Buffalo Jim is dead

[ForrestGump]

A little while ago I happened across an old issue of Las Vegas Weekly -- this town's version of the ubiquitous somewhat-"alternative" local journal distributed for free-- that I'd picked up last May but never leafed through. In it was a pretty compelling article about the Crazy Horse Too, a massive strip club that was operated here in Vegas for a long time. The thing that got me was that I'd just been there and seen it for the first time -- it's closed, now, which is part of the point of the article -- when I parked my car in front of it to go see Buffalo Jim in his place, next door. Buffalo Jim's place was pretty easy to find...I was told to just look for the stuffed bison parked out by the side of the road.

Here's the article:

http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/content/nc/news/single-story/article/the-rise-and-fall-of-crazy-horse-too/

Buffalo Jim Barrier was a real Vegas 'character,' a pro-wrestler who lived large and was an expert at self-promotion. I'd had him recommended to me, quite a while back, as someone who could rewire my 1973 Lincoln Mark IV's AC unit (the AC components seem fine, and an updated system was apparently installed not that long ago, but some genius cut the wiring at some point) but I didn't know his background. I went inside his somewhat chaotic den, the auto repair shop he's had there for many years, and hit it off right away with him. He was beyond affable and really loved not only that I was dressed in a black Elvis jumpsuit (I was on my way back from work) but that I had such a righteous ride and he told me about the Mark IV that he'd owned. He also insisted that I check out his Jensen Interceptor when I went back outside. Everyone I know who'd mentioned Buffalo Jim said that he was a very cool dude, and I'd have to agree.

That was late January or early February. I've still got one of his slick business cards by my bed and once I got over the current financial crises (mostly vehicular), I was planning on taking the Lincoln in for him to work on the AC and perhaps a couple of other things. I knew his work was good and, at this point, that was what I wanted even though I knew he charged highly for it. I felt confident that Jim would set it all right and was looking forward to getting it done.

About an hour ago I found out he was dead. Here're some of the articles that've popped up about it:

http://www.lvrj.com/news/17380764.html

http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/2539

http://www.lasvegassun.com/blogs/news/2008/apr/07/buffalo-jim-found-dead-hotel-room/

Someone found him dead in a Motel 6 on Boulder Highway. It's very suspicious, if you ask me, and I don't even know the man to any significant extent. Further, the utter slimeball who ran the Crazy Horse Too -- we're talking Mafia here, really -- just got out of jail not long ago. I find that just a little bit obvious. That piece of scum, Rick Rizzolo, has a record of violence and other questionable traits and being obvious about it has never seemed to worry him -- the Weekly article does a good job of outlining the goings-on at the strip club and the feud between Buffalo Jim and Rizzolo, including mention of strip-cub patrons turning up severely beaten or even dead.

I don't know if the police are going to preserve the evidence as they would (should) with a homicide. I hope so. Then again, city officials have before used their resources (i.e., taxpayers' resources) to hassle Buffalo Jim on behalf of Rizzolo -- ticketing cars parked in his lot, for example -- and Vegas-celebrity-mayor Oscar Goodman's Mafia-lawyer credentials not only include once having as clients Tony the Ant and Lefty Rosenthal of Casino fame but also one Rick Rizzolo.



R.I.P., Buffalo Jim.

As for you, Rick Rizzolo...I hope your karma catches up with you, big-time.









More about the Crazy Horse Too and the Mafia:

http://americanmafia.com/Inside_Vegas/4-4-05_Inside_Vegas.html

[Ptah]

1. TMI.

I love that guy.

Keep It Simple.