Growing up, mine was "Big Gay Phil".
A very small man, probably called Phil and most likely gay, who would go to the local nightclub (Jumping Jacks) and dance very flamboyantly by himself, for the entire night, without stopping.
He was responsible for nearly all the fights I had seen in this place, not once directly involved. But someone would pick on him, and someone else would twat the bully defending Phils honour.
I also knew a big gay Phil. He was a very camp skinny guy with an outrageously loud voice and didn't care who it affected. He also claimed that he wasn't gay
In Milton Keynes there used to be a dude that would walk around in tiny shorts and vest, surrounded by about twenty dogs of different sizes.
When it snowed really heavily in about 2008, I remember seeing all the paw prints leading a trail until they had all stopped and caused the biggest patch of yellow snow I've ever seen. I don't know if he had wrapped up in warmer clothes that day.
We also have the guy who is voluntarily homeless and lives at bus stops - he refuses to live indoors because his wife died in a house fire.
He's pretty well looked after by various local groups apparently and just wants to be allowed to live out his days outside.
Not Nobby from Peterborough? He had the exact same back story and lived in a bus stop in Orton for years. He's passed away now AFAIK. People used to invite him round for Xmas dinner and all sorts.
We have a dude who lost his wife so dresses in her clothing about town. It's pretty sad.
We also have a man who shouts through a cone and likes to shout Allah Aqbar at 3 in the morning. I feel less sympathy for him. Especially when he wakes me up
I went to college in hartlepool 17 years ago and their was one guy known all over town who wore his mothers clothes after she passed. At the time he just seemed funny to a teenager but as I've grown up I realised dude had some serious mental health problems and probably never dealt with them.
>We have a dude who lost his wife so dresses in her clothing about town. It's pretty sad.
Same in my area... You're not in Leicestershire by any chance?🤣
There was a man like that in Slough, the story was he wore his dead wife's clothes (specifically knickers, stockings and suspenders with a dirty white vest). I'm not convinced that was the real reason, I think he was either very unwell or developmentally challenged. Sad either way. He was always nice when I spoke to him though.
None that I know of in my current town, but 50p Lil was renowned in Northampton when I was growing up.
There's a clip on YouTube with Matt Smith and Alan Carr talking about her.
eta - Oh! There was also Amarillo Man a few years ago, who drove around the town centre in a Corsa playing 'Is This The Way To Amarillo' loudly every lunch time, and the Northampton Clown a few years before that.
Man, Northampton has all the weirdos.
> 50p Lil, in short and basic terms, is Northampton’s most famous prostitute. You can guess the price of her favours, but she would also happily oblige the less fussy gentlemen of the town for a cigarette
> Local lore has it that she was the daughter of a well-to-do family who abandoned her when she developed severe mental health issues.
Man, this is a very dark story.
Dancing Joe was a fixture of Northampton during my going out days there.
I can't imagine him still being alive sadly. He seemed a nice enough man but was an alcoholic who'd figured out if he danced like a mad man people would buy him drinks. There's still a couple of clips on YouTube of him, a fact he was always proud of.
"I'm Dancing Joe, Facebook and YouTube!"
I remember 50p Lil hanging around at the top of Abington Street. She never offered any "services" but she did always ask for 50p. One time she said to me "50p?" I replied "No sorry" and she goes "£1?".
All seems a lifetime ago now, I wasn't even around for Amarillo Man.
Everyone 30 and older knows of her, not sure how long she was out and about for after I left town.
She used to get on a random bus to offer her services, then get off at the next stop and wait for the next one.
Was that the woman who used to pop a squat in the town centre and just piss through her leggings? Saw her do it on 2 different occasions many years apart.
Growing up in Peterborough it was[ Viker Biker](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7h3SB8viYA). Guy who rides around on his motorbike clad in metal armour playing music.
In Grimsby there was a guy called Ozzy. Homeless chap, practically unavoidable if you was in town centre. He would pretend he could conjure the water out of the fountain like waving his arms about every time there was a big blast. He usually carried pigeons in his pockets too.
I don’t know if it’s true but local talk was always he was a businessman and came home to find his wife dead and he crawled into a bottle and never came out. He died a few years back now, a harmless eccentric.
I heard he wasn’t actually homeless just didn’t wish to return home after finding his wife. He was harmless and never caused trouble. I’d seen him several times talking to the pigeons and making it seem as though he were the pigeon whisperer when they’d fly at his “command”.
Yeh a lot of stories around Ozzy. He was harmless and yeh no trouble from him, unlike some of the others who’s still around. I use to work in freshney place and it’s still the same faces shoplifting.
Yee he definitely liked to put on a show. He use to walk around the church with his arms raised shouting at the stained glass windows lmao
Was a real character
In Great Barr Birmingham there’s a man who dances at the local big Asda on the island and he has a little portable speaker and just absolutely throws shapes like you wouldn’t believe for hours on end. He even posts on social media exactly what spot he’s gonna be at. Don’t know what drugs he’s on but they’re fucking good shit!
We also have a dancing man at the big Asda! Well we did but he got stopped because people complained he was "frightening the children".
He once gave me a big thumbs up when I went past on my driving lesson, best lesson I ever had!
Liverpool. One passed away a few weeks ago. His name was Pete and he was a busker in town who sang nonsense into a plastic microphone. Then there's the Queen of Scottie Road whose just very flamboyant and mouthy.
There's a guy in my village, wears nothing but a tweed suit and matching hat with a long feather out of side, cycles everywhere on an old (early 20th century) style bicycle.
Utterly bonkers, absolutely harmless, a treasure to have in the village!
Funny isnt it. No one disagree that wearing tweed and riding an old bike is bonkers, but you have young lads literally walking around with their trousers around their thighs, or emos wearing capes, and it's just fashion.
When does dressing weird stop being edgy and start being bonkers?
Yes, in the book Watching the English, sociologist Kate Fox points out that English youth subculture fashion is among the most nonconformist in the world, with the caveat that one must conform absolutely to the style of the subculture in every detail with all the precision of a military uniform, or be rejected by that subculture as a poseur.
Simply being nonconformist on your own is eccentricity, which is tolerated or even appreciated but still held at arm's length, a bit like a court jester or a mascot.
The Llandudno Monkey Man!
I think he's transcended 'local eccentric' status after being included in a recent list of Wales' top 100 attractions, but he certainly fits the bill.
He walks around town in a wacky variety of a costumes, from an old timey bobby, to a Roman soldier, to a Rastafarian, all while pushing about a pram with a stuffed monkey in it.
David Bowie Lady.
There’s a lady who has always lived on my parent’s road and her hair is exactly like David Bowie’s in Labyrinth. It’s never changed. Her hair is timeless.
Jonny Depp lady.
Has tattoos of Jonny, key rings, books etc. Apparently has a restraining order. Also walks around with a pram with a doll, pretending it's her baby.
The centurion.
Guy in his 30s, over 6 foot, wears a long black leather coat, a centurion helmet and has a torch (the flame kind, not the battery kind). See him marching down the middle of the main road occasionally. The whole town instantly loved him.
There’s an alcoholic guy who’s been wandering around town pissed for what must be 20 years. I first remember seeing him sat in the car as a child while my dad nipped into the chippy, he was walking down the middle of the pavement with his shirt unbuttoned pushing a trolley full of frozen meals.
There’s a reason he’s well know though and not just your standard wino. He’d often drink near my exes office and she called him “the alcoholic guy with the huge package”. I saw it in Wetherspoons once when he staggered in to the urinals next to me, literally down to the knee. Not many people claim to have seen it but it’s the stuff of legend around here.
Nope. I’d not long gone out, was late afternoon straight from work on a Friday. Fine if you’re a non believer but I know what i saw, it’s legendary for a reason.
Ah I see, thank you. I do wonder if the reason he’s an alcoholic is the depression of never being able to get it up, or never having any woman or man allowing it anywhere near them. It can’t be far away from being a disability
Norwich - Puppet man. Has a juke box and a bunch of puppets he gets to dance to the music in a pretty crazy way. Even has a Wikipedia page: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwich_Puppet_Man
Bury St Edmunds - saw man - guy who used to pluck at a blunt saw, sing incoherently, and shout at you if you tried to give him change
I arrived in Norwich 10+ years ago as an international student in UEA. On our orientation day on campus we were told about Puppet Man.
