Beneath the Neon

The Browser interview

2012-01-18T11:08:00.001-08:00

The literary website the Browser asked me to pick my five favorite Las Vegas books, focusing mostly on nonfiction titles. Here are my choices:

http://thebrowser.com/interviews/matthew-o’brien-on-las-vegas

Grad school update

2012-01-11T14:12:00.000-08:00

So, I applied to six MFA creative writing programs: Iowa, Texas, UC Irvine, UNLV, Washington and Arizona. In the spring, I’ll know where I got in and what funding is available, and I’ll go from there. Very excited about the prospects!

I’ll keep you updated, of course.

Fade Sag Crumble makes top-10 list

2012-01-01T14:14:00.000-08:00

A month after The Guardian included Fade Sag Crumble on its Ten of the Best Books Set in Las Vegas list, Chuck Twardy of the Las Vegas Weekly named it one of the top-ten books of 2011. Yeah, it’s number 10, but still …

http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/news/2011/dec/29/2011-year-review-books-strip-and-sports/

Quick Christmas follow-up

2011-12-27T12:32:00.000-08:00

Spent a few hours in the underground flood channels on Christmas Day, giving out bottled water, clothes, gift cards, toiletries and other items, with the help of a former tunnel resident. The people we encountered were, as usual, polite and appreciative. Thanks to Ted at Lynn’s World consignment store, my sister Cathy, my friends David and Molly and my Facebook friend Karine Projean for their generous donations!

Christmas in the tunnels

2011-12-19T13:18:00.000-08:00

I’m going to be in Vegas for the holidays and am planning a Christmas Day trip into the underground flood channels. Want to give out knit caps, socks, books, flashlights, AA and AAA batteries, blankets, canned goods, gift cards (Target, McDonald’s, Walmart), etc. If you’d like to contribute new or gently used items, please let me know.

Thanks and happy holidays!

Free shipping and no taxes!

2011-12-05T10:55:00.000-08:00

If you’d like a copy of my books Beneath the Neon or My Week at the Blue Angel (www.beneaththeneon.com) or Fade Sag Crumble (www.fadesagcrumble.com), a new collection I contributed to, for yourself or to give as a gift, message me or send me an e-mail. I can sign or personalize the books and ship them for the list price: $20 for Beneath the Neon and $15 for My Week at the Blue Angel and Fade Sag Crumble.

Thanks!

KNPR interview

2011-12-01T21:30:00.000-08:00

I was on KNPR this morning, with attorney/writer Dayvid Figler and CityLife Editor Scott Dickensheets, talking about the 40^th anniversary of Hunter S. Thompson’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

http://www.knpr.org/son/archive/detail2.cfm?SegmentID=8391&ProgramID=2378

HP’s holiday catalog

2011-11-24T18:50:00.000-08:00

My publisher’s 2011 holiday catalog:

http://www.lasvegasadvisor.com/catalog2011.pdf

Fade Sag Crumble in The Guardian

2011-11-21T11:47:00.000-08:00

Malcolm Burgess, writing for The Guardian, included Fade Sag Crumble in his Ten of the Best Books Set in Las Vegas list. True, he left out some worthy titles (e.g., How I Got Cultured and Lay the Favorite). And I disagree with some of his selections (The Desert Rose and The Cold Six Thousand). But it’s a nice acknowledgement, nonetheless, for the collection.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2011/nov/16/top-10-books-las-vegas

Fade Sag Crumble book info

2011-10-30T13:01:00.000-07:00

More info on the book I contributed to, Fade Sag Crumble: Ten Las Vegas Writers Confront Decay.

http://fadesagcrumble.com/

Blue Angel Motel update

2011-10-30T12:11:00.000-07:00

An update on possible changes at the Blue Angel Motel and surrounding area, with quotes from your favorite former Blue Angel tenant. I was worried that I came across as insensitive when quoted as saying, “There is clearly a market for that kind of clientele.” (Of course, if that’s how I worded it, I simply meant Hispanics.) Then I read the comments at the bottom of the story and was, once again, appalled by how ignorant and insensitive some folks can be.

http://www.lvrj.com/news/developer-has-plans-for-latino-music-venue-downtown-132873418.html

Hall of Fame and Silver Pen news release

2011-10-28T21:26:00.001-07:00

Here’s the news release for this year’s Hall of Fame and Silver Pen Award ceremony (copy and paste the link, if necessary):

http://www.unr.edu/nevada-today/news/2011/nevada-writers-hall-of-fame-honors-cowboy-poet-waddie-mitchell

Book launch follow-up

2011-10-28T10:51:00.000-07:00

All-around solid event: well-attended, smoothly moderated and some great readings. Thanks to everyone who was there (and apparently missed one of the most exciting World Series games ever).

