nevertheless, when I would go home on leave I'd make an extra effort to catch any of their shows. I danced on stage with Jello Biafra and East Bay Ray in 1984 (Keystone, Palo Alto). That was an incredible experience.
Did you ever see any punk bands at "The Masque" (famous club which showcased the biggest LA punk bands)? If so, how was the experience?
Nope - too far down south for me.
What are some of your favorite punk bands, who originate from the '70s (first wave punk)?
Besides the Godfathers of the movement (the Ramones, Sex Pistols, the Clash), I was really involved with the "new wave" movement so to speak. Talking Heads, Elvis Costello, Devo, the Stranglers, B52s...
If there was any one band that started punk, which band would you single-out?
That's really hard to say, because "punk" is somewhat of an expression of attitude. You had this in the 60s with Iggy Pop and the Stooges, or early Frank Zappa. Have you ever heard The Trashmen's rendition of "Surfin' Bird"? Now that was punk - and that was 1964. But for punk as we seem to know it, it would have to be the Ramones - they were influential to both the Sex Pistols and the Clash.
Despite your own bias towards the RAMONES, which punk band would consider to have made the biggest mark on the history of punk (although I'm guessing that it may very well be the Ramones anyway...)?
Besides the Ramones? The Clash it would have to be. After their "Give 'em enough Rope" album, they started bringing in other forms of music - noteworthy is reggae. They were one of the first New Wave/Punk bands that snagged the reggae rock beat mon. This opened up reggae to the mainstream in the late 70s.
While I've certainly taken noticed that your musical tastes are scattered all over the place, how can one go from being a MONSTER Ramones fan, to a Martin Gore or an Andy Bell fan? Did you take any heat from your friends for taking that leap (or was it a secret)? The only reason I ask this was because I was a pretty big "metal" fan in the late '80s, and I would become a huge Depeche Mode, the Cure and New Order fan after (and that DIDN'T go over too well with many-a-folk at the time)?
Yes, my musical tastes are scattered, and this is mainly from my upbringing. Music was a very important of my life at a young age, thanks to my parents and growing up in the SF Bay Area in the 60s and 70s. Before getting in to the punk scene in the late seventies, I was really into your synth powered rock. ELP, Genesis (with Peter Gabriel), Yes, Pink Floyd. And of course Frank Zappa with or without the Mothers of Invention. Depeche Mode is sort of a carry over from the early synth "punk" (Devo for instance). And Erasure? Ha, maybe it's more sentimental. My wife and I lived in the "cosmopolitan" area of San Diego for eight years. In our apartment complex of 18 units, there were only three straight couples - us included. It looked like the apartment in Melrose Place. In fact, our pool had the same tile.
There were restaurants and night clubs all around us. We'd go to some of these gay dance halls, and it was a blast. The drinks were cheap as hell on Thursday nights, and I didn't have to worry about guys hitting up on my wife . I digress. They played a lot of Erasure.
At the height of their musical careers, who would you consider to have been more talented, Martin Gore (DM) or Vince Clarke?
I'd say it's about a draw - they are both very similar, and it's tough pinpointing if one has more talent than the other.
Although this is a selfish question (for my own interest), what are some of your favorite DM songs? What do you consider to be their greatest album to date?
My favorites are the remixes. I think I have them all. "Only When I Loose Myself" is pretty trippy. I used to watch the video while dealing with midnight feedings when my boy was a little baby. It's one of the few songs I can never get burned out on.
What's the greatest album (difficult question I'm sure) you've heard to date, from any singer/band?
Too many to name - I could go with the popular answer - St. Peppers. But beyond that, probably Frank Zappa's "Joe's Garage, Acts I, II, III" every time I listen to it, I hear something different, and I've been listening to it for years.
I'm going to give you a year, and you tell me what band (or singer) made the most impact on you at that time. In fact, if you could, I'd LOVE to hear what was your most memorable song for each of those years (as well). IOW, even though iPODs weren't around back then, what would have been playing in your room the most at that time?
I'm going to go back to when you were 15-years old, and we'll fast forward up until today...
The years may be off from the album release date since we don't always hear the bands we want to hear when they first come out. And the band and song may not jive since there are some really great songs - but I was listening to other stuff as well.
'73 -
Band: Jimi Hendrix
Song: David Essex "Rock On"?The first time I heard it was on the radio - listening to it in my room in the dark. It's still haunting.
'74 -
Band: Yes
Song: Led Zeppelin "The Song Remains The Same" ahh, high school girls in halter tops.
'75 -
Band: Led Zeppelin
Pink Floyd "Us And Them" from Dark Side of the moon. ahhh....high school girls in halter tops.
'76 -
Band: Genesis
Song: Frank Zappa "Inca Roads" from One Size Fits All - keg parties!
'77 -
Band: Genesis
Song: Frank Zappa "Wind up working in a Gas Station" from Zoot Allures - I worked at Ernies Exxon in Sunnyvale.
'78 -
Band: Ramones
Song: "Cretin Hop" from Rocket to Russia - my step brother and I stayed up almost all night listening to this album and laughing out asses off.
