Beacher VS. PETA: Monkey Business Continues....

Here is a Q&A I just had with Hard Rock headliner Jeff Beacher on PETA's complaint about the monkey he uses in his Madhouse show. Far from backing down, Beacher here announces that he is adding more animals to the Madhouse and denies an old rumor by pointing out Paris has her own monkey.

 

Richard Abowitz: Are you taking the monkey out of the show?

 

Jeff Beacher: Absolutely not.

 

Question: The expert from PETA told me that as the monkey gets older it could turn temperamental and be dangerous to people...

 

Answer: The monkey is in no way dangerous to anybody. It's licensed. It's trained. It loves everybody and we love it.

 

Q; Does the monkey have a name?

 

A: We call it Fred.

 

Q: PETA says that the raucous Madhouse environment is bad for monkeys; and that monkeys can't give consent to be in that casino environment.

 

A: The monkey is a trained performance monkey. It doesn't live 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in the Madhouse. It is there for an hour, once a month. I hardly think that harms the monkey in anyway, and neither does the trained, licensed, permit holding professional who takes care of the monkey and treats the monkey as a son.

 

Q: Do you envision now adding other animals to the Madhouse?

 

A: Yes, we are in the process of licensing and getting permits for several different animals.

 

Q: What kind?

 

A: Goats, sheep, all kinds.

 

Q: Are you being serious?

 

A: Yes. And, we are looking to partnering with a local farm to keep all the animals. I love animals. They are a lot of fun. And, the Madhouse fans love to have animals around. They like to pet animals. That's part of the environment we are creating. It's an adult circus.

 

Q: I just remembered. Don't you already have a goat that is on MYSpace?

 

A: Yeah, Beachy.

 

Q: Has the goat been to the Madhouse?

 

A: Yes.

 

Q: Now, didn't Paris Hilton buy, borrow or get loaned the monkey one night at the Madhouse? And, maybe there was a trip to a nightclub in the Hard Rock?

 

A: No, some gossip trade just wrote that.

 

Q: Really?

 

A: No. Paris has her own monkeys.

 

Q: What?

 

A: She has her own monkeys, yeah.

 

Q: Paris Hilton has a monkey?

 

A: Yeah, it is called a capuchin.

 

Q: Paris has a capuchin monkey. I should have known. Did her getting a monkey have anything to do with the Madhouse monkey?

 

A: No.  We got our monkey after Paris got hers.

 

 

Q: Okay. Now, are you really afraid that PETA is going to paint you?

 

A: Of  course, I am afraid. They unleash their Stormtroopers and attack people.

 

Q: Weren't you going to submerge yourself in mustard and ketchup? How can you be afraid of paint?

 

A: I am not afraid of the paint. But I am afraid they are going to attack me.

 

Q: But you aren't afraid. I mean, if they paint you, won't you just send out a press release?

 

A: I am not saying I won't publicize the event.
(Photo by Sarah Gerke)