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A Tribute to "The Local Nutter"
From the Bradford Monk to Purple Aki and Lenny the Tramp, the one thing we're not short of in the UK is the local nutters...
Celebrity Come Dine With Me Christmas Special 2010 anyone?
“I heard he’s really a millionaire and lives in a huge mansion but would rather sleep at the bus stop”
“I heard he lives in a cave on the moors”
“Even my dad remembers seeing him when he was a kid”
“I heard he killed his wife and then went mad and this is his penance”
“He used to carve the letters ‘P’ and ‘A’ on their arse cheeks”
“He got the name because he used to walk behind women making chicken noises”
Local nutter rumours. Men of mystery. Everyone has a story. The mate who knows someone who knew someone who used to live with them before ‘the event’. When they were ‘a regular bloke’ you know, before they took to standing all day outside Boots playing a child’s xylophone or shouting at bins.
Ask anyone in Bradford about the local nutters and they’ll invariably tell you about one man. A man who’s legend strides the area like the Colossus of Rhodes from Wharfe Valley in the North, along the length of the Aire Valley and down to Calderdale. The Monk. Or Bradford’s Jesus Man if you’re a bit younger. As he’s quite clearly a monk. Not Jesus. The Monk, walks all over the district. In a habit. With sandals. And a leather satchel hung round his neck. He doesn’t seem to age, and has been doing it for as long as most people remember. Say hello to him and he’ll stop and wave. I’ve heard he lives in a cave, murdered someone, used to live with an old art teacher of mine, and that his name is John. All but the latter seems to be false. His name may well be John. What I have discovered through CSI style forensics / map plotting / just seeing him about is that he lives in the same part of a village that was home to Bob, from “Rita, Sue and Bob Too.” I’ve got close enough to ask if my deductions are right, but always shied away. They say you should never meet your heroes, they’ll only let you down.
What prompted me to think about him, was not just another sighting as I drove into town the other day (by Manningham Park, heading towards town at a brisk pace fact fans) but the emergence of a controversial new nutter in town. The Shipley Dancer. A man who over the last fortnight has taken well over half a dozen viewers on YouTube by storm, along with passing motorists, office workers and shoppers at Asda. I gather he’s styling himself on a chap called Louie Spence from the television, and true to the moniker bestowed on him, he choses not to walk, monk-like, through the streets of Bradford, but rather dance, mince-like. He’s a controversial character, who’s dividing opinion. Is he merely clinging to the habit-tails of the monk and other Bradford nutters like ‘Mad Liz’ and ‘Mad Mick’ (see a theme here?) to make a name for himself? The Milli Vanilli of nutters. It remains to be seen whether he’s a false prophet and can maintain the staying power of the monk, or whether he’ll possibly be arrested for crimes of a sexual nature, but he does, like the monk, bring a brief moment of amusement into the lives of some passers by, and admittedly, profound discomfort to many more.
The UK is rife with nutters. We might not have an empire any more, and all our jobs have gone to the Chinese, but we’re still world leaders in local nutters. And they aren’t going anywhere. Purple Aki is probably one of the most famous local nutters in the North West. Thought by some to be just a myth – a huge black fella, who’d hang round the gyms of Merseyside asking to touch boys muscles – he revealed himself to be all too when court cases against him were published in the press in the late 00s. The bogeyman was real, given a ‘muscle touching’ ban and is currently residing at Her Majesty’s pleasure after breaking the ban touching a 16 year olds thigh muscles in Llandudno. Sadly, not all local nutters are content to just wave or dance.
It was during my time in London, that I realised this ‘monk phenomenon’ was going on down South too. Enfield had their own celebrity nutter. Lenny the tramp. A man who’s photo’s probably in the dictionary under the word ‘tramp’ and could teach Russell Brand a thing or two about backcombing. He’s lived on the streets of Enfield, supposedly, for the last 30 years, favouring the 191 bus stop. Such is his status in the hearts and minds of Enfield folk that he’s got his own Facebook page and filled plenty of local column inches when reports of his death turned out to be greatly exaggerated. He’s even put a record out with ‘a local producer’ and word has it that he knows his punk and rock music.
Equally endearing himself to the locals was Frank Robinson. For reasons best known to himself, he took to playing a child’s xylophone outside C&A in Nottingham town centre in the late 80s and carried on til his death in 2004 aged 72. It’s actually quite touching that the good people of Nottingham dedicated a plaque to him on the spot he used to busk. Now there’s not many people who can boast that accolade, possibly because they’d be dead, but you know what I mean.