'79 -
Band: Devo
All Devo songs - I saw them in Santa Cruz and became a Devotee
'80 -
Band: Stranglers/Dead Kennedys/the Specials
Song: "Revolution Rock" by the Clash "London Burning"
'81 -
Band: Stranglers/Clash
Albums: Meninblack/Sandinista
'82 -
Band: Dead Kennedys
Songs: Plastic Surgery Disasters
'83 -
Band: The Clash
Combat Rock (I was a paratrooper y'know)
'84 -
Band: Talking Heads - SPEAKING IN TONGUES
Song - Burning Down The House
'85 -
Band: B52s
Songs- anything by UB40
'86 -
(Central American Jungle Boogie)
Band: Big Audio Dynamite/Killing Joke/the Clash still
'87 -
Band: UB40 - again!
Anything Oingo Boingo
'88 -
Art of Noise
'89 -
Depeche Mode - Violator
Song: Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers - One Bright Day
'90 -
Gulf War Tunes (we would play these on our track's headsets - the helmets that have an internal PA/radio system)
REM
Depeche Mode "Single remixes"
Fugazi
'91 -
ditto
Still in the desert.
'92 -
Fish Boat years
Nirvana/Pearl Jam
'93 -
Nirvana
Stone Temple Pilots
REM - "Man on the Moon" (big time Andy Kaufman fan)
'94 -
REM Monster
Green Day Dookie
'95 -
Weezer
'96 -
Ramones
'97 -
Marcy Playground
'98 -
REM
'99 -
I'm a Lost puppy in Germany - Erasure
'00 -
Erasure/Depeche Mode
'01 -
Lateralus - Tool
'02 -
Started listening to a lot of Frank Zappa again
Erasure mixes
'03 -
More "Tool"
'04 -
Green Day "American Idiot"
'05 -
Band: Beastie Boys: To the 5 Boroughs
Song "Sleeping Beauty" Perfect Circle
'06 -
Lot's of Burning Spear, UB40, Mighty Diamonds, and....
...the Ramones
Thank you for that list.
I noticed that you listed "Groundhog Day" (1993) as one of your favorite films, and I would also list this amongst my favorites (although I didn't at Casinomeister.com). Although I just thought of it as a simple comedy when it first came out (how wrong I was at the time), and would now think of this as being one of the most creative ideas that any writer (Harold Ramis), covering existentialist themes cast in a very entertaining light. What's your favorite scene in this little gem?
When Bill Murray has realized that something is verrry wrong, and during his morning walk to the Coffee Shop, he punches that guy.
The next question is a real doozy, and your "squad leader" skills will be put to the test on this one. You're going to be put on a "SPECIAL MISSION", wherein you must choose from the assortment of TV characters listed (TV shows "A-D").
Your mission is pretty straight-forward. You must flank and take-over a German bunker, and hold position for at least a week until the next patrol unit relieves your squad of it's duties. The backdrop of such a mission, will be filmed at ABC studios, used for the hit TV series "COMBAT!" (1962-1967).
You will have a unit of 12. From the wide-assortment and deep talent pool of famous TV SUPERSTARS to choose from (below), and with you being the "First Sargeant", who would you select for your team of "Bailey's 12"? And please, why did you assign these actors their specified role?
Talent pools A-D:
A) Barney Miller (1975-1982)
Hal Linden ... Capt. Barney Miller
Barbara Barrie .... Elizabeth Miller (1975-1976)
Abe Vigoda .... Det. Phil Fish (1975-1977)
Max Gail .... Det. Stan 'Wojo' Wojciehowicz (also as Maxwell Gail)
Ron Glass .... Det. Ron Harris
Jack Soo .... Det. Nick Yemana (1975-1978)
Gregory Sierra .... Det. Sgt. Chano Amenguale (1975-1976)
Steve Landesberg .... Det. Arthur Dietrich (1976-1982)
Ron Carey .... Officer Carl Levitt (1976-1982)
James Gregory .... Police Inspector Frank Luger
B) M.A.S.H. (1972-1983)
Alan Alda .... Capt. Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce
Wayne Rogers .... Army Capt. "Trapper John" McIntyre (1972-1975)
McLean Stevenson .... Lt. Col. Henry Blake (1972-1975)
Gary Burghoff .... Cpl. Walter "Radar" O'Reilly (1972-1979)
Larry Linville .... Maj. Frank Burns (1972-1977)
Loretta Swit .... Maj. Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan
Mike Farrell .... Capt. B.J. Hunnicut (1975-1983)
Harry Morgan .... Col. Sherman T. Potter (1975-1983)
Jamie Farr .... Cpl./Sgt. Maxwell "Max" Q. Klinger
David Ogden Stiers .... Maj. Charles Emerson Winchester III (1977-1983)
C) CHEERS (1982-1993)
Ted Danson .... Sam Malone
Shelley Long .... Diane Chambers (1982-1987)
Kirstie Alley .... Rebecca Howe (1987-1993)
Nicholas Colasanto .... Ernie 'Coach' Pantusso (1982-1985)
Rhea Perlman .... Carla Tortelli
John Ratzenberger .... Cliff Clavin
Woody Harrelson .... Woody Boyd (1985-1993)
Kelsey Grammer .... Dr. Frasier Crane (1984-1993)
Bebe Neuwirth .... Dr. Lilith Sternin-Crane (1986-1993)
George Wendt .... Norm Peterson
D) Taxi (1978-1983)
Judd Hirsch .... Alex Reiger
Jeff Conaway .... Robert L. 'Bobby' Wheeler (1978-1981)
Danny DeVito .... Louie De Palma
Marilu Henner .... Elaine O'Connor-Nardo
Tony Danza .... Tony Banta
Randall Carver .... John Burns (1978-1979)
Andy Kaufman .... Latka Gravas/Vic Ferrari
Christopher Lloyd .... Reverend Jim Ignatowski (1979-1983)
"An ABC Premier"...
