Slimmest of All People,

If you're ever accosted in a deli, it's possible to stab that person with a piece of cheddar cheese.

But only if it's extra sharp.

Hello SlimSantas!

Are you looking for a great gift for your dearly beloved?

Me, neither!

But just in case you're stuck trying to figure out what to get your favorite Slim Person, how about a Slim Bundle of Joy?

What's the Slim Bundle of Joy?

Glad you asked!

You can get the new Slim Man Cooks Volume 2 cookbook and a Slim Christmas CD and a Slim Man Sweet Sixteen CD and a Slim Christmas postcard all for the low price of $50! And shipping is FREE!

It's the Slim Bundle of Joy! But wait! There's more!

Mr. Man will sign everything to whomever you want.

Order now, because there are only 10 Bundles of Joy available!

But we have plenty of the new Slim Man Bona Fide CDs in stock. And shipping is FREE!

Give us a name and we'll get Mr. Man to personalize it. Joy to the World!

AND THIS JUST IN!

We know March sounds really far away right now, but we have the Slim Man Big Band Concert on Sunday, March 24th at the Annenberg Theater.

The reason why we're pumping this up so early is because the sooner you get your tickets, the better your seats will be.

The Annenberg is an elegant theater in downtown Palm Springs with great acoustics and lights. And the music ain't bad either!

Mr. Man will be singing with the 17-piece Paul McDonald Big Band along with special guest vocalist Bobbi Taylor and Sax Man Chase Huna!

We'll be doing all your favorite Rat Pack songs in a setting that's stunning!

There are plenty of hotels nearby. Make a weekend of it. Road trip!

Get tickets right here, but don't wait too long. The last show was sold-out!

https://www.psmuseum.org/events/slim-man-2024

AND NOW THE REAL NEW REAL NEWS FROM SLIM'S SHADY TRAILER PARK

Slim People! I try to keep these newsletters to around 1,000 words. But this last trip was so jam-packed with great stories, I had to use 1300 words. But most of them are small!

4 DAYS WITH CHEESEHEAD SHORTY

WEDNESDAY

Chase (Huna, Sax Man) and I went to Palm Springs Airport. 

We met Cheesehead Shorty at the gate. That's not her real name. I'm not sure if she'd want her true identity associated with this newsletter!

I met Shorty in Palm Springs years ago when I was just starting the Rat Pack thing. She heard me sing and asked if I'd be interested in doing a show in her hometown. 

Antigo. Wisconsin. The Dairy State. Land of Cheeseheads!

Sure! Why not? What could go wrong?

Well, the very first show we did was opening day of deer hunting season. There were so many hunters in town that I had to do the show that night in a neon orange vest! 

But every year since then they've been getting better. Now we do them the week before hunting season! Cheesehead Shorty has turned the shows into something special.

And this year she wanted to include Chase.

So the three of us met at Palm Springs airport and flew to Salt Lake City. We had a five-hour layover. Five hours! 

Shorty got us into the airline’s private club. It was posh, Slim People. 

They had a breakfast bar the size of a lap pool. The table was laid out with all kinds of fruit, waffles, oatmeal, yogurt, breads, and pastries. They had omelets baked in cupcake tins. 

There was a coffee machine the size of a tractor-trailer. It was sumptuous, Slim People.

The three of us had a bite. Or three. 

Then, at 11:00 AM, they brought out lunch! It was equally dazzling and delicious. There was a display of food spread out on a table as long as a bowling alley.

I was kinda hoping our next flight would be delayed so we could stay for dinner!

No such luck. Our flight to the northland was on time.

THURSDAY

It was a wee bit chilly in Antigo. Low 30s. 

Chase and I set up our gear at the Hoffman House around 1 PM. It's an old hotel on Main Street that was renovated by a young couple who've restored it to its former glory. And they did a great job.

Chase and I did the Rat Pack Duo show that night. People stood around the antique bar and listened to us play Frank and Dino songs. They were quite appreciative.

Sure, that might have been because it was open bar. I always sound better after a couple drinks!

FRIDAY

Peace Man gave us a ride to 5th Avenue, a restaurant on Main Street. Peace Man lives in Wisconsin. I met him years ago in Big Bear after a jazz festival. He liked the music. I liked his blue suede shoes.

Six months later, after a Slim Show, he brought up a box of...blue suede shoes. In my size.

14!

We've become good friends. And he was in town for the Slim and Chase shows.

We had to have some cheese curds. They're deep-fried and they're everywhere in Wisconsin. Served with ranch dressing. 

They serve ranch dressing with just about everything. And most everything is deep-fried. 

And delicious!

After lunch, we drove past a sign. We Buy Squirrel Tails. 

Chase asked me if they were a deep-fried Wisconsin delicacy.

Fortunately, no!

The (true) story is...a man from Antigo was in France during World War Two. He befriended some French fishermen who gave him some lures that worked like magic. When he got back to Antigo, he tried to create the same lure.

And the only hair that made the lure move the same was...from a squirrel tail. He started making lures, business grew, and now it pulls in 6 million dollars a year. That's a lot of squirrel tails.

Oui Oui! 

The show that night was in a banquet hall decked out with dozens of tables surrounding a dance floor. It was sold-out!

Chase and I started with some Rat Pack songs. People were ballroom dancing, and it was kinda like Dancin' with the Stars Antigo style! Shorty was out there twirling and swirling the whole time.

