How did it feel to be reunited with Sinatra again?
Wonderful. He breezed jauntily into the studio and greeted us all by name.
He remembered your name?
Well, not my actual name as such. He referred to me as “Cleaner guy,” the nickname he proffered upon me when I worked on Wee Small Hours.
Is it possible that he called everyone holding a broom “Cleaner Guy”?
Well… I suppose it’s not out of the question but I think there was a genuine familiarity there. A definite sense of camaraderie.
And he was in a different mood for the recording of Swinging Lovers?
Oh without a doubt. He was positively fizzing and it was a real pleasure to be in his company. And it wasn’t just those of us who worked in the studio who enjoyed being there. I remember a number of other gentlemen who also came along. Swarthy men. Dark suits. And a tendency to wear shaded glasses even indoors. Frank called them his “associates” so they must have assisted him in some way. At one point a studio head came into the room and there was a debate about Mr Sinatra’s recording contract. One of the Associates, who I believe they called Lefty, although it might have been Big Marco, said he and the studio head should go outside and “have a talk”. They then proceeded outside but the studio head didn’t actually return. The associate simply said that when he talked to someone “They stayed talked to” which was a statement possessed of an intriguing philosophical undertone that had me ruminating for quite some time. Was it possible to reverse a talking to so the person who has received the talking to reverts to a non-talked to state? I thought that was an interesting discussion point and it just goes to show that even swarthy gentlemen with strange facial scarring are capable of surprising levels of thoughtfulness at times. No studio heads came into the recording area after that.
Do you know what happened to him?
I believe he went to spend some time as the house guest of Eddie Fisher, the popular entertainer, and his family.
Why do you think that?
Well, we were told that he went to sleep with the Fishers. I assume they had a spare room and were naturally accommodating personalities.
That must be what happened.
He must have enjoyed their company. I don’t recall ever seeing him again. He might still be there today for all I know.
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