Tonights program is brought to you by Maxwell House, GULF OIL, and LIBBY'S DEEP BROWN BEANS.
[Roll the credits...]
Starring "Bryan Bailey"... as Bryan Bailey
Danny DeVito... Louie De Palma - good communicator.
Andy Kaufman ....Latka Gravas/Vic Ferrari - you need guys like him in the woods with you.
Woody Harrelson ....Woody Boyd (1985-1993) he's dedicated to his work - sign of a good machine gunner.
Kelsey Grammer ... Dr. Frasier Crane (1984-1993) - we need brains here!
Stan 'Wojo' Wojciehowicz - he's a big guy and Mortar troops/engineers have to carry a lot of crap.
Tony Danza .... Tony Banta - tough guy.
Abe Vigoda ....Det. Phil Fish (1975-1977) - he would be good at carrying stuff and complaining.
Alan Alda .... Capt. Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce - he'd make a good driver. He's a conversationalist, but I wouldn't want him in the field.
Loretta Swit .... Maj. Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan - she's hot!
Gregory Sierra .... Det. Sgt. Chano Amenguale (1975-1976) there is a subtle intensity here that would be realized in the jungle.
Christopher Lloyd .... Reverend Jim Ignatowski (1979-1983) - he'd make an excellent pilot - imagine him bringing it in on a hot LZ.
Hahaha!!! Classic stuff. Although I would have loved to have been around a conversation involving Judd Hirsch and Alan Alda... break-out a couple cups of SANKA at the ammunitions depot. By all accounts, you'd REALLY have to kick these guys into shape. BTW, I'm trying to figured-out what you mean by "Det. Sgt. Chano Amenguale's" subtle intensity that would be realized in the jungle. I'm downloading some BARNEY MILLER episodes as I'm typing this.
Final question. Where the heck is "Jackpot Willi?" What's his story? Is he a myth, or is he a real-life legend? Does this guy ever post?
Nope, but he lives next door. Looks like it's time for the Bierfest to kick off.
***
In closing,
I'd like to thank the "Casinomeister" for his corresponding with me for this interview, via all-over-the-globe these past few hectic weeks. I know that the "music" list was a bitch to do, but I appreciated it.
Thank you all for your time.
Steed
***
I'd like to take this time with you, to turn this stone to find out a little more about the one who's better known as...
"CASINOMEISTER"
"Casino Watchdog Player Advocate"
"The Casino Watchdog and Player Advocate" known as "Casinomeister", which has been around for 8 years (in June), is in all likelihood the #1 casino related site (I'd imagine anyway). What does that mean to you, and did you ever have any idea that it would someday become what it is today?
It's my baby, and I am a firm believer that if you really enjoy what you do, you can make anything work and be successful. I consider myself to be very lucky; I have applied this train of thought and it has become Casinomeister.
What led you to come up with the idea of creating a website like Casinomeister?
I was working with a company in San Diego that translated websites. We translated a few, and i thought to myself "what a joke, online casinos - yeah, right." We were then approached by the local land based casino operators who wanted to go online, but they were very apprehensive to get involved because of all of the riff raff. So I thought to myself, that's a cool idea for a website. Have a list of casinos that you could trust, and a list of casinos that sucked. I called it "Casinomeister" since I always planned to go back to Germany.
Prior to your days being the #1 casino watchdog, your life has been peppered with jobs here and there, pretty much all over the world. What was your first job you've ever had?
Besides the obligatory paper route job (with I screwed up a lot), I worked at "Runners World" in Mountain View, California in the shipping department.
What job best prepared you for what you do today?
M60 Machine-gunner on patrol in the Honduran jungles (mid 80s). When things get rough, I look out my window and think of that. Then things don't seem so bad
How on earth did you land that plush job writing for "BLUFF Magazine"? Do you enjoy the process that comes with writing?
I write off and on for them when time permits. I've know M. Caselli and crew for years. Writing is what I'm here for, so yes - I enjoy the process.
