detection??
> Do you have to walk thru a beard-testing booth before entering
> the pit area?
In my case it was a little more obvious. Many years ago the holiday spirit captured my soul and I played a session at the Western in my Santa suit - complete with hat, beard, wig, and boots. Although the session was fairly uneventful, the walk from Fremont Street to the Western was quite strange. Most of the vagrants yelled at me "Nice costume! Who you gonna mug?" or "Why ain't you come to my house again dis year, man?!" Although I normally don't mind a little attention, I would prefer to be invisible to the dawdlers that inhabit those few blocks, especially when my session bankroll could easily sustain them for at least six months. The only thing that makes me more uncomfortable than the discourse of derelicts is the prattle of pit bosses.
The security guard in the lifeguard-type booth at the front door was the first to notice, but he didn't seem quite sure what to do. He sat up, poised, ready, confused. The heat didn't come until I sat down and dropped a fistful of twenties on the table. Needless to say, the pit critters were not at all amused. There are only two reasons that people walk into the Western wearing a disguise: either they are trying to hide from you or they are trying to hide from someone outside. I can assure you that both kinds of people get watched very closely at the Western. They demanded that I remove each piece individually until my face was clearly visible. When one of the pit bosses recognized me he began laughing and explained the situation to the others. Somehow none of us thought it was terribly funny. I guess the holiday spirit had worn off somewhere around 8th Street.
I feel much more comfortable telling this story now that almost all of the staff at the Western have been replaced. Currently only a lone dealer and a cashier still remember this incident. The cashier still calls me "Santa Man" so I call her "Chatty Cashy."
-Sonny-