Hello SlimStones!

I was getting romantic with a woman on her couch when she said, "Let's take this upstairs."

I said, "OK, you grab one end, I'll grab the other."

Dearest Slim People,

Here's a story about Ace Frehley and BootCamp.

There's a version of this story in the first cookbook. Which is back in print.

How lucky can you guys and gals be?

Get a copy now! Buy two! The Holidays are coming!

Slim Man Cooks Volume 1

Slim Folks,

Ace Frehley passed away last week. He was the original guitar player in KISS, one of the biggest rock bands on the planet back in the day.

I met Ace in 1984. Spent almost a week at his house recording music.

Settle in, Slim Boys and Girls. Uncle Slimmy's gonna tell you a little story...

In the 1980s, my band, BootCamp, had two of the first 100 videos on MTV. The phone was ringing. Stars were rising. Ladders were being climbed!

We got an offer from two guys at a management company that was involved with Van Halen.  Van Effing Halen! We were excited, to say the least.

Management Men had checked out a few LIVE shows, really liked our music, and signed us up to do a record. Here we go!

They hired Rob Sabino as producer. I was well aware of who Rob was. Keyboard player for Chic. Rob Effing Sabino! 

I loved Chic. Good Times, Le Freak, I Want Your Love—the production on those songs was stellar! The playing was outstanding. I was a huge Chic fan.

Next step was to pick a recording studio. Rob suggested a studio in Connecticut that belonged to his boyhood friend from the Bronx...

Ace Frehley, from KISS. Ace Effing Frehley!

We booked Ace's studio for the first week of January, 1984.

The BootCamp Boys—Tom Alonso (piano), Bob Fallin (guitar), Howard Zizzi (drums) and Yours Truly—drove from Baltimore to Connecticut in the freezing cold.



The studio was built into a hillside underneath Ace's house. We unloaded the U-Haul into the studio. 

It was a full-fledged recording studio with all the latest gear. Everything seemed so shiny and new.

Then we went upstairs to check out the rest of the house. That's when the fun began.

Ace was standing in the middle of the kitchen, waving an Uzi machine gun around. He wasn't trying to kill anybody—he was just showing off one of his new toys. Ace had lots of toys: guns, guitars, fancy cars. 



We were pretty sure the Uzi was unloaded, but figured it might be best to go back to the safety of the bunker just in case. So we headed down to the basement studio and got to work.

We started laying down tracks. Rob sat behind the mixing board, and we worked for hours. 

Rob Sabino on the right

We took a break, and I asked where the bathroom was. Well, turns out, we couldn't use the bathroom.

Why?

The septic system was screwed up. All the bathrooms were out of order. So if you had to go, you had to go out in the woods.

Did I mention it was the dead of winter? In the northeast? Oh, the glamorous life of show biz.

The sessions were intense. We'd record all day and then crash at a little motel nearby. And then we'd get up and head back to the basement bunker and record some more. 

And that's what we did all week long. 

Ace was around the whole time. I'd like to say it was because he was a big BootCamp fan, but the reason why Ace was always hanging out was because...

He was under house arrest for driving his DeLorean sports car (painted Ferrari red) the wrong way up the freeway while under the influence.

Under the influence of what, I'm not sure. But I'm pretty sure booze was in the mix.

Let me say this, Slim People—if you're gonna be under house arrest, it might as well be in a house like Ace's. More like a castle than a house. It had huge gates in front and tall stone walls all around.

All it needed was a moat and some archery turrets.

It was hard not to like Ace. He had a boozy charm, like Dudley Moore in Arthur (look it up, kids!). Ace always had a loopy smile on his face.

And Ace was quite the host. He showed us his extensive guitar collection—rows of electric guitars hanging from the ceiling on hooks. 

He even had the guitar he used at KISS shows that shot flames out of the neck. 

One day Ace tried to get the flames to shoot out but couldn't make it happen. He was struggling, having a hard time figuring it out. 

I could have been mistaken, but Ace may have taken a couple of slugs from his jug of Joy Juice that morning. Either that or his cologne of choice was Eau de Rum and Coke. 

I was kinda glad he couldn't get the flame-throwing guitar to work. Under the circumstances, it could have been lethal!

We ended up recording four songs in about a week. Before we left, we took a photo of the crew.

Tom, Bob, our Roadie in Red, Management Men, Rob, How

Then we packed up the U-Haul, waved goodbye to Rob and Ace, and drove through the freezing cold back to Baltimore, Maryland.

Bawlmer, Merlin!

Rob stayed at Ace's studio and put the finishing touches on the songs we recorded. Then he sent us the master tapes, and we released a four-song album a few months later.

