‘Naked Las Vegas’ challenges people’s views of humanity
It's startling to open a book and see page after page of naked people simply standing before a plain curtain, allowing the camera to capture every detail of those body parts that are usually camouflaged by the flattering cut of a pair of slacks or a fat-taming billowy shirt.
But the more you look at the people in "Naked Las Vegas," (W.W. Norton and Co., $24.95), a book by photographer Greg Friedler that features people -- naked and clothed -- he photographed during a month spent in Las Vegas, the less you see their nakedness. It's their humanity that grabs your attention.
"The book is about comparing. Compare the homeless guy to the CEO," Friedler says of two people in the book. "See how they're alike and how they're different. Naked, they're equals. But you put the clothes on and they take on completely different roles. And people respond to that very differently."
Friedler, who photographed 170 people for "Naked Las Vegas," has been making those comparisons since he published his first book, "Naked New York," 15 years ago. He's also done "Naked London" and "Naked Los Angeles."
You might wonder what would compel people -- an accountant, a university professor, a schoolteacher, an attorney, a mortgage banker and others -- to pose naked for such a book. Their reasons vary but Friedler stopped wondering about that long ago. It has less to do with their motivations and more to do with their stories.
"I'm very fascinated by people and who they are to society and who they are to themselves in private. This identity thing is a big deal," he explains from his Colorado home.
Reasons vary, he says. Some do it to overcome their fears; others do it to support art.
Jesse Garon, an Elvis impersonator and owner of the now-defunct Art Bar, did it just to see if he could.
"It was to see myself as I really was. Not airbrushed or fake," he says. "No jewels, no belt, no glasses, just me. It was a very hard thing to do. It does take a lot to stand in that open position and let the world in. I have problems letting people in, so it was a test for me to be open and say: 'Hey world, this is me. Take it or leave it.' "
Ralph Mathieu, who has lived in Las Vegas since 1980 and owns an adult-oriented comics store, posed for the book as a way to get over some of his insecurities. He took his wife and two friends with him for good measure; all posed but only Mathieu made the book.
"I just thought it would be interesting to see what my friends' reactions would be," says Mathieu, who has yet to tell anyone about the book. "They would never expect me to do something like that. I'm usually pretty low profile, but I do like to surprise people with unexpected things, and get people out of their comfort zone."
The cast of characters is both predictable and surprising. There are the expected escorts, fetish models and budding porn stars, all mixed in with transsexuals, schoolteachers, musicians and businesspeople.
Finding subjects was more difficult in Las Vegas than any other city he has been, Friedler notes. People were flaky and didn't always follow through. So he spent an evening recruiting people at First Friday, shooting photos of 50 people in a few hours.
"I always visit each city and try to get involved in the culture, the scene and the people," Friedler says. "I tried to delve into Vegas and what it's really about. It's kind of a sad place. Part of me really likes it and part of me hates it. It was fun but kind of depressing hearing some of the stories."
While he was here, Friedler paired up with filmmaker David Palmer, who made a documentary of the entire process, "Stripped." Palmer hopes to show the film at Sundance next year. Until then, a trailer can be seen at strippedthefilm.com.
Contact Sonya Padgett at spadgett @reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4564.
