Elsa & Walter Broke Up
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Grooch

Friday, May 24, 2002 - 01:01 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
From the Las Vegas Sun (3/15/02):


No Blarney
By Kimberley McGee
<mcgee@lasvegassun.com>
LAS VEGAS SUN

WEEKEND EDITION

It's not the luck of the Irish that has made Las Vegan Walter O'Douling the poster boy for a local Irish pub.

But it hasn't hurt.

After years of traveling the world -- from Ireland to London to Boston to Las Vegas -- the Irish rocker has finally found a home.

Born and bred on the Emerald Isle, the 27-year-old musician moved to Las Vegas five years ago to a town largely bare of Irish culture.

O'Douling was fresh from his brush with fame as the boyfriend of roommate Elka Walker on MTV's "The Real World" 1997 Boston cast, with whom he recently split.

At the time there wasn't a lot of work for a mandolin-playing Irishman in Las Vegas.

But today the local landscape is lush with Irish-themed watering holes, such as Three Angry Wives Pub in Henderson, Fado at Green Valley Ranch Station Casino, Brendan's Irish Pub at The Orleans, Sean Patrick's Pub on West Flamingo Road and J.C. Wooloughan's at JW Marriott Las Vegas.

And O'Douling has at last found a permanent gig Wednesday through Sunday at one of the city's more recent additions, Jack's Irish Pub at Palace Station.

His kilted image is featured on billboards and magazine ads for the pub, often gripping his guitar and a pint of Guinness. O'Douling also has a new album with his band, the Wild Celts, titled "Ten Tall Tales from the Island."

O'Douling spoke with the Sun recently from a dark-leather booth inside Jack's Irish Pub, about the appeal of the Irish culture, his relationship with "The Real World" and his real-world possibilities:

Las Vegas Sun: What is the fascination with Irish pubs?

Walter O'Douling: Obviously Las Vegas has millions of visitors each year and, as you know, everyone has a little bit of Irish heritage, right? Everyone's Irish on St. Paddy's day, or something like that.

No, really, there is an Irish movement here ... I'd say the interest was always there; it just took casino directors and people to realize it was good for their customers.

It's only a natural thing that Las Vegas would actually catch up, because in every other city in America there are four or five Irish pubs.

Even Japan has Irish pubs. Even England has tons of Irish pubs -- our (Ireland's) greatest enemy, as it were. Even they realized that there is a big interest. Open an Irish pub and people will come.

There's something we call "craic" (pronounced "crack") that means fun in Irish. It's good craic, as we say.

Sun: And good craic is the secret to an Irish pub?

WO: I like to think they come for the music, but they probably come for the drink.

No, when you come in through these doors there's no pressure to behave a certain way. It's not like the Foundation Room (at House of Blues at Mandalay Bay) or ghostbar (Palms) where it's very pretentious. It's like real people come here.

You see a lot of singles come here because they can be themselves. We've had three people get married over the last couple of years that have met at our gigs. In fact, our old fiddle player got married to one of the fans he met. He's no longer with us; he left about a year ago. Married life.

Sun: Speaking of married life, are you still with your long-term girlfriend, Elka?

WO: No, actually, we broke up four months ago. It's sad, but we will always be the best of friends. We had five, six good years. She's gone back to Texas, so ...

Look, people drift apart and that's what happens. Because I worked five nights a week and she's in entertainment as well, it's tough.

It's very hard to be in that type of relationship. You never see each other, you know? You are constantly working. That was a big factor, too. The whole two of us had our careers going. That's very tough. It really is. It was great, though.

Sun: Did "The Real World" help or hurt you?

WO: I think "The Real World" certainly didn't do me any harm. To this day people come up to me and say, "Weren't you Elka's boyfriend on 'The Real World?' "

It didn't help launch my career. People knew me in Irish music or Celtic-rock music before they knew me on "The Real World." Like they say, all publicity is good publicity and it certainly didn't hurt me.

Sun: How did the experience change you?

WO: I got off the plane in Boston and suddenly there were TV cameras there, microphones, lights, camera, action, the whole works. It was a good thing to be thrown into the deep end. It was a sharp introduction to American culture.

So, no, I wouldn't change anything of the last six years. No regrets.

Sun: How are you settling into your new digs at Jack's?

WO: We moved over from the Regent (now JW Marriott Las Vegas) Sept. 3. We were pretty successful there. We had also done some major casinos in town, but this place has given us a home. Not just the locals come to see us, but the tourists, too.

Someone was telling me they were down at Caesars Palace the other day and the receptionist told them they should check out The Wild Celts. Imagine that. We're lucky to be here.

To me this is a little piece of Ireland that has been brought here to Jack's. There's a lot of atmosphere in this place. Even without the music, there's a whole vibe.

We have this one guy, he's a poet. He's a biker and he looks like a member of ZZ Top. He's had several different wives who've left him. He's got tales of woe and adventure and he gets up and performs with us sometimes. That's the thing about Irish pubs -- the jokes are flowing, people are talking. It's a great scene. It's a real piece of culture here.

Sun: Your family is in Ireland. How often do you see them?

WO: I travel back to Ireland quite a lot. I suppose I'd consider myself an Irish-Las Vegan, if you like, because I'll always have a home here. There's nowhere else like it.

I fell in love with Las Vegas a long time ago. When I stepped off that plane into the heat here, I loved it. I bought a house here; I'll always have a base here, a home. It's just magical. You hear people run it down a lot, but to me this is home.

It can be a harsh town. I've seen people ... if you are into gambling it can chew you up and spit you out.

But Vegas is like an honest town because everything is legal and it's there in front of you. It's not so much a taboo thing; it's not the evil thing. People here are more sensible about it, whereas in some of the cities where I've lived, like London, it's underground. I think Vegas is a legend and I'm very proud to be here.

Sun: What's next?

WO: Ahhhh, the future. I have my own label (The Celtic Music Company) and our CD just came out in November. It's doing really well. We're working on another record right now and we are hoping to become a national act.

I'm starting to make inroads to L.A. and possibly New York, also. I will definitely travel and promote the band nationwide, that's the next step.

Sun: What will you do to celebrate St. Patrick's Day?

WO: Play. I'm lucky. I never take it for granted.

Laura11103

Monday, August 19, 2002 - 01:29 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I was very disappointed to hear they broke up. I wonder what happened.... they were together for years and she was so in love with him. Elka is sure one gorgeous woman.