STEEL DOGS
Neon artist and founder of neon wonderland Gods Own Junkyard Chris Bracey lived an extraordinary life. Recording its twists and turns in a book was always part of his plan. Sadly, prostate cancer claimed him all too soon and he ran out of time, passing away in early November 2014. In his last moments, on his deathbed, he asked his son Matthew to write their story. 'Dont pull any punche's, he said, People will forgive us.' He passed away in his wife Linda's arms later that night. Overwhelmed by the task ahead, Matthew Bracey wanted to fulfil his fathers dying wish. Now he has announced Steel Dogs, a colourful, wacky story that starts as a family memoir, a journey in neon, from the seedy Soho sex shops to the movie industry. The second half of the book unfolds as Matthew's personal story and this is where it shifts a gear. Casting himself as the hapless loser, Matthew strips himself heroically bare in the name of a good anecdote. Driving his own story forward, by the power of self-humiliation and self-deprecation, he's supported by a stellar cast, his parents, his salt-of-the-earth Dad, Chris, his sage, formidable mum, Linda, Ballsy Wife Sarah and best friend. With almost every page that turns, another mishap awaits. Matthew is the author of their misfortune, while Chris Bracey is the brilliant co-pilot on a raucous ride that just won't stop. Matthew Bracey says, 'My father said, 'dont pull any punches. Let the chips fall where they may.' He really wanted Matthew to lift the lid on their far eastern exploits and now he has. Matthew adds, 'Let's just say, 'What happened in China, stays in China', is no longer the case.'
STEEL DOGS
“This story is a shit sandwich, in essence. The two bits of bread are Chris’ dream and that dream comes to fruition. The filling is the unimaginable shit that went down in China.”
