If you ride the Washington, DC subway long enough, you are likely to meet the man who sings hymns. He steps on at one stop, says “Excuse me” in a raised but polite voice, and then sings a hymn. All of the verses, at a volume such that the entire car can hear. He has a thick Korean accent but otherwise has a pleasant singing voice. No one disturbs his song. When he’s done, he says “Thank you” and gets off at the next stop. He’s been doing this for years.
San Francisco has Frank Chu
He’s a guy with an intergalactic agenda to impeach Bill Clinton. Last time I saw him he was still trying to impeach Clinton even though Bush was in office. He’s pretty popular, and there is a bar/music venue located in the mission district called ‘12 Galaxies’ named after him.
We used to have Baton Bob, who I absolutely loved, but we lost him to Georgia. He used to march down Market Street in a tutu, and would sometimes come to Forest Park for various outdoor programs. I sure do miss that guy.
Yeah, I’ve seen that guy. There’s another sign wielding guy who hangs around the Powell Street BART station. His sign proclaims that sinners will burn in hell unless they repent and accept Jesus. The sign is quite large and lists many different varieties of sin, backed up with a few Bible quotes. Occasionally he preaches with a megaphone, but mostly he just sits next to his sign.
The one that comes to mind was in Columbus Ohio, he is the “Help is on the way” guy. (It seems he’s also known as the Rapping Bum). He’s been around downtown and OSU campus for something like 20 years now. He wanders around and makes up rhymes that always end in ‘help is on the way.’. I gave him change several times and he always seemed pretty cool. Ahh, here is a youtube video of him (I haven’t watched it yet)
We had a guy kind of like that in Houston when I was there. He was an old white guy with a long beard, and he marched down the street in a majorette’s uniform complete with pleated miniskirt and knee high white boots. As he did, he twirled a baton with his other hand cocked on his hip. About every ten steps he stops and marches in place for a bit. I was on a patio at a restaurant eating a sandwich once and watched him march all the way up the street towards me and all the way down away from me and out of sight over the course of about an hour.
When I lived in San Francisco, we had a next-door neighbor named Dave. He cut quite the figure; he was Slavic, I guess, with short black hair plastered real close to his scalp, and a widow’s peak so extreme that it took awhile for me to understand that it was not some kind of hairpiece, but the real deal. Think sort of a deranged Bela Lugosi Dracula. He always wore a black suit, with tie. Dave’s gig was to stand around, in front of his house, at the train stop, in front of the 7-11, chain smoking and GLOWERING at anyone and everyone- me, store clerks, schoolkids…never said a word.
Seems Dave had a history. My household had a “Dave Diary,” which had been kept for YEARS by successive young residents of that address. I even added a couple entries myself! The most notable bit had to do with the guy who’d had my room before I moved in. This guy liked to nude sunbathe in the backyard, which for some reason infuriated Dave. After making increasingly hostile comments to my predecessor, Dave attacked him with a shovel! Well, my guy chased Dave off (Dave couldn’t really fight), so the next day, Dave attempted to run my guy over with a car! But it wasn’t my guy, it was a similar looking guy in the neighborhood, who happened to be a police officer…Dave was then removed for a time to receive mental health treatment. He was eventually released, with a prescription for some VERY powerful antipsychotics. So he lived there, with his mom, smoking and glowering, glowering and smoking. Looking like bizarro Dracula crossed with a shabby businessman…Still there, for all I know.
I like your handle, The Them.
So.
Do you live in a colony, out in the New Mexican desert? 
In my town, there’s Crazy Baba. At least, that’s what I call her in my mind. She isn’t indigent at all - she’s the actual baba (grandmother) of one of my fifth graders. She is definitely not all there. I’ve seen people cross the street to avoid her because she will talk to ANYONE at incredible length. She’s perfectly nice, but if you start talking to her, forget any pressing business. The first time I encountered her, my Bulgarian was really terrible and I just sat there, shaking my head (the Bulgarian equivalent of nodding), not understanding two-thirds of what she was saying, incredulous that anyone could keep up this monologue for such a long time and wondering how I was going to get away. I guess she probably has the early stages of Alzheimer’s or senile dementia. Unless I’m in a really lousy mood, I’ll usually stop and let her talk at me. She loves me and always asks me how her granddaughter is doing in school.
