The Talk About Las Vegas Podcast

The Talk About Las Vegas Podcast talks with the celebrities, entertainers, writers, and personalities who make Las Vegas the most exciting city in the world!

Welcome to The Talk About Las Vegas Podcast! Each week, the host Ira Sternberg, talks with the celebrities, entertainers, writers, and personalities who make Las Vegas the most exciting city in the world!

Talking With John L. Smith – January 13, 2024

This week, Ira spoke with John L. Smith, co-author of "My Life in Nevada Politics, The Memoirs of Senator Richard H. Bryan." this episode of “Talk About Las Vegas With Ira,” John talks about getting involved in this book project about a major Nevada figure;; what he learned from working with Senator Bryan (“a master class in retail politics”); why it was a real team effort between memory and research; Senator Bryan’s amazing memory for people and stories; hearing the senator’s voice in the book; how Las Vegas and Nevada changed over the decades; themes that run through the book; why he decided now to write the memoir (a sense of legacy?); the fight against Yucca Mountain; his great sense of hu-mor; how the senator could carry every county in Nevada, despite the political divide; his approach as friend and neighbor; bringing ethics to the forefront; the contributions of Bon-nie Bryan with her “own kind of magic”; and why small crowds were important.
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Talking With David G. Schwartz – January 6, 2025

This week, Ira spoke with David G. Schwartz, author of "Something For Your Money, A History of Las Vegas Casinos." In this episode of “Talk About Las Vegas With Ira,” David talks about how his background writing about Las Vegas, casinos, and gambling brought him to this current book; how the title ("Something For Your Money…") came to be; the most surprising thing he discovered; how one consistent theme was that marketing, promotion and PR grew the town; how innovation and not being sentimental about things also expanded Las Vegas; why gambling kickstarted the development of Las Ve-gas as a tourist area; what casino affected him emotionally when writing about it; and which casino was the first to be globally identifiable. (Also Watch Full Podcast Video)

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Talking With Murray The Magician – December 16, 2024

This week, Ira spoke with Murray The Magician, performing in his new show, “Hairlarious Deceptions,” at The Strat’s L.A. Comedy Club beginning January 4. In this episode of “Talk About Las Vegas With Ira,” Murray talks about how he survives and prospers in the competitive Las Vegas entertainment market; why he became “that guy”; how he came to Vegas in 2002 to work at the Frontier Hotel; how being “real” and not being serious are the elements he uses to distinguish himself; his prank videos on YouTube; the importance of loyalty; and why his future plans include being consistently on TV. (Also Watch Full Podcast Video)

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Talking With David Garfield – December 9, 2024

This week, Ira spoke with David Garfield, performing (with the David Garfield Quintet) at Maxan Jazz December 13-14. In this episode of “Talk About Las Vegas With Ira,” talks about starting early with music (with a Steinway grand piano in the house); how he got bitten by the rock and roll bug; why a trumpet solo in “Spinning Wheel” converted him to jazz; how jazz endures (improvisation makes it timeless); what keeps him laughing and smiling with his music; working with Smokey Robinson; how he looks at jazz today as opposed to 30 years ago; the difference in vibes between jazz and rock musicians; celebrating 50 years of playing music; his six “Outside The Box” CDs; and his future projects. (Also Watch Full Podcast Video)

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