Bong but not forgotten
Norwich’s Puppet Man and Worcester’s Chicken George are two more characters that fit in this ‘endearing’ category. Chicken George made his name dancing to the music of buskers in the street, tossing in the odd profanity for good measure, just to give it a bit of edge. He claims to have taken a bayonet in the head from the Jerries in Dunkirk, which may go some way to explaining his odd behaviour. Then again, would you really believe anything an 80-year-old who follows people around making chicken noises tells you?
The Puppet Man has plied his act in Norwich for years. His act consists of, singing and dancing whilst waving about sock puppets to the music from a portable stereo that he pushes around in a pram. Something which I’d imagine passes as prime time entertainment for the people of Norwich. He’s recently branched out and taken his act to Great Yarmouth, where the residents aren’t quite so accommodating. Only last month he was attacked by two men and told to ‘Get back to Norwich where your sort belongs.’ One has to wonder whether this is a bigger slight to the people of Great Yarmouth or the people of Norwich.
Finally, and by far the the most bizarre, Catman of Greenock. A mysterious figure that crawls round the back alleys of this town in Western Scotland. Local legend tells he eats rats, could be a Russian sailor, is looked after by workers at a bus depot and may have had his legs broken by a local gang. No one even knows if he really exists. The only evidence being a pretty shocking video of Catman lying down eating a rat. Whilst he doesn’t immediately seem to have the same charm as a fella who plays a xylophone or a monk who walks around waving at people, Catman appears to have been taken in by the residents of Greenock. They’re protective of him, as you can see in the superb short film below. And maybe that’s what the ‘local nutter’ stands for. He may be different but he’s one of us. They appeal to our parochial side.
Of course, nutter is a harsh term. And in these more enlightened, politically correct times there’s probably a word that’s more suitable. Local character? There’s plenty of people in the local pub that are ‘characters’, telling a few jokes, making people laugh. Local legend? A word overused usually by people on Facebook about Raoul Moat, or Jade Goody or Gary Neville. Local eccentric? Maybe so. But it doesn’t have the same ring. I’ll stick with local nutter. Two words combined that guarantee a response from anyone, anywhere in the UK. “Oh, you mean Crazy Davey? He sleeps in the park by the pond. Walks round with a load of newspapers in a trolly shouting at road signs. You know he’s really a millionaire though?”
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COMMENTS
We have one of these characters in Hull. He wanders around betting shops making chicken noises. His name is Norman Collier.
Anyone who has lived in East Oxford will know Afro Cruiser, aka Usher. A middle-aged black man with an afro and tracksuit bottoms, he walks up and down Cowley Road all day, every day.
In Bournemouth there's a lovely local nutter called Gordon the Tramp, a man who despite having a house (a millionaire, naturally), walks around Bournemouth town centre every day in the same jacket and Man United scarf he's worn for years. His party trick? He can tell you the time to the minute without a watch - now that's genius. this is his appreciation group, funniest video on there is his interview with ITV news, where they don't pick up on him telling the interviewer he's just pissed himself. Went out to millions of people on the news. God bless you Gordon!
Here in the state university in Manila,we have someone called Zorro, complete with the mask and cape, and he could speak some Spanish to you
A couple of years ago, I was in Bradford city centre with my seven year old daughter and i was telling her about The Monk, she thought i was joking. When we got out of the shop we were in she piped up " IS THAT HIM DADDY!!!!" And he was standing right there on the pavement....
Sunderland has the Bag Man. A bloke who wanders about all day with more carrier bags and suitcases than one man can possibly handle. http://bit.ly/cW6qnn
Altrincham, Cheshire, near Manchester. Anyone there will tell you about Market Dave. He was attacked horribly by a group of teenagers a couple of years ago and sadly left for dead. You can read his story here http://bit.ly/cSy76D. As you mention, the rumours about him were always rife...he's a millionaire, he's got an enormous house but lives in a dustcart etc. Long live Dave and all the other nutbags of each and every small town!
God bless the Bradford monk!
Dan - they say you speak his name three times name and he appears. He has powers.
Sam - Nice to see I wasn't a million miles away, with this comment on Gordon the Tramp from his Facebook group "James Garside: Hes actually a rich man with several houses. Ex lawyer who went mad after death of his wife. His kids manage the estate now. Truth. Know someone who knows children. December 2, 2009 at 4:45am · Report"
Keith We had a couple of tramps up north in Scotland and the story was they got hit by an ice cream van when they were young and never recovered, the story always goes they have a mattress full of money they sleep on but never spend the money and they eat cold tins of Ambrosia creamed rice!!!!
