Local "characters"

[Dreadlocktruth]

I've always been interested in the people that get reputations for being weird in towns and become "known". Especially because if you get into their backstory it's very humanising and often quite tragic.

There are a couple around here that everyone knows about but I'll just talk about the one I see the most, this guy who once spoke to me and asked if I was a white Rasta. He's quite tall, wears the same beige-coloured jacket, jeans and cap all the time and has messy-looking grey hair hanging out the back and a moustache. He was telling me that he thought he might be psychic and was trying to guess what I had in my pocket. Ironically he guessed a comb, I humoured him and said yes and he gasped in astonishment.

He never speaks to me now but I see him around a lot. He seems to go to town every day and sits on the same benches, talking to other lone men who look like they may be day-drinkers. What I guess makes him "unique" rather than just lonely is that he's ALWAYS carrying a Jack Daniels multipack box full of gardening tools and he often wonders around and randomly chops bits off bushes and trees and you'll often see him just stop dead whilst walking and stare into space for a minute before carrying on.

How about you, what "local characters" are known in your town?

My aspiration is to someday be a "weird guy" that the entire town knows by nickname, if I'm not already. I'd actually like to go from town to town and write a book documenting these local tales or something.

Share away 🙂

[james]

Ha. I'll have to come back to this when I feel like writing loads. The weird folk I've lived around.... man.

[danzia]

Well, my guitarist lives in a section of Philadelphia called Fishtown. It used to be a bit rough and was very much gentrified in the last few years. There's still some "townies" around, as they call them. There's one who vacates the post office frequently. But she writes these very strange letters to god on index cards and leaves them in a stack on a counter in a corner. For some reason, no one disturbs them and they just pile up. They are very strange. It's a mixture of Neighborhood gossip and prayer, probably catholic. She "smells the eyes of god" - direct quote. So Fad was thinking about a concept album based on these strange writings for awhile... but we decided against it. But my guitarist and his friends keep taking them little by little and are plastering them in the loo at work and I think there are some in the convent where they live. It is ... quite the local character.

[Dreadlocktruth]

I knew you'd have some corkers with your line or work Gillian ha. That's really fascinating though.

I've always had an interest in "outsider art" and I think those letters would qualify.

[james]

So first one Springs to mind from living in Southend is Pagan Pam ( with a dog in a pram).
She used always go out night wandering pushing her dog in a pram. You'd reach in to stroke it and it's snarl and snap at your hand.
So imagine her gothic witch lady aged unknown ( probably 60) with a London accent like you hear in old films. " 'ello james lavly to see you out tonight sweetheart". She would wander around the streets at night pushing her dog and collecting useful rubbish. She had a room in a flat but had moved into the shed because it was water damaged or something. She wS telling me how the council were bothering her saying she she shouldn't be living in a shed. "I'm alright James, we keep cosy in there. " this being a freezing winter night, but she's on her rounds at night so sleeps in the day. She had all these Pagan jewellery on , pentangles etc and once told me about a good woodland to sleep in. I'd always spot her, drunks staggering around the streets then the fog clears backlit by spotlight and walking through them is Pagan Pam ( with a dog in a Pram.)

[Dreadlocktruth]

Classic XD XD

You should do a doodle of her if you have the time so we can complete the mental image

[james]

Back at school days we always passed this guy 'Dez' usually on a bench, sometimes vertical, alway yelling at traffic. Pissed, shaking his fist and babbling crazy shit. But every so often you saw him dressed in a suit and he was the most well mannered polite guy. I'd think, 'wow he's turned his life around.' Then the next day... oh ok, he's yelling at traffic again.

[james]

A guy I shared a flat with, Martin, was an odd sort. He didn't have much and resembled a bushy bearded homeless guy. Tracksuit bottoms under his jeans, a used car salesman coat from the 70's and winklepicker shoes. I pointed out that he looked like he was wearing high heals. He'd get paranoid over stuff. Like he stole a chocolate liquor out a box in a shop, bit into it and all the liquid exploded over him, so he thought that was God punishing him. We went an 'all you can eat' curry place and he looked like a beggar. I was like 'Martin couldn't you at least put on a shirt rather than that jumper with holes. ' then he tripped over and knocked some tin of samosas off the buffet. I did feel like I was out dining with a tramp in stiletto's.
He never used the shower and smelled. Once we went camping and my mate kicked him out the tent saying he stank of trench foot. I woke up to find him asleep in the rain. But he was a really nice soul. I often wonder what has happened to him.

[Dreadlocktruth]

Haha they sound like interesting people. I take it that Martin isn't on facebum? ;p

There's a guy around here who everyone knows as the "angry cyclist". You'll hear him before you see him.... he always bikes around in green lycra and a green helmet, shouting abuse at drivers. So you'll be walking along and hear "FUCK OFF!!!!!!" screamed behind you and you turn around to see him swerving in and out of traffic, cutting people off and generally being dangerous. He shouts at pedestrians, too, I've had a "FUCK OFF!!!!!!" of my own on more than one occasion. But apparently he's very calm and friendly if you see him at any other time, there's just something about being on a bike in traffic that turns him into a foul-mouthed lunatic.

But at least he wears a helmet eh danzia!

[Dreadlocktruth]

Aug 24, 2017 16:18:45 GMT Dreadlocktruth said:

the one I see the most, this guy who once spoke to me and asked if I was a white Rasta. He's quite tall, wears the same beige-coloured jacket, jeans and cap all the time and has messy-looking grey hair hanging out the back and a moustache. He was telling me that he thought he might be psychic and was trying to guess what I had in my pocket. Ironically he guessed a comb, I humoured him and said yes and he gasped in astonishment.

He never speaks to me now but I see him around a lot. He seems to go to town every day and sits on the same benches, talking to other lone men who look like they may be day-drinkers. What I guess makes him "unique" rather than just lonely is that he's ALWAYS carrying a Jack Daniels multipack box full of gardening tools and he often wonders around and randomly chops bits off bushes and trees and you'll often see him just stop dead whilst walking and stare into space for a minute before carrying on.

Had an interesting encounter with this guy yesterday. I was walking through town and I saw him talking to two girls sat on a bench, one of whom had dreadlocks. Then one of them pointed at me and said "look, he's got dreads, go and ask him about them" but - knowing who I am - he just walked past. When I walked back and past those two girls again the same one shouted something about loving my hair and sorry for sticking a weirdo on me lol.