Fade Sag Crumble on the radio

2011-10-24T23:06:00.000-07:00

The local NPR affiliate’s State of Nevada program featuring me, Fade Sag Crumble editor Scott Dickensheets and two other contributors, Lynnette Curtis and Andrew Kiraly:

http://www.knpr.org/son/archive/detail2.cfm?SegmentID=8291&ProgramID=2350

Short story writer for hire

2011-10-23T12:28:00.000-07:00

My good friend (and one of my favorite writers from the old CityLife days) Saab Lofton is looking for work. Check out this description of what he does:

http://emilypothast.wordpress.com/2008/12/18/last-minute-holiday-gift-idea/

Fade Sag Crumble book launch

2011-10-18T14:04:00.000-07:00

I contributed an essay to the book Fade Sag Crumble: Ten Las Vegas Writers Confront Decay. My essay, “The Sky’s the Limit,” tries to make some sense of the section of Las Vegas Boulevard between Sahara and Fremont, which I’ve long been fascinated with and where I’ve lived since the beginning of the year. The opening of the piece is posted below.

To launch the book, the editor (Scott Dickensheets) and contributors (Andrew Kiraly, Jarret Keene, Stacy Willis and others) are participating in a panel discussion at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27, at the Clark County Library Theater (on Flamingo Road just east of Maryland Parkway). The event is free and open to the public and will be followed by a book signing and reception.

See you there!

“The Sky’s the Limit”

On this stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard, a pawnshop is the star. Many of the buildings are “Available”—and so are many of the men and women. People, typically supported by cables, throw themselves off the Stratosphere tower. Heirlooms are passed down not to a son or daughter, but a silhouette at the night window.

For a few years, Helldorado was held on this stretch of the Boulevard; now, a much more somber parade marches up and down it. The procession has some baggage, literally and figuratively. It’s tough to tell who’s talking to their headsets and who’s talking to themselves. There’s crazy … and then there’s downtown crazy.

This street is “unique as a peacock,” said the EZPAWN salesman—and at least as colorful. It’s an outstretched arm reaching for modern Las Vegas, said journalist John L. Smith, but can’t quite touch it. It’s a reality check, said a man renting scooters to tourists just north of Sahara Avenue (the line of demarcation).

It’s the wrong side of Sahara. Our Land That Time Forgot. A blind spot of local historians. Terra incognita. This is where the 9/11 terrorists stayed. This is where underground gambling dens become dry cleaners, and wedding chapels become art galleries run by the disabled. This is where 100-year-old men marry 32-year-old women.

Here, you can meet the love of your life (Downtown Cocktail Room), buy a wedding ring (Ace Jewelers), propose (top of the Stratosphere), get a prenup (John Peter Lee Ltd.), marry (Little White Wedding Chapel), get his-and-her tattoos (Precious Slut), consummate the marriage (Oasis Motel), spice up your sex life (Talk of the Town) and, if all else fails, file for divorce (Callister + Associates).

Elvis scored drugs here (of course, that can be said of a lot of places in town). If there’s a Homeless Elvis—and I’m betting there is—he hustles on these swastika-scarred sidewalks. He wakes at 9:30 a.m. on a newspaper bed in a lot formerly occupied by an hourly motel, blue suede shoes tucked under a soiled pillow. He runs a comb through his hair, cracks a crooked smile, then falls back asleep.

Books and a guitar follow-up

2011-10-09T23:13:00.001-07:00

We got the books to Mike awhile back. Finally got him the guitar. Special thanks to Alison in Kansas City for paying for the guitar, which Mike and I picked out at a pawnshop.