We're through the looking glass here people. The BBC should commission a Tramps Dragons Den with all these millionaire tramps.
Silsden used to have the man/woman who dressed in the clothes of his dead sister he was often see out shopping in a tweed skirt and green tights and a big red coat the story as told by many villagers is that when his sister died he had a mental break down and he started to wear her clothes in a attempt to keep her alive, he was a nice chap (he used to give me his co.op stamps) alas this local nutter is no longer with us he left the gas on and blew him self up !!!!!!!
I've got a bloke near me who marches around in full army regalia playing a snare drum all day, you can hear him coming from miles away. He's also got a wheelchair-bound girlfriend, at least 30 years his senior, who he dresses in army boots and beret.
met mad mick several times and hes harmless,always asks for 70p for a pack of biscuits. theres also a bloke who dresses up like a woman and he makes the little britain trannies look sexy.summer dress,straw hat and woodbine!
Fuck me that dancer gets around. Here he is in Dublin (where he lives). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fj5qlnZC9w4 I've actually seen him dancing in Dublin city centre. Local rag did a feature, he's a 50 odd yr old mechanic from eastern Europe. Wears badly applied make up and skin tight jeans as well.
Thai. Fantastic breaking news re the Shipley dancer. He's international? Wonder why he's chosen Shipley.
There's a lanky old chap who sports a baseball cap and doesn't look like he's washed for months, who sits all day in the Morrisons store on Rooley Lane in Bradford. I can guarentee that everytime I've visited the store he's sat on the bench by customer services clutching his plastic bag. Thing is, a former workmate moved fron Oakenshaw onto Netherlands, only to realise that his next door neighbour was the "Morrisons tramp".
Facebook group for the St. Peters rd (Shipley)dancer. http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=116142301733391#!/group.php?gid=116142301733391&v=wall
Here's one of Wigan's most notorious boy scouts who used to hang around the market hall: http://www.wiganworld.co.uk/album/5/kjmjbvy7.jpg
Wigan has an army of nutters brilliantly documented by Jimmy O'Neill, search YouTube for The Wigan Joker to find mad Mary, Harry Batt and others. As for purple aki, our man, real name Arobieke Akinwale has his own wiki page. If you're in Reading, you want Reading Elvis, a charming chap who wears Elvis tshirts and carries The King's vinyl around with him. Shout hello Elvis and he'll give you a big wave, disrespect his hero and you'll be chased down the street. Reading lives him and had a campaign to make him Mayor. http://www.google.co.uk/m/search?site=images&source=mog&hl=en&gl=uk&client=safari&q=reading%20elvis#i=0
I give you Frankie Cunningham from Kendal. Sadly now gin, but a source of some cracking tales. Subject of a book and a well attended funeral.
My home town of Boroughbridge had Mad Eric. Eric swept the same 100 yard stretch of footpath all day long for at least 15 years. Whilst sweeping he would mutter filth to himself and anyone else who cared to listen. Eric also painted the outside of his 3 bed terrace White (used emulsion) only to be told by the council he needed planning permission for such an act. Eric took a wire brush to it. The house is now a drab grey colour and Eric has sadly passed. Or maybe he's moved up to the moors?
There's a bloke in Whitehaven called Joe Snakes. Why? Because when he looks around him all he can see is snakes. The word that he utters the most is, guess what. Snakes. Nutter of the highest degree but he beat Zog at pool once!
in Blackburn theres a character david scouse Donachie
This would make a tremendous television documentary.
TV doc? Any Tony Hares types in TV land want to give me the money?
Presented by Chris Eubank?
monkey tennis?
A guide to Aberdeen's finest tramps and local nutters - http://aberdeentramps.blogspot.com/
Tell you who I’d like to put in the stocks – Tony Hayers. He’s the Chief Commissioning Editor of BBC Television. And it wouldn’t be custard pies I’d be throwing at him, either. I’d like to throw cabbages, hot bovril and gravel.
I live in South East London. A magnet for such folk. Some of Deptford Fun City folks are funny like the phantom tropical veg & fruit thrower, fright wig lady and a personal fave is the man with loud music in his trolley.