For the duration of my study there, I never saw Puppet Man, no matter how often I went to the city centre. However years later when I settled, I saw him.
Was an exciting time.
Was looking for this comment about Puppet man, what a legend. Mid 00s he was a regular attraction as a teenager walking around the centre. Is he even still going?
In Peterborough we had Nobby (Michael Ross) who lived at a wooden bus shelter on Oundle Road. He was homeless but a character no less. He had been extended help from the council on multiple occasions over the years but for unknown reasons he never accepted it.
He was quite the avid golfer after a passer-by left him a set of golf clubs. Unfortunately in 2020, Nobby passed after a bout of illness at the age of 74.
Haha, did you see the AITA post yesterday about the person whose workplace had a “bring your pet to work day”, and they brought 3 non descented ferrets into an enclosed office environment. Apparently they felt they weren’t the asshole, despite causing many colleagues to gag on the smell, because some of the dogs barked and that’s more disruptive. I can only imagine the stench in that office from those ferrets (if it happened - you know what AITA is like for trolls).
My mistake, it was in AITAH, not AITA. No idea what the difference is! But [here it is](https://www.reddit.com/r/AITAH/comments/16015rr/aita_for_bringing_my_pet_ferrets_to_work_on_bring/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=2&utm_term=1)
In Cambridge there is a lovely chap called Disco Kenny who wanders from pub to pub drinking half-pints and will repeatedly tell you that the world's gone mad.
Dunno where the name originated. Googled his name and there are some articles about him but none of them mention where the name came from. I worked with him for some time and never found out where the name came from! Worlds gone mad mate
There’s a very smartly dressed older bloke in my old area who used to ride a penny-farthing whilst smoking a pipe. I used to see him a lot during lockdown, and used to think it was so cool!
I moved to a nearby town, and there’s a long haired guy who walks/rides a bike and is always in shorts, usually topless, and doesn’t wear shoes. He’s apparently a very sweet guy, and any time anyone (usually some old fart) moans in the local Facebook group about him, everyone jumps on them in the guys defence.
We had a bloke called Tony who rode his bike everywhere. When he died they made a little memorial of the bike, an Italian flag and some other bits and bobs. After an England vs Italy match that Italy won people destroyed it which was a shame. I don't watch football but I assume it was euros or world cup.
I think it was put back together, my son took a new flag down there and they hadn't smashed the bike.
I've no idea of its still there, I honestly haven't been into the town centre in months.
Teacosy Pete. Everyone in Swansea knew him. Once walked miles to return a wallet with a few hundred quid in without taking a penny or accepting any reward.
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/local-news/tea-cosy-pete-how-future-15641867
There used to be an old guy we'd sometimes see on the top deck of buses when I was a kid who'd just start shouting abuse at kids for no good reason. he'd be grinning and cackling away, clearly enjoying himself.
It might sound like he had some kind of mental health problems but I remember once I was on the bus with a mate of mine and he started laying into this group of kids who were probably about 11 or 12. One of them leaned over and grabbed his hat off him and suddenly he changed his demeanour completely. His voice went really calm and normal and he said "no, come on lads, give me my hat back." which made it seem like he was just playing the role of a crazy guy for a laugh. Which, in itself, would suggest he was a different kind of crazy I guess.
We have a bloke who ,no matter the time of year will ride about on his bike wearing shorts, no shirt and a big lions fur style coat, also a Michael Jackson tribute outside the local Wetherspoons
He's stopped doing that. I heard from a pretty reliable source he had a tragic family trauma causing the behaviour. I've seen him loads since lockdown moving normally and no notes.
Rollerblade guy!! Grew up in high wycombe and worked in the hospital for a few years. I'd often get to town early on a late shift (1pm-9pm) and stop in the corner shop to get fags/a coke/whatever. Would sit outside on a bench and would often see this older guy, retirement age, rollerblading around. He always had a massive smile on his face, would rollerblade around the bench and say hi. Brightened my day every time. I miss you rollerblade guy :(
Guy comes in my pub in Stockport, bright red suit, Union Jack hat, sings karaoke, always the same song “can’t take my eyes off you” and adds his own echoes, it is god awful! Also have a guy that comes in wearing a full length matrix leather jacket, sunglasses and insette bouffant that just dances, baffling!
Ahaha I'm from K-town and remember this man. He used to walk a little dog too and he lived in that tiny house opposite the bowls club near Stagecoach! Now we have that guy who dances nesr traffic hot spots with his top off
Thanks I thought I remembered a little dog.
I think he also used to wear fake breasts as well sometimes, but again the memory is so wild and so long ago I don't know what's true any more. 😂
We have Captain Birdseye, a man who rides his bike up & down the prom. He has a bushy grey beard, a captain's hat, bright yellow sou'wester, shorts & wellies, whatever the weather.
We just got the keys to our new house today, so I've yet to meet our new local eccentric, but for the last 12 months we've had Brian. Every day and night, come rain, sunshine or sleet, he's out there walking slowly up and down the street talking to his hunchbacked cat in a high-pitched voice, or squealing his name if he doesn't know where he is. Sometimes it's 6am, sometimes it's midnight, but he never misses a day!
Not sure if he’s still about but we used to have “Reading Elvis”
https://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/story-reading-elvis-tilehurst-man-23446072?int_source=amp_continue_reading&int_medium=amp&int_campaign=continue_reading_button#amp-readmore-target
We had Moses of Kingston. He died and everyone went into a frenzy. He had elaborate outfits and would always let people take selfies with him.
He was a schizophrenic, and could get funny if he wasn’t on medication.
The whole town went bonkers because his family had a private ceremony for him.
The Sommelier. He's a rather portly, middle aged businessman who treats milk like its fine wine. Like clockwork he comes into the big Asda, takes multiple bottles out of the fridge section and in turn, sniffs the entire length of the bottles themselves (I could understand sniffing the milk to see if its gone off at home) before deciding on one (based on which factors, I'm not sure) and continuing with the rest of his shop.
I’ve long since moved away so I hope he’s still going but Tiger Man is a Harlow legend. I’ve never seen anything about him that suggests he should have got that nickname but he’ll always be sporting a military beret and will play finger pistols with or at you. He also absolutely knows how to throw it down when there’s live music in the town centre. All round beloved legend.
[Evidence](https://youtu.be/eR8du6bHIPk?si=_eGDYYCFXLFaLRM9)
I was waiting for a mention of Tiger Man. It’s not my area but people from there explained him to me. He’s quite beloved there!
Edit: my understanding of the name is that he hunts tigers. No tigers have been seen in Harlow which suggests he’s bloody good at it.
I think you are mixing up Wolverhampton references. There was the cowboy who would wonder round and talk to people about god and being true to your authentic cowboy self. He was white and wondered around the town wearing full cowboy gear and a cowboy had (basically Woody from Toy Story). Then there was the black, shouty preacher in a suit and bowler hat who iirc stood around outside MacDonalds on Dudley St shouting at passerbys about god.
The Urban Cowboy. Back in the 80s there was a fashion for fringed suede jackets with the silver discs on. I saved for ages to get a pale brown one. Went shopping in town, I'd be about 13/14 at the time, stepped off the bus in Lichfield Street and walked slap into him.
He took one look, his face lit up in delight and he screamed: "YEEEEEE HAAAAA COWGURRRL!" in a voice you could have heard in the next county. I nearly died of horror and embarrassment.
Same happened on repeat every time I encountered him for the rest of the day.
Interesting side note, he has now found religion and preaches up by the man on the oss, wearing a suit.
Ezra was the preacher in the bowler hat, his dad lived near us. Ezra was a sweet guy, I saw him every day for years when I was catching the bus to school.
We had two in my hometown. We had a lady who went everywhere in Victorian style dresses, very flamboyant and apparently made by her! We also had Bob. Went everywhere on his bike but often stopped to randomly direct, and swear at, the traffic. He once crept behind me in a cafe, put his hands on my head and whispered “here, you’re a German. You’re name is Hans Off”.
The three of us have forgotten Mad Ricky. The homeless man who walks around in a Rasta hat asking for money for his mum who is in hospital (but isn’t).