Back in Chicago, there was a guy I used to see downtown sometimes with a big sandwich board about…actually, I forget. Meaningless ranting. Anyway, I worked in the suburbs, and I used to see him sometimes getting on the Rosemont el as I was getting off. I just liked seeing him commuting downtown with all the people in suits. Time to go into the city for work!
The best weirdos in my experience were when I was studying in Jerusalem, though. (Not surprising given that Jerusalem sometimes drives people crazy, I suppose.) I particularly remember this guy who would dress up as King David and hang out in the Jewish quarter of the Old City. Playing the harp. I busked on the street then (couldn’t work legally) and met a number of nutters convinced they had the secret to peace in the Middle East (“We just have to LOVE everyone!”, etc) or that sort of thing.
That was Dirty Dave… I can’t remember his last name. He wandered the streets of south Minneapolis in the 70’s and 80’s. He was a scary character, often walked with his arms parallel to the ground, sometimes flapped them, was always filthy, always begging. He was found dead in a laundromat at 27th and Nicollet in the late 80’s.
That was Dirty Dave… I can’t remember his last name. He wandered the streets of south Minneapolis in the 70’s and 80’s. He was a scary character, often walked with his arms parallel to the ground, sometimes flapped them, was always filthy, always begging. He was found dead in a laundromat at 27th and Nicollet in the late 80’s or early 90’s.
First time I ever saw a double post inside a single post. 
Looks like RunSilent might qualify under the Thread topic. 
We have the illustrious Frank Chu, who by all account is a nice fella. He has quite the Wikipedia profile, as well.
Santa Cruz has the very cheerful, very slow-moving Pink Man.
Why, thank you, Bosda! And nice to see someone else who likes Girl Genius. Wish it’d come out more often. 
My name is kind of a reference to “they” as in “that’s what they say.” It’s also the name of the group of kids led by the AntiChrist in Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett.
No giant ants, then.
Oh.
You guys! You guys! I was just thinking I hadn’t seen the Padded Samurai in a while, and there’s this article about him in the paper today! His name is Tony Nguyen, he’s from Vietnam, and we haven’t seen him because he’s been in a mental hospital and an apartment, getting the medication he evidently needs. (I do hope it actually makes him happier - I wonder if maybe it won’t.) Anyway, here’s the article - they describe him quite accurately, and also people’s compassion toward him.
Girl Genius is the best!
Re: Good Omens, Are you more of an Adam, Wensleydale, Pepper or Brian? I see myself as sort of a Wensley/Brian mix. Although I suppose I’m mostly a Newt when you come right down to it.
I remember a sandwich board guy downtown. I’m not sure if it’s the same one Kyla, but his board included such gems as “Al Gore is a robot.”
But does Stockholm still enjoy the presence of Odd Jogging Man, who used to always jog up and down the main tourist shopping street wearing nothing but a pair of shoes, baggy shorts and a Sideshow Bob haircut?
I first encountered him on a pretty chilly (below freezing) December evening, when he ran past, did a couple of laps round our group, and then continued on his way.
There was a homeless guy who walked down the street having very loud conversations with himself when I was in college. You just kind of avoided him. Haven’t seen him in years.
There was a guy who showed up at the group on campus who we always thought wasn’t quite right. He always wanted to join pick up games. Enthusiastic if not very knowledgeable, he just struck you a bit wrong. One day he announced to the main room that he wasn’t going to be back anymore and he wanted to say goodbye to everyone. So he spent the day walking around to the different groups and telling everyone what he really thought of them. ‘I like you but you’re way too fat’. ‘You’re a good DM’ It was mostly nothing, until he walked up to my friend Roy. He put his arm around Roy’s shoulder and said ‘Roy you’re a great guy, I really like you, but I just can’t stand niggers.’ He left shortly after that, and never came back.
I dunno if Aqualung is still alive, I haven’t seen him around C-ton in a couple of years.