Vegas Happy Man on Sahara and Ft Apache
Who is the Happy Man in Las Vegas on the corner of Sahara Ave and Ft Apache?
He is our minstral of happiness bringing good will and cheer to everyone in Vegas!
Wave and smile as you pass him by - it can only bring you good luck and happiness!!!
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SPREADING A LITTLE SUNSHINE
Jun. 26, 2006 Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal reviewjournal.com -- SPREADING A LITTLE SUNSHINE: COME ON GET HAPPY The R-J's reporter learns what happiness is on the streets Sorry, Mom. I know you told me not to play in traffic. But today, it's my job. "Kick higher!" screams the 52-year-old man I'm replacing, Larry James Johnson, who dances in outrageous costumes at the intersection of West Sahara Avenue and Fort Apache Road. "The kick is my trademark!" he says, cackling and clapping. Johnson, an Army veteran, works as a night watchman for a company that places him in temporary assignments. That's only his Clark Kent job, however. From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., 7 days a week, he's Mr. Happiness, dauntless foe of all frowns. "This world is full of negativity," Mr. Happiness says, "so I try and stamp it out." Hundreds of thousands of cars pass each day through what Mr. Happiness says he makes "the happiest intersection in Las Vegas." He waves and blows kisses to as many as he can -- when he's not spinning like a top or balancing on his coccyx, legs flailing. "If somebody's having a crappy day," he says, "I want them to smile for a moment." Mr. Happiness also spreads extra-intersectional happiness via his role in infomercials for Towbin Dodge, the local dealership featured on the A&E reality series, "King of Cars." "They call Wayne Newton Mr. Vegas," Mr. Happiness says. "But I'm the real Mr. Vegas!" My training begins in the parking lot of the Blockbuster Video at 9420 W. Sahara Ave., where Mr. Happiness parks a white SUV loaded up like Cher's closet. The pharaoh, mariachi and samurai outfits represent only a small fraction of a collection procured from San Francisco's Pier 39 and a Laughlin hat shop. Mr. Happiness chooses a jester cap and military jacket for me. Luckily, we're the same height (5-foot-5, or as he likes to refer to it, "5-foot-7"). He then hands me an unplugged and unstrung electric guitar. (An important part of Mr. Happiness's routine is air-wailing along to the rock music on his FM Walkman.) Many cities sport colorful street characters. "Melrose" Larry Green stands at Melrose and Highland avenues in L.A., holding home-scribbled Howard Stern placards. Ronnie "Woo Woo" Wickers wanders Chicago's streets in a Cubs uniform, shouting supports of "woo!" for his team. Peoria's Willie York is a homeless Vietnam vet who dresses like the devil and commits petty crimes, reportedly to spend warm nights in county lockup. At first, Mr. Happiness -- who resembles rapper Flavor Flav as a squeegee guy -- seems equally nuts. In fact, most uninitiated motorists roll up their windows. "They think I'm homeless, asking for money," he says. (He's not, and he doesn't.) I was apprehensive, too -- until I read that Oscar Goodman danced alongside Mr. Happiness at this corner last year, after losing a bet to KXMB-FM, 94.1 morning show hosts Mark and Mercedes. They raised $2,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation together. (Then I remembered who else our mayor is comfortable cavorting with. So I Googled "Mr. Happiness" alongside the words "murdered," "shot" and "stabbed," just to be safe.) "People can call me crazy," Mr. Happiness says, "but I know what I'm all about." And who's crazier, really -- a guy whose life mission is to make everyone happy, or the people who zoom by in their metal boxes, refusing to acknowledge him, gnashing their teeth en route to jobs they hate? "Hey, cousin!" Mr. Happiness yells to a motorist. (Everyone he addresses is either a cousin or uncle.) The blonde in the red Volkswagen Jetta headed south on Fort Apache flicks her thumb upward. Mr. Happiness introduces me as his apprentice. She waves as she waits for the light to change. Mr. Happiness instructs me to perform. "Spin faster!" he commands me before asking the woman what she thinks. "You're not retiring, are you?" she asks him. Mr. Happiness, the eldest of six siblings, survived a tough upbringing in East Oakland, Calif. Three of his sisters were born addicted to heroin, due to his mother's habit. As an illiterate 13 year old, Mr. Happiness broke into houses -- until, he claims, something his great-grandmother said put him straight