Funny

We have a guy who rides really slowly around on a bike in bizarre, seasonally inappropriate outfits. Like, a leopard print loincloth, crop top, and something resembling a turban in February.

In Lyon France there was the spider woman.

Edit: video https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FNoRQQqWKVg

The ragman! Dancing Dan! Loco Ray!

My city has The Walker, a very gentle man who walks everywhere, has long chopped hair and at one point (maybe still) wore a Power Puff Girl keychain as a necklace. Some say his family was killed in a car accident, hence the walking. We also had "The Silver Fox" legendary "Mullet Man" who creeped around all the local bars but died relatively recently.

We had a local street person who was nicknamed Aqualung who was a fixture here from the mid 70s to the mid 00s. Fan of the local minor league team, very private person. Was a rumor that Nick Nolte studied him to prep for a part once.

Tricycle Santa!

We had the phone guy. He used to walk around town with a red plastic rotary phone, and occasionally tell passersby they had a call.

Then cellphones happened, and he just sort of... vanished.

It's been a long time now, of course, but sometimes I still think of him and worry what it must have been like, being sort of outcompeted off his little self assigned ecological niche of sorts what must have felt like overnight. One day you're the phone guy, next day everyone's walking around with a phone on their ear, and you're stuck with your old unplugged red rotary phone. Tragic.

Nervously looks for my city’s “guy” to see if anyone I know or could run into is on Lemmy

Keytar Bear

Dude jams out around Boston on a keytar wearing a bear costume. The music is actually pretty great.

My city has a bunch: The spoon lady, miniature horse guy, topless fat lady, the guy that rides his Harley around pulling a trailer with a pig in it, Johnny sax, blunt man, and guitar hero are all the ones I can think of off the top of my head. I live in a weird city.

We have a couple of them. Bonsai Lady is my favorite. She just randomly shows in different parking lots and sets up a stand to sell her bonsai trees.

We also have the Denton Spider-Man who is a good dude who just wants to entertain kids.

We don't talk about the conspiracy theory asshole who just takes up good parking spots to spread lies he wrote all over his car.

There is a man that wears chainmail armor made out of soda can pop tabs that is famous in both Tucson and Phoenix areas of Arizona. His name is Chicago, and you can catch him on the bus or at random punk and metal shows around AZ, if you are lucky.

Frankie! He'd stand on the street and clap at cars. He'd draw money and try to use it, too. Some places accepted the smaller bills because he was actually pretty good at it.

Sockhead, independently wealthy homeless by choice attempted murderer with 1 giant blonde dreadlock in a sock on top of his head.

Ahhh the naked roller blading cowboy that plays guitar....

No I'm not kidding. Bonus points if you can name the city

Some years ago, we had Thong Cape Scooter Man. The name tells you exactly what you need to know.

Clapham Common, South London, a person in their 60s who would wear only a tiny thong, a grass skirt, and ride their bicycle around in all weathers.

Toronto had Zanta, a guy who wore red boxers, black boots and a Santa hat and did pushups on top of mailboxes and flexing while shoutting at passersby. If you knew him it was a fun spectacle but for most people he was aggressive and basically a creep.

He was mentally ill for sure, and had a pretty long sad story.

Any Zanta experts please speak up if you'd like to add more context. Pretty sure someone wrote a book or comic about the guy.

My favorite in my city is shirtless rollerblading guitar guy. Exactly as advertised.

Richmond had Dirtwoman (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donnie_Corker) until he passed away in 2017.

I had a dude who would dress up like Britney Spears, and he went by "Britney Girl-Dale". I never interacted with him, but I had friends who did who said he was HELLA nice, but always high. Which lead me to defending him anytime my judgemental parents had anything nasty to say.

Unfortunately, last I heard he had "found Jesus" and went massively fundie/evangelical. 😮‍💨

weed jesus, santa barbara, california

The city where I studied, had the Raven Man. He was an older guy with unkempt long hair and a long black coat that was always covered in bird shit and two live ravens tied to his coat with a long string.

Philly has Vent Guy.

Schreeuw Jezus (screaming/shouting Jesus) in Eindhoven, The Nederlands. Some guy shouting about Bible stuff and Jesus.

My town had Waving Save. He lived across the street from me when I was in high school.

He would walk the 5 miles to town every day most of the year. He would wave enthusiastically at every passing vehicle.

He was very pleasant but odd.

Crackhead Dan.

He started out as "dancing Dan" because of how often you could see him jamming out to something walking down the road, but he didn't like the name. Somehow it changed to crackhead, and I haven't heard his opinion on it.

He looks rather disheveled, leading many to wonder if he's homeless or not. Nobody seems to know. I've never seen him panhandling, dumpster diving, or with anything other than a backpack.

He likes to support the city's high school band though, goes to the football games and always goes to the band concession stand and leaves tips.

You could tell anyone any story about him and they'd just go "yeah that sounds about right"

Town I grew up in just had the alcoholic lady that hung around the liquor store trying to get free booze that everyone knew not to take money from, give money to, or give booze to because she would get drunk and start fucking up shit. She seemed nice, but that's probably just because she was trying to score a drink.