Performing With Marilyn Chambers

Las Vegas, NV

Hearing the sad news about the passing of Marilyn Chambers revived some memories of much happier times.  The world will always want to remember Marilyn for her impact on the porn industry, yet Chambers tried to become successful in many different areas of entertainment and media.  Being married and having her career directed by the same man who initially brought Linda Lovelace to the forefront of the American spotlight did little to help Marilyn achieve her true goals in life.  But she still made extra efforts to become involved with a number of stage productions here in Vegas as well as starring in her own "one woman" show on the Strip displaying her talents as a singer and a dancer.

In 1980, when I returned to Vegas after two years of touring the country as opening act in giant arenas with headliners like Chuck Berry, Freddy Fender and Blood, Sweat and Tears, my goal was to take a pause in all the travelling by finding a stage on the Strip where I could perform nightly. Across from the Sahara Hotel was the Jolly Trolley that had a massive marquee that I thought would really look good with my name on it.  Even though the last performer's show had just closed, the name of the star was still on that marquee...."Marilyn Chambers"!

After striking a deal with the casino bosses, I set out to build up a strong following as a single performer on a theatrical size stage. Almost nightly I would hear comments from patrons and employees about what a nice person Marilyn Chambers was during the entire time of her engagement at the Jolly Trolley.  That was encouraging to hear since most adult film stars end up leading pretty troubled lives.  But everyone kept telling me that Marilyn was just a down-to-earth kind person who showed an interest in others rather than presenting herself as a "prima donna".

A couple of years passed and I finally found a location where I was able to work year-round and not have to travel.  One evening a steady fan who owned a large country nightclub about a quarter mile from the Strip asked me if I would do him a favor.  Of course, I first wanted to know what he wanted me to do.  Since he knew my background in opening shows for big name performers in concert around the country, he wanted to hire me for one night to open the show for a new singer with a new album about to go on the road with her band, "Haywire".

That sounded great to me since I always enjoy warming up an audience.  So I asked him the name of this new chick singer that had requested his 400 seater club to debut her new show.

Yes, you guessed it!  It was none other than Marilyn Chambers!

The night of the show, I brought in every prop and silly routine I could think of in hopes I could maintain the interest of the audience that would be attending a Marilyn Chambers performance.  In my mind I figured I could be working in front of 400 old seedy men all dressed in long raincoats yelling at me to get off the stage and bring on Marilyn.  I could not have been more incorrect.  The audience was totally packed with enthusiastic young and middle-age couples who had come to have a blast. 

Now I was scheduled to do a standard 20 to 25 minute act.  Therefore I got all my AAA proven material ready to get these folks really fired up for Marilyn. But it was one of those nights that no matter what I did, the people were falling out of their seats with laughter.  All my comedy bits like the squeezing my Rubber Duckie contest, my massage bit where I would blindfold a guy in a chair and have 3 ladies and 1 man come massage him, the two frog puppets mating on the lake routine all worked so well that with the audience's positive response time I went through 40 minutes like I had just started.  What a crowd!  They loved me!

Oh, dear!  I just happened to glance over to the right of stage and saw  Marilyn's bodyguard, Attila the Hun on steroids, and his seven brothers slowly coming up behind me on the stage.  One guy made a serious face and spoke with his lips words that let me know it was time for me to get out of there and make room for the Star of the Show!

But then I turned back to this audience who was obviously addicted to my entertainment.  How could I just up and leave them hanging in mid-air?  Surely, Attila and the boys wouldn't mind if I just did one closing bit in transition.  So I started another routine.  This one was going over better than any I had done previously.  Oh, man! Were we having fun or what? And to think that these people actually were willing to have some hairy faced ole boy up there entertaining them rather than demand a legend in the porn industry be allowed to appear on that stage instead of me?  It was a moment I will never forget.  Even though I had stood before 25,000 screaming people in arenas giving me a feeling as if I were flying, this small crowd of only 400 took me to new heights as I realized they actually liked what I was doing more than their immediate desire to see the 1980s Queen of Porn in person! 

An ego is a terrible thing to waste! That is unless there are bodyguards who have lost their patience moving straight for you to extract the obstacle that is preventing their employer from getting on that stage.  So in the middle of the routine as I was singing and playing my guitar, I suddenly felt an urgency to exit the stage in the opposite direction of Attila and his brothers. They had instructed the "Haywire" band to just ignore me and take their positions on stage literally playing the first notes of the intro to bring on Marilyn.

It was probably just as well I had to be at my regular gig performing at midnight since I may not have been too safe hanging around for Marilyn's show.  But I did hear her first song and let me tell you this....she was GOOD!  Dressed in a very conservative glittered blouse and black spandex pants, Marilyn presented herself as professional as any other female vocalist in Vegas.  And her voice reminded me of a high energy Juice Newton.  This woman could have made it as a singer!  It might have taken a little longer to gain the popularity from fans, but she definitely had what it takes to have been a  hit recording artist.  But once you are sterotyped and tagged in this world at the top of your game in one category, it is almost impossible to change the public's image of why they know your name and fame.  And, of course, Marilyn has been quoted many times that the reason she went into porn was to boost her career. 

 However, I would be willing to bet that if she had had it to do all over again, she would have chosen another pathway to fame.  But the lesson we all have to learn is that "you only go around once in this life."  Decisions we make today affect tomorrow and the rest of our lives.  I do not know much about the last years of her life.  But I can surely hope that she finally was able to just enjoy being who she really was and not someone that the world wanted her to be.

Marilyn Chambers will be remembered by many of us as an entirely different person than the image the world tried to paint.  And that is the memory I shall keep in my heart hoping that hopefully she did find peace with her Maker in those last years on this planet.