Life’s a cabaret, ol’ Chumlee

TRUE-BLUE Vegas boys (from left): Rick Harrison, Big Hoss, Chumlee and Old Man

LAS VEGAS—It seems the most common question asked by visitors at the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop is the one that crawls across the screen of a lonely computer in a corner: “Where is Chumlee?”

Try, if you must, to rephrase the query and you may just get an answer: Does Chumlee still work in this establishment made world-famous by the History Channel reality show “Pawn Stars?”

If the rather fierce-looking, tattooed female cashier is manning the souvenir nook at the moment, you’d probably get a deadpan quip: “Depends on what you mean by work.”

She confirmed the suspicion of most tourists who’ve lined up to worship at this shrine of capitalism that Chumlee (like the show’s three stars Rick Harrison, his father Richard or Old Man, and son Corey or Big Hoss) shows up at the counters only if cameras are grinding for the show.

In an e-mail interview, Chumlee explained: “We can’t really work the counters as much [as people expect], except when we film the show. Business will not get done properly as fans will take tons of pictures and swarm the place if we are there.”

Surprise hit

The show’s success caught all of them by surprise. “We never thought it would get this big,” said Chumlee. “The hope was for the show to run a full season or maybe two. This is beyond my wildest dreams.”

“Pawn Stars” is now on its sixth season and new episodes are aired Mondays on History Asia.

The show was such a hit after its debut in 2009 that Chumlee and his bosses have become celebrities.

CHUMLEE was chosen as series regular over other employees because of his “chemistry” with Old Man.

Proof that Chumlee is a big star is that he has his own section in the shop’s souvenir nook overflowing with mugs, ref magnets and T-shirts emblazoned with his chubby likeness.

Chumlee, whose real name is Austin Russell, reportedly built this merchandising venture on his own before selling it to his boss Rick. Who knew he had the makings of an entrepreneur?

“I continue to learn the tricks of the trade from the Harrisons,” he said. “Luckily, I’ve also hired some good people to help me learn more things.”

It clearly isn’t wise to underestimate Chumlee who’s often jokingly referred to as the “village idiot.”

Once in a while, he would surprise Big Hoss, a friend since childhood, with his expertise on various subjects, like pinball machines and Nike sneakers.

“Pinball is my favorite arcade game,” Chumlee quipped. If he had his way, he’d fill up the shop with his favorite things, a la Oprah.

Coolest buy

“There are tons of stuff that I always want to buy—like toys and pop-culture and hip-hop memorabilia,” he said. “But at the end of the day, the Harrisons decide what to buy.”

On more than one occasion in seasons past, he looked genuinely heartbroken every time he had to let go of gargantuan, (but declared “impractical” by his bosses) novelty items—like a Batmobile or a real-life Transformer robot that gobbles up old cars.

But for him, the shop’s most cherished acquisition is an autographed copy of Bob Dylan’s 1970 long-playing album, “Self-Portrait.”

“That was the coolest,” he recounted. “I got Bob himself to autograph it.”

Problem was, he had Bob write, “To Chumlee,” so Rick couldn’t resell it and was forced to give the LP to Chumlee.

In spite of (maybe because of) his many foibles, Rick, Old Man and Big Hoss seem especially fond of Chumlee, whom they consider family.

Dirt-poor to well-off

“Corey is a good friend, but he was more like a brother to me when we were growing up,” Chumlee said of Big Hoss. “We didn’t get along at first, but we formed a friendship that went beyond being just buddies.”

MUGS that sport his chubby likeness are best sellers in the shop’s souvenir nook. photo by Allan Diones

He admitted that the show had drastically changed his life: “‘Pawn Stars’ helped me go from dirt poor to well-off.”

He said he used to fret about where his next meal would come from. “I didn’t even have money for the groceries or for the rent. Now I don’t have to worry; it’s a good feeling.”

Has Chumlee (that’s the name of a cartoon walrus), thought of starring in his own spin-off show? Well, yes he has, and he has picked a format. “It should focus on my interaction with fans and my love for sneakers and hip-hop. I’d like for it to tackle my newfound place in pop culture, too.”

Was he, perhaps, kidding? He wrote, gleefully, we imagine: “Fans can’t get enough of Chumlee!”

He almost had an office romance in the show when he fell under the spell of coworker Danielle “Peaches” Rainey.

He confessed: “She’s a nice girl. Obviously, she’s attractive.”

When the Inquirer visited last spring, Chumlee was in Los Angeles. He turned up in an episode of the show biz news show, “TMZ.”

Imagine that. Chumlee is now stalked by paparazzi and, according to “TMZ,” he rented a limousine, where he played video games as he toured Hollywood.

Although Chumlee did live the life in La-La Land, Sin City will always be his home. “I was born and raised in Vegas. There’s nothing I don’t like about my hometown.”

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