Your dossier states that you were once an "English teacher in Creative Writing" at various colleges and universities. What was that like? Was it just not your cup of tea?
I love teaching, and I always had a good rapport with my students. And my teaching goes back quite a few years to when I was a squad leader - teaching troops how to survive all sorts of crappy situations, how to take prisoners, how to blow up things (I worked with demolitions - land-mines). I applied these techniques when I got out of the service and taught English as a Second Language to foreign students, and taught English Comp., Humanities, and Creative Writing to undergrads/community college students. I stopped teaching when I moved to Germany.
Do you long for your days in the military? It says here "He was decorated in the First Gulf War (Bronze Star) after his men (7 guys) took over 253 Iraqi prisoners of war and destroyed millions of $$ of Iraqi military equipment (excerpt taken from "About Casinomeister"). What the hell happened there? How many guys did you take out? Was this a "special mission", or did this just happen (and your squad of 7 men) were in the right/wrong place at the right/wrong time?
After 11 years in, it was really tough leaving. I left at the halfway mark to retirement. People thought I was crazy because I had everything going for me. I was promoted earlier than most of my peers, and I would have made Sergeant Major in 20 years. But I was in a pretty rough job. I was a master parachutist and people like me spent most of their time in an airborne unit. And the old guys jump with they young guys, and you're still digging foxholes and humping around 60 lb rucksacks. It wasn't fun anymore. Besides I had accomplished everything one needed to accomplish while I was in.
I was a squad leader in the first Gulf War, and our company was attached to the scouts that first crossed the border during the ground offensive. In fact my tracked vehicle was one of the first to cross the border that morning. My job was to identify the minefields with the scouts, and breach a lane through them so that the tanks could fly through. We didn't have much resistance for the first couple of days. We began collecting prisoners - no one wanted to fight us. Me and my guys had them in a collection point which was merely sting of concertina wire encircling a 100 sq. meter area. It sucked really. These guys were all messed up. Some were wounded. None had any rations for probably days. I had only rations for my men, so I couldn't really give them anything. It was dark, cold, windy and rainy. The MPs finally relieved us and we rejoined our unit. But this was only after some very personal moments with the Iraqi soldiers. It was so very strange.
That night we finally caught up with the Republican Guard, and that's when things got pretty bad. Our unit took casualties, and the Iraqis were pretty much annihilated. We spent two - three months after that searching bunkers in Souther Iraq/ Northern Kuwait for abandoned munitions and blowing up shit.
Bryan forwarded me some photos that you may or may not have already seen before...
Could you share with us your experience working on a fish boat out of Kodiak Alaska? Were these the quiet years of Bryan Bailey?
I worked on the fish boat out of Petersburg (Southeast AK) before I was in the army - and I worked on the boat again out of Kodiak when I got out. Yes, these were the quiet years. I needed time to wind down. I was a little whacked out when I left the army, and this gave me time to get things going in my head. I did a lot of writing up there - a lot of it found it's way into my MFA thesis.
There is nothing like living on a boat, especially in a place so desolate, and yet there is a great community of fishermen and crew, and townspeople. Work hard - party hard. And we ate like kings.
Why did you decide to leave Southern California for Germany? What are some of the benefits in living in Germany over residing in California, or better yet, the U.S.?
I married a German - that's a reason. We also felt it was a better environment to raise kids - which it is in my opinion.
Benefits:
1. You aren't saturated with news here. In the states, the are "News Breaks" for every commercial break. And in the evening, it's all over the tube. It's really too much. Here you have your morning paper, and if you want to watch it in the evening, there's a 15 minute/ half hour news. You don't get all stressed on the news here - this is one point that I agree with Michael Moore on - that the US media uses fear to sell the news. They always have you on the edge of the seat. Here, there is not much to care about (except for the economy).
Old Attachment (Invalid)
Michael Moore on a happier day, away from the TV...
2. Beer - and the attitude people have with alcohol. No puritanical hypocrisy here.
3. Labor laws - you are required by law to give employees no less than 23 vacation days per year, and that doesn't include weekends or holidays.
4. Food - I'm into good baked goods. You really can't find these breads and pastries in the states.
5. Easy to travel in Europe to really nice places.
6. If your into castles or old ruins, this is the place to be.
Disadvantages:
1. I have to drive eight hours to visit a beach.
2. Germans are lazy when it comes to language. All movies in the theaters and on television are dubbed. I have to go to the UK, Canada, the US, or Sweden to see a movie in the original language - or rent the DVD.
3. I miss Doritos.
4. No Mexican food or Sushi where I live.
5. Germans can be very materialistic. If you drive a Mercedes, you get treated differently than if you drive a VW.
6. Nothing is convenient where i live. If I want to look at a stereos or a TV, I have to travel 45 minutes to the nearest retail store that sells media stuff.
7. TAXES
I believe I've listened to the majority of your webcasts (all of those which links will allow me play them), and it's easy to recognize that you're a pretty whimsical and outlandish person (at least for your webcasts). What kind of comedians have played a role in molding that side of Bryan Bailey?
