A Boot Time

Spencer Patterson

Saturday, July 12, 2003 | 3:43 a.m.

If the Rat Packers were Las Vegas royalty, prepare for the return of the princess.

Nancy Sinatra, eldest child of Ol' Blue Eyes himself, plays her first gig in Southern Nevada in 21 years Wednesday night at 7 at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay.

Sinatra, who celebrated her 63rd birthday last month, gained musical notoriety during the 1960s. Her trademark hit, "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'," reached No. 1 in 1966, as did her duet with her father, "Somethin' Stupid," the following year.

Sinatra took a hiatus from music for most of the '70s and '80s, instead concentrating on raising her daughters, Amanda and Angela Jennifer. Sinatra's husband, Hugh Lambert, died of cancer in 1985.

Sinatra has resumed her singing career over the past decade, jump-starting her comeback with a 1995 Playboy pictorial. She released a new album, "California Girl," in 2002, collecting old and new tracks.

On Tuesday Sinatra took time for a telephone interview from her Laguna Beach, Calif., hotel room.

Las Vegas Sun: So when was your last Vegas show?

Nancy Sinatra: Oh my God, you don't even want to know. The last time was Caesars Palace, I think, in 1982. That's a long time.

Sun: How different does the Strip look to you these days?

NS: It's wonderful how the city keeps evolving. I was never really shocked by the changes because I kept going back to visit, and I saw it during its development stages.

What I miss, though, are those essential landmarks. I started going there when I was a kid, so I go all the way back to when Las Vegas was the Silver Slipper and the El Rancho, the Desert Inn, the Dunes, the Frontier ... All those original hotels were almost like home to me.

I mean, I saw Milton Berle play at the El Rancho and Hank Henry at the Silver Slipper. My dad used to smuggle me into places because there were a lot of places where kids were not allowed.

Sun: "These Boots Are Made For Walkin' " has been called one of the first female empowerment songs. Did you have sense of that when you recorded it?

NS: No, that came later, in retrospect. That started when "I Am Woman" came out in '72. People started comparing it to "Boots," saying, "Yeah, but 'Boots' was first, years back."

So I started getting credit for something I didn't deserve, helping to create the women's movement. It's very sweet and humbling to be included in that group of women, but it was completely by accident.

Sun: Do memories of your father flood back when you listen to "Somethin' Stupid?"

NS: I have trouble listening to anything to do with my father now, since he died (in 1998). It's really hard for me, really emotional. But it's a beautiful record. It tugged at your heart strings.

Sun: I read you have a new album in the can.

NS: We actually have one finished and one that's being recorded now. The one that's finished is with Lee Hazelwood. It's been ready for about three months now, but we don't have a label so we're stuck. We've been shopping it around, but so far nobody's interested.

Sun: Does that surprise you?

NS: No, I'm not at all surprised. I have trouble getting jobs, too. I don't know if it's an age thing, or if people just forgot Lee and me. I don't know.

Sun: And the one you're working on now?

NS: The one that's happening now is really so dear to my heart because my daughter, A.J., is producing it with her husband, Matt. It was her idea. She said, "Mom, I want to get songs from the people who say they've been influenced by your music." And I said, "Great, go for it," never dreaming it would actually happen. But it has.

We have three songs already recorded. The first one we did was from my friend Morrissey, who I love and adore. He sent a multitrack of a song that he had recorded, so my voice is now on that track and it's done. It's really good.

The second one was from Bono. He had written a song in tribute to my dad called, "Two Shots of Happy, One Shot of Sad" and he sent me his multitrack of that, so my voice is now on that.

And I had a song that I had recorded that had never been released called "Ain't No Easy Way," which Jon Spencer loved. So we recorded it as a duet.

Sun: From what I've read, it seems that you've never really embraced your acting career.

NS: I used to think I was a terrible actor. But they actually honored me at a film festival last week, believe it or not (at the "Mods & Rockers Film Festival" in Hollywood, Calif.).

I went to a screening where they ran my TV special, "Movin' With Nancy," and a brand-new print of "The Wild Angels," which is a terrible movie but such a favorite. So I don't hate myself (as an actor) as much as I thought I did.

Sun: What was it like acting with Elvis Presley in "Speedway?"

NS: Elvis was one of a kind. It was just great. I was in movies with Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley and Peter Fonda. Three great, unique guys, and each one was a wonderful experience.

Elvis and I remained friends and Peter and I are still friends, mostly Internet friends. We're actually doing a (motorcyle) ride in Las Vegas for the Harley-Davidson 100th anniversary, so that's going to be a hoot.

Sun: Would you have mixed emotions if one of your daughters told you she was considering posing for Playboy?

NS: No, it's a great experience, nothing to be ashamed of. I recommend it to anybody. It's a fantastic little chapter to add to one's life. Being a feminist and being sexy are not mutually exclusive. We're too prudish in this country.

It was a tool that was necessary at the time. I needed a cheap publicity stunt -- cheap meaning it wouldn't cost me anything -- to call attention to the fact that I was trying to get back into the music business.

The only bad thing about it was Jay Leno's attitude because he kept talking about my age on the "Tonight Show." There was so much more to talk about. It bothered me that he would just limit it to that. But he let me do two songs on the show, which was the important thing.