Nevada Review Q&A

2011-10-09T12:55:00.000-07:00

A Q&A with the Nevada Review about my background, books, the Silver Pen award and my plans for the future:

http://www.thenevadareview.com/an-interview-with-matthew-obrien-winner-of-the-silver-pen-award

Thanks, Rich!

2011-09-20T13:26:00.000-07:00

For two and a half years, Rich Penksa, a case manager and director of homeless services at HELP of Southern Nevada, has been an integral part of the Shine a Light community project. He braved the underground flood channels, offering housing, medical attention, mental-health care and other services to the people he encountered. He case-managed clients who used to live in the tunnels. And for the last year and a half or so, he oversaw the program that housed or helped (IDs, bus passes, etc.) hundreds of tunnel dwellers and former tunnel dwellers.

On several occasions, I saw Rich encounter someone in the drains, help them pack their stuff and then drive them directly to a group home or apartment—their lives changed in an instant. (It’s one of the most heroic things I’ve seen in person.) Many of these people are now clean, healthy, reunited with family and working or looking for work.

Rich’s last day at HELP was Sept. 15. (I won’t go into the details of his departure.) And while he’s no longer with the charity organization, and is unsure of what he’s going to do next, the work he did aboveground and underground will reverberate for years to come.

Thanks, Rich!

On Twitter

2011-09-17T11:45:00.000-07:00

So, I recently discovered this nifty networking site. Think it’s got potential. Follow me @beneaththeneon.

Silver Pen Award

2011-09-12T11:11:00.000-07:00

I was recently told I won a Silver Pen Award from the NevadaWriters Hall of Fame. Established in 1996, the award recognizes mid-careerwriters who’ve “already shown substantial achievement.” (I’m flattered!)

The Silver Pen will be awarded Nov. 17 on the campus of theUniversity of Nevada, Reno. Congrats to Hall of Fame inductee Waddie Mitchell,a nationally known cowboy poet (how Nevada is that?), and fellow Silver Penawardee David Mullins, a short story writer who grew up in Vegas.

For more info on the Nevada Writers Hall of Fame and theSilver Pen Award, visit:

http://knowledgecenter.unr.edu/libraries/support/writers_hof/

My books in French

2011-09-12T10:38:00.000-07:00

French publisher Inculte (www.inculte.fr), which specializes in contemporary literature, sociology and philosophy, bought the rights to Beneath the Neon and My Week at the Blue Angel and is in the process of translating the books. They’re both scheduled to be published in late January.

As part of the deal, I’ll travel to Paris for a week to help promote the books when they’re released. I’d love to venture into the catacombs/quarries. If you know someone who could serve as my guide, please pass along their contact info. I’d gladly return the favor with a tour of the Vegas drains.

Thanks!

2011-09-04T08:37:00.000-07:00

Dear, Decatur Book Fest attendees: Thanks for making my homecoming and birthday weekend a very special one! Nice turnout at the talk, sold some books and drank some beer and caught up with friends and family. Good times! Much love!

Books and a guitar

2011-08-23T12:55:00.000-07:00

Following the July floods, having lost everything but the clothes on their back, a few folks from a drain under the south Strip got in HELP of Southern Nevada’s program. One of them, Mike (mid-50s, chronically homeless, drug-addicted), is now clean and living in a one-bedroom apartment near UNLV. I dropped by yesterday and was impressed: a comfortable couch, static-free TV, and full-size bed (which beats the hell out of the chaise lounge he slept on in the tunnel for several months). The only things he really needs, he said, are some readable nonfiction or thriller titles and an acoustic guitar. (He’s a musician who used to play on the pedestrian overpasses for tips; no crazy costume necessary.)

If you have books you can spare or a guitar you can donate or that I can buy for cheap, and you can meet me downtown in the next few days, let me know. Thanks.

Book fest release

2011-08-05T12:07:00.000-07:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 2, 2011

Former Atlantan Shines a Light on the Darker Recesses of Las Vegas

Matthew O’Brien, who graduated from Decatur High School in 1988, is returning over Labor Day Weekend to participate in the 2011 Decatur Book Festival. Matt will read from and discuss his latest book, My Week at the Blue Angel: And Other Stories from the Storm Drains, Strip Clubs, and Trailer Parks of Las Vegas (Huntington Press, 2010), a collection of creative-nonfiction stories set in the darker corners of Sin City that most visitors, and even Las Vegas locals, seldom see or hear about.