Then Chase and I were joined by some members of Hip Pocket, the 10-piece horn band that was headlining. We launched into some Slim Songs, and ended with a version of Valerie that was a show stoppa!

Chase and I left the stage and then Hip Pocket came on. I gotta tell ya, Slim People...that band is good. Tight!

All those horns, blaring out songs by Chicago, Earth Wind and Fire, Kool and the Gang, Huey Lewis...I was tempted to get out on the dance floor and do the Funky Chicken!

Shorty organized the concert as a benefit for United Way and over the years, we've raised tens of thousands of dollars for a great cause. Way to go, Shorty!

SATURDAY

The next morning, I went for a jog. It was freezing cold as I ran through the woods, hoping some drunken hunter wouldn't mistake me for a deer. 

Or Sasquatch.



As I headed back to the hotel, I jogged by a new Volm Company warehouse. 

Volm is a bagging company that was started by Cheesehead Shorty's dad. True story...

He started off making burlap bags in the 1950s for a small general store near Antigo. They needed bags for their potatoes, and Shorty's dad began making burlap sacks. The business grew and grew. And now?

They've got plants all over the world. They make all kinds of bags. If you go to a grocery store and buy a sack of spuds, chances are that bag was made by Volm!

That afternoon, Shorty left for Palm Springs, and Chase, Peace Man and I went to Lambeau Field for a tour. Lambeau is where the Green Bay Packers football team plays.

And for two hours, Don the tour guide showed us around as he told stories about one of the oldest teams in football. Started in 1919!

We went on the roof. 

We went out on the field.

It was pretty amazing, Slim People.

And then? We went out for dinner. It started snowing and it was the first time Chase the California Dude had ever seen it snow! Let it snow!

After dinner, Peace Man dropped us off at our Airbnb for the night, a place he had rented for us.

A World War Two plane!

NFK. Not Effing Kidding!

Some guy bought the plane for $10,000, put it up on stilts in the middle of the woods, and spent $50,000 making it livable...

Somewhat. 

The spiral staircase that led up to the fuselage was treacherous. We had to leave our bags and instruments in Peace Man's car! 

The two Futons were kinda small. 

There was no mirror in the bathroom. The heater blew so hot I thought my hair was gonna catch fire as I walked by.

But I was glad we had heat because there was about an inch of snow on the deck outside the door. 

The cockpit had been left exactly as it was, which was very cool indeed. 

And the propellers had motion detectors, so whenever you walked by they started spinning. 

Now I know why they had the plane up on stilts! 

Peace Man picked us up the next morning at 3 AM (sounds like the title of a great song!). I took a shower in the tiny bathroom in the rear of the plane. 

The hot water heater must have been located somewhere in Palm Springs because that shower was icy cold!

And then?

Peace drove us to the airport, and Chase and I flew back to Palm Springs.

When we left Green Bay there was snow on the ground. When we got back to Palm Springs, Californee?

It was 70 degrees and sunny.

What an amazing trip!

Thanks to Cheesehead Shorty and all the Antigonians. What a lovely group of folks.

Thanks to Peace Man for the plane stay!

And thanks to all you Slim People for the love.

It's all about love!

Who loves ya?

Uncle Slimmy

PS: Here's a video for minestrone! The recipe is in the first Slim Man Cooks cookbook. It's a perfect dish for a cold day in Wisconsin! Cheeseheads rejoice!

MINESTRONE VIDEO

Wednesdays in December!



The Slim Man Chase Huna Rat Pack Duo!

Larkspur Grill at Hotel Paseo

45400 Larkspur

Palm Desert, CA 92204

760.340.6069

6-9 PM

Come see the Rat Pack Duo! Slim Man sings. Chase plays sax.

We have a cool video screen behind us that shows hundreds of vintage photos of the Rat Pack, Vegas, Palm Springs, old album covers, travel posters and postcards from the 1960s. Come check it out!

It's fun. Ain't that a kick in the head!

See you there!

https://www.larkspurgrill.com



EVERY TUESDAY!

THE SLIM MAN BAND AT VICKY'S!

SHOWTIME 6:00 PM

WILL DONATO ON SAX DECEMBER 26!

RESERVATIONS RECOMMENDED!

Vicky's

45100 Club Drive

Indian Wells, CA

760 345 9770

https://www.vickysofsantafe.com

Peace Man presents The Slim Man Big Band Show!

Sunday, March 24, 2024!

The elegant Annenberg Theater will host 5x Jazz Vocalist of the Year Slim Man!

This is your chance to hear an amazing entertainer sing a stellar selection of American Pop Standards, backed by the swinging 17-piece Paul McDonald Big Band. 

Paul has assembled the finest musicians around, who will be playing the original Nelson Riddle and Quincy Jones arrangements of such classics as Fly Me to the Moon, I've Got You Under My Skin, and Summer Wind.

Special guests include vocalist Bobbi Taylor and Sax Man Chase Huna.  

The acoustics at the majestic Annenberg are impeccable, the musicianship on stage is dazzling, and Slim Man's distinctive voice is a delightful blend of soul, jazz, and pop. And he's kinda funny!

A rare performance you don't want to miss. The last show was sold-out!

CLICK HERE TO GET TICKETS

CHECK THE WEBSITE FOR ALL GIGS. AND MERCH! BUY A NEW CD! GET A COOKBOOK FOR GRANDMA FOR CHRISTMAS!

PEACE, MAN!