Tony Cassano and Joey Birigante Performers

Music Performers Anthony Cassano and Joe Birigante publicly insult all Italian-​Americans and no one says anything. It was a Friday night and I was at Tuscanos Restaurant to watch the entertainment and have a cocktail. While I was there Tony Cassano and Joe Birigante were performing on stage. Their music style was pretty good however they continually degraded Italian-​Americans by calling then «Dago’s’ and «Grease balls». They did this to the point of being rude and disrespectful. Not one person in the restaurant said anything to them. When Tony Cassano got off stage he played a song on the speaker system called «I’m a Dago» and version of «Amadeus». My Grandparents and their Family took a ship to the United States and worked honest hard lives and I felt this was disrespectful to them. My deceased cousin at one time knew half the guys in this restaurant and was part of the Italian-​Americans Business Association. Not to mention all the Italian-​Americans who serve or served this country in the military were being referred to as «Dago’s» and «Grease balls». Me being part Italian and Irish found it disrespectful. I approached Joe Birigante and politely asked him to refer to us as Italian-​Americans. I also advised him their were elders in the restaurant who deserved some respect. Joe and Tony, felt since they were Italian that entitled them to use such terms. I remember back in the mid-​1980s, in a restaurant on North Ave., in Melrose Park, a waitress started calling the owners friends «Dagos». A man of honor, named Jackie, immediately advised her to refrain from calling them Dago’s. Since then, those guys are gone and it seems so is all respect and honor. Tony Cassano continued to use the word «Grease ball», so I got up and left. As I was leaving he made another smart ass wise guy statement, something like, «Don’t let the door hit you in the ass!’, Well let me say this, wherever these guys perform any person of respect or honor should walk out. I will always let the door hit me in the ass with these two disrespectful rude performers out of respect for my Family and Friends and for all Italian-​Americans who deserve the basic honor and respect that once was. A guess basic respect was once upon a time.