Local characters.

[NeilB12]

MattyD803 said:

Where I grew up (Edgware, NW London) there was an old hunched over bearded guy who used to walk the streets dressed in nothing more than a pair of old stained yellowing Y fronts. He did this all year round, sometimes with an old torn dressing gown if it was (very) cold. He was obviously known to everyone as "the pants man". He would go from bin to bin, digging out remnants of food or anything he thought had value, and would either eat it there and carry it home.

He was a doctor his whole life and had a huge detached house on Canons drive (all overgrown and in disrepair, but probably worth half a million back in the early 90's)........the story goes, when his wife died (also a doctor), he basically went off the rails and ended up the way I knew him as. Crazy to think he was eating out of bins yet had ownership of estate (and probably in the bank) far in excess of any of the people (including city traders commuting back home) who were looking down on him......

There was another called "Trolley Mollie" who stunk to absolute high heaven of piss and filth which you could smell if you were within 25m of her.....but I don't know her back story sadly.

I remember him from when I lived in Bushey, used to see him running along the A41 in the 80's but he'd slowed down by the 90's. I'd heard the same story about him being a doctor with a nice house.

[slopes]

Doofus said:

J4CKO said:

He was known as Van Helsing as was very slim, wore a floor length leather coat, leather waistcoat a stetson and cowboy boots, he kind of owned that look which was as the kids all called him, Van Helsing, which replaced Wolfman when the film came out.

You called him Van Helsing. Everyone else knew him as Chemical Chaos.

[njw1]

Riley Blue said:

There was a chap in Bridgwater, in his early 20s, who thought he was a car and 'drove' everywhere, arms outstretched as if holding a steering wheel, going, "Brrrrm, brrrrrm, beep, beep!"

He'd drive into a car park, reverse into a space, switch off his engine, then start up and 'drive' off again; happy as Larry (who was Larry?)

There's a lad locally who does exactly that, he's also known to have a proper fit of 'road rage' if you toot the horn as you drive past him.....
There's also an old guy down the street who apparently has never left the town in which we live, does all his shopping in the petrol station a mile up the road and has three Jack Russells called Rob, Rob, and Robbo, the chaps name is also Rob....

[Southerner]

Have we had the Portsmouth Dancing Man? Regularly seen stood on busy pavements doing his slow, sensual moves, always with something alcoholic in one hand. Now a YouTube legend (sort of!)



https://youtu.be/Yvl1uGzf_rU[url]

• image pinched from Google!

Edited by Southerner on Wednesday 16th June 19:43

[shtu]

This bloke was a fixture in the centre of Edinburgh for many years, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/1311647.stm

[lastofthev8s]

2fast748 said:

Purple Aki appears in the Liverpool Echo reminisce stories fairly frequently, and a guy I used to work with in Liverpool had a Purple Aki story from his youth but I'd never heard of him and I grew up half an hour from Liverpool.

There used to be an anti smoking campaigner who rode his bike all over the north west seemingly picking up cigarette waste and shouting incomprehensibly at smokers in the street.

Yes Purple Aki is / was fairly well know across the North West I think, certainly about Liverpool. I grew up north of Liverpool in the 80’s and there was the shout ‘Aki’s gonna get you!’
Seems he travelled about quite a bit, certainly being mentioned by other posters outside the North West

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akinwale_Arobieke

The anti smoking man was Umberto the No Smoking man who’d lost his mum to cancer. Often travelled by bike from Liverpool to Southport collecting rubbish along the way too

https://mobile.twitter.com/angiesliverpool/status/...

There was also Jacko known as Plinky Plink who busked with a cardboard guitar in Liverpool city centre

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ef49cHXG87Q

One I’ve heard of, but never saw was Tony Beep Beep who wanted bus / car drivers to beep their horns for him.

https://localwiki.org/liverpool/Tony_Beep_Beep

Edited by lastofthev8s on Wednesday 16th June 19:47

[Doofus]

Southerner said:

Have we had the Portsmouth Dancing Man? Regularly seen stood on busy pavements doing his slow, sensual moves, always with something alcoholic in one hand. Now a YouTube legend (sort of!)



https://youtu.be/Yvl1uGzf_rU[url]

• image pinched from Google!

|https://thumbsnap.com/A8dv6257[/url]

Edited by Southerner on Wednesday 16th June 19:42

I'm pretty sure that's Terry Nutkins.

[hungry_hog]

There was a guy called Horace in North Finchley who one would see on the High St every day. He would hang around and chat very loudly to passers by.
After meeting someone he would bellow "the best of luck to ya!". He was large and loud and that intimidated people but his heart was in the right place.
We would always be wearing a huge brown parka jacket even in the summer.

I do recall one day someone in a passing car squirting him with a water pistol and him chasing them around like a crazed Mike Tyson (he was a unit), but other than that an amiable chap.

The Chix Chox (faux Italian restaurant) would give him food at the end of the day. He wasn't actually homeless but spent most of his day on the street.

About 20 years later I was getting off a night bus in East Finchley after a night on the sauce. I said 'alright Horace' and he remembered my name - I was astonished. My friend who is also local said he also remembered his name. Some kind of savant?

