ISBN: 10:0-9842109-1-1 (Paperback)

Click Here To Purchase UNDER THE NEON SKY...A Las Vegas Doorman's Story

If you ever wondered what working as a doorman for the largest hotel in the world is all about, then pick up a copy of Jan Rankin's UNDER THE NEON SKY: A Las Vegas Doorman's Story.

When Jay received a phone call from the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas that he had been selected, along with nine others, as one of their “guest ambassadors” (doorman), he was ecstatic. This meant “big bucks” and the only reason why he applied for the job. As he points out in his book, there were seventeen hundred applicants that applied for the coveted job. However, in all probability, it was his previous job as a local television host of a program focusing on Las Vegas business that turned the tide in his favor. As we are to discover, Jay never initially realized the physical and emotional toll he would be subjected to and the high price he would pay, as he manned the front line of one of the most famous hotels and casinos in the world.

From the very onset, it was imperative that Jay along with his co- ambassadors, meticulously follow the hotel's protocol, its rules, regulations, procedures and policies. Failure to follow these would mean certain dismissal, even if it meant enduring verbal or physical abuse dished out by the hotel's guests. Doormen are not to yell at a guest, purchase illegal drugs or procure a prostitute for a guest, be late for work, fail to clock in, wear visible tattoos or wear earrings. Video cameras are everywhere and doormen were continuously watched by security and management, who sometimes are not exactly the nicest people, and are quite eager to toss you out on your behind for the slightest infraction. They are even taught the correct way of taking a dollar while opening a taxi or limo door. In addition, ambassadors are expected to know a great deal about Las Vegas and answer questions from the guests concerning the hotel and the city.

Las Vegas, which bills itself as the Entertainment Capital of the World, is also known as Sin City due to its tolerance for various forms of adult entertainment. A circus atmosphere prevails, where anything goes-a city without boundaries, and as Jay was quickly to learn, it is a city of decadence, escapism, debauchery, and broken dreams and marriages. A city where everyone wants something other than what they have, and everyone wants to be someone they are not. To quote Jay, “the devil oasis seemed to bedevil everyone who spent time there with a black magic that was both subtle and utterly transmuting. I could best describe the city's witchery as a force field, an electric undercurrent. I felt it vibrating beneath the pavement of the street.” However, after being subjected daily to all of this, Jay felt the effect of the city's insidious electrical current. He became quite blasé at the comings and goings of the escapades of some of the guests, and as he informs us, he realized that he also gave off the odor of moral collapse. He was petrified thinking-what if he couldn't scrub off the stench? He was addicted to the city's charge, the rush, and the drama that surrounded him under the porte cochere. Another difficult pill to swallow, especially for Jay, who is a caring and loyal person, was the difficulty in making sincere friends among his co-workers. Loyalty is practically non-existent and everyone tends to be very selfish, no matter what are the ramifications of their actions.

UNDER THE NEON SKY: A Las Vegas Doorman's Story is the type of a book that helps us try to make sense of the world of Las Vegas, if that is at all possible. And as Jay states in his brief bio, he didn't research Las Vegas, he lived it for six years. It is a Vegas that few people know that has the power to destroy. Jay had seen what it had done to people and the results were not exactly pretty.

In the end, this book is quite a scoop, as the author seamlessly weaves in details of a daunting universe where being caught in its tentacles can lead to certain misery and hopelessness.

Jay Rankin holds an advanced degree in Psychology and began his writing career in 1993. He is currently working on his second book about his life after Vegas. He resides in Los Angles.

Click Here To Purchase UNDER THE NEON SKY...A Las Vegas Doorman's Story