Beneath the Neon: Life and Death in the Tunnels of Las Vegas

Matthew O'Brien

Dec 2010 · Huntington Press Inc

About this ebook

Beneath the Neon: Life and Death in the Tunnels of Las Vegas chronicles O'Brien's adventures in subterranean Las Vegas. He follows the footsteps of a psycho killer. He braces against a raging flood. He parties with naked crackheads. He learns how to make meth, that art is most beautiful where it's least expected, that in many ways, he prefers underground Las Vegas to aboveground Las Vegas, and that there are no pots of gold under the neon rainbow

Ratings and reviews

Las Vegas, the city of lights, glamour and excess, carries with it, skeletons in its closet, the existence of an acknowledged world of homelessness; the dark drainage tunnels is the abode of solace for these forgotten souls. The author’s approach was refreshing. His fascination stemmed from his interest to trace that the steps of a wanted criminal who hid in the drain tunnels to escape from authorities. The author, a reporter when he started this investigative work, was successful in his attempt to objectively tell the tale of each character that he had encounter each time he went to the drain. As the book progresses, one can sense the author’s naïveté as he describes his personal feelings, perceptions, and expectations of what/whom he might come across, a ghost, some drug addict or mentally ill person who will mug him ... he was scared. In fact he thoughtfully acknowledged that he led a sheltered life. I think this honesty was one of the strengths of this book. As his words take you deeper into the darkness, you can sense his fear, smell the stagnant water and slowly recognize that these, people although homeless, are not zombies, but are misunderstood humans. Each person had a story, some speak of their art and talent, family, struggles, success, failures and just like us, and they too have dreams. It cannot be denied that their state is a reflection of the ills of today’s society. The pictures in the book also provided an excellent insight to the eerie cryptic art, new age graffiti that so beautifully adorn the tunnel walls as well as lend to the reality and the humanness of the characters interviewed. The skeletons that Las Vegas wants to hide, the only difference is that these people either chose to leave the conventionalities of today's world and live freely according to their own terms and without judgment; or hide under the shelter of darkness, hoping to find solace from consequences of choices that they have made (crime, addictions, society etc). One has to be reflective and sensitive to human psychology in order to considerately experience and write about this without bias. The author presented its readers with a new perspective of why this underground world somehow needs to exist to create that yin and yang/balance in society. The best part of the book I think is how the reader can sense the author’s growth as a person and as a writer. He started out fearing the dark tunnels and a little wary of how these underground dwellers would receive him, being an intruder. After publishing this book, his experience and the people he met had offered him a deeper understanding of how and why they chose to live underground. His life changing experience is manifested on his visits in the tunnel to check up on these dwellers as well as his non profit organization that benefits the homeless. As the book progresses the readers can easily notice how he had developed from a reporter into an effective storyteller.

About the author

Matthew O’Brien is an author and journalist who’s lived in Las Vegas since 1997. His first book, Beneath the Neon: Life and Death in the Tunnels of Las Vegas, chronicles his adventures in the city’s underground flood channels, which he explored for more than four years with a flashlight, tape recorder, and expandable baton for protection. His second book, My Week at the Blue Angel: And Other Stories from the Storm Drains, Strip Clubs, and Trailer Parks of Las Vegas, is a creative-nonfiction collection set in off-the-beaten-path Vegas. He’s the founder of Shine a Light, a community project that provides housing, drug counseling, and other services to the people living in the drains.