court as follows:
THE DEFENDANT: I would like to address the conflict of interest with Mr. Fogelman first.
I--it is my understanding that I have a constitutional right to--that I have a right to waive counsel and to--and to proceed with--with--without the assistance--without the assistance of counsel, which I would--which I would--which I would--which I would request at--at--which I would request at this here time.
But I would also like to call to the court's a---to the court's a---to the court's a---attention that I have also filed similar--similar motions on--on July 29, 1983, and on September--on September--excuse me--Sep---Sep---September 26, 1983, again.
And it is my understanding--it is my understanding that, okay, I have a right to not have any counsel whatsoever.
And I would ask that--that--that--that the court--the court--that the court relieve Mr. Fogelman because, okay, I have been trying to get complete discovery of the case for several months now, okay?
Reporter's Transcript on Appeal, Vol. A, at 35-36 (Jan. 10, 1984). When the court declined to relieve Fogelman as Savage's co-counsel, the defendant objected as follows:
THE DEFENDANT: Then I would object to and I'd have a standing, running--I'd have a standing--a standing--a standing objection to any further--to any further--to any further--to any further--excuse me--to any further--to any further proceedings.
And I would say that by you not allowing me to exercise my constitutional right to personal self---to personal self---to self-representation you have--you have reduced this here whole trial to--to a sham, and you might as well sentence me, you know, because--[whereupon the court disagreed].
Id. at 52. At that time, the judge noted that "these are things that are happening during the relative calm of this proceeding, when there is no jury present and there are no spectators in the courtroom." Id. at 49. The perceptiveness of that comment was demonstrated by Savage's testimony when trial finally occurred. The following are just a few excerpts from that testimony:
Q Tell us the conversation.
A And I told him, well, I really didn't care to--I really didn't care to--to go into it on--I didn't want to get into it over--over the phone.
So we had made--we had made a--we made arrangements for me to meet him the next--ah--day.
Reporter's Transcript on Appeal, Vol. 13, at 1265 (Apr. 4, 1984).
Q Spend any significant time down there in Long Beach?
A No. It was very--ah--he was very--ah--brief, because whenever--he said he wanted to stop there first--okay.
Prior to leaving Vegas--prior to even meeting Mr. Robinson to--okay--actually leave Vegas, I had called up Tony--I had called up Tony and told him I was--that I was--ah--coming down to purchase a couple of ounces from him.
And he had asked me to--okay--be at his house prior to--ah--prior to ah--prior to--prior to 10 o'clock that night.
Id. at 1340.
Q And when and where was that?
A Okay. I had stayed at home the--the--the--the other night, and I had gotten up--around--around--it was still in the--I'd gotten up in the--I'd gotten up--up--I'd gotten up