Dr. Demento. Frank Zappa (if you could call him a comedian). I like Conan O'brien.
Old Attachment (Invalid)
Frank 'n the "Valley Girl", "Gag me with a spoon"...
I can see how Zappa could be viewed as a comedian. I know that you love doing the webcasts, as you've mentioned this fact a good number of times. Have you ever wanted to do them on a weekly basis? And if that's just too crazy of a question, what kind of time-frame are we looking at in terms of work being put into just a single episode?
Weekly would be ideal, but they are time consuming to produce. They take a full day. An ideal day is when I am able to write the outline for the webcast in the morning. Then do the recording in the early afternoon, with the production of the broadcast made late afternoon, and uploading etc. early evening. But I need to multitask while this is happening so the upload doesn't happen until around midnight my time.
Here's a question I've been dying to ask ever since I heard the webcast, roughly a year ago today (although it's at least a couple years old by now). Did the guy from "Slotland" actually visit your home in Germany? Are you still in contact with him today?
Yes, that was "Ray St. Jon". He was here in my studio and interviewed by "Vortran" and myself. We're in contact, but not as much as we were since he's doing other things at the moment.
What does the set-up of your office/webcast center look like? Do you lock yourself into your secret lair, and go online for 16 hours a day, patrolling and marshalling the online realm of everything to do with casinos?
It's a rather large room, with a huge picture glass window with glass doors that lead to a balcony that looks over a cherry and apple orchard, hills and trees, and the neighborhood. I face this beyond my computer screen - which is a good thing. If I'm not looking into the cyber-world, I'm looking at the snow coming down, or blossoms, or leafy tree tops, or neighborhood activities. It helps one to remain in the real world.
I don't need to lock myself away. It's a home office, a busy household, but if my kids come in to show me something or help them out with whatever, I'll usually do it. I'm a lucky guy. I have every meal with my family (and we have four here: breakfast, lunch, coffee and cake, and dinner). I begin work at 8-8:30 am. Break for chow 12-1pm. Afternoon break: 3 or 4 for about a half an hour. And then work until 18:30. Most evenings I'll put in a couple of hours after the kids are in bed. I don't work on weekends.
In your mind, what is the worst casino that you've ACTUALLY deposited at? Or better yet, what's been your worst personal experience with a casino?
I actually deposited at some iGlobal media casino a few years ago to test the slots. The same with a "Digital Diamond" casino. $20 bucks shot to hell.
What's the greatest casino game you've come across thus far? And the worst?
The greatest games are actually some of the ones offered by IGT/Leading Edge - Multi Strike Poker and Ace Invaders.
You do not have permission to view link
Log in or register now.
They aren't available for the online casino realm, but perhaps Wager Works might pick them up since IGT owns Wager Works.
As for the games we're most familiar with - well, I play a lot of MGs Power Poker Deuces Wild (4 hand) and Spring Break. I think the Spring Break/Thunderstruck/Ladies Nite template is really hard to beat. As long as the free spins are coming!
In all the years of "Casinomeister.com's" existence, what has been the most interesting thread that you've come across?
It would have to be the "Pirate Episode". It included all aspects of a wild encounter. A guy was able to win $1.3 million off of an RTG casino. The operator calls the guy to get him to state he used a robot, meanwhile the player recorded the same conversation to protect himself. The operator described how the software detected this (in the forum), then RTG came in and stated that the operator was full of crap. It went on and on. The main stream press picked up on it - and the player ended up being paid (much less than the original figure - because the casino couldn't afford this). This thread was taking all sorts of turns and meanwhile I'm being fed bits and pieces from people behind the scenes. Verrrry interesting.
What has been your greatest regret you've had to date, at "Casinomeister.com"?
Not having the time to get some of the projects I have in mind up and running (webcast going to video for one thing). Not being able to communicate effectively. There are many people who either misunderstand me or don't bother to read what I have to say. It's quite frustrating sometimes.
If you, Bryan Bailey, could start a band (now or via time-machine), what kind of direction would you want to go in? What sound do you believe you could pull-off the best?
It would be something either very "Tool-ish". Or reggae. Wow, some extremes there - but I would feel close to home with either. I learned some bass techniques by listening to Jack Bruce and some of his jams in Cream (not that I could play like him, but long jams influenced me) I could probably pull the "Tool" sound off the best, as in a deep gutty bass that can smack one up side the head. But I like playing reggae, so it would be a mix.
How many years have you being playing bass and keyboards? What other instruments do dabble with?
I've played bass on and off since high school. Back then I played mostly Led Zep, Hendrix, Cream covers. Now it's a lot of things. I'm really into Reggae - but I play that mostly in the Spring and Summer. Reggae while it's snowing outside doesn't cut it for me. This winter I was playing a lot of Audio Slave, Creed, grunge stuff. I have a beautiful bass - 5 string Fender Precision. I'm not in a band though; I just have a guitar buddy who comes over once a week or so. His musical tastes are much different then mine.
Keyboards, ha! I'm more like "Ross Gehler" on "Friends". I can play stuff by ear, but it's pretty rudimentary.
