Second press run

I didn’t really have any goals when I began researching and writing Beneath the Neon — well, other than emerging from the drains with at least three of my four limbs. I did, however, hope the book would have a second press run. Thanks to you, it will.

Sales have been steady and we need more copies of the book. So I turned a corrected copy into Huntington Press, Editor Deke Castleman looked over the changes and Production Coordinator Laurie Shaw made the changes to the master copy. It’ll be sent to the printer soon and, hopefully, be back in a few weeks.

This isn’t officially a second edition; it won’t include a foreword by a famous author or any other major additions. It’s a reprint. However, it will be cleaner and leaner than the first print run.

And it will sit proudly on my bookshelf for many years to come.

What I Learned in the Las Vegas Storm Drains

High Country News, a respected environmental paper based in Paonia, Co., published an essay of mine about my experiences in the Las Vegas storm drains. Here’s the original version of the essay, for the initiated, which is a combination of stuff from Beneath the Neon, the media materials and original writing:

The catacombs of ancient Rome served as houses of worship for Jews and Christians. When surveyed by Pierre-Emmanuel Bruneseau in the early 1800s, the sewers of Paris yielded gold, jewels and relics of the revolution. And thousands of people lived in the subway and train tunnels of New York City in the 1980s and ’90s.

What secrets do the Las Vegas storm drains keep? What discoveries wait in the dark? What’s beneath the neon?

Armed with a flashlight, tape recorder and expandable baton for protection, I sought to answer these questions.

It all started in the summer of 2002, when I explored five storm drains with freelance writer Joshua Ellis. It culminated in the summer of 2004, when I explored the flood-control system in full. It continued through 2006, as I returned to the drains for follow-up notes and to explore virgin tunnels.

When I came up with the idea of exploring the storm drains, after reading about a fugitive who used a drain to elude the police, I didn’t consider that they might be inhabited. I couldn’t make that connection; it was too remote for a boy from the middle-class South. I expected to find concrete, darkness and water – miscellaneous items (a wallet or a wig – ha, ha, ha), graffiti and maybe a stray animal. But I did not expect to find people. People sleep in houses, condos and apartments. They sleep in hotels, motels and – a local favorite – trailers. They sleep in shelters, parks and under bridges.

But they do not sleep in dark concrete boxes that run for miles and miles. They do not sleep in concrete boxes that fill with floodwater.

Exploring the storm drains with Josh, I found out that they do. And as we interviewed the inhabitants, it almost began to make sense. The drains are ready-made reliable shanties – a floor, two walls and a ceiling. They provide shelter from the intense Mojave heat and wind. (Remember, most desert animals live underground.) Some of the drains are dry for weeks, even months. And cops, security guards and business owners don’t dare roust anyone beyond the shade line.

But ultimately, the drains are deathtraps. They’re disorienting and sometimes dangerously long. Many of them run under streets and contain pockets of carbon monoxide. They can be difficult to exit, particularly in a hurry. They’re not patrolled. (Who would work that beat for $50,000 a year?) They’re not monitored. There are no rules. There are no heroes. And, oh yeah, they can fill a foot per minute with floodwater.

Walking into a storm drain is like walking into a casino: You never know what’s going to happen, but chances are it isn’t going to be good.

But the flood-control system wasn’t all bad. I learned a lot about Las Vegas, Las Vegans and myself down there in the dark. While walking straightaways that felt like concrete treadmills, I thought about the ephemeral nature of Vegas: old bungalows being bulldozed; friends who appear, then disappear; the Dunes, Sands and Desert Inn collapsing in clouds of dust. This city eats its children, I thought. Everything here is as disposable as a razor blade – except for the storm drains. They’re our preservation areas. Our art galleries. Our time capsules.

For me, they were also a classroom.

I followed the footsteps of a psycho killer. I two-stepped under the MGM Grand at 3 in the morning. I chased the ghosts of Benny Binion, Bugsy Siegel, Elvis, Frank Sinatra and Howard Hughes.

I discovered that a manhole can feel a lot like heaven. That in some ways, I prefer underground Las Vegas to aboveground Vegas: It’s cooler, quieter and there’s a hell of a lot less traffic. That maybe the afterlife is just a matter of trading in your body for a new-and-improved model.

I learned how to make meth. That art is most beautiful where it’s least expected. And that there are no pots of gold under the neon rainbow.

