P Moss, legendary owner of the Double Down Saloon, is also a writer, with two volumes of Vegas-related short fiction to his credit. One of them has a particular resonance this week ...
Your book Vegas Knockout is a novel-in-stories, all taking place in Vegas during the week leading up to a huge fight. It's got everything: love, lust, heartbreak, grift, every variety of carnality and a clown who wants pancakes. With the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight taking place this weekend, do you sense the same electricity in the city?
While there have been a few bigger fights throughout boxing history, such as Ali/Frazier, there has never been a fight that stirred up Las Vegas like this one. The city is going batshit on every level, exactly how I portrayed the week leading up to Killer Kong vs. The Champ. A copy of Vegas Knockout was given to 50 top boxing writers in town to cover a fight at the time the book came out, and I am sure those who read it are reminded today of the parallel.
Your book featured a lot of wild, eccentric characters, many of them in risky, sketchy situations, their stories amplified by the fight-week energy of the town. How much of that do you think is going on in real life right now?
I wrote about a lot of crazy, out-there characters scratching for crumbs in the shadow of the fight. This week, all those people have come to life, plus a thousand more like them, so insane that no fiction writer could ever create them. The similarities of Vegas Knockout to what is happening now have allowed me the opportunity to promote the book by blitzing Twitter with daily posts (@pMoss_vegas), and books are selling.
Are you a boxing fan? Do you plan to watch the fight?
I enjoy boxing and I will be ringside in front of my television.