from then on. "She said, 'Whatever you throw out in life is gonna come back to you,' " he says. "So if you treat people with love and respect, it's gonna come back to you, too." This morning, Mr. Happiness brings a smile to a quarter of the passers-by visible behind their desert-tinted windows. And these are smiles with him, not at him, judging from all the honking and thumb-flicking. Las Vegas resident Roger Buss even makes a fast-food stop and doubles back. "I saw you sweating, so I got you this," he says, handing Mr. Happiness an orange drink. Reaction isn't always positive. Another guy once brought a cup of urine, which he doused Mr. Happiness with. "But I love him anyway," Mr. Happiness says. After the Army, Mr. Happiness spent 16 years in Sacramento, Calif., where he performed the same street act as Laguna Larry. (Laguna is a Sac Town suburb.) "But I always wanted to live in Vegas," Mr. Happiness says. "I love the mountains. I love the 110-degree weather." Mr. Happiness relocated five years ago, adopting a new stage name inspired by something a 5-year-old girl once told him. "She said, 'You make me happy, Mr. Happiness,' " he says. "That stuck with me." A guy in a white Jeep flashes devil horns at me. But my reviews are mixed. Seconds later, a guy in a tan Frontier pickup refuses to turn his head while I scream "yes!" into his open window. I'm getting some smiles, but they're awkward -- like the ones my parents formed when I told them I wanted to be a journalist instead of attend law school. I suggest a costume change. We step into Mr. Happiness's "dressing room," a shady patch between palms in a Rite Aid lot, and swap outfits. I also decide to take my act solo, to the thin island dividing Sahara's rapidly rolling eastward- and westward-bound traffic. "Stay out of the street!" Mr. Happiness yells. But standing next to the real deal is no way to sell an imitation. You never see Mr. Pibb alongside Dr Pepper in the same soda machine. Besides, I'm only doing what Mr. Happiness does every morning. "I know," he yells, "but I live on the edge!" One of the eastward-speeding cars slows. It's black and white, I notice, with letters and numbers painted on the side. Instead of holding still and praying that a policeman won't notice a man in Bob Marley's dreads and Elvis Presley's gold lame suit standing on a traffic island, I decide to put my new training to use. I wail my guitar and flail my body, spinning and kicking like an Isley Brother. If I'm going downtown, it's for doing something. "Uh-oh," says Mr. Happiness, who received his own $85 citation last month. (He goes to court on Tuesday.) The officer stares me down as I wonder how I'm going to expense this back to the R-J. But when the light changes, so apparently does his mind. He salutes before taking off. "Yes!" Mr. Happiness yells. The officer even smiles. "You're spreading the joy now!" Mr. Happiness continues as he runs over to high-five me. "You da man!" I suggest celebrating my success at Mr. Happiness' house. It's three blocks away, he says, in the Lakes. But he refuses to take me. Ironically, Mr. Happiness' superpowers do not extend here. "Me and my wife, we're not on speaking terms right now," he says. "A marriage is up and down. One day you like her one day you don't. "And I haven't been liking her for a couple weeks now." |
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Crazy From The Heat? - Mr. Happiness
May 31, 2004 Copyright © www.brokennewz.com Matt Rouse If you've ever been by the corner of Sahara and Fort Apache on Las Vegas ... have to go through life - gloomy or whatever man. You can be happy as yourself. ... If you've ever been by the corner of Sahara and Fort Apache on Las Vegas ' upper west side during the day, chances are you have probably seen him. After all, he's kind of hard to miss: dressed up in spandex, playing an electric guitar (It's not plugged into anything) - singing and waving to people. You may have even seen him on local TV shows. If there's a more fitting interview to have for the inaugural issue of this e-zine, I can't think of who it would be. I wasn't sure what to expect when I first approached Mr. Happiness for an interview - But then again, I guess him being unpredictable is one of the reasons I was there in the first place. He was singing, doing high kicks, saluting a passing police car. When I first told my co-workers about the interview, they insisted that I take somebody along for protection. As I got closer to him, I began to wonder if I should have taken them up on the offer. It only took 10 seconds of me talking to him