He may be one of America's original funny men, but at the moment Don Rickles is downright cranky. Traveling is a nuisance.
Interviews are a hassle.
And being whimsical, apparently, is something he does strictly for the money. Ask him if he has anything unusual planned for his show at the Marin Center this week. Ask him if he ever developed a gambling habit while playing the casino circuit for so many years. Offer Rickles any number of opportunities to reel off one of his classic zingers and you will inevitably be disappointed. Instead, he handles his interviews with businesslike efficiency.