Celebrate Sinatra on his birthday

Steve Wynn says that when he gets lonely, "I can go turn on the commercials of me and Frank and Dean."

Now you can, too, if you want to remember Frank Sinatra's birthday today. And it would be nice if you did, since at least 40 of his 82 years included Las Vegas.

A YouTube revival of Wynn's big-haired early '80s TV spots for the Golden Nugget is at least cheaper, if more "Only the Lonely," than the $14 "Simply Sinatra" cocktail (Jack Daniels and water) at the Palms' N9NE restaurant. (I'll sell you one for $7!)

Wynn's hosting the dance musical "Sinatra Dance With Me" at Wynn Las Vegas gave him reason to recall the years when Sinatra performed at the Nuggets in Las Vegas and Atlantic City.

"I would lose money at the (Vegas) Golden Nugget with him. New Jersey is where we paid for it, because I had all those high rollers," the Wynn Resorts chairman recalled recently.

When Wynn asked if the small Nugget showroom downtown would be a comedown, "He looked at me like I was 9 years old: 'What do I care?' "

Those years at the Nugget put Sinatra back into intimate surroundings. One of the last shows in 1987 is captured on the "Sinatra: Vegas" box set. That engagement also coincided with U2's Las Vegas debut, and Wynn arranged a Sinatra-Bono summit backstage.

"Part of the deal was I'd pick him up in Palm Springs and take him (to Atlantic City or Las Vegas) on Thursday and bring him home Sunday. We had all these wonderful evenings flying together," Wynn says. "Such a kick, just the best."

On the flight there, Sinatra would sort the charts to his potential set list. When Wynn tried to add "Luck Be A Lady" to the "yes" pile, Sinatra slapped his hand, a twinkle in his eye: "Don't touch the music."

One time on the way back, Wynn says he asked, "How do you do it?"

How did he come up with his unique phrasing on the standards, especially in the days of recording a whole song in a single take?

Sinatra leaned back with a Jack Daniels and told him, "I take the lead sheets, just typed out like a poem, and I sit and I say to myself, 'Who's the speaker? Who's talkin'?'

"Is it a guy? Is it a gal? Is it a happy song? Is he down? Is he miserable? Has he lost his money or his babe? ... And I read the words as if it was a part in a movie, in a script. And I read 'em over and over, maybe 20 or 30 times, until I get a real feel for the thought behind the line."

Before each engagement, Sinatra would sit and rehearse once with the band to set up the weekend, "reminding myself of the phrasing again ... and I'm reminding myself again how I fit into the lyric."

"That answer your question?" he concluded. "Good. Drink the vodka."

Contact reporter Mike Weatherford at mweatherford@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0288.