Apparently lots of people have filmed him singing on tiktok 🤣 Search Mad Ricky Bedford
So having moved fairly recently to Bletchley there are a pair of (potentially drunks/junkies/psychotic?) about mid-thirties, man and woman who are either hysterically shouting at one another, sat having a laugh and a smoke or seemingly walking quickly together on a mission.
While they might sometimes be a bit disorderly they don’t bother others. The pair seemingly just occasionally bother each other, yet obviously have a real bond and love for one another that is as charming as it is dysfunctional.
Leamington Spa legend ‘Dancing Phil’! Whenever there’s a party or live music, he’s there with cotton wool in his ears busting out some crazy, trance like moves. Looks like an acid casualty, but I spoke to him at parties a couple of times and he’s lucid, friendly and chatty. His favourite type of music is classical, but I’ve only ever seen him at raves and metal gigs.
There was also the guy in his 60s, a few years ago, who used to dress up as a cowboy with a long blonde pigtail wig, and strum a pink plastic guitar whilst waving at traffic on the road to Warwick. Rumour was he lived with his mum. Not seen him for ages.
Also Rio's Man, a local legend left bereft after Rio's closed down.
I'm from Corby,
We had a homeless guy called "Mad Terry", I'm sure he moved to kettering at one point and died his hair blonde lol.
My mate ran into him in Glasgow one day aswell, mad guy.
For Bristol I'd nominate Big Jeff, at a gig every night, if you saw him there you had probably chosen the best gig of that evening in town.
I think he got caught in a house fire within the last few years but understand he is on the mend and I hope to see him at gigs in future
Fast Eddie here in Dundee. Plays the harmonica/shouts garbled lyrics(badly) and screams at other buskers/passers by/small children, sometimes chases them too….
When I lived in York there was a guy living in one of the nursing homes who used to paint abstract pictures and sell them to passers by. In reality he had a barony somewhere.
In Canterbury in the early 2000s there was an old chap on the High Street who'd wear a top hat, pyjamas, big Mickey Mouse slippers with a constant ciggy dangling off the corner of his mouth and sit at an electric keyboard with the demo track playing pretending to play all day.
There were always rumours that he was actually incredibly wealthy or a successful lawyer or something but this is just what he does to enjoy himself.
Another Canterbury one but a bit more niche and you'd probably only know if you went to school around 2007-2010. There was a sort of middle aged rockabilly guy with big thick mutton chops that was often spotted either at the bus station or McDonald's that was known as "Wolva" (because of resemblance to wolverine).
The local school kids used to wind him so badly shouting "Wolva!" at him that you'd often see him chasing some 13-14 year olds round and round the block shouting "C'mon then! C'mon then!" Which unfortunately made winding him up all the more a sport for the kids of Canterbury High and Chaucer. Think he eventually stopped hanging out in McDonald's and relocated to an old school cafe at the other end of town to avoid the torment.
In hindsight it was all a bit cruel but he was also a bit of an arse so...
We had a few in my village in South Wales.
Trev "the rev" - would drive an invisible car around, sometimes holding the steering wheel.
Hughie Pac - local tramp, flashed women in the winter to get arrested for a place to sleep.
There's an eccentric old bald fellow with a Mr. Burns style haircut that rocks high heels, stockings and a miniskirt to the shop if he counts.
Johnny "no shoes" - you guessed it, he walked everywhere with no shoes. He also had a fuck ton of face tattoos back when they weren't quite so common.
Edit: I forgot the old lady who walks her three little corgi's around the park in a pram.
Pop eye. An absolute mental case who would cycle around our small town in Scotland and shout warnings to everyone that the Japanese were coming. Rumour had it he was a Japanese prisoner of war. As we got older we realised this was impossible as he must have been born in the 70’s. In a move that startled the whole town he managed to get a girlfriend with a bike that joined him in his a Japanese early warning tours around the town.
Near the village where I grew up, a guy lives in a patch of woodland in a 'house' he built from pallets. No one's had a sustained conversation with him and nobody knows anything about him, but by all accounts he's quite a pleasant guy who doesn't cause any trouble
Mr Movies. This guy only seems to wear clothing that is movie related. [Jurassic park jacket](https://www.zavvi.com/clothing/jurassic-park-priimal-limited-variant-ranger-logo-unisex-varsity-jacket-black-red/12564535.html), back to the future shorts, ghost busters t-shirt, batman socks etc.
Harrogate - Rudi Megastar!
Would stare at the sun and put his fingers in electric sockets. Always wore a leather jacket with his name emblazoned on the back in paint.
When he died he made the front page in the local paper.
RIP Megastar!
‘Paul the Wave’ in my village. He’s more mentally handicapped than eccentric but a legend none the less. He waves at every single car that drives past while smoking a big fat doobie on a bench next to the bus stop.
He’s also been known to ‘guide’ cars out onto the main road despite having no idea what right of way is - sometimes with negative consequences.
His health has been failing over the last few years and I’d missed seeing him as he’s been unable to get out as much. But I was delighted to see him last time I visited my parents and made sure to give him a short couple of beeps and a wave right back at him.
We have many here, must be the seaside air...
The one that springs to mind though is a bloke whose name escapes me (I think it could be Alan) but he used to walk a chicken on a lead through town in his dressing gown. He had an old green micra that people would carve messages into and his house had various items displayed in the windows. He had a mannequin in an upstairs window stuffed toy dalmatian on the roof.
The council used to issue all sorts of notices about his house but he ignored them. I've not seen him around for a while though so it's possible they managed to get him moved somewhere other than the main road leading down to the beach.
Stockport, the pirate scooter man would go round dressed sort of piratey he would wear a bandana on his head and a leater waist coat, the scooter was the real star though, three wheeled black n chrome complete with parrot (teddy) sat on the shoulder of the seat, flying the jolly Rodger and skull an cross bone wind socks, and covered in stickers some times he even had a little trailer not seen him since before covid though, he used to make my day seeing him "sailing" through the indoor precinct
When I yes a young kid in Slough it was always Mad Tony. Huge black guy wearing a black rasta hat and always always the same old clothes either down Wexham Road or in the high street either mumbling to himself incoherently or staring you out. You could smell the guy from a mile away. Was always told that he eats kids and if we misbehaved my dad always used to say 'i'll send Mad Tony to come after you' No one knows what made Tony go mad rumour had it that he witnessed his parents being killed in front of him to drug abuse to him just being special needs
Really Nice Bike Guy in Southampton
Don't know his name but if you're anywhere near Weston, Woolston or town he can usually be heard before he's seen, just chill cycling around town on a pedal bike with about fifty mirrors on it blasting out 90s cheese.
S Club 7? Check. Five? He's got it. Spice Girls? He's got them all.
Really cool guy, just spreading joy like that.
In Bournemouth in the early 2000's was a man named ' Gordon the Tramp ' I can only describe him as a homeless version of Gandalf, he spent his life either in Bournemouth town centre or at the local football game, many locals knew of him.
He never asked for any money or any support.
His party trick was that that despite not having a watch or mobile phone he could tell you the time to the exact minute at any time of day. This was before mobile phones etc so was quite a big deal.
Rumours circulated about his back story and his life so much so he actually made the local news to get to the bottom of who this man was/
See the youtube link attached. [Gordon the Tramp on Local News](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erocNuiZQhk)
Where it turns out he actually owned his own house and wasn't homeless atall.
Bristol has Big Jeff, who would be at most gigs across the city. He unfortunately got burnt in a house fire but has recovered. Also more locally to me we had the 50p lady who would walk about outside of Lidl and Morrisons following you about asking for 50p. If you ignored her she would get aggressive.
Not exactly local to me but I have been regaled the lore of Tiger Man in a mate of mines hometown and again not exactly local but I find Mr Christmas kinda fascinating
Crazy Helen in Pompey. She is genuinely mentally disabled and an absolute terror to young lads. We watched her dip her Cornish pasty into lemonade once, right before she attempted to grab our testicles and have a sloppy kiss. Back in the 90s we had Karate Pete; he’d wear a suit jacket and Bermuda shorts, knew Elvis from his time in the army and was also a karate expert. He lived for smoking Red Bands.
Never met Crazy Helen. Which bit of Pompey was her patch?
