Frank Sinatra Lost Interview - Las Vegas 1978

We once again rummaged through our dusty archives and found a real gem. This never before seen or heard interview with Frank Sinatra was found underneath a stack of old Jai alai trading cards and Susan B. Anthony coins.

This Sinatra interview, conducted by renowned rock journalist Claude Balzac, was recorded immediately following Frank’s concert at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, on August 25, 1977. The show opener was none other than Barry Manilow.

Madhouse Magazine: Hi Frank, thanks for joining me today.

Frank Sinatra: Are you kidding it’s an honor. Madhouse is my favorite magazine. Rickles turned me onto it. Barbara and I love it. We sit around the hot tub in Palm Springs reading articles to each other and drinking a little vino. We love how you make fun of them hippy dippy’s. I never told anyone this before but I divorced Mia Farrow because she was not a fan of the magazine and once used my copy to wrap up dead fish to throw away. What a dumb broad!

Madhouse: [laughs] Let’s jump right in then and discuss your love life. It is rumored that you were quite the ladies man.

Sinatra: Are you kidding? I got more a$$ than a toilet seat. I had them all, Angie Dickinson in her prime, Marilyn, Charo, Sophia Loren, Raquel Walsh, Phyllis Diller, Ann Margret, Ethel Merman, Liz Taylor, Jackie O, I had them all baby. And I had thees broads when they were in their prime. But I will tell you the best piece of a$$ I ever had: Mama Cass. I threw a saddle on her and rode her all night. She had no problem with my ham sandwich if you know what I mean.

Madhouse: Yes I do.

Manilow

Sinatra: I’ll tell you who’s getting a lot of a$$ is that kid Manilow that opened up for me tonight. He’s talented, those jew broads throw themselves at him. They are lined up 10 deep outside his dressing room door every night. He’s playing it real cool though. I never see him with the broads, he’s always hanging out with his stylist Brad.

Frank Sinatra Illustration By Paul King Art

Madhouse: Let’s get back to Mia. People were very surprised about your relationship with her given the age difference.

Sinatra: Mia was a great girl. She was one of them hippy dippy’s but she was a tom cat in the sack. I still have scratch marks on my back from her. Unfortunately besides that we had little in common. She smelled like patchouli oil and was always trying to get me to go to discotheques and listen to David Cassidy. I wanted to go to the Latin Casino supper club and listen to Jerry Vale. We were too different. The age difference was too great. We are still great friends and shtoop like rabbits every once in a while for old times sake. Hey cut that last part out, if Barbara reads this, you will be sleeping with the fishes.

The Godfather

Madhouse: There have been rumors about your mob connections.

Sinatra: You’re lucky I like you Claude. You saw the Godfather right? Well, that is basically my life story. Do you think I got that role in ‘From Here to Eternity’ because of my talent? No, it was because a few of Sam Giancana’s boys put a horses head in Columbia Pictures boss Harry Cohn’s bed. I had a contract with Tommy Dorsey that said I owed half of my lifetime earnings to him forever. Do you think he let me out fo that contract because he liked me? No, he let me out after a few of Lucky Luciano’s men held a gun to his head and said either his brains or signature will be on the contract. Them’s the facts Jack.

Madhouse: I want to thank you for being so candid today. Can we discuss JFK?

Sinatra: Don’t push it kid. I ain’t going there but I will tell you he was quite the pu$$y hound. He couldn’t get enough. He didn’t even care that I was banging Jackie O because he was banging Marilyn and every blonde I could get for him. Things got hairy when John and I walked in on that fruitcake J Edgar Hoover wearing lip stick, high heels, and garters getting spanked by his male assistant. That’s all I am saying about that.

Music

Madhouse: I just realized we didn’t talk about music. How do you feel about today’s music?

Sinatra: It ain’t my bag baby. I do like some of it though. Like I said I like Manilow and that John Denver kid. But It gets crazier every year. I thought David Bowie and this glam people wearing dresses and makeup was bad, but this new punk rock thing is crazy coo coo. I saw this kid with a mohawk hair do and safety pin right through his face. Disrespecting the Queen of England? That just ain’t right! I did cover a few of The Beatles songs and I must say I did them better. Who would have thought I would outlast The Beatles and Elvis? I outlasted them all baby, and I did it my way.

Madhouse: Thanks again Frank. It was great seeing you again.

Sinatra: You too kid, now let’s go get a drink at the bar and see if we can find some broads.