O’Brien, who played on Georgia State University's 1991 NCAA tournament basketball team, moved to Las Vegas in 1997 and quickly became one of the city's best-known journalists. In 2007 he authored his first book, Beneath the Neon: Life and Death in the Tunnels of Las Vegas, which garnered international interest and acclaim for chronicling the city’s underground flood-channel culture, which he explored for more than four years after discovering a subterranean parallel universe co-existing beneath the bright lights of the famous Las Vegas Strip.

Matt is also founder of Shine a Light, a community project that provides housing, drug counseling, and other services to the hundreds of people who live in the drains. The project is a collaboration between O'Brien and charity organization HELP of Southern Nevada.

Matt’s reading and talk will take place from 11:15 a.m.-12 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 3, in the auditorium of Decatur High School. He will sign copies of both books immediately afterward.

For more information, visit www.beneaththeneon.com or contact Jessica Roe at 702-252-0655 or jessica@huntingtonpress.com.

Decatur Book Fest II

2011-07-28T14:09:00.000-07:00

This should be fun: 11:15 a.m.-12 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 3 (the day before my birthday) … in the auditorium of Decatur High School (my alma mater) … a solo talk focused on my latest book, My Week at the Blue Angel, and my adventures in off-the-beaten-path Vegas … with a book signing immediately afterward.

Hope to see some of my old friends and classmates there. Start spreading the word!

Rain Taxi review

2011-07-11T22:18:00.000-07:00

In its spring online edition, Rain Taxi raved about Las Vegan Alissa Nutting’s Unclean Jobs for Women and Girls. In its summer print edition, it turned its attention to My Week at the Blue Angel. Unfortunately, the print edition isn’t available online, but here’s a blurb:

“Though [Hunter S.] Thompson wrote about real events under the moniker of fiction, O’Brien’s book invokes the fictional aspects of narrative by representing reality in a mystified way. In this way, My Week at the Blue Angel offers itself up to infinite interpretation. One can read his stories as brutally honest portrayals of lost souls or as an allegory about what happens to a human (and humanity) when it is subsumed into an unfeeling capitalist machine, replete with poker chips, show girls, bright lights, and plenty of sewage.”

To read the review, which is a full page, pick up a hard copy of Rain Taxi. For more info, visit www.raintaxi.com.

A ‘Human’ touch

2011-07-06T13:45:00.000-07:00

A quick thanks to the folks at “Human Experience,” the Monday night poetry, art and music event at the Beat coffee shop. In May and June, they held a donation drive for Shine a Light and collected a box full of socks, batteries, flashlights, canned goods and other items. I’ll be giving out the items to people in the tunnels over the next few months.

For more info on “Human Experience,” visit www.lasvegaspoets.org and click on the “Monday” tab.

Decatur Book Fest

2011-05-27T11:35:00.000-07:00

A quick heads up: I’ll be participating in the Decatur (Ga.) Book Festival (www.decaturbookfestival.com) this year. The festival takes place from Sept. 2-4, Labor Day Weekend, on and around the Decatur Square. Not yet sure of the exact date of my panel discussion and book signing, but I’ll most likely be talking about authors and activism (i.e., my books and community project Shine a Light).

Really looking forward to coming home and catching up with everyone. I’ll keep you updated on the details.

Place Hacking post

2011-05-14T12:43:00.000-07:00

An interesting blog entry by Bradley Garrett about urban exploring and the storm drains of Las Vegas. The video is exhilarating (though I don’t condone the act) and the photos are outstanding.

http://www.placehacking.co.uk/2011/05/12/las-vegas-undercity/

NPR’s The Story

2011-04-14T19:58:00.000-07:00

I’m a big fan of the NPR show The Story. Love host Dick Gordon’s voice and style and the way the producers piece together simple and powerful stories. Recently, former tunnel resident Rick Cobble and I were interviewed by Gordon at the local NPR affiliate (KNPR). Here’s the result:

http://thestory.org/archive/the_story_041411_full_show.mp3/view

Fundraising project

2011-04-05T14:22:00.000-07:00

If you’re interested in helping the people who live in the underground flood channels of Las Vegas, here’s an opportunity to do it. The NPR show “State of the Re:Union” visits Vegas in its second season, which kicks off in the next month or two, and is raising money for my community project Shine a Light.

