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10 Ways Danny Gans Became Vegas' Hottest Act
With thanks to Kevin Costner, Sammy Davis Jr., God and a spike in the leg
By Joal Ryan
Danny Gans hasn't sold as many albums as Celine Dion, hasn't sat on the Tonight Show couch as many times as David Brenner, hasn't starred in as many movies (or toll-free phone commercials) as Carrot Top. And he's certainly no Wayne Newton.
All Danny Gans--equal parts impressionist, singer and show-biz trouper--has done is own Las Vegas. He's the totally under-the-radar guy who has bagged an $150 million contract and a 1,260-seat theater baring his non-household name.
Five nights a week, Gans, 47, is the only act that matters to audiences who pay $100 a ticket to see him morph from Michael Jackson to Ricky Martin to Bill Clinton to both Nat and Natalie Cole, with dozens of other detours--and voices--in between. His signature piece? "The 12 Months of Christmas," a parody of "The 12 Days of Christmas," in which he summons the voices Clint Eastwood, John Travolta, Andy Rooney and Pee Wee Herman.
So how exactly did the guy corner the market on Sin City? Not to mention a sitcom in the works, based on his own life, for TV tycoon Aaron Spelling. And an upcoming CD, Brand New Dream, produced by Michael O'Martian, who's worked with such stars as Amy Grant and Michael Bolton?
The 10 not-so-simple steps:
1. Watch your dream get taken out in a slide.
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ON HIS ACT: "I hope I've made you laugh, made you reminisce, maybe made you think about your faith and family, given you a few goosebumps and hopefully a tear."
ON LUCK: "It's when preparation meets opportunity."
ON SAMMY DAVIS JR.: "When I saw him perform, I was in tears because I was so blown away by his talent. He did a dramatic piece, impressions--and even got behind the drums. It was then I knew that I wanted to be a variety performer."
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Gans grew up in Torrance, California, biding his time until the Los Angeles Dodgers called on him to play third base. By 1980, he was manning first base for the Victoria Mussels, a Canadian minor-league team. It wasn't "the show," but it was a start. "I thought by the year 2000, I'd be closing in on 600 homers and the Hall of Fame," Gans has said. Instead, he got spiked in the leg during a game and suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon. Like the mighty Casey, his baseball career had struck out.
2. Don't play dirty.
Out of pro ball, Gans turned to his other first love--performing. "I remember as a little kid...I would do an impression of Ed Sullivan for my dad and he would just fall out [laughing]," Gans has said. His first stop was the comedy clubs. Gans, who experienced a religious awakening while rehabbing his bum leg, hated them. "It was filthy. You're going on at 2:30 in the morning, and everyone else is relying on filth to be funny." The devout Christian soon opted out of the open-mike life, taking a job as a singer when there was an opening in a friend's lounge band. "I said, 'I can do that.' We played lush garden spots like Elko, Nevada..."
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