Naked Pianist Proud of His Organ

On a dusty stretch of I-10 in Arizona, near the California border, sits the tiny town of Quartzsite. It's a mecca for RV snowbirds along with gem and mineral rock hounders.

But there's another attraction along the main strip that's fascinated folks for more than 20 years: the Reader's Oasis bookstore. Why is it so popular? Well, it might be the thousands of rare, interesting, well-priced books and magazines crammed into every bit of spare space.

Then again, it might be the bookseller himself, a rail-thin, leather-tanned storyteller named Paul Winer.

If you happen to wander into the shop and meet Winer, don't be shocked -- and don't be shy. You see, save for a little, strategically placed pouch just below his midsection, Winer tends to his business in the altogether -- as buck naked as the day he was born 67 years ago.

Back in the 1970s, he earned a bit of underground fame back East, performing as "Sweet Pie -- the Naked Boogie-Woogie Piano Player." Sharing the circuit with an up-and-coming comic named Jay Leno, Winer performed his music/comedy review for more than 1.5 million people over the years at clubs, saloons and underground parties.

Being a lifelong nudist, he just thought he'd incorporate his lifestyle into the act, and things took off. "For me, nudism isn't some thing that I do to meet people or treat like some fad. I genuinely don't like the feel of clothes against my body. Never did. So it was a natural way for me to perform."

As for the boogie-woogie piano playing, Winer was inspired early in life.

"I saw Fats Domino in Massachusetts when I was 11 years old," Winer told AOL News. "It changed my life. I got his autograph and decided that night I was going to become a piano thumper. Hey, Jerry Lee Lewis had already proved white people could do this, so I saw nothing in my way."

One place in particular hosted Sweet Pie more than any other. "Salisbury Beach on the New England coast," Winer sighed wistfully. "I played there 90 nights a summer for four years in a row -- back in the 1970s I was the icon act on the beach."

But after he and his wife had a little girl who wanted a more "normal" life, the Winers settled down in the speck of a town called Quartzsite. They opened a bookstore. And then tragedy struck.


In the mid-1990s, his daughter Celia passed away from a heart ailment. And so here in town, the Winers created a memorial garden in honor of the light of their life. Today, it thrives, and a painting of Celia hangs in the bookstore.

The town pitched in to help the pair grieve.

But the town also took issue with Winer's nakedness.

"They tried to pass an ordinance just because of me," Winer said, "but the ACLU got involved and stopped it. Then I think everyone started to realize I was good for business, so they sort of embraced me. Not literally. But you get what I mean."

Throughout any given day, travelers from all over the world stop in to shop for books and have their photo taken with Winer, who's more than happy to oblige.

Suddenly in January, the "Sweet Pie" act became aroused once more.

"Salisbury Beach brought me back for a festival," Winer explained. "I hadn't played for 20 years, so I practiced for about 200 hours and it paid off. More than 1,000 people turned out. They sang along, they knew the jokes. They remembered."

Something else happened once he got home. Some customers got to talking with Winer and told him they were on their way to visit their friend -- Jay Leno. Winer gave them a note to deliver to his old pal and the next day, the phone rang.

"It was Jay," Winer said, smiling. "We reminisced for a while and then he told me that when I'm ready, since I'm playing again, that he wants to have me on 'The Tonight Show.' I don't have his number, but I want Jay to know right now -- I've been playing some local shows here in Quartzsite and I'm ready. I'm ready, Jay, so if you're reading this article, let's make a plan."

Back at the counter, ringing up some maps, travel books and DVDs a customer is buying, Winer smiles to himself. "Whatever happens next, you've just got to laugh at your a--."

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