Las Vegas Mixtape v21: Late Night Dining Scene, Twang Heaven, and Dazzling Art

Track #4: Elena Bulatova Fine Art @The Shops at Crystals

If you want freedom from the mundane, step into Elena Bulatova Fine Art at The Shops at Crystals on the Strip. The gallery, whose other locations include Miami Beach and Palm Desert, is a feast for the eyes.

Prepare to be dazzled by all the upbeat, brightly colored art for sale at this gallery helmed by Bulatova, an artist with Russian origins who’s known for her “Sweet Life” lollipop and popsicle sculptures. Bulatova also showcases the work of other artists, including David Mir, whose resin-and-acrylic tributes to Kit Kat and O’Henry’s candy bars are pop culture wonders.

Walking inside, you’re greeted by an Efi Mashiah-created sculpture of an astronaut branded with Prada, Dior, Gucci, Chanel, and Supreme logos. How perfect since it was announced in 2023 that Prada was designing NASA’s new spacesuits for its Artemis III mission in 2025.

Track #5: Around Town Medley @Beverly Theater, Westgate Las Vegas, and Fremont Country Club

Never underestimate the stimulation of bad taste, especially expensive bad taste. Case in point: the 1995 set-in-Vegas “Showgirls,” an NC-17 film that had a then-sizeable $45 million budget. Ahead of its 30th anniversary next year, the folks at downtown’s The Beverly Theater hosted a private reception and screening during the last weekend in July.

The movie’s devotees love its certifiably crazy blend of eroticism, violence, and campy humor. The adoring crowd at the Beverly laughed out loud at the screenplay’s classic key lines, like the lead character’s hilariously naïve and utterly unforgettable mispronunciation of Versace as “Ver-sayce.”

Walking around the vintage-groovy Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, I spotted this poster of Elvis Presley’s “first live appearance in 8 years,” promoting his four-week engagement that began there on July 31, 1969.

Wow, what an earth-shaking year that was. A week or so later (August 8-9), Sharon Tate and others would be viciously murdered by the Charles Manson followers in LA. Just around the corner (August 15-18) was the monumental Woodstock music fest in upstate NY. And, of course, the Rolling Stones’ tragic concert at Altamont Speedway in Northern CA on December 6 would wrap the ‘60s up with an ugly bow.

It was another fun Monday-night-is-the-new-Saturday-night at Fremont Country Club where Riki’s Rachtman performed his spoken-word show “One Foot in the Gutter.”

Back in the day, he was the host of MTV’s “Headbangers Ball” and owner of the legendary Hollywood, CA rock & roll dance club the Cathouse, a launch pad for bands like Guns N’ Roses and Faster Pussycat.

Rachtman told compelling and hysterical stories about the ‘80s and beyond to a crowd that included Chris Kael of Five Finger Death Punch and Blue Man Group drummer Jeff Tortora, along with new-to-Vegas residents Cheetah Chrome of the Dead Boys and Micki Free. Rachtman achieved a great deal of success back then but made bad decisions and took wrong turns that also led to exciting changes in his life.