A British knight rides elegantly through a wild and unruly city in a far-away land. Not an early crusader, not on a horse; but Sir Trevor McDonald, riding through Las Vegas, in a late 60s Cadillac DeVille.
Vegas, indulgent and vulgar, seems like an incongruous setting for McDonald, classy and cultured with a nice turn of phrase (Vegas is “a wheel of fortune disguised as a city and the lucky ones are the ones who know when to get off”). He’s not here for an extravagant stag do, though, nor is Las Vegas with Trevor McDonald (ITV) just another one of those annoying self- indulgent celebrity travelogues. He may be 76, but Sir T is still a journalist, and that means searching for stories. Stories in Sin City are always going to involve at least one of the seven deadly ones.
The owner of the convertible Caddy is a man named John who, as a bail bond agent, gambles on people. This morning he’s got a young woman putting up $2,000 for the release of her man who’s banged up on a DUI. That’s driving under the influence (of alcohol in this case). Not the greatest story to kick things off with – you’d think Vegas might have spewed out something juicier – but it gets better. John shows us his guns; he has three, one in his pocket, one under some papers on his desk, one underneath held on by a magnet. Nevada is an open carry state, anyone can carry a pistol around in the street, fully loaded, fully legal. Well done Nevada.
It’s not just John’s job that is a gamble. He’s got a habit himself, admits he should go to Gamblers Anonymous, has to avoid the casinos – except when there’s a distinguished British broadcaster in town who needs showing around. They go to a place on the Strip where John loses $300 in about that many seconds. “John, was that fun?” asks McDonald, politely. No, of course it wasn’t, he wasn’t just losing money, he was feeding an addiction. Where’s that chivalry gone now, Sir Trev, and what’s your next trick: take an alcoholic to a bar?
John himself has a remarkably positive way of looking at it. “I didn’t bring $2,000 so I figure I’m up $1,700,” he says. Still, I hope he gets his $300 back from ITV.
McDonald visits a safe house for prostitutes who don’t want to be prostitutes any more and want to escape from their pimps. And, in a pink motel, he meets one of them, a pimp with a Butt-Head laugh, who says what they do isn’t so bad as all that, though he’s not professionally proud enough to show his face. He doesn’t beat his girls up, he says. “So forgive me for this blunt assertion, but you’re describing yourself as a non-violent pimp?” asks McDonald. Hey, less of the English politeness, now, please, Sir T – the “forgive me” and “dare I suggest”; this man exploits vulnerable women, encourages them to sell sex and then takes half of what they make for himself.
Next, McDonald meets a man named Mike with a tattooed face who used to be heavyweight boxing champion of the world. Yes, that Mike. Now, Mr Tyson is a family man, as proud or prouder of his kids’ paintings on the fridge than he is of his own trophies in the cabinet. Mike Tyson wants to talk about Sir Trevor’s knighthood. “You talk about luck,” says McDonald. “I know a lot more about luck than you do.” They’re having a modesty-off.
Again, the ride – for Tyson – is too easy. We’re reminded, in the recap of his life and career, that there was trouble, time spent behind bars, but not that it was rape he was convicted of. Having said that, it’s easy enough to say from the safety of my sofa that a polite pensioner should go in hard on the man who used to go in harder than anyone else, quite another thing actually to do so in the flesh I imagine.
That’s my only issue with Sir T here, and it’s not such a bad thing to be accused of: being too nice. The stories improve. Back in the Cadillac (Trevor’s turn to be given a smooth ride) with John the bail man who’s packing at least one of his pistols. There are a couple of heavies with them too, as they’re going after a guy who’s jumped bail, and he might not be keen to come in. Oi, you be careful with our Trevor, he’s a national institution over here, as well as a Sir, to you.
In the end the man comes without too much fuss, there is no shoot out, at the OK Corral, and Trevor McDonald rides on, to fight another day. Well, to present part two anyway.