If your favorite genre of music is punk (that's just a well-formed guess), what genre are you most put-off by?
Anything that comes across just trying to make a buck. I hate listening to commercial radio - especially in Germany. They are a bunch of music haters and I despise them.
What's the best concert you'd ever been to? The worst?
Best: Devo. Santa Cruz Civic auditorium 1980
Old Attachment (Invalid)
Worst: I don't think I have any worst. If the concert was boring, we would just get high and look for chicks. This was in the seventies of course.
Were you at one time were heavily into the American West Coast punk rock scene of the late '70s? Examples of this would be none other than Ramones inspired Black Flag, or other punks greats such as Bad Religion, Circle Jerks, Dead Kennedys, and Bad Brains. Did any of these bands make any kind of impact on your life (living in California)?
That's a definite "yes"! Black Flag, the Circle Jerks, and of course the "Dead Kennedys" were very big with me. I had everything they produced on vinyl, buuut my living arrangements prohibited me from seeing them as often as I wished. I was in the Army in 1981 during the height of these bands careers. Nevertheless, when I would go home on leave I'd make an extra effort to catch any of their shows. I danced on stage with Jello Biafra and East Bay Ray in 1984 (Keystone, Palo Alto). That was an incredible experience.
Did you ever see any punk bands at "The Masque" (famous club which showcased the biggest LA punk bands)? If so, how was the experience?
Nope - too far down south for me.
What are some of your favorite punk bands, who originate from the '70s (first wave punk)?
Besides the Godfathers of the movement (the Ramones, Sex Pistols, the Clash), I was really involved with the "new wave" movement so to speak. Talking Heads, Elvis Costello, Devo, the Stranglers, B52s...
If there was any one band that started punk, which band would you single-out?
That's really hard to say, because "punk" is somewhat of an expression of attitude. You had this in the 60s with Iggy Pop and the Stooges, or early Frank Zappa. Have you ever heard The Trashmen's rendition of "Surfin' Bird"? Now that was punk - and that was 1964. But for punk as we seem to know it, it would have to be the Ramones - they were influential to both the Sex Pistols and the Clash.
Old Attachment (Invalid)
Despite your own bias towards the RAMONES, which punk band would consider to have made the biggest mark on the history of punk (although I'm guessing that it may very well be the Ramones anyway...)?
Besides the Ramones? The Clash it would have to be. After their "Give 'em enough Rope" album, they started bringing in other forms of music - noteworthy is reggae. They were one of the first New Wave/Punk bands that snagged the reggae rock beat mon. This opened up reggae to the mainstream in the late 70s.
While I've certainly taken noticed that your musical tastes are scattered all over the place, how can one go from being a MONSTER Ramones fan, to a Martin Gore or an Andy Bell fan? Did you take any heat from your friends for taking that leap (or was it a secret)? The only reason I ask this was because I was a pretty big "metal" fan in the late '80s, and I would become a huge Depeche Mode, the Cure and New Order fan after (and that DIDN'T go over too well with many-a-folk at the time)?
Yes, my musical tastes are scattered, and this is mainly from my upbringing. Music was a very important of my life at a young age, thanks to my parents and growing up in the SF Bay Area in the 60s and 70s. Before getting in to the punk scene in the late seventies, I was really into your synth powered rock. ELP, Genesis (with Peter Gabriel), Yes, Pink Floyd. And of course Frank Zappa with or without the Mothers of Invention. Depeche Mode is sort of a carry over from the early synth "punk" (Devo for instance). And Erasure? Ha, maybe it's more sentimental. My wife and I lived in the "cosmopolitan" area of San Diego for eight years. In our apartment complex of 18 units, there were only three straight couples - us included. It looked like the apartment in Melrose Place. In fact, our pool had the same tile.
There were restaurants and night clubs all around us. We'd go to some of these gay dance halls, and it was a blast. The drinks were cheap as hell on Thursday nights, and I didn't have to worry about guys hitting up on my wife . I digress. They played a lot of Erasure.
At the height of their musical careers, who would you consider to have been more talented, Martin Gore (DM) or Vince Clarke?
I'd say it's about a draw - they are both very similar, and it's tough pinpointing if one has more talent than the other.
Although this is a selfish question (for my own interest), what are some of your favorite DM songs? What do you consider to be their greatest album to date?
My favorites are the remixes. I think I have them all. "Only When I Loose Myself" is pretty trippy. I used to watch the video while dealing with midnight feedings when my boy was a little baby. It's one of the few songs I can never get burned out on.
What's the greatest album (difficult question I'm sure) you've heard to date, from any singer/band?
Too many to name - I could go with the popular answer - St. Peppers. But beyond that, probably Frank Zappa's "Joe's Garage, Acts I, II, III" every time I listen to it, I hear something different, and I've been listening to it for years.
I'm going to give you a year, and you tell me what band (or singer) made the most impact on you at that time. In fact, if you could, I'd LOVE to hear what was your most memorable song for each of those years (as well). IOW, even though iPODs weren't around back then, what would have been playing in your room the most at that time?