I think there are many people with sharp minds in this situation who through circumstance have ended up not in 'normal' job/family life.

/https://www.times-series.co.uk/news/9947730.legendary-north-finchley-and-barnet-street-figure-horace-has-died

There was a story of a guy that had finished top in the Cambridge Maths Tripos and was living off pilchards in a basement flat...just mad - in another life he would probably have his own software company.

Edited by hungry_hog on Wednesday 16th June 20:50

[Steamer]

Doofus said:

Southerner said:

Have we had the Portsmouth Dancing Man? Regularly seen stood on busy pavements doing his slow, sensual moves, always with something alcoholic in one hand. Now a YouTube legend (sort of!)



https://youtu.be/Yvl1uGzf_rU[url]

• image pinched from Google!

|https://thumbsnap.com/A8dv6257[/url]

Edited by Southerner on Wednesday 16th June 19:42

I'm pretty sure that's Terry Nutkins.

Exactly what I was thinking..

..Although sadly I hadn't realised Nutkins kicked the bucket a good few years ago now

[Riley Blue]

vaud said:

Riley Blue said:

There was a chap in Bridgwater, in his early 20s, who thought he was a car and 'drove' everywhere, arms outstretched as if holding a steering wheel, going, "Brrrrm, brrrrrm, beep, beep!"

He'd drive into a car park, reverse into a space, switch off his engine, then start up and 'drive' off again; happy as Larry (who was Larry?)

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/forums/threads/disc...
https://knowhere.co.uk/Bridgwater/Somerset/South-W...

That must have been him, he's a damn good driver to squeeze his HGV into car's space!

[Zarco]

I live in Reading (born and bred). Two characters I can think from my teenage years are:

Elvis - because he loves Elvis. Usually wears Elvis T-Shirt. Has a quiff. He's still around.

Nutty Jason - harmless lunatic frequently spotted in Forbury Gardens (park in town centre) in mid-90s. Performs WWE wrestling moves on himself with sound effects. Sometimes wears a cape. Climbs big trees. Not seen him in 20yrs.

[105.4]

Bummer Robbo & Mad Meg.
They lived in a skip behind the Civic Centre.

They’ve even been featured on Joe Wilkinson’s Gossipmongers podcast. They were a bit like Purple Aki, except they weren’t black and didn’t come from Liverpool.

https://youtu.be/x5CLr6nm3aI

(fast forward to @15:00)

[slopes]

The other one that springs to mind is the Norwich Puppet Guy - i think that's what he is called - who gets just outside the shopping precinct in Great Yarmouth. Plays music, whistles and has some mangy old puppet on one hand that he waves about like a lunatic.
Been doing it for years apparently and used to do the same thing in his home town of Norwich until they kicked him out

[bucksmanuk]

2fast748 said:

There used to be an anti smoking campaigner who rode his bike all over the north west seemingly picking up cigarette waste and shouting incomprehensibly at smokers in the street.

Saw him regularly in Southport in late 80's early 90s - same guy(?) . The story was his wife had died through excessive smoking and the smoke had affected him as well.
how true this is, I have no idea.

[Mikebentley]

I give you Kidderminsters Johnny The Cobbler. 1970’s and 80’s he would cycle around on his Grifter or other kiddies bikes wearing eye liner and lipstick. Favoured outfits were Sailor, old lady or motorcyclist. He would have a bottle of rum with him and was completely harmless. He would cycle up behind people and sound his horn to make you jump.

[HJG]

Perhaps not so much a local character but my favourite is the 'Camden Cat'. Before Covid I used to look forward to seeing the Camden Cat with his guitar on a late train home on the London to Brighton line. It seemed no matter which time train I was on, he was there playing the same tunes. My partner would also bump into him and video call me at the same time. He started to recognise us and for some reason I have his phone number. He has lived a colourful life for sure. I believe he now lives in Worthing and calls himself the Worthing Rat.

[vaud]

The references to the 70's/80's characters who were eccentric but harmless.

Posters should recall that it was a different era where reporting of bad stuff didn't happen so much...

[scottyp123]

Salford's answer to Mike Tyson.

Vinegar Vera

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/great...

There is also this bloke who I saw walking around my local town quite a bit but apparently it was for charity



I did a bit of work in Bridlington a couple of years ago and there was a bloke who walked up and down the street most of the day like a dog in shoes, a bit like this.

[wazztie16]

mrtwisty said:

Derby has the Walking Backwards Man - seen year round noting down registration plate numbers in his book and walking backwards, forever backwards.

Needs to be seen to be believed.

https://youtu.be/4FGF6__tSyo

[mrtwisty]

wazztie16 said:

mrtwisty said:

Derby has the Walking Backwards Man - seen year round noting down registration plate numbers in his book and walking backwards, forever backwards.

Needs to be seen to be believed.

https://youtu.be/4FGF6__tSyo

Other than the straggly hair, he always seems to be well presented. Sports some decent walking gear too, especially in the winter. I love it that he obviously is well looked after by (presumably) his family - gets dressed in his goretex of a morning, lunch in his backpack, couple of spare biros... Warms one's cockles it does.