to realize that any fear of him was completely unfounded. Matt Rouse : So you're "Mister Happiness"? Mr. Happiness : Right. My real name is Larry James Johnson - Sr. So is the basketball player, but he's a lot taller then me. ROUSE : Where did you get the name Mister Happiness? Is that something you gave yourself? MH : No - Well see, I used to live in Sacramento and I talked to kids all the time, and a little girl gave me the name because she said I made her happy so now I'm Mister Happiness. ROUSE : So you're not from Vegas originally? MH : I'm originally from Oakland , California . ROUSE : When did you come here? MH : I came here two years ago. I guess that's 2002 - Yeah, 2002 I came here in March. ROUSE : You like it here? MH : Yeah, I love it. I love the people around here. You get jerks every now and then, but overall I love the people. You'll find jerks whereever you go, so it ain't no big deal. I try and overlook people like that. ROUSE : Why do you do what you do? You mentioned earlier that this is your "mission"? MH : This is my life's mission, man. To let everybody know that they don't have to go through life miserable, that they don't have to go through life - gloomy or whatever man. You can be happy as yourself. A lot of people go through life just wanting money, money, money - that gets your happiness for awhile, but you have to have the joy within, that's the key I think. They have to have happiness in their soul and mind. And only God can give you that. I really put God first, I'm nothing without the Lord. ROUSE : The Christian God ? MH : Yeah. Baptist. ROUSE : Is there any reason you do your act in this part of town? Why not down on the east side? MH : Well, I just live right down the street. I live like three blocks down and up. So this is my neighborhood, and I'm just trying to throw love to my community. ROUSE : So it's not for money or anything? MH : People give me money all the time, but I'm not looking for money or anything man. I'm just looking to make somebody smile. The smile on their face is more than money can buy. ROUSE : Are you an actor? MH : *Laughs* I'm a born actor man. We're all actors. ROUSE : No, what I mean is - Is this something you're doing trying to get noticed, or get a gig. MH : No, I just do this for fun. It's like exercise, like a workout for me. ROUSE : I bet. Don't you get hot wearing that outfit, doing what you do? MH : *Laughs* I don't think about it. Because it's all in your mind. If you think about being hot, you'll be hot. I'm out there having fun, listening to music, jamming. And I don't think about it, you're mind is really powerful. So if you think you're hot, you will be. But I've been doing this since I was 3 years old, this is a part of my life. I entertained the kids in Sacramento , San Francisco , this has always been a part of my life. All my kinfolk and family members are entertainers, so it's in my blood line. ROUSE : I've seen you on TV, with the Chopper. Is he a good guy to work with? MH : Yeah, I'm doing the Chopper Show now, he's a cool guy. Wild and crazy guy - Funny though. Crazy people always find each other. One day I'm playing my guitar, and his girlfriend told me "The Chopper want to meet you", so that's how I met him. One thing lead to another. I've been on his show for about six shows, cool guy. ROUSE : Have you ever done any other shows, TV, radio? MH : I've been on like, Channel 13 news, a lot of radio talk shows. People come up to me. A casting director gave me his card, and wanted me to call him. Doors are opened up for me man, but I'm not looking for it. If something ever comes up, I'll take it, but - I'm not out looking for it. I'm retired military, I'm just enjoying my life man. I did twenty years for this country. Army, first cavalry - The same unit that got Saddam. ROUSE : Vietnam ? MH : Yeah, Vietnam - I retired in Fort Hood , Texas . My son was born there. He has his own record label company out here. ROUSE : What's the worst thing anybody's ever done to you out here? MH : One time somebody maced me - One time somebody threw rocks, hit me in the head. But like I said, those are jerks. I pray for people like that man. You know, one day they're going to have to answer for what they did. I believe that, you know what I'm saying. Somebody's going to spray mace on that guy or on his kids someday, somethings going to happen to him one day. I'm not hurting nobody, I'm out here doing my own thing. When people do that, that's just mean, and that's just cruel. It's hatred. I'm throwing out love, and hatred don't like that. *Laughs* ROUSE : What's the