I'm going to go back to when you were 15-years old, and we'll fast forward up until today...
The years may be off from the album release date since we don't always hear the bands we want to hear when they first come out. And the band and song may not jive since there are some really great songs - but I was listening to other stuff as well.
'73 -
Band: Jimi Hendrix
Song: David Essex "Rock On"?The first time I heard it was on the radio - listening to it in my room in the dark. It's still haunting.
'74 -
Band: Yes
Song: Led Zeppelin "The Song Remains The Same" ahh, high school girls in halter tops.
'75 -
Band: Led Zeppelin
Pink Floyd "Us And Them" from Dark Side of the moon. ahhh....high school girls in halter tops.
'76 -
Band: Genesis
Song: Frank Zappa "Inca Roads" from One Size Fits All - keg parties!
'77 -
Band: Genesis
Song: Frank Zappa "Wind up working in a Gas Station" from Zoot Allures - I worked at Ernies Exxon in Sunnyvale.
'78 -
Band: Ramones
Song: "Cretin Hop" from Rocket to Russia - my step brother and I stayed up almost all night listening to this album and laughing out asses off.
'79 -
Band: Devo
All Devo songs - I saw them in Santa Cruz and became a Devotee
'80 -
Band: Stranglers/Dead Kennedys/the Specials
Song: "Revolution Rock" by the Clash "London Burning"
'81 -
Band: Stranglers/Clash
Albums: Meninblack/Sandinista
'82 -
Band: Dead Kennedys
Songs: Plastic Surgery Disasters
'83 -
Band: The Clash
Combat Rock (I was a paratrooper y'know)
'84 -
Band: Talking Heads - SPEAKING IN TONGUES
Song - Burning Down The House
'85 -
Band: B52s
Songs- anything by UB40
'86 -
(Central American Jungle Boogie)
Band: Big Audio Dynamite/Killing Joke/the Clash still
'87 -
Band: UB40 - again!
Anything Oingo Boingo
'88 -
Art of Noise
'89 -
Depeche Mode - Violator
Song: Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers - One Bright Day
'90 -
Gulf War Tunes (we would play these on our track's headsets - the helmets that have an internal PA/radio system)
REM
Depeche Mode "Single remixes"
Fugazi
'91 -
ditto
Still in the desert.
'92 -
Fish Boat years
Nirvana/Pearl Jam
'93 -
Nirvana
Stone Temple Pilots
REM - "Man on the Moon" (big time Andy Kaufman fan)
'94 -
REM Monster
Green Day Dookie
'95 -
Weezer
'96 -
Ramones
'97 -
Marcy Playground
'98 -
REM
'99 -
I'm a Lost puppy in Germany - Erasure
'00 -
Erasure/Depeche Mode
'01 -
Lateralus - Tool
'02 -
Started listening to a lot of Frank Zappa again
Erasure mixes
'03 -
More "Tool"
'04 -
Green Day "American Idiot"
'05 -
Band: Beastie Boys: To the 5 Boroughs
Song "Sleeping Beauty" Perfect Circle
'06 -
Lot's of Burning Spear, UB40, Mighty Diamonds, and....
...the Ramones
Thank you for that list.
I noticed that you listed "Groundhog Day" (1993) as one of your favorite films, and I would also list this amongst my favorites (although I didn't at Casinomeister.com). Although I just thought of it as a simple comedy when it first came out (how wrong I was at the time), and would now think of this as being one of the most creative ideas that any writer (Harold Ramis), covering existentialist themes cast in a very entertaining light. What's your favorite scene in this little gem?
When Bill Murray has realized that something is verrry wrong, and during his morning walk to the Coffee Shop, he punches that guy.
The next question is a real doozy, and your "squad leader" skills will be put to the test on this one. You're going to be put on a "SPECIAL MISSION", wherein you must choose from the assortment of TV characters listed (TV shows "A-D").
Your mission is pretty straight-forward. You must flank and take-over a German bunker, and hold position for at least a week until the next patrol unit relieves your squad of it's duties. The backdrop of such a mission, will be filmed at ABC studios, used for the hit TV series "COMBAT!" (1962-1967).
You will have a unit of 12. From the wide-assortment and deep talent pool of famous TV SUPERSTARS to choose from (below), and with you being the "First Sargeant", who would you select for your team of "Bailey's 12"? And please, why did you assign these actors their specified role?