Coming home

It’s official. I’m taking part in the Decatur (Ga.) Book Festival, which will be held Aug. 31-Sept. 2 on and around the town square. I’ll participate in a panel discussion from 1:15 p.m-2 p.m. on Sept. 2 and sign copies of Beneath the Neon immediately afterward.

If you’re in the Atlanta area that weekend, drop by the festival and say hello. Also, please spread the word to anyone else who may be interested in attending. (Sandwiches on me at Sensational Subs – or has it closed, too?)

For more info on the Decatur Book Festival, visit www.decaturbookfestival.com.

Summer reading

Local glossy 944 included Beneath the Neon in its summer reading list. Very cool and very much appreciated.

But the most interesting thing about the list, in my opinion, was the photo that accompanied it: a model in a bikini and Jackie O. shades tanning by a pool, reading Beneath the Neon. It’s a jarring image, really, and wet with irony. I couldn’t help but wonder if this seemingly oblivious beauty was at the Hard Rock pool, above its triple-barrel storm drain – one of the meanest skid rows in town. Or at the MGM Grand pool, above madmen roaming in the dark with no light sources.

Unfortunately, 944’s website is somewhat sparse and doesn’t appear to include the summer reading list and photo. But if you live in Las Vegas, pick up a copy. The photo alone will be worth it, I think.

Thanks!

The last two weeks have been insane, with the book-launch party and all. I finally have a few minutes to blog about the party. Yes, a few minutes.

The party went really, really well. A lot of close friends and family members showed up. Deke Castleman, who edited Beneath the Neon, flew in from the Reno area and the designer Kat Topaz flew in from Portland, Ore., with her baby girl Odessa. Very cool.

Also, a lot of local writers attended: John L. Smith, Joshua Ellis, Brian Rouff, Cathy Scott, Bill Branon, H. Lee Barnes, Chip Mosher, Andrew Kiraly and others. Yes, very cool.

I want to thank Becki Davis of Huntington Press, Evette Jensen of the Arts Factory and Paymon Raouf of Paymon’s Mediterranean Café for helping make the party happen. Thanks, y’all!

Finally, some of Danny Mollohan’s black-and-white prints are left over from the party. If anyone wants a print, contact Danny at 702-807-9386 or killerbeard@priest.com. He can make prints of any photos from the book or from his Flickr.com page, www.flickr.com/photos/dannymollohanphotography.

Check ’em out!

Book-launch party

We’ve finalized the details of my book-launch party. The party will be held from 6 p.m.-8 p.m. June 1 at the Arts Factory in Suite 202. About 20 close friends and family members are flying in to celebrate the book and to hang out. I’ve also invited a few local friends.

Suite 202 of the Arts Factory is relatively small, about 20 feet by 15 feet. But there’s a neighboring common area, where people can hang out. I’ll sign copies of the book in the suite, and hors d’oeuvres from Paymon’s Mediterranean Cafe and refreshments will be served in the common area.

I’m encouraging friends and family to arrive early. The Arts Factory gets slammed on First Friday after 7 p.m. and the hordes are sure to smell the free food.

See you there!

All apologies

What the world needs now is not another blog. Nonetheless, here it is. All apologies.

But don’t worry. I do not plan to pontificate about current events, pop culture, politics, homelessness and the environment. We do enough of that at CityLife. (See for yourself at www.lasvegascitylife.com.)

This blog — and I want you to hold me to this — will focus on my first book, Beneath the Neon: Life and Death in the Tunnels of Las Vegas, and things related to the book and my career. In other words, it will be more professional than personal. I’ll post articles here. (If I can figure out how to do that.) I’ll reflect on book signings, festivals and the publishing world, which from early indications seems every bit as dark and nasty and vicious as the storm drains. And I’ll make announcements. For example:

Beneath the Neon: Life and Death in the Tunnels of Las Vegas is now available through Stephens Press at 702-387-5260 or www.stephenspress.com. It’s also available at www.amazon.com.

Anyway, I’ll probably post on a semi-regular basis (about once a week) and try to avoid shameless self-promotions. I’ll also try to keep the posts short.

So there you have it. Just what the world does not need. Another blog. Another lunatic screaming in an empty alley. Another voice that will probably never escape this black hole in cyberspace.