It did pretty well, Slim People. Got some airplay, made some waves. Kept the dream alive for another couple years.

BootCamp eventually disbanded, but those sessions at Ace's place were quite memorable, to say the least.

I recently went on the internet to see if any of those vinyl BootCamp albums were still around--I didn't even own a copy. I found one for more than $1000 bucks! I should have saved some!

This past summer, a record company named Fervor signed all four songs from that album.

Fervor Records also places music in TV shows like Tulsa King and movies like The Green Book.

So don't be surprised if you hear a BootCamp song in the next Dumb and Dumber sequel!

Rest in peace and music, Ace. Thanks for the memories.

Slim People, keep in touch. And keep smiling. While you still have teeth.

It's all about love.

Who loves ya?

Uncle Slimmy

PS: Here's a video of the recipe that goes along with the Ace Frehley story in the Slim Man Cooks cookbook. Roasted chicken with Rosemary.

The toughest part of this dish is finding someone named Rosemary to share it with!

Click here to see the video

TUESDAYS!

THE SLIM MAN BAND

BACK AT VICKY'S!

Who's in the Slim Man Band at Vicky's these days?

Good question!

Slim Man is always there! So is Slim Drummer Craig Chesnut.

Tateng Katindig plays piano a good part of the time. Alfonso Olachea sometimes plays piano.

And on sax?

And Chase Huna is back October 28!

COME SEE THE SHOW! NO COVER!

Vicky's

45100 Club Drive

Indian Wells, CA

760 345 9770

https://www.vickysofsantafe.com

Wednesdays! [Except October 29 and November 12th]



The Slim Man 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 one of these Wednesdays! I sing, Chase Huna plays sax.

The show is fun. Songs, stories, jokes and some Slim Shenanigans.

There's a gigantic video screen behind us that plays a slideshow of over 2,000 photos that we've gathered.

Vintage photos of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Nat King Cole, classic Palm Springs pics, images of old concert ticket stubs...you gotta see it!

It's a kick in the head! See you there!

FREE VALET PARKING FOR ALL SLIM PEOPLE! NO COVER!

Call 760.340.6069 for reservations.

https://www.larkspurgrill.com

FRIDAY OCTOBER 31st!
HALLOWEEN IN WISCONSIN!

CHEESEHEADS REJOICE!

Slim People, if you're looking for something witchy to do Halloween night, look no more! Grab your broomstick and fly on over to Antigo, Wisconsin, for a Cheesehead Halloween Hoedown.

It's a benefit for United Way, so let's party for a good cause!

Chase Huna and Mr. Man are gonna open the show with some Rat Pack songs, then we're gonna swing into some Slim Tunes, and then...Hip Pocket is gonna take the stage.

They're a big funky horn band so put on your Frankenstein costume, get your clodhoppers on the dance floor and do the Monster Mash!

Does that poster say FREE BEER?

Yes! And it's not the name of a new band. There will actually be FREE BEER for All Slim People!

CHEERS!

Should be very...interesting!

Northstar

400 Prosser Place

Antigo, WI

DOORS OPEN 6 PM

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 9!

HUMPHREY'S in SAN DIEGO!

The Men of Slimness return to one of the coolest clubs around...HUMPHREY'S!

If you've never been to this place, you're missing a really groovy club. It's intimate, great sound, and it's right on the bay.

And may I suggest you make a night of it?

The hotel is SWEET! I've stayed there many times.

The music ain't bad, either! Chase Huna on sax, Alfonso Olachea on piano, and Nat Scott on drums.

These shows sell out, so get tickets now.

Humphrey's Backstage LIVE

2241 Shelter Island Drive

San Diego, CA

619.224.3577

GET TICKETS HERE

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 12

Rancho Mirage Observatory

Rancho Mirage, CA

SHOWTIME 7 PM

Slim People, this is our first time playing this gig.

All we know is that it's really cool. And we think it's free. And it might be outdoors. Chase Huna did this gig last year and raved about it.

And Chase knows his stuff!

So let's find out together what this concert is all about!

We know for sure that Chase Huna is on sax, Tateng Katindig on piano, Craig Chesnut on drums.

MORE DETAILS TO COME!

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 30th!

A SLIM MAN HOLIDAY HOEDOWN!

THE COLLECTIVE ENCORE IN COLUMBIA, MD.

DETAILS ON THE WAY.

GET TICKETS RIGHT HERE!

ALL DETAILS ON ALL SLIM STUFF ARE AT SLIMMAN.COM.

WHILE YOU'RE THERE, TAKE A STROLL AROUND.

GET SOME MERCH.

BUY A COOKBOOK. SHE'S A-SO NICE!

PEACE, MAN!