Talent pools A-D:
A) Barney Miller (1975-1982)
Hal Linden ... Capt. Barney Miller
Barbara Barrie .... Elizabeth Miller (1975-1976)
Abe Vigoda .... Det. Phil Fish (1975-1977)
Max Gail .... Det. Stan 'Wojo' Wojciehowicz (also as Maxwell Gail)
Ron Glass .... Det. Ron Harris
Jack Soo .... Det. Nick Yemana (1975-1978)
Gregory Sierra .... Det. Sgt. Chano Amenguale (1975-1976)
Steve Landesberg .... Det. Arthur Dietrich (1976-1982)
Ron Carey .... Officer Carl Levitt (1976-1982)
James Gregory .... Police Inspector Frank Luger
B) M.A.S.H. (1972-1983)
Alan Alda .... Capt. Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce
Wayne Rogers .... Army Capt. "Trapper John" McIntyre (1972-1975)
McLean Stevenson .... Lt. Col. Henry Blake (1972-1975)
Gary Burghoff .... Cpl. Walter "Radar" O'Reilly (1972-1979)
Larry Linville .... Maj. Frank Burns (1972-1977)
Loretta Swit .... Maj. Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan
Mike Farrell .... Capt. B.J. Hunnicut (1975-1983)
Harry Morgan .... Col. Sherman T. Potter (1975-1983)
Jamie Farr .... Cpl./Sgt. Maxwell "Max" Q. Klinger
David Ogden Stiers .... Maj. Charles Emerson Winchester III (1977-1983)
C) CHEERS (1982-1993)
Ted Danson .... Sam Malone
Shelley Long .... Diane Chambers (1982-1987)
Kirstie Alley .... Rebecca Howe (1987-1993)
Nicholas Colasanto .... Ernie 'Coach' Pantusso (1982-1985)
Rhea Perlman .... Carla Tortelli
John Ratzenberger .... Cliff Clavin
Woody Harrelson .... Woody Boyd (1985-1993)
Kelsey Grammer .... Dr. Frasier Crane (1984-1993)
Bebe Neuwirth .... Dr. Lilith Sternin-Crane (1986-1993)
George Wendt .... Norm Peterson
D) Taxi (1978-1983)
Judd Hirsch .... Alex Reiger
Jeff Conaway .... Robert L. 'Bobby' Wheeler (1978-1981)
Danny DeVito .... Louie De Palma
Marilu Henner .... Elaine O'Connor-Nardo
Tony Danza .... Tony Banta
Randall Carver .... John Burns (1978-1979)
Andy Kaufman .... Latka Gravas/Vic Ferrari
Christopher Lloyd .... Reverend Jim Ignatowski (1979-1983)
"An ABC Premier"...
Tonights program is brought to you by Maxwell House, GULF OIL, and LIBBY'S DEEP BROWN BEANS.
''BAILEY'S 12''
[Roll the credits...]
First Sargeant (airborn infantryman)
Starring "Bryan Bailey"... as Bryan Bailey
Communications Officer (infantry)
Danny DeVito... Louie De Palma - good communicator.
Infantry Trooper
Andy Kaufman ....Latka Gravas/Vic Ferrari - you need guys like him in the woods with you.
Machine Gunner (infantry)
Woody Harrelson ....Woody Boyd (1985-1993) he's dedicated to his work - sign of a good machine gunner.
Counter Intelligence
Kelsey Grammer ... Dr. Frasier Crane (1984-1993) - we need brains here!
Mortar Soldier (artillery/infantry engineer)
Stan 'Wojo' Wojciehowicz - he's a big guy and Mortar troops/engineers have to carry a lot of crap.
Commando (infantry)
Tony Danza .... Tony Banta - tough guy.
Old Attachment (Invalid)
Already showing their "colors" back in the day... it's all coming together now...
Bazooka Soldier (engineer/artillery)
Already showing their "colors" back in the day... it's all coming together now...
Bazooka Soldier (engineer/artillery)
Abe Vigoda ....Det. Phil Fish (1975-1977) - he would be good at carrying stuff and complaining.
Driver (transportation/infantry)
Alan Alda .... Capt. Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce - he'd make a good driver. He's a conversationalist, but I wouldn't want him in the field.
Medic (medical doctor)
Loretta Swit .... Maj. Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan - she's hot!
Marine (recondo/jungle warfare)
Gregory Sierra .... Det. Sgt. Chano Amenguale (1975-1976) there is a subtle intensity here that would be realized in the jungle.
Helicopter Pilot
Christopher Lloyd .... Reverend Jim Ignatowski (1979-1983) - he'd make an excellent pilot - imagine him bringing it in on a hot LZ.
Hahaha!!! Classic stuff. Although I would have loved to have been around a conversation involving Judd Hirsch and Alan Alda... break-out a couple cups of SANKA at the ammunitions depot. By all accounts, you'd REALLY have to kick these guys into shape. BTW, I'm trying to figured-out what you mean by "Det. Sgt. Chano Amenguale's" subtle intensity that would be realized in the jungle. I'm downloading some BARNEY MILLER episodes as I'm typing this.
Final question. Where the heck is "Jackpot Willi?" What's his story? Is he a myth, or is he a real-life legend? Does this guy ever post?
Nope, but he lives next door. Looks like it's time for the Bierfest to kick off.
***
In closing,
I'd like to thank the "Casinomeister" for his corresponding with me for this interview, via all-over-the-globe these past few hectic weeks. I know that the "music" list was a bitch to do, but I appreciated it.
Thank you all for your time.
Steed
***
Last edited: