Merry Christmas, Rick!

I met Rick about five years ago, on the bank of a dry wash that snakes behind the Budget Suites on Tropicana Avenue near Wynn Road, an underground flood channel yawning in the distance. Typing on my laptop, I was gathering follow-up notes for Beneath the Neon. Rick, scaling a cinderblock wall, dropped down next to me atop the bank. Startled, I turned toward him. He was wearing a baseball cap turned backward, a T-shirt, faded jeans and dirty sneakers (his standard street attire). His leathered face was framed by a scraggly beard and he was thin and muscular. I was convinced he was going to try to snatch my laptop.

Instead, Rick (aka “Iron”) flashed a disarming smile, sat down next to me and asked what I was working on. I explained that I was a journalist researching a book about the tunnels and was taking follow-up notes on this channel, which I’d previously explored. He told me he’d been on the streets for about four years and was living in the nearby tunnel.

Over the next several years, as I returned to the area to check on people I knew in the tunnels, show members of the media the drains and do outreach with HELP of Southern Nevada, I got to know Rick. He was from Oklahoma, had worked in construction as a glazier and had a beautiful daughter. He moved to Las Vegas to work for a pedicab company, which eventually went under. A drug addiction led him to the streets.

For two years, Rich Penksa, Louis Lacey, Macheo Willis and others at HELP of Southern Nevada visited the tunnels and offered housing and other services to Rick—one of the nicest guys on the streets. He declined, explaining that he “wasn’t ready.” But a few weeks ago, he made his way down to HELP’s Flamingo Road office and is now housed in an apartment in central Vegas.

In a text message this morning, Rick marveled at the fact that he won’t be spending Christmas in the tunnels and, half-jokingly, wondered if he’d miss them. I’m hoping he won’t—and that this will be one of many more he’ll spend housed and clean and safe and warm.

Merry Christmas, Rick! And a happy new year!

The signing, etc.

Thanks to everyone who attended the book signing Saturday at Barnes & Noble. Pretty good turnout. Attendees included journalists Stacy Willis and T.R. Witcher; authors Jarret Keene and P Moss; Heidi Olson and Anthony Curtis from Huntington Press; my good friends Josh Ellis, Chip Mosher, Becky Bosshart and Adrienne Augustus; a graffiti artist who has painted in the drains; a young and interesting photographer (Nick Leonard); and a few folks, Pj Perez and Warren Wucinich, from the Tales from the Boneyard signing down the street.

Speaking of the Tales from the Boneyard signing: If you haven’t visited the new Alternate Reality Comics location, do so soon. Ralph Mathieu, who’s a really cool dude, has put together a sweet store. Also, Tales from the Boneyard is worth buying for the cause (to raise money for the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District’s support of the Vegas Valley Comic Book Festival) and for Keene and Victor Moya’s contribution alone.

For more info on the store, visit http://www.alternaterealitycomics.net/. For more info on the comic-book anthology, visit http://www.talesfromtheboneyard.com/.

Reminder

I’ll sign copies of Beneath the Neon and My Week at the Blue Angel tomorrow (Dec. 11) at 3 p.m. at Barnes & Noble (3860 S. Maryland Parkway, 89119). I’ll be there till at least 4. (This is my last signing before Christmas.)

Also, there’s another signing that day just down the street around the same time. From 12-3 p.m., contributors to Tales from the Boneyard will sign copies at the new Alternate Reality Comics (4110 S. Maryland Parkway, # 8, 89119).

Check that one out, too!

My last signing before Christmas

Huntington Press

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Huntington Press Author to Sign Copies of New Book at Maryland Parkway Barnes & Noble

Las Vegas—Matthew O’Brien, author of Beneath the Neon, will sign copies of his new title My Week at the Blue Angel: And Other Stories from the Storm Drains, Strip Clubs, and Trailer Parks of Las Vegas on Saturday December 11 from 3-4 p.m. at the Barnes & Noble store located at 3860 South Maryland Parkway in Las Vegas.

My Week at the Blue Angel ($14.95) is a collection of creative-nonfiction stories that chronicle O’Brien’s forays into the underbelly of Las Vegas and his discovery that beauty can be found in the unlikeliest of places. The stories revolve around the real-life characters of Sin City that are incongruous to the valley’s picture-perfect neon image: a convicted murderer on parole, a missing prostitute, a strip club owner who starts his own church and the downtrodden masses living in the storm drains beneath the Strip.

Matthew O’Brien’s first book, Beneath the Neon: Life and Death in the Tunnels of Las Vegas ($19.95, Huntington Press), has been reviewed or covered by more than 100 media outlets, including Publishers Weekly, Le Monde, Wired Magazine, The Sunday Times, The Evening News with Katie Couric, and MTV’s The Buried Life.

FOR MORE INFORMATION or to schedule an interview with Matthew O’Brien, please contact:

Heidi Olson-Barwell
heidi@huntingtonpress.com
702-252-0655

###

And now for something completely different

A few years ago, I escorted New York City photographer Seth Kushner into the tunnels of Las Vegas, so he could photograph me for an airline magazine that was doing a story about Vegas artists. Recently, Seth got back in touch and interviewed me. He used leftover photos from the storm-drain shoot and snippets from the interview to create this comic, one in a web series he’s doing.

http://activatecomix.com/104-17-1.comic

Thanksgiving in the tunnels follow-up

Things went well in the tunnels on Thanksgiving. I went down late morning with Josh Ellis (minus the kukri knife), his wife Rosalie, Becky Bosshart and her friend Mary Catharine, bearing hot plates and trash bags full of goods (knit caps, disposable razors, batteries, bar soap, books, etc.). Our first stop was a tunnel near the south Strip, where we encountered four or five camps, which, to our relief, were much warmer than outside. (It was about 40 degrees Fahrenheit in Las Vegas that day.) The inhabitants were just stirring and getting ready for another day: panhandling, dumpster diving, credit hustling. There are no holidays in the underground flood channels of Vegas.

Our second stop was a drain just west of the Strip, which housed two camps. We left plates and trash bags for “Stretch” and Vicki, who were hustling aboveground, and chatted with my friend Rick (of “The Buried Life” fame) near the inlet. Despite a broken index finger, he was planning to wash car windows at a gas station that day.

Finally, we parked at a Siegel Suites adjacent to a three-barrel drain north of UNLV. (Is it just me or is this town becoming one big Siegel Suites?) A handful of homeless people sat on the embankment, basking in the early afternoon sun. As rumors of free food and goods spread, more people emerged from the shadows of the tunnels. They appeared tired, cold and hungry—resigned. We gave out our remaining supplies, including blankets and sweatshirts, and the people seemed appreciative. Some of them said they hope to get into HELP of Southern Nevada’s program, but are currently on the waiting list.

Special thanks to Casey, Sam, Tia T.’s mom Cyndi, Enrique and Nic, who donated goods. Also, to Becky for donating and cooking the food and to Josh, Rosalie and Mary Catharine for helping deliver it. The venture was funded, in part, by Alison from Missouri. (Thanks for the check!)

Also, Josh wrote a long and poignant blog about the day. Check it out at http://zenarchery.com.

Scheduled book signings

I have three book signings in the Las Vegas area over the next few months, one before Christmas. The basic details are listed below. The signings will run for at least an hour, possibly longer, depending on the busyness of the store, and copies of both Beneath the Neon and My Week at the Blue Angel will be available. One of the signings is in the central valley, one Henderson and one near Summerlin.

3 p.m. Dec. 11 Barnes & Noble (3860 S. Maryland Parkway, 89119)
3 p.m. Jan. 8 Borders (1445 W. Sunset Road, Henderson, NV 89014)
1 p.m. Feb. 5 Barnes & Noble (8915 W. Charleston Blvd., 89117)

Thanksgiving in the tunnels

I’m taking food and gifts into the tunnels on Thanksgiving, because I’ll probably be out of town for Christmas. If you want to donate some new or gently used gifts and can meet me Tuesday or Wednesday afternoon or evening, preferably in the central valley, please let me know. Looking for quality over quantity, as we’ll probably only visit three or four tunnels. The people who live in the tunnels told me they would like books (self-help, spiritual and thrillers), toiletries (disposable razors, bar soap, shampoo, etc.), laundry detergent, batteries (D, AA and AAA), jugs of water, thick socks, blankets and winter coats.

Thanks!