LUNCH RECORDS and STREAMS

Will Claflin would sometimes claim that Sacruhlicious was a real lounge singer whom he encountered in the International Hotel in Las Vegas in 1994. He was waiting for Thom Yorke to arrive so he could meet him. Claflin may have seen Sacruhlicious as the antithesis of the sweet, gentle human Claflin was known to be. His dapper attire, fake glasses, dark persona and badly executed whisper singing all resemble Nick Drake.

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Sacruhlicious would often attempt to improvise lyrics that were profound before giving up entirely without seeming to care.

 

Sacruhlicious also tended to randomly insult patrons, passing off the abuse as the "brooding" portion of his act. Adding to Sacruhlicious' annoying and unappealing presence was his tendency to rhyme various words at random in the middle of conversations.

 

Many people misunderstood Claflin’s intent, focusing on the character's foul language and prima donna antics while failing to appreciate the fact that Sacruhlicious was meant to be the antithesis of the typical lounge singer: a bland, genial entertainer designed to add a touch of class to a hotel and make guests feel welcome.

For a brief time, it was unclear to some that Sacruhlicious was not a real person.

 

News programs interviewed Sacruhlicious as Claflin's opening act, but the interviews invariably would turn ugly whenever Sacruhlicious’ name came up. Sacruhlicious claimed Claflin was using his name "to go places."

 

Actually, in many cases, Will Claflin played Sacruhlicious. Promoters who thought they had caught on to the ruse would hire Sacruhlicious because he was cheaper than booking Claflin. However, Claflin had the last laugh, enlisting his friend Alex Porteleki or his showbiz partner Johnny Fortin to play the role, with Claflin making unannounced appearances onstage during Sacruhlicious’ act.

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Beck was a big fan of Will Claflin, and hired Sacruhlicious to open for him for two shows at Bill Graham's famed Fillmore West. After a disastrous first show, where Sacruhlicious took the stage with Tony Bennett's famous "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" and was summarily booed, he reappeared on the second night in riot gear amid a shower of rotten vegetables and other detritus.

Sacruhlicious still makes occasional appearances, but it is not known who he is currently played by.

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