nicest thing somebody's ever done to you? MH : Well, like I said - People walk up to me all the time, hug me, thank me for giving them a nice day. Them saying they had a nice day because of me, that's about the nicest thing I can think of. ROUSE : Do you actually play the guitar? MH : I've been playing since I was like three years old man. I play whatever I can get my hands on man. I'm like Prince man. Me and Prince, we're both Gemini's, we're weird people. *laughs* I just love music. Elvis Presley, James Brown. I love any entertainer that gives a show. Gives a show to people, people give them their hard earned money, they deserve to get a show, that's how I was raised. Music is what kept me out of trouble as a youth. Being in bands kept me out of violent trouble. I think music is really good for kids. So me and my wife are trying to get an office and a learning center so kids can learn to write and produce their own music. Keep out of trouble. ROUSE : Do you have any fan base or anything? Any way for people to get a hold of you? MH : My wife and I are getting stuff worked out with that. Getting a website and stuff. Cause I go to the schools and talk to the youth. I've talked to like over 2000 kids at different elementary schools. Tell them that they can make it man, I don't care where they came from. Because I came out of trash, I came from a really messed up life, and I made it, they can too. It's a simple message. Put it in your mind, and you can do it. You have to be around winners, that lift you up. Stay away from the losers. It's sad, I'm happy, so people think you have to be on drugs to be happy. Police ask me, "What drugs are you on?", and I say, "I'm high off the Lord". ROUSE : Is that an Army Ranger ring you have? MH : No, my father gave me this before he died. He was very special to me. Check it out, my step-father, I never knew my real father - He took me in. To take somebody in that's not even your kid, that's a very special person. He put me on the right track of life. He did a lot for his community. I want to keep his memory alive. He gave me his last name and everything man, he was a very special man to me. ROUSE : Do the police give you a hard time while you're out here? MH : I got a ticket about 2 weeks ago. $190 because the guy said I was shaking my booty to the curb or whatever. I said, "Why don't you go fight crime or something?" They get mad about that. A lot of them are just bitter. Like you said, they're jealous man. I'm out there having fun. I'm on a mission man - I'm on a mission. I gave this country 20 years of my life. And now I'm doing my thing. ROUSE : You mentioned Affirmative Action before. You said you're against it? MH : Yeah, I don't believe in that Affirmative Action sh**. It shouldn't even exist. If you're good, you get the job. It's favoritism. I really believe that the best man for the job still gets it, that's what I think. But we have to go by the rules that they make up. That's why voting is very important. You have to have your say. If you don't vote, you can't complain about anything. You have to let your opinion be known. ROUSE : If you could say one thing to the people of Las Vegas , get one message out to them, what would it be? MH : I'd just tell people - Love conquers evil man. Hatred, that stuff is old - that's old-fashioned. People got so much hatred in them, love conquers all. Love is the key. We have to teach the kids, the people of tomorrow that. It's not going to hurt you to love somebody, to be nice to somebody. They go around with their blinders on, it's sad. So basically, know who you are, first of all, and be your own leader man. Everybody's a copycat these days. I'm the fish that swims up stream. I do my own thing. ROUSE : Do you ever think that maybe people are jealous of that? MH : *Laughs* They envy that - That's what it is. People wonder how I'm so happy, it blows their mind. It's God , that's what I tell them. God 's in my life, and that brings me joy. I'm basically just out here for a workout. What I mostly do is go to youth choirs and stuff, go talk to kids. Let kids know that they can become whatever they want to become. It's a simple message man, but a lot of people don't want you to tell people that. If you shock people in a good way, it helps you get your message out there. A lot of people think I'm looney or whatever, but it helps me get my message out. People tell me all the time, "If I would have known you had this much sense, and weren't crazy, I would have come up and talked to you a long time ago". |
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