The year 1976 a hell of a trip to dry Tortugas we kicked ass that’s my dad and Denny Danny would eventually become one of my partners in Key West 20 years later I took this picture with My dad’s cheap camera before I even became a photographer we are out for five days I was 20 years old back then 45 years ago
A couple years ago I purchased a collection of the original days from Caesars palace in the 60s they were from the highrollers table there have been holes drilled in them so they can be used again I just like holding them and I could feel the money that has been lost through them I am sure some of them were lucky dice I made a bunch of them out of keychains
This is the world of mirth collection made in the mid-40s these masks assisted Sal in his mind reading ask and hypnotizing people lots of crazy ingredients in the papier-mâché mix secret stuff I have this collection in our mask room there’s 40 masks in storage in this room the much larger ones are throughout the house they were made in the mid 30s Their powers are off the chart since you’re on this site I suggest you go to the mask section over 150 wild photos pertaining to the masks
If you ever wonder why there is so many pictures I have a Captain Tony Sal and myself you have to understand all three of us were photographers Sal and myself Published for over 80 years this is an original glass slide of Captain Tony take it in the pool room in 1969 The artwork in the background is monkey Tom’s work you will see a couple slides of me popping up Sal did my portfolio 45 years ago upstairs some crazy party is went down Upstairs
Live From The Field This is one of the original glass slides from 1941 of sales A bunch of bad ass Italians from the neighborhood these are the original Sopranos from Elizabeth New Jersey
Back in the 60s and 70s my great uncle Sal had this wild photography mask studio above his little brothers bar in Key West Captain Tony’s saloon The upstairs was actually much wilder than downstairs in the bar crazy mask parties, hi stake card games, And of course my grandfathers swinging bachelor party events
The photo you were looking at is one of Sal Studios when he traveled with the world the mirth bazaar traveling carnival in 1949 the mask on the wall we’re all made in the mid 30s they always have been used for Sal‘s mind Reading act and hypnotizing people the three masks in the middle are still in existence today the two on the right or at our house here in Florida with 65 other ones what’s unique about them is the special ingredients in their papier-mâché mix pyramids scrapings from Egypt, Haitian voodoo dust. Cambodian opium, and secret potions from around the world I’ll tell you what these masks have powers the second one from the left that looks like Aladdin was giving to my great uncle Lou his daughters have him There are stories flying around about him wild stories
Through the 30s and late 70s there was a nightclub in New York called Bills gay 90s no it wasn’t gay Maybe some gay people hung out in there but it was a street bar my great uncle Sal played the piano and did his hypnotizing act he was there for close to 10 years performing even his own little mask photography studio in the basement Where ever Sal worked and like the club he would talk to him in two a little room so he could do private readings take pictures or bring some young man downstairs that he could pull out of the closet that was his specialty by the way he could read your face an mind and no that was his gift in life this photo right here big organize crime guy Ronnie Gibson very good friend of Sal’s in Captain Tony
If you position yourself in one spot in New York City you could photograph beautiful women all day they just walk past you I did it for 30 years check out my digital library 65,000 images that I edited out of a quarter of 1 million every photo taken by me
If you know anything about me or my grandfather you would know he was married four times with with sink over 13 children my dad is the oldest 84 years old I am 64 my grandfather was the ultimate player even when he was married to his first wife my grandmother 1935 My grandmother was visiting in key west in 1991 I told him I deserve a picture of both of them that day because I am the first grandchild I took this one photo my grandmother Mimi Ended up marrying captain Tony’s childhood best friend Big Red Hardie When Captain Tony wasn’t around big red was my grandfather in Jersey I was fortunate to have two grandfathers from Jersey to maniacs they taught me well