- I've taken care of two step-daughters,
three sons, three step-sons and a really fat ex-wife.
Now I can say that.
I'm a certified master chef and registered dietician.
If you're twice my size, you're overweight.
And three times my size, yeah, you're fat.
- [Interviewer] Yeah, well I'm fat then. (laughing)
- It's kind of like, well,
here's something I know you don't want to put on your video,
but--
- [Interviewer] Oh we're going, we're recording.
It's not edited, so, if you say it, it's there.
- Let's put it this way,
if your stomach's bigger than your tits, you're fat.
- [Interviewer] (laughing) Well--
- And the thing is, if your thing is,
if you go to take a whiz, you can't see your balls--
- [Interviewer] Yeah, I know where you're going, I know--
- You can't see it, guess what, you're fat too. (laughing)
- [Interviewer] So, Melvin, right?
- [Man] Marvin.
- [Interviewer] Marvin, I'm sorry.
Marvin, we're here in Denver.
You're out here homeless.
You told me you have cancer.
- Oh yeah, skin cancer, melanoma stage three already.
- [Interviewer] Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry.
- The thing is, hell, if that was it, that'd be great.
I have cancer, fibromyalgia, mild Clovis, gout,
rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, COPD,
herniated disk of the forth, fifth vertebrae,
piece of shrapnel in my sixth,
two pieces of shrapnel in my brain.
They took that, took my driver's license away
because I have seizures all the time.
High blood pressure.
Bleeding hemorrhoids, there's a pain in the butt.
- [Interviewer] Oh my gosh.
Shrapnel, were you in the military?
- Eight years.
Air born, 101st division, Screaming Eagles.
- [Interviewer] Oh my gosh.
And you're out here, homeless.
- Eh, things happen sometime.
You do the best you can with what God gives ya.
- [Interviewer] Yeah but you shouldn't be homeless.
No one should be homeless, but definitely--
- Oh they gave me disability, $230 a month.
- [Interviewer] You only get $230 a month?
- Uh huh.
- [Interviewer] Oh my gosh.
That's not enough--
- Everything I got, that's all I get is $230 a month.
- [Interviewer] Oh my.
- But it's better than nuttin'.
- [Interviewer] I know, but you gotta get inside.
We need to, is anybody helping you?
No.
- Nah.
- [Interviewer] And how long have you been out here?
- 16 years.
- [Interviewer] Wait, 16 years?
- Uh huh.
- [Interviewer] Oh my gosh.
That's horrible 'cause you're such a kind man.
I've stopped and talked to you every night,
but tonight you mentioned you have cancer
and we started talking a little more.
- Mmhmm, sure.
- [Interviewer] My heart breaks for you--
- Here, I'll show ya.
- [Interviewer] No, you don't have to show me.
I believe you.
Oh my, holy guacamole.
- That's after three skin grafts.
Now that really hurt.
- [Interviewer] That was like a Grand Canyon back there.
- Only thing is, got hit with a tracer round.
- [Interviewer] Oh my gosh.
- And the thing is, metastasized 30 years later into that.
- [Interviewer] Yeah.
What would you want housed people to know
about homelessness that they probably don't know?
- You have no damned idea
what it's like to be homeless at all.
- [Interviewer] Very true.
(man speaking inaudibly in the background)
- Yeah.
You have no idea.
Last night I had everything I had ripped off.
- [Interviewer] Oh my gosh.
- And it happens every month, your backpack,
your clothes, your underwear, everything gets ripped off.
Here,
thanks for the socks and everything else,
everybody else gave me today.
You know, scavenging through that trashcans
for just a plastic bag.
- [Interviewer] Well you're still happy.
- So? (chuckles)
- [Interviewer] (laughing) Well--
- You make it sound like a bad thing.
- [Interviewer] No, it's a good thing,
that's what I'm trying to say.
I mean, you're encouraging me.
You're happy.
You've got all these challenges.
- Hey, I get to go out here
and look at all the good looking women.
- [Interviewer] (laughing) Well,
that's looking at the bright side.
- Yeah, the dark side is the the other day,
it was kind of really out of the world,
they had a demonstration about uh--
- [Interviewer] Oh I, yeah, the uh--
- The foreskin.
- [Interviewer] Yeah, when they had the white clothes
with the blood in their, yeah--
- I was sitting there going--
- [Interviewer] Yeah, that was strange.
- That is the dumbest thing that I've ever seen.
- [Interviewer] So if you had three wishes,
what would they be?
- Be myself.
Have a place to stay.
And a bathroom.
- [Interviewer] Well thank you very much for talking to me.
- You know, I'm happy with what I am.
It's difficult being what I am,
but--
- [Interviewer] It was an honor to meet you.
- God always said,
wasn't gonna be easy,
but I'll get ya through it.
(bell ringing)
And I hope he will.
(humming engine)
(coughs)
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