For more information on Shine a Light, “State of the Re:Union” and the fundraising project, visit http://02af589.netsolstores.com/lasvegas.aspx.

Newsweek mention

2011-03-14T11:48:00.000-07:00

An interesting and informative Newsweek piece about the local economy, with two ’graphs on the tunnels about halfway into the story.

http://www.newsweek.com/2011/03/13/rich-vegas-poor-vegas.html

Huffington Post Q&A

2011-03-01T13:34:00.000-08:00

A Q&A with the Huffington Post, focusing on Shine a Light and activism:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/28/las-vegas-author-matt-obrien_n_829450.html

Beautiful/Decay

2011-02-13T13:53:00.000-08:00

Some thoughts about Beneath the Neon and urban exploring from Beautiful/Decay:

http://beautifuldecay.com/2011/02/10/beneath-the-neon/

Book signing follow-up

2011-02-06T15:08:00.000-08:00

Good turnout at the book signing yesterday. Thanks to everyone who dropped by: fellow Huntington Press authors Bill Branon, Cathy Scott and Al Mancini; author JJ Wylie; photographer Bill Hughes; curator and historian Brian Paco Alvarez; advocate for the homeless Linda Lera-Randle El; film director Delaney Dragon; and others.

I don’t have any other public signings scheduled. So if you want a signed copy of Beneath the Neon or My Week at the Blue Angel, visit the Beat coffeehouse downtown, the Borders at Town Square, Barnes & Noble on Maryland Parkway (just north of Flamingo) or the B&N near Summerlin (which, post-signing, had one copy of Beneath the Neon left). These businesses, last I checked, had signed copies in stock.

Thanks to everyone who’s supported My Week at the Blue Angel. Looks like it’s headed to a second printing!

Last scheduled signing

2011-01-26T12:50:00.000-08:00

I have one more scheduled book signing for My Week at the Blue Angel. It’ll be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 5, at the Barnes & Noble near Summerlin (8915 W. Charleston Blvd., 89117). I’ll be there till at least 2.

I haven’t seen a lot of the folks who supported Beneath the Neon, which will also be available at B&N, at any of the My Week at the Blue Angel events. Hope to see you at this one.

Books at Resnicks

2011-01-17T21:56:00.000-08:00

Oh, and Beneath the Neon and My Week at the Blue Angel are also available at Resnicks, the hip new convenience/grocery store at the bottom of Soho Lofts (Las Vegas Boulevard just north of Charleston). For more info on the store, visit www.resnicksgrocery.com. (Heads up: The site is under construction.)

Books at the Beat

2011-01-17T13:34:00.000-08:00

Beneath the Neon and My Week at the Blue Angel are now available at the Beat in downtown Las Vegas (520 Fremont St., 89101). Owners Michael and Jennifer Cornthwaite, who are very supportive of local artists, agreed to stock a few signed copies of each book in their cool coffee shop that looks out onto Fremont. As far as I know, the Beat is the only business downtown that carries the books.

Maybe Michael and Jennifer’s next business venture will be a bookstore. Downtown could use one and it would sit well in the Fremont Street area, though, yeah, they probably wouldn’t get rich off it.

Casino Online review

2011-01-17T12:48:00.000-08:00

A kind review of My Week at the Blue Angel by a casino website based in the UK:

http://www.casinoonline.co.uk/book-reviews/my-week-blue-angel

Midwest Book Review

2011-01-15T12:53:00.001-08:00

A short but sweet review of My Week at the Blue Angel by the Midwest Book Review:

My Week at the Blue Angel
Matthew O’Brien
Huntington Press
3665 Procyon Street, Las Vegas, NV 89103
1935396412, $14.95, www.shoplva.com

A sleazy cheap motel is often the headquarters of life’s adventures. “My Week at the Blue Angel: And Other Stories From the Storm Drains, Strip Clubs, and Trailer Parks of Las Vegas” is a collection of memoirs from Matthew O’Brien about his own unique adventures in Vegas, a town with no shortage of notoriety. His exploration however, isn’t the theme park, but the city that hides behind it that is living and breathing much like any city in America. With plenty of black and white photos, “My Week at the Blue Angel” is a fun and intriguing read that will prove very hard to put down.

