From the Apr 1 – Apr 7, 1999 issue

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ASSHOLE WITH ATTITUDE

FRANK SINATRA

by Nathan Thornburgh

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Hating Frank Sinatra is not about having information that nobody else has. His Mafia connections are old news. The assiduous record-keeping of state and federal law enforcement agencies over the last 60 years have left a well-publicized dossier on Sinatra, and it's no secret that he was a bully and a power-tripping prick. Hating Frank Sinatra is not just about knowing his weaknesses, it's about having the will to not excuse them.

Who Gives a Fuck About 'The Voice'?

So Frank Sinatra was called "The Voice." Get over it. Saxophonist Stan Getz was called "The Sound," but he's not treated like a saint. Besides, the worst thing Getz ever did was get the shakes every once in a while, whereas Sinatra lived his 80 years as if he had a special pass that allowed him to be a much bigger asshole than anyone else. And as far as The Voice is concerned, Sinatra wasn't God's perfect singer, either. He sang up in his larynx, too high up in his throat, a problem that caused him to blow out his voice by 1952. Throughout his career, and especially later on, the true secret to his musical success was that other people provided him with the best compositions, the best arrangements, and the best backing groups. Although they're rarely mentioned, the orchestras who played behind him would've made Biz Markie sound like Pavarotti.

Frank, Jerry the Crusher, and Kyong Kim

Many Sinatra apologists claim that he was just a "man's man'" and not a bully at all. U2's Bono provided a dribbling example of this when he exclaimed like a teenage fan, "He got what we want--swagger and attitude." Sinatra's kind of attitude, however, was the kind that only real assholes could respect--his bodyguards Joe Tomatoes and Jerry the Crusher excelled at holding people down so Sinatra could hit them. Tough to the end, Sinatra was nearly 70 when CBS aired footage of him trying to get Kyong Kim, an Atlantic City card dealer, fired for not cheating for him. The best Sinatra quote from the exchange with the young Korean American woman was, "You don't want to play with one deck, you go back to China!"

Frankie, Sammy, and the Polish Wet Suit

As the civil rights wars raged in America, Sinatra brought Sammy Davis, Jr., who had more talent in his glass eye than Sinatra did in his whole body, to Vegas, as a Black foil for his nightclub routines. Sinatra's gang started out with the name "The Clan," a moniker that Davis probably didn't choose, if you know what I mean. Sinatra's defenders say the group's routines were equally demeaning to all, and therefore okay. Typically, Dean Martin (an Italian) would say something to Frank (another Italian) about spaghetti, and then Sinatra would turn to Sammy (the only Black person onstage, and usually in the whole casino) and crack a joke about coons, watermelon, and ribs. Anyone who thinks that's an equal exchange has some funny ideas about racial dynamics.

If you're not convinced Sinatra's a bigot, there's always the transcript of his appearance with Ella Fitzgerald and Count Basie. Among his more bizarre punchlines were "The Polacks are deboning the colored people--and using them as wetsuits"; and, referring to the awesomely talented Count Basie Orchestra, "I'd publicly like to thank the NAACP for this chess set they sent me." A lifetime of PR can't hide the fact that people who aren't racist bastards just don't say those kinds of things.

Sinatra's Going Down, Man

Tupac's gun can kill children, and Marilyn Manson's goons can get thuggish with music editors, so why should we single out Sinatra? Well, unlike Shakur (dead) and Manson (widely known to be a joke), Sinatra was adored in both life and death. He was awarded the Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award, by his good friend Ronnie Reagan. If we don't get to hating him properly, his songs--which are at best great collaborative efforts involving talented composers and orchestras--will continue to bring fame to Sinatra alone. Worst of all, the thousands of people he humiliated, used, or just plain clobbered will have to live the rest of their lives knowing that Sinatra had the last laugh. In the end, hating Sinatra is about making sure that doesn't happen.

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1
I have never heard anything good about Sinatra. I understand he pimped for J.F.K. & his treatment of Sammy Davis is legend. He had to be a bully as physically he was a shrimp particularly when he was young. Dean may have hung out with the guy but was always his own man & often told Sinatra to "Fuck Himself".

I think you are on the mark & as a human being Frank could only be considered Infamous!!!!!
Posted by ricardo on December 21, 2008 at 2:35 PM · Report
2
Frank's respect was based on FEAR!
You can tell by his attitude how he got to where he was. What a role model!
Posted by Whomever on January 15, 2009 at 1:26 AM · Report
3
Frank Sinatra was a punk throughout most of his life, Vain and insulting whenever possible he began hanging himself around at Humphrey Bogart's house when the latter was dying. His hopes of course were to somehow endear himself with Lauren Bacall whom he craved.

Bacall (one smart gal) knew what he was and gave him the brush. After J.F.K.'s death, Sinatra tried the same stuff with Jaqueline Kennedy. Bacall had no hesitation about telling Jackie that Frank had been her husband's pimp.

These stories go on and on. The guy was a super reprehensible psychopath who never wrote a note of music in his life and was incapable of even attempting to play a musical instrument. Still he liked to pretend that he actually knew something about the writing and arranging of a piece of music.
Posted by jaime on October 15, 2009 at 6:44 PM · Report

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