To Mad Chris, "Mad Eric" Scaife was my great uncle and suffered from Schizophrenia all his life. At his funeral the vicar showed the congregation the sweeping brush he used to keep at the garage opposite. He is buried at Aldborough cemetery at the back of the grave yard. His tombstone pretty much reflects his life. Glad you were fond of him.
Lenny "the best thing a man can have is his freedom.... unless it's raining"
In Rochdale, there's "Headphones Ian" who walks around the bus station wearing big 70's-style white headphones, singing out loud to Bruce Springsteen on a non-existant walkman. He used to entertain us on a Saturday afternoon whilst queuing outside the ABC cinema.
we've got one here in Selly Oak. Always got his trousers tucked into his socks. Goes round collecting wood & mooching through skips. We call him the Selly Oak Womble.
Coming from Wakefield, I don't know where to start! Among our finest select citizens are/were: Radio Man who walked around with an old transistor radio, shouting 'Madonna' or 'On your knees!'; Mr X and his confusion when faced with the opposite sex; Lap Machine and his cheeky gurning smile and Basil and his many badges. Most, I imagine are now dead but their memory lives on!
I knew the Reading Elvis would get a mention! Does have a bit a of temper on him though, has been known to lash out now and then. We also used to have 'Pound Coin Man'. A big black geezer in a beanie hat...he'd beg for pound coins quite literally. Not just 'any change' POUND COINS!!! The cheek of it. There's also a B-Boy dude who still thinks it's 1988 with massive gold chains, baseball cap on backwards, matching 'outfits'...he REALLY does think he's the Daddy...he's even got the swagger down pat. But I expect you would after 22 years of being a homie.
Can't believe no one's mentioned Brenda the Guildford bearded lady... big leopard-fur coat, long white beard, sits in cafes knitting. Not sure if she's still alive.
Think an idea about a dictionary of madness is a great idea! And yes you are correct the Jesus man does live in Baildon and just down the road from Bob's house! A word of caution when approaching him however .. please be nice and polite! HE DOES BITE .. well slap!
In Epworth Sth. Yorks, we have 'Teggy', he will glady strip in the pub to the Full Monty soundtrack or let you video him singing TV theme tunes! It's cruel but generations of kids have took the piss. Live in Scunny now & there are too many to mention! One stand out nutter was the drunk man who used to burst into baritone opera style singing downtown & scare the crap of of young mums!
Dancin Ken in Cheltenham. Lived near the town & had a big cowboy scene painted on the side of his house & a citreon with an eagle on the front. He always wore cowboy suits & boots & ten gallon hats. He has sadly passed away, but he was always doing bits & peices for local charity. There was another "shape of the head". Aparantly he fell of a ladder & landed on his head on a brick, so he had a weird shaped head. He must be long gone though?
There was a couple of classics in Brighton. Flapper-bag and Bus Man. The former used to flap a plastic bag and swipe any giggling child within reaching distance with her brolly. Very scary as a ten year old! And Bus man who used to wave at bus drivers as if they were long lost friends. He was apparently my mate Pauls Dad? I believed that for years!
Enfield guy is surely Everett True with a Robert Smith whig on?
How strange, I was only recently thinking about how I hadn't seen the 'Bradford Monk' in ages. There was a story a few years back about how a shoe shop or maker was looking for him to give him a free pair of shoes after people had nominated him in a competition. I wonder if he ever got 'em? He's got a bit of a temper though,I once witnessed some kids tormenting him and he looked genuinely angry, like he'd have killed 'em if he'd got hold of 'em. I'd love to know the 'full story' about him, he's been around for what seems like forever and he never seems to age.
The Birkenhead Tranny anyone? Bloke who resembles Bluto from Popeye who dresses as an old lady and cycles around Wirral.
Quite disappointed no one has mentioned Horace (?) the "BEST OF LUCK!!" man who wandered the likes of Camden Sainsburys
Brilliant! There's plenty to chose from up here in Teesside. There's a fella in Sedgefield who spends most days laying in the middle of a busy roundabout in motorbike leathers. Apparently he went to pot when his mother died.
Anyone ever see the Brighton Running Man? He would be seen in all weathers even the height of summer jogging along in a buttoned up duffle coat with the hood up. he must have ran miles as we saw him all over Brighton and Hove. Worthing used to have a very dapper elderly chap who would cycle around in a striped blazer and a straw boater who would flick the v's at you or tell you to F**K OFF if you said hello to him. Sadly missed these local legends used to brighten my day whenever I saw them in my travels as a courier.
Fantastic article! I work