Leaving Paradise (Road)

2011-01-11T01:05:00.000-08:00

I moved out of the Diplomat, on Paradise Road just south of DI, at the end of December and am now living in an apartment in downtown Las Vegas overlooking the boulevard. It was bittersweet, as I’d lived at the Diplomat since mid-2005 and have a lot of fond memories of the place. But it was time to move on.

As detailed in My Week at the Blue Angel, the Diplomat was originally owned by Wilbur Clark, frontman of the Desert Inn hotel-casino, and opened in 1960. It featured a porte-cochere, football field-sized courtyard and bow tie-shaped pool (the building and lobby are also shaped like a bow tie) and was home to actors, showgirls, mobsters, magicians, casino executives, comedians and showroom stars. Judy Garland lived in apartment 125, according to property managers Jan and O.J. Hasner. Betty Grable lived in 132, said fan and friend Bob Isoz. Dean Martin in 139. Ann-Margret and Louis Prima also lived at the complex.

When I moved in, the Diplomat—like many Las Vegas headliners—was past its prime. The stucco and wood-frame building was dingy, its trim faded. There were no showgirls by the pool. It was home to cabbies, construction workers, card dealers, bartenders, front-desk clerks, punk rockers and retirees.

I found a crack pipe (not a headdress or sequined jacket) in the closet.

Jan Hasner said former tenants often visit the Diplomat to walk the courtyard and reminisce. What do they think about, I wondered in the story (titled “Another Day on Paradise”)? An addiction? A lost love? Visits from the grandchildren? If I visit, what will I think about? My ex-girlfriend? The books I wrote? The women in maid uniforms and nametags, shuffling toward the mailbox, too tired to smile?

I don’t know. But I do know I’ll miss the place, in many ways. The unique floor plans. The green and shaded courtyard. And the friendly and eccentric neighbors, many of whom I consider close friends.

Beneath the Neon for 98 cents!

2011-01-10T11:50:00.000-08:00

About halfway through my book signing on Saturday, which went pretty well, someone pointed out that Borders was selling Beneath the Neon (list price $19.95) for 98 cents a copy. Apparently, it was some kind of “Super Saver” sale — or the store just screwed up.

Regardless, there were three or four copies of the book left when I finished the signing. So, if you haven’t bought the book and live in the southeast valley (the store is at Sunset and Stephanie), you may want to call and see if copies are available and if they’re still scanning at that price.

The number is 702-433-6222.

AJC story

2011-01-10T10:53:00.000-08:00

This article about the Shine a Light community project, which was posted on the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s website over the weekend, was written by freelancer Bill Banks. Not sure if it has appeared in the hard copy of the paper. (It’s snowing in Atlanta and, apparently, the paper wasn’t delivered today.) If anyone has seen it in the hard copy, please let me know.

http://www.ajc.com/news/dekalb/decatur-native-helps-underground-799070.html

Book signing

2011-01-04T15:33:00.000-08:00

I’ll sign copies of Beneath the Neon and My Week at the Blue Angel Jan. 8 at 3 p.m. at Borders (1445 W. Sunset Road, Henderson, NV 89014). I’ll be there till at least 4.

I have only one more scheduled signing after this Saturday (Feb. 5 at the Barnes & Noble on West Charleston). Hope to see you at one of them.

AARP essay

2010-12-25T18:40:00.000-08:00

AARP Bulletin—no old jokes please—asked me to write an essay about people 50 and older I’ve encountered in the storm drains, weekly motels and trailer parks of Las Vegas. Here it is:

http://www.aarp.org/entertainment/books/info-12-2010/author_speaks_dark_side_of_retirement_in_las_vegas.html