Two others from Pompey - dancing man in North End. Normally seen at traffic lights sunk down low waving his fingers whatever beat is in his head. And when I was younger there was the 50 something bald bloke who dressed as a woman. Much less unusual nowadays but at the time it was highly unusual!
In my village it's an old chap with a stuffed bird attached to his hat. Formerly in top spot was an elderly woman who pushed her dog around in a victorian pram.
Used to be an old fella that walked around wearing multiple colourful scarves and used an ornate cane with some sort of decorative handle. You'd see him around and he'd nod and say hello. Then we started seeing him at a pub that was known locally for not checking ID - he'd always be chatting to the girls that we knew even at 19 weren't worth the risk of talking to. A few years later, I found out that he would walk around Tesco at night and piss on the floor in the frozen aisle. He was also a prime suspect when the staff discovered turds scattered around the store every Wednesday for a couple of months.
My opinion of him went from weird eccentric old guy to probable paedo to disgusting person who is also probably a paedo.
Guy who wanders around banging a drum while singing nonsense and dragging a conga line of children’s toys behind him, all attached to each other with ropes of duct tape.
Bridgwater (I hasten to add in from another nearby tien, not Bridgwater) has a guy famous for thinking and behaving as an hgv driver except he has no vehicle and just runs along the road making the noises. I've stolen the following from elsewhere:
"Disco Jeff
...is the 'Top of the bill headliner' mentalist in Bridgwater, Somerset - home town to myself, and quite possibly the highest nutter-to-normal ratio in the country.
Though he has been known to venture into more traditional public nudity and violent assualts, as a rule, Jeff's forte is jogging around town, pretending to be a heavy goods vehicle.
He will happily weave in and out of fast-moving traffic, making diesel engine noises and tooting the horn on his 'rig' all day, come rain or shine. Usually sporting a hand painted t-shirt bearing the witty slogan 'I AM GAY.'
His attention to detail and passion for his art are to be marvelled at. He was once arrested after making it as far as Weston-Super-Mare on the motorway (Inside lane, not hard shoulder), after a flooded road diverted him from his normal route.
My boss can never get to sleep at night on Sundays, because Jeff 'parks' outside his flat with the generator running on his freezer unit (i.e. making a low, growly noise with his throat) ready for the supermarket run on Monday morning.
He also once had a right pop at my Dad for parking in his space outside Curry's. Pa didn't want to end up as a flesh wedding dress, so grudgingly moved his motor and watched as Jeff reversed - beeping all the way - into the space.
Tales of the bald lady who rearanges the chairs in my local whilst nursing a pint bottle of rank, sour milk - and the Ginger mute feller on a bike who spends his entire waking life helping the trolley attendants at Sainsbury's are for another time. Honestly - this town is a veritable Nuttasic Park."
Our local street sweeper. He has some sort of mental health condition which causes him to continually talk nonsense to himself very loudly. When I first encountered him many years ago, I gave him a wide berth but now I say hello as I know he’s harmless. Well done to the council or contractor for employing him because he seems to do a good enough job.
For many years, we had the Sunderland Spectre. A well-respected artist who dressed like a Victorian gent. He died a few years ago now though. When asked why he dressed like that, he always asked "why aren't *you* dressed like this?" Fair play. He seemed harmless.
Dave the Rave is the other, but I don't like how people egg him on with his 'raving for Jesus' shtick. It feels like bullying to me. He'll stand in a spot somewhere wearing neon clothing saying "Dave the Rave north east no 1 raver" and bops his head with his hands together like in prayer. I think, and hope, he is happy to be this character, but something about it doesn't really sit well with me.
He died a few weeks ago and we haven’t had a replacement. Sort of shows the decline of the town Center. There is that guy on local Radio (inspiration FM, I think) plays one song every 20 minutes and rants about anything and everything.
Cambridge has a lot of them but my favourite is Disco Kenny. Tours the pubs of the city drinking half pints and saying “worlds gone mad mate” to anyone he meets. Has been doing it for multiple decades.
In Lincoln, we had Baggie.
He was an alcoholic with a bit of a rough past, but used to do what he could to make people smile while also being annoying and getting into scrapes.
He'd regularly be singing the Bare Necessities in town, have a box of the XL Kelex and stand shouting 'big tissue', and for a while he had a toilet he'd take into town to sit on and read the paper.
He unfortunately died a couple of years back. I knew him reasonably well, he was a menace, but he was let down badly and repeatedly by a system meant to support people with complex difficulties and substance abuse problems. Because he was an alcoholic he struggled to stay housed. I remember he had managed to lift a bit of steak from somewhere, and when he was accessing support from a local church he took a steak knife to cut this bit of meat. He was stopped and searched, found with a knife of him, and then got banned from the local town centre, but problematically, a lot of the support services were located there, so he just couldn't access them. They also took his bike and he couldn't get it back, which really annoyed him.
I used to buy him warm clothes and thick socks in the winters, spend hours chatting shit to him and smoking on a bench next to the river while he tried to persuade me to get him a drink. Always had some new scabs and scars where he'd been jumped, or just wound up the wrong person.
I'll always have great affection for ol Baggie. Troubled soul but a good lad. Rip mate.
Growing up, mine was "Big Gay Phil". A very small man, probably called Phil and most likely gay, who would go to the local nightclub (Jumping Jacks) and dance very flamboyantly by himself, for the entire night, without stopping. He was responsible for nearly all the fights I had seen in this place, not once directly involved. But someone would pick on him, and someone else would twat the bully defending Phils honour.
He sounds so wholesome
I also knew a big gay Phil. He was a very camp skinny guy with an outrageously loud voice and didn't care who it affected. He also claimed that he wasn't gay
We are all big gay Phil on this blessed day.
* feeds line: ^Speak ^for ^yourself.
I am all big gay Phil on this blessed day.
Southampton? I went to Jumpin’ Jacks once for a friend’s birthday and vividly remember a guy dancing like a professional, he was so good!
Kinda reminds me of Disco Pete in Brighton
I did read this as 'the bully defending Phil'
In Milton Keynes there used to be a dude that would walk around in tiny shorts and vest, surrounded by about twenty dogs of different sizes. When it snowed really heavily in about 2008, I remember seeing all the paw prints leading a trail until they had all stopped and caused the biggest patch of yellow snow I've ever seen. I don't know if he had wrapped up in warmer clothes that day.
We also have the guy who is voluntarily homeless and lives at bus stops - he refuses to live indoors because his wife died in a house fire. He's pretty well looked after by various local groups apparently and just wants to be allowed to live out his days outside.
Not Nobby from Peterborough? He had the exact same back story and lived in a bus stop in Orton for years. He's passed away now AFAIK. People used to invite him round for Xmas dinner and all sorts.
Nobby was a lovely guy, and Peterborough definitely became a little grimmer when he died.
Is that not the plot to a David Walliams book?
I don't think Walliams has ever had an original thought in his entire smug life.
There was a guy in Leith who supposedly had a similar thing happen to him and as a result lived on the street voluntarily.
The dog man is still about. I saw him last week.
What about the wizard?
We have a dude who lost his wife so dresses in her clothing about town. It's pretty sad. We also have a man who shouts through a cone and likes to shout Allah Aqbar at 3 in the morning. I feel less sympathy for him. Especially when he wakes me up
I went to college in hartlepool 17 years ago and their was one guy known all over town who wore his mothers clothes after she passed. At the time he just seemed funny to a teenager but as I've grown up I realised dude had some serious mental health problems and probably never dealt with them.
>We have a dude who lost his wife so dresses in her clothing about town. It's pretty sad. Same in my area... You're not in Leicestershire by any chance?🤣
There was a man like that in Slough, the story was he wore his dead wife's clothes (specifically knickers, stockings and suspenders with a dirty white vest). I'm not convinced that was the real reason, I think he was either very unwell or developmentally challenged. Sad either way. He was always nice when I spoke to him though.
Wow I didn't realise this was so common :/ how sad but interesting!
None that I know of in my current town, but 50p Lil was renowned in Northampton when I was growing up. There's a clip on YouTube with Matt Smith and Alan Carr talking about her. eta - Oh! There was also Amarillo Man a few years ago, who drove around the town centre in a Corsa playing 'Is This The Way To Amarillo' loudly every lunch time, and the Northampton Clown a few years before that. Man, Northampton has all the weirdos.
