Repost – The Starwood and Gary Fontenot
I know the blog has 600 posts and it’s hard to browse everything. There are some new readers here and maybe they have not seen this yet. This is from Gary’s brother, Patrick. The questions are mine, with help from readers here at the blog. Thanks.
Gary was originally from a small town in western Louisiana. He headed out west to pursue his dreams and unlike so many others, he was a success. Gary was a good man and a fine club manager. He was often at odds with Eddie, over business and other things. Read on….
Did you ever visit your brother at his house in Studio City during the 70s or 80s? Did you meet any showbiz types?
My family and I visited Gary as often as possible on the weekends when he lived in West Hollywood…”Studio City”???…I am not that familiar with Los Angeles and that area…but Gary lived in a rather nice little place that was pretty much walking distance to Sunset Blvd and it did not seem like it was a far drive from the Starwood. I do not remember the street name. He lived there with his friend Michael and Michael I believe was a nurse…doing private work if I recall. They had been friends for some time. I would also take some of my military friends to Gary’s home on Friday nights so they could experience the nightclub life at the Starwood. He would give us the VIP treatment everytime we would visit.
What exactly happened to Gary at the end of his life? Was he really living in central America? Retired?
When things began to go downhill for Gary he decided to move to Honduras. He actually drove there with some kid that I believe was from that area were they settled. Gary opened his own place down there and seemed to be happy…always inviting me to visit. However, by nature of my military job, I had to be very careful. Gary experienced an attempted robbery one evening when closing and was shot in the stomach. I don’t think he ever recovered, although his cause of death was attributed to prostate cancer. My brother Dale, flew down to Honduras several times to visit Gary and the last time he flew down was to ensure Gary received a proper burial.
Did Gary ever discuss Eddie Nash, who was his boss at the Starwood?
Gary did in fact talk a little about Nash. Lot of times it was in anger, however many times I believe the tone was respect. Nash would provide Gary with new cars which Gary loved…he did like showing off a little. I remember the last car given to Gary by Nash was a brand new Cadillac…we would drive to the Starwood in it and employees of the Starwood would jump in the car to park it when they recognized Gary in the car.
What did Gary do for a living right after the Starwood closed?
After the Starwood, Gary was not the same. He moved into an apartment complex and dabbled a little in real estate…but was unemployed a lot of the time;although he would never tell me. When at the Starwood, he was in control and afterward he seemed to lose that feeling. The apartment complex was nothing fancy…about the only thing I remember about it was a visitor that came by one day while I was there. Gary introduced him as an ex-FBI individual. I assumed he was because he was carrying a gun. They did not talk about anything specific and I guessed they had been acquaintances from way back.
Did your brother ever tell you that his house was shot up by a dealer with a machine gun? He was looking for the soundman of the Starwood, who owed him some money? Gary allegedly let the soundman, Dom Fragomeli, stay at his house in Studio City for a few weeks in 1981.
In 1981 I left California for Texas. I don’t think Gary was living in the original home when I first got to California. I am thinking he was still living in the apartment complex…is that what you meant as far as “home”. Gary barely mentioned that happening…we would talk by phone…He did not go into detail. But, knowing Gary, it would not surprise me that he had allowed someone to stay in his home. He was just that type of person. I believe he left California shortly after that incident. Keep in mind, the Nash thing, the Starwood, coupled by him losing a lot of money in the stock market…Gary needed a change. He had a hate/love relationship with California. As a small town boy, Los Angeles and the Hollywood scene took its toll on Gary. He was apparently good at what he did, managing nightclubs, but did rub elbows with some questionable people.
Hope this helps…as you think of questions, let me know and I will answer them the best I can. Will try and dig up some photos of Gary. You would really need to know where and how he grew up to understand the personal conflict he had with the whole Hollywood scene…
Have a great day.
Gayle, 
Gen 1%er 11:17 am on October 13, 2015 Permalink |
Ron Launius was forever altered by being in the shit for no telling how many years. He came back to Fayetteville where SF were located and Doc Mac was the Doc for SF. He saw Ron’s track marks and went to confront some people.
Ron was hooked and he was likely one of a group of people that tipped the local dealers. Ron may have been there that night Doc Mac’s family was slaughtered. God knows MP’s had every reason to fuck up the crime scene as they received a cut for every bit of #3 and #4 that Lucas got in through Fayetteville and Columbus through the false bottom coffins.
Ronnie was a spook, and that is how he got away with a lot of shit when he got out. If you look for pictures of Barry Seal during the early Mena AR years- Ronnie is two shots. When that damn Wonderland mssg board was up, a lot of the good things about Ronnie got excised from Google News archive and the search engines. Paper is a bitch though- if you look hard enough, Ronnie was a decent fella. He had no aspirations to be a biker or AB. David was solely somebody from the joint who could provide H out of Mexico or Canada.
Lind’s sole connection to an MC was really the Straight Satans. When he got back out of one of his stays in Cali Corrections, they were no longer an existing patch. Some were involved with the Satans Slaves out of LA and the SFV. Slave Louie was killed by a Straight Satan who became a Mongol- that killed Lind’s chance of ever becoming an 81 member. Lind was pushing dope for a Mongol and fucking a massage parlor girl who was fucking an 81 and a Mongol- that bitch kicked off 40 years of war. Lind wanted to be 81 but he couldn’t meet the no needle rule that was virtually national by this time, he was in tight with a couple of LA Mongols for a dope connection and he provided them girls for LA massage parlors- brothels. AMPs werern’t a thing til post Ed Meese.
Lind was an associate and crime partner to Michael Thompson of the AB. Lind was never accepted by the AB council as an associate- Hulk hated him, hated his poser bullshit, hated his attitude, hated his smuggling in IV drugs and rigs through his Massage Parlor girls.
Lind also fucked up when he took and fucked up the Margo Compton hit. It was an open fact where she was in Dago before they moved her out of state. The AB had some problems with her testifying as her ol’ man who beat on her, was AB. The 81 had crossed the AB by having Latino and Phillipino members and then they got involved with Margo.
No 81 wanted her dead. The AB did. Michael Thompson farmed it out to Lind and Lind nodded off and she was gone. The AB followed her mail and her killed. The ATF wanted the 81 brother more than any of the AB at the time, as the AB did not have a strong street gang presence.
If this gets posted, I’ll provide more.
“Butterfly” was no different to Lind than any of his other massage girls. That was not the love of his life. Clean #4 cut with Fentanyl was the love of his life. Period.
I have more. I tried to leave a dead drop number to wonderland81 at gmail.com but received no call or response, so if this isn’t published- fuck it.
John 8:40 am on October 15, 2015 Permalink |
Thanks rebel, please tell us more. I did receive your other email, but please email me. I was holding on to the goods because it was something that I needed for Barb’s background story. What can you tell me about her ex-husband Walter? Email me and thanks.
Gayle 3:35 am on November 9, 2015 Permalink |
Fascinating!! It’s interesting to read about their association with the MC’s. I did not know about Lind’s involvement with the Straight Satan’s.