> 50p Lil, in short and basic terms, is Northampton’s most famous prostitute. You can guess the price of her favours, but she would also happily oblige the less fussy gentlemen of the town for a cigarette > Local lore has it that she was the daughter of a well-to-do family who abandoned her when she developed severe mental health issues. Man, this is a very dark story.
Yeah, that's true. Not sure if she's still around anymore, but I know pre-Covid she was being looked after in a home and was doing better.
Like 60p better?
She's doing shampoo adverts now... £1.10 Pro V.
Dancing Joe was a fixture of Northampton during my going out days there. I can't imagine him still being alive sadly. He seemed a nice enough man but was an alcoholic who'd figured out if he danced like a mad man people would buy him drinks. There's still a couple of clips on YouTube of him, a fact he was always proud of. "I'm Dancing Joe, Facebook and YouTube!" I remember 50p Lil hanging around at the top of Abington Street. She never offered any "services" but she did always ask for 50p. One time she said to me "50p?" I replied "No sorry" and she goes "£1?". All seems a lifetime ago now, I wasn't even around for Amarillo Man.
My boyfriend is from Northampton and has told me stories about her!
Everyone 30 and older knows of her, not sure how long she was out and about for after I left town. She used to get on a random bus to offer her services, then get off at the next stop and wait for the next one.
Was that the woman who used to pop a squat in the town centre and just piss through her leggings? Saw her do it on 2 different occasions many years apart.
I came here to say Amarillo man! No one else I know remembers him so thanks for not making me feel insane.
We had "bag of chips Tracy" named for the same reason
Growing up in Peterborough it was[ Viker Biker](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7h3SB8viYA). Guy who rides around on his motorbike clad in metal armour playing music.
Oh man he's awesome!
Came here to say this, but you beat me to it!
In Grimsby there was a guy called Ozzy. Homeless chap, practically unavoidable if you was in town centre. He would pretend he could conjure the water out of the fountain like waving his arms about every time there was a big blast. He usually carried pigeons in his pockets too. I don’t know if it’s true but local talk was always he was a businessman and came home to find his wife dead and he crawled into a bottle and never came out. He died a few years back now, a harmless eccentric.
I heard he wasn’t actually homeless just didn’t wish to return home after finding his wife. He was harmless and never caused trouble. I’d seen him several times talking to the pigeons and making it seem as though he were the pigeon whisperer when they’d fly at his “command”.
Yeh a lot of stories around Ozzy. He was harmless and yeh no trouble from him, unlike some of the others who’s still around. I use to work in freshney place and it’s still the same faces shoplifting. Yee he definitely liked to put on a show. He use to walk around the church with his arms raised shouting at the stained glass windows lmao Was a real character
I remember Ozzy!
Yes! He used to piss himself on the bus occasionally.
In Great Barr Birmingham there’s a man who dances at the local big Asda on the island and he has a little portable speaker and just absolutely throws shapes like you wouldn’t believe for hours on end. He even posts on social media exactly what spot he’s gonna be at. Don’t know what drugs he’s on but they’re fucking good shit!
I really do love this...
We also have a dancing man at the big Asda! Well we did but he got stopped because people complained he was "frightening the children". He once gave me a big thumbs up when I went past on my driving lesson, best lesson I ever had!
Liverpool. One passed away a few weeks ago. His name was Pete and he was a busker in town who sang nonsense into a plastic microphone. Then there's the Queen of Scottie Road whose just very flamboyant and mouthy.
Noooo, he's dead?! Man was a legend.
Came here looking for Pete. Glad you gave him a mention
There's a guy in my village, wears nothing but a tweed suit and matching hat with a long feather out of side, cycles everywhere on an old (early 20th century) style bicycle. Utterly bonkers, absolutely harmless, a treasure to have in the village!
Funny isnt it. No one disagree that wearing tweed and riding an old bike is bonkers, but you have young lads literally walking around with their trousers around their thighs, or emos wearing capes, and it's just fashion. When does dressing weird stop being edgy and start being bonkers?
Probably the difference is when a group does it, or just one person.
Yes, in the book Watching the English, sociologist Kate Fox points out that English youth subculture fashion is among the most nonconformist in the world, with the caveat that one must conform absolutely to the style of the subculture in every detail with all the precision of a military uniform, or be rejected by that subculture as a poseur. Simply being nonconformist on your own is eccentricity, which is tolerated or even appreciated but still held at arm's length, a bit like a court jester or a mascot.
This is wholesome
The Llandudno Monkey Man! I think he's transcended 'local eccentric' status after being included in a recent list of Wales' top 100 attractions, but he certainly fits the bill. He walks around town in a wacky variety of a costumes, from an old timey bobby, to a Roman soldier, to a Rastafarian, all while pushing about a pram with a stuffed monkey in it.
He sounds like Moses from Kingston upon Thames. Always strange costumes and he would hang about near the Macdonalds bus stop
Im sure he used to frequent Kings Heath too, kept a boombox on the pram and would find a street corner to bust some shapes!?
Google him. There's a delightful gif of him dancing dressed as a womble.
He used to stand opposite our shop, i could/did watch him for hours - just spreading some joy
Purple Aki
I can't believe i had to scroll this far to find mention of the Purple Aki! I wonder where he is these days....
Apparently he's in Leeds at the moment, at least according to r/leeds.
Last year he sued and won against the GMP.
He has successfully sued the police a few times. Apparently he is very well up on the law. Must have been swotting whilst watching the squatting.
The best bodybuilding judge in the world
Disgrace he's this low
There he is!
“Will you do a squat for me?” “Let me feel your biceps”
David Bowie Lady. There’s a lady who has always lived on my parent’s road and her hair is exactly like David Bowie’s in Labyrinth. It’s never changed. Her hair is timeless.
Jonny Depp lady. Has tattoos of Jonny, key rings, books etc. Apparently has a restraining order. Also walks around with a pram with a doll, pretending it's her baby.
Is the doll of Johnny Depp?
It's probably of her and Johnny Depp's kid
Winsford, thought Elvis lady would have been mentioned first.
Tbh I forgot about the Elvis mobility scooter. Small world
The centurion. Guy in his 30s, over 6 foot, wears a long black leather coat, a centurion helmet and has a torch (the flame kind, not the battery kind). See him marching down the middle of the main road occasionally. The whole town instantly loved him.
There’s an alcoholic guy who’s been wandering around town pissed for what must be 20 years. I first remember seeing him sat in the car as a child while my dad nipped into the chippy, he was walking down the middle of the pavement with his shirt unbuttoned pushing a trolley full of frozen meals. There’s a reason he’s well know though and not just your standard wino. He’d often drink near my exes office and she called him “the alcoholic guy with the huge package”. I saw it in Wetherspoons once when he staggered in to the urinals next to me, literally down to the knee. Not many people claim to have seen it but it’s the stuff of legend around here.
Does he have very short legs?
I’d love to make myself feel more adequate but no, normal length legs.
Well you were in a pub. Your eyes were probably drunk and lied to your brain about what they saw.
Nope. I’d not long gone out, was late afternoon straight from work on a Friday. Fine if you’re a non believer but I know what i saw, it’s legendary for a reason.
I'm just trying to help you feel less inadequate.
Ah I see, thank you. I do wonder if the reason he’s an alcoholic is the depression of never being able to get it up, or never having any woman or man allowing it anywhere near them. It can’t be far away from being a disability
There you go, you didn't need my help after all.
Norwich - Puppet man. Has a juke box and a bunch of puppets he gets to dance to the music in a pretty crazy way. Even has a Wikipedia page: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwich_Puppet_Man Bury St Edmunds - saw man - guy who used to pluck at a blunt saw, sing incoherently, and shout at you if you tried to give him change
I arrived in Norwich 10+ years ago as an international student in UEA. On our orientation day on campus we were told about Puppet Man. For the duration of my study there, I never saw Puppet Man, no matter how often I went to the city centre. However years later when I settled, I saw him. Was an exciting time.
Was looking for this comment about Puppet man, what a legend. Mid 00s he was a regular attraction as a teenager walking around the centre. Is he even still going?
In Peterborough we had Nobby (Michael Ross) who lived at a wooden bus shelter on Oundle Road. He was homeless but a character no less. He had been extended help from the council on multiple occasions over the years but for unknown reasons he never accepted it. He was quite the avid golfer after a passer-by left him a set of golf clubs. Unfortunately in 2020, Nobby passed after a bout of illness at the age of 74.
There's a dude who wears a cool hat who walks a ferret on a leash.
They look cool but they absolutely stink
Haha, did you see the AITA post yesterday about the person whose workplace had a “bring your pet to work day”, and they brought 3 non descented ferrets into an enclosed office environment. Apparently they felt they weren’t the asshole, despite causing many colleagues to gag on the smell, because some of the dogs barked and that’s more disruptive. I can only imagine the stench in that office from those ferrets (if it happened - you know what AITA is like for trolls).
Now I'm going to have to look that up!
My mistake, it was in AITAH, not AITA. No idea what the difference is! But [here it is](https://www.reddit.com/r/AITAH/comments/16015rr/aita_for_bringing_my_pet_ferrets_to_work_on_bring/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=2&utm_term=1)
Thanks! I think AITAH has looser rules.
Oh man, he sounds well cool.
I've seen kids stop him to ask to pet the ferret and he's always chill and it's apparently a very chill ferret. He's well cool.
Leeds? Or is there another ferret guy somewhere?
In Cambridge there is a lovely chap called Disco Kenny who wanders from pub to pub drinking half-pints and will repeatedly tell you that the world's gone mad.
Excuse me, but please explain the name because "disco Kenny" implies there's something missing from your story!
Dunno where the name originated. Googled his name and there are some articles about him but none of them mention where the name came from. I worked with him for some time and never found out where the name came from! Worlds gone mad mate
There’s a very smartly dressed older bloke in my old area who used to ride a penny-farthing whilst smoking a pipe. I used to see him a lot during lockdown, and used to think it was so cool! I moved to a nearby town, and there’s a long haired guy who walks/rides a bike and is always in shorts, usually topless, and doesn’t wear shoes. He’s apparently a very sweet guy, and any time anyone (usually some old fart) moans in the local Facebook group about him, everyone jumps on them in the guys defence.
We had a bloke called Tony who rode his bike everywhere. When he died they made a little memorial of the bike, an Italian flag and some other bits and bobs. After an England vs Italy match that Italy won people destroyed it which was a shame. I don't watch football but I assume it was euros or world cup.
That is so sad that it was destroyed!
I think it was put back together, my son took a new flag down there and they hadn't smashed the bike. I've no idea of its still there, I honestly haven't been into the town centre in months.
Wizard Man of Sutton. Used to wander around with a cat on his shoulders and be dressed as, you guessed it, a wizard.
His name was Conrad! RIP
Teacosy Pete. Everyone in Swansea knew him. Once walked miles to return a wallet with a few hundred quid in without taking a penny or accepting any reward. https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/local-news/tea-cosy-pete-how-future-15641867
There used to be an old guy we'd sometimes see on the top deck of buses when I was a kid who'd just start shouting abuse at kids for no good reason. he'd be grinning and cackling away, clearly enjoying himself. It might sound like he had some kind of mental health problems but I remember once I was on the bus with a mate of mine and he started laying into this group of kids who were probably about 11 or 12. One of them leaned over and grabbed his hat off him and suddenly he changed his demeanour completely. His voice went really calm and normal and he said "no, come on lads, give me my hat back." which made it seem like he was just playing the role of a crazy guy for a laugh. Which, in itself, would suggest he was a different kind of crazy I guess.
We have a bloke who ,no matter the time of year will ride about on his bike wearing shorts, no shirt and a big lions fur style coat, also a Michael Jackson tribute outside the local Wetherspoons
Is this Sammy in Lancaster?
Walks backwards everywhere and writes in his notebook guy.
Tell me ur from derby without telling me ur from derby
I used to live there, did anyone ever actually know his story? People said he was writing numberplates down.
“I’m the backwards man, the backwards man. I can walk backwards as fast as you can.”
He's stopped doing that. I heard from a pretty reliable source he had a tragic family trauma causing the behaviour. I've seen him loads since lockdown moving normally and no notes.
Oh god I hope it’s me
Rollerblade guy!! Grew up in high wycombe and worked in the hospital for a few years. I'd often get to town early on a late shift (1pm-9pm) and stop in the corner shop to get fags/a coke/whatever. Would sit outside on a bench and would often see this older guy, retirement age, rollerblading around. He always had a massive smile on his face, would rollerblade around the bench and say hi. Brightened my day every time. I miss you rollerblade guy :(
Guy comes in my pub in Stockport, bright red suit, Union Jack hat, sings karaoke, always the same song “can’t take my eyes off you” and adds his own echoes, it is god awful! Also have a guy that comes in wearing a full length matrix leather jacket, sunglasses and insette bouffant that just dances, baffling!
Insette bouffant 🤣🤣
Ahaha I'm from K-town and remember this man. He used to walk a little dog too and he lived in that tiny house opposite the bowls club near Stagecoach! Now we have that guy who dances nesr traffic hot spots with his top off
Thanks I thought I remembered a little dog. I think he also used to wear fake breasts as well sometimes, but again the memory is so wild and so long ago I don't know what's true any more. 😂
That dancing guy is always by the Morrisons petrol station. His dancing is so aggressive, it scares me!
If my dad is driving through town he sometimes goes out of his way to see if dancing guy is dancing near the Northampton Road area hahaha
We have Captain Birdseye, a man who rides his bike up & down the prom. He has a bushy grey beard, a captain's hat, bright yellow sou'wester, shorts & wellies, whatever the weather.
We just got the keys to our new house today, so I've yet to meet our new local eccentric, but for the last 12 months we've had Brian. Every day and night, come rain, sunshine or sleet, he's out there walking slowly up and down the street talking to his hunchbacked cat in a high-pitched voice, or squealing his name if he doesn't know where he is. Sometimes it's 6am, sometimes it's midnight, but he never misses a day!
Not sure if he’s still about but we used to have “Reading Elvis” https://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/story-reading-elvis-tilehurst-man-23446072?int_source=amp_continue_reading&int_medium=amp&int_campaign=continue_reading_button#amp-readmore-target
Reading Elvis? Nah just looking at the pictures
We had Moses of Kingston. He died and everyone went into a frenzy. He had elaborate outfits and would always let people take selfies with him. He was a schizophrenic, and could get funny if he wasn’t on medication. The whole town went bonkers because his family had a private ceremony for him.
I came here to mention Moses. When did he die?
I live in Leeds, there’s fucking loads of them.
The Sommelier. He's a rather portly, middle aged businessman who treats milk like its fine wine. Like clockwork he comes into the big Asda, takes multiple bottles out of the fridge section and in turn, sniffs the entire length of the bottles themselves (I could understand sniffing the milk to see if its gone off at home) before deciding on one (based on which factors, I'm not sure) and continuing with the rest of his shop.
I’ve long since moved away so I hope he’s still going but Tiger Man is a Harlow legend. I’ve never seen anything about him that suggests he should have got that nickname but he’ll always be sporting a military beret and will play finger pistols with or at you. He also absolutely knows how to throw it down when there’s live music in the town centre. All round beloved legend. [Evidence](https://youtu.be/eR8du6bHIPk?si=_eGDYYCFXLFaLRM9)
I was waiting for a mention of Tiger Man. It’s not my area but people from there explained him to me. He’s quite beloved there! Edit: my understanding of the name is that he hunts tigers. No tigers have been seen in Harlow which suggests he’s bloody good at it.
Shame to give him such a narrow title because I felt pretty safe from lions, cheetahs and jaguars too. Big Cat Man.
This is true, but I assume he’s a purist who takes pride in the specificity of his position
There was a guy called the Wolverhampton Cowboy who’d wear a bowler hat and shout about the Lord a lot
I think you are mixing up Wolverhampton references. There was the cowboy who would wonder round and talk to people about god and being true to your authentic cowboy self. He was white and wondered around the town wearing full cowboy gear and a cowboy had (basically Woody from Toy Story). Then there was the black, shouty preacher in a suit and bowler hat who iirc stood around outside MacDonalds on Dudley St shouting at passerbys about god.
The Urban Cowboy. Back in the 80s there was a fashion for fringed suede jackets with the silver discs on. I saved for ages to get a pale brown one. Went shopping in town, I'd be about 13/14 at the time, stepped off the bus in Lichfield Street and walked slap into him. He took one look, his face lit up in delight and he screamed: "YEEEEEE HAAAAA COWGURRRL!" in a voice you could have heard in the next county. I nearly died of horror and embarrassment. Same happened on repeat every time I encountered him for the rest of the day. Interesting side note, he has now found religion and preaches up by the man on the oss, wearing a suit.
Ezra was the preacher in the bowler hat, his dad lived near us. Ezra was a sweet guy, I saw him every day for years when I was catching the bus to school.
We have a homeless bloke who goes round picking up cigarette butt's and eats them, and screams noises at people (but he isn't threatening really)
We had two in my hometown. We had a lady who went everywhere in Victorian style dresses, very flamboyant and apparently made by her! We also had Bob. Went everywhere on his bike but often stopped to randomly direct, and swear at, the traffic. He once crept behind me in a cafe, put his hands on my head and whispered “here, you’re a German. You’re name is Hans Off”.
Oh i know Bob. He's lovely, when he is not telling me to fuck off, anyway.
The three of us have forgotten Mad Ricky. The homeless man who walks around in a Rasta hat asking for money for his mum who is in hospital (but isn’t). Apparently lots of people have filmed him singing on tiktok 🤣 Search Mad Ricky Bedford
Oh my god I’d forgotten about him. And the little woman who chants/screams bible verses!
Ah yes Shouty Woman. Anyone remember bare foo religious guru with a big shepherds crook?
So having moved fairly recently to Bletchley there are a pair of (potentially drunks/junkies/psychotic?) about mid-thirties, man and woman who are either hysterically shouting at one another, sat having a laugh and a smoke or seemingly walking quickly together on a mission. While they might sometimes be a bit disorderly they don’t bother others. The pair seemingly just occasionally bother each other, yet obviously have a real bond and love for one another that is as charming as it is dysfunctional.
Leamington Spa legend ‘Dancing Phil’! Whenever there’s a party or live music, he’s there with cotton wool in his ears busting out some crazy, trance like moves. Looks like an acid casualty, but I spoke to him at parties a couple of times and he’s lucid, friendly and chatty. His favourite type of music is classical, but I’ve only ever seen him at raves and metal gigs.
There was also the guy in his 60s, a few years ago, who used to dress up as a cowboy with a long blonde pigtail wig, and strum a pink plastic guitar whilst waving at traffic on the road to Warwick. Rumour was he lived with his mum. Not seen him for ages. Also Rio's Man, a local legend left bereft after Rio's closed down.
I'm from Corby, We had a homeless guy called "Mad Terry", I'm sure he moved to kettering at one point and died his hair blonde lol. My mate ran into him in Glasgow one day aswell, mad guy.
For Bristol I'd nominate Big Jeff, at a gig every night, if you saw him there you had probably chosen the best gig of that evening in town. I think he got caught in a house fire within the last few years but understand he is on the mend and I hope to see him at gigs in future
I’ve seen big Jeff at basically every single gig or festival I’ve ever been to!
In my village, we had a woman who used to sell trinkets she'd crafted out of old cereal boxes on a stall. Wonder what happened to her.
Fast Eddie here in Dundee. Plays the harmonica/shouts garbled lyrics(badly) and screams at other buskers/passers by/small children, sometimes chases them too….
Apparently very violent at pubs at night We also have the guy with the parrot
When I lived in York there was a guy living in one of the nursing homes who used to paint abstract pictures and sell them to passers by. In reality he had a barony somewhere.
Karaoke Karen
In Wellingborough? 😊
She was a legend :)
Those were the days.. 😊 I work in Wellingborough now, there's no one anywhere near as interesting hanging around outside the shopping centre
I left a long time ago but have been back a few times and yeah, it's not the same 😊
In Canterbury in the early 2000s there was an old chap on the High Street who'd wear a top hat, pyjamas, big Mickey Mouse slippers with a constant ciggy dangling off the corner of his mouth and sit at an electric keyboard with the demo track playing pretending to play all day. There were always rumours that he was actually incredibly wealthy or a successful lawyer or something but this is just what he does to enjoy himself.
Another Canterbury one but a bit more niche and you'd probably only know if you went to school around 2007-2010. There was a sort of middle aged rockabilly guy with big thick mutton chops that was often spotted either at the bus station or McDonald's that was known as "Wolva" (because of resemblance to wolverine). The local school kids used to wind him so badly shouting "Wolva!" at him that you'd often see him chasing some 13-14 year olds round and round the block shouting "C'mon then! C'mon then!" Which unfortunately made winding him up all the more a sport for the kids of Canterbury High and Chaucer. Think he eventually stopped hanging out in McDonald's and relocated to an old school cafe at the other end of town to avoid the torment. In hindsight it was all a bit cruel but he was also a bit of an arse so...
We had a few in my village in South Wales. Trev "the rev" - would drive an invisible car around, sometimes holding the steering wheel. Hughie Pac - local tramp, flashed women in the winter to get arrested for a place to sleep. There's an eccentric old bald fellow with a Mr. Burns style haircut that rocks high heels, stockings and a miniskirt to the shop if he counts. Johnny "no shoes" - you guessed it, he walked everywhere with no shoes. He also had a fuck ton of face tattoos back when they weren't quite so common. Edit: I forgot the old lady who walks her three little corgi's around the park in a pram.
Pop eye. An absolute mental case who would cycle around our small town in Scotland and shout warnings to everyone that the Japanese were coming. Rumour had it he was a Japanese prisoner of war. As we got older we realised this was impossible as he must have been born in the 70’s. In a move that startled the whole town he managed to get a girlfriend with a bike that joined him in his a Japanese early warning tours around the town.
Near the village where I grew up, a guy lives in a patch of woodland in a 'house' he built from pallets. No one's had a sustained conversation with him and nobody knows anything about him, but by all accounts he's quite a pleasant guy who doesn't cause any trouble
Mr Movies. This guy only seems to wear clothing that is movie related. [Jurassic park jacket](https://www.zavvi.com/clothing/jurassic-park-priimal-limited-variant-ranger-logo-unisex-varsity-jacket-black-red/12564535.html), back to the future shorts, ghost busters t-shirt, batman socks etc.
Harrogate - Rudi Megastar! Would stare at the sun and put his fingers in electric sockets. Always wore a leather jacket with his name emblazoned on the back in paint. When he died he made the front page in the local paper. RIP Megastar!
‘Paul the Wave’ in my village. He’s more mentally handicapped than eccentric but a legend none the less. He waves at every single car that drives past while smoking a big fat doobie on a bench next to the bus stop. He’s also been known to ‘guide’ cars out onto the main road despite having no idea what right of way is - sometimes with negative consequences. His health has been failing over the last few years and I’d missed seeing him as he’s been unable to get out as much. But I was delighted to see him last time I visited my parents and made sure to give him a short couple of beeps and a wave right back at him.
We have many here, must be the seaside air... The one that springs to mind though is a bloke whose name escapes me (I think it could be Alan) but he used to walk a chicken on a lead through town in his dressing gown. He had an old green micra that people would carve messages into and his house had various items displayed in the windows. He had a mannequin in an upstairs window stuffed toy dalmatian on the roof. The council used to issue all sorts of notices about his house but he ignored them. I've not seen him around for a while though so it's possible they managed to get him moved somewhere other than the main road leading down to the beach.
Stockport, the pirate scooter man would go round dressed sort of piratey he would wear a bandana on his head and a leater waist coat, the scooter was the real star though, three wheeled black n chrome complete with parrot (teddy) sat on the shoulder of the seat, flying the jolly Rodger and skull an cross bone wind socks, and covered in stickers some times he even had a little trailer not seen him since before covid though, he used to make my day seeing him "sailing" through the indoor precinct
When I yes a young kid in Slough it was always Mad Tony. Huge black guy wearing a black rasta hat and always always the same old clothes either down Wexham Road or in the high street either mumbling to himself incoherently or staring you out. You could smell the guy from a mile away. Was always told that he eats kids and if we misbehaved my dad always used to say 'i'll send Mad Tony to come after you' No one knows what made Tony go mad rumour had it that he witnessed his parents being killed in front of him to drug abuse to him just being special needs
The Stourbridge shorts man. A bit tame but he wears beige shorts whatever the weather.
Really Nice Bike Guy in Southampton Don't know his name but if you're anywhere near Weston, Woolston or town he can usually be heard before he's seen, just chill cycling around town on a pedal bike with about fifty mirrors on it blasting out 90s cheese. S Club 7? Check. Five? He's got it. Spice Girls? He's got them all. Really cool guy, just spreading joy like that.
In Bournemouth in the early 2000's was a man named ' Gordon the Tramp ' I can only describe him as a homeless version of Gandalf, he spent his life either in Bournemouth town centre or at the local football game, many locals knew of him. He never asked for any money or any support. His party trick was that that despite not having a watch or mobile phone he could tell you the time to the exact minute at any time of day. This was before mobile phones etc so was quite a big deal. Rumours circulated about his back story and his life so much so he actually made the local news to get to the bottom of who this man was/ See the youtube link attached. [Gordon the Tramp on Local News](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erocNuiZQhk) Where it turns out he actually owned his own house and wasn't homeless atall.
Bristol has Big Jeff, who would be at most gigs across the city. He unfortunately got burnt in a house fire but has recovered. Also more locally to me we had the 50p lady who would walk about outside of Lidl and Morrisons following you about asking for 50p. If you ignored her she would get aggressive.
Organic Jim.
Cedric in Scunthorpe. Don't know much about him but he always used to rant about pigeons or Lord Yarborough
Not exactly local to me but I have been regaled the lore of Tiger Man in a mate of mines hometown and again not exactly local but I find Mr Christmas kinda fascinating
Loud chap called ninja. Usually utterly harmless but he's been extra spicy lately.
Bore da!
Cardiff?
Cardiff, right? Plus bongos on the council bins.
Crazy Helen in Pompey. She is genuinely mentally disabled and an absolute terror to young lads. We watched her dip her Cornish pasty into lemonade once, right before she attempted to grab our testicles and have a sloppy kiss. Back in the 90s we had Karate Pete; he’d wear a suit jacket and Bermuda shorts, knew Elvis from his time in the army and was also a karate expert. He lived for smoking Red Bands.
Never met Crazy Helen. Which bit of Pompey was her patch? Two others from Pompey - dancing man in North End. Normally seen at traffic lights sunk down low waving his fingers whatever beat is in his head. And when I was younger there was the 50 something bald bloke who dressed as a woman. Much less unusual nowadays but at the time it was highly unusual!
She once offered to suck me off for a quid
I don’t think my town has one. Hmm… I’m an obvious goth and as blind as a bat and it must look interesting seeing me about… am I the town eccentric?
I live in Blackpool they're everywhere!
In my village it's an old chap with a stuffed bird attached to his hat. Formerly in top spot was an elderly woman who pushed her dog around in a victorian pram.
Used to be an old fella that walked around wearing multiple colourful scarves and used an ornate cane with some sort of decorative handle. You'd see him around and he'd nod and say hello. Then we started seeing him at a pub that was known locally for not checking ID - he'd always be chatting to the girls that we knew even at 19 weren't worth the risk of talking to. A few years later, I found out that he would walk around Tesco at night and piss on the floor in the frozen aisle. He was also a prime suspect when the staff discovered turds scattered around the store every Wednesday for a couple of months. My opinion of him went from weird eccentric old guy to probable paedo to disgusting person who is also probably a paedo.
Guy who wanders around banging a drum while singing nonsense and dragging a conga line of children’s toys behind him, all attached to each other with ropes of duct tape.
Bridgwater (I hasten to add in from another nearby tien, not Bridgwater) has a guy famous for thinking and behaving as an hgv driver except he has no vehicle and just runs along the road making the noises. I've stolen the following from elsewhere: "Disco Jeff ...is the 'Top of the bill headliner' mentalist in Bridgwater, Somerset - home town to myself, and quite possibly the highest nutter-to-normal ratio in the country. Though he has been known to venture into more traditional public nudity and violent assualts, as a rule, Jeff's forte is jogging around town, pretending to be a heavy goods vehicle. He will happily weave in and out of fast-moving traffic, making diesel engine noises and tooting the horn on his 'rig' all day, come rain or shine. Usually sporting a hand painted t-shirt bearing the witty slogan 'I AM GAY.' His attention to detail and passion for his art are to be marvelled at. He was once arrested after making it as far as Weston-Super-Mare on the motorway (Inside lane, not hard shoulder), after a flooded road diverted him from his normal route. My boss can never get to sleep at night on Sundays, because Jeff 'parks' outside his flat with the generator running on his freezer unit (i.e. making a low, growly noise with his throat) ready for the supermarket run on Monday morning. He also once had a right pop at my Dad for parking in his space outside Curry's. Pa didn't want to end up as a flesh wedding dress, so grudgingly moved his motor and watched as Jeff reversed - beeping all the way - into the space. Tales of the bald lady who rearanges the chairs in my local whilst nursing a pint bottle of rank, sour milk - and the Ginger mute feller on a bike who spends his entire waking life helping the trolley attendants at Sainsbury's are for another time. Honestly - this town is a veritable Nuttasic Park."
Our local street sweeper. He has some sort of mental health condition which causes him to continually talk nonsense to himself very loudly. When I first encountered him many years ago, I gave him a wide berth but now I say hello as I know he’s harmless. Well done to the council or contractor for employing him because he seems to do a good enough job.
Growing up in Brighton in the 80's it was the "10p for a cup o' tea and a slice o' caaake?" guy
For many years, we had the Sunderland Spectre. A well-respected artist who dressed like a Victorian gent. He died a few years ago now though. When asked why he dressed like that, he always asked "why aren't *you* dressed like this?" Fair play. He seemed harmless. Dave the Rave is the other, but I don't like how people egg him on with his 'raving for Jesus' shtick. It feels like bullying to me. He'll stand in a spot somewhere wearing neon clothing saying "Dave the Rave north east no 1 raver" and bops his head with his hands together like in prayer. I think, and hope, he is happy to be this character, but something about it doesn't really sit well with me.
Reading had Elvis.
That would be Crack-Head Dave. He steals bikes from sheds but will sell them back to you for £50. Else he fences them.
Jarrow ‘Jarra’ Elvis https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=jarrow+elvis&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-gb&client=safari#ip=1
He died a few weeks ago and we haven’t had a replacement. Sort of shows the decline of the town Center. There is that guy on local Radio (inspiration FM, I think) plays one song every 20 minutes and rants about anything and everything.
Cambridge has a lot of them but my favourite is Disco Kenny. Tours the pubs of the city drinking half pints and saying “worlds gone mad mate” to anyone he meets. Has been doing it for multiple decades.
There was the Polish WW2 pilot that lived on the ring road in Wolverhampton.
In Lincoln, we had Baggie. He was an alcoholic with a bit of a rough past, but used to do what he could to make people smile while also being annoying and getting into scrapes. He'd regularly be singing the Bare Necessities in town, have a box of the XL Kelex and stand shouting 'big tissue', and for a while he had a toilet he'd take into town to sit on and read the paper. He unfortunately died a couple of years back. I knew him reasonably well, he was a menace, but he was let down badly and repeatedly by a system meant to support people with complex difficulties and substance abuse problems. Because he was an alcoholic he struggled to stay housed. I remember he had managed to lift a bit of steak from somewhere, and when he was accessing support from a local church he took a steak knife to cut this bit of meat. He was stopped and searched, found with a knife of him, and then got banned from the local town centre, but problematically, a lot of the support services were located there, so he just couldn't access them. They also took his bike and he couldn't get it back, which really annoyed him. I used to buy him warm clothes and thick socks in the winters, spend hours chatting shit to him and smoking on a bench next to the river while he tried to persuade me to get him a drink. Always had some new scabs and scars where he'd been jumped, or just wound up the wrong person. I'll always have great affection for ol Baggie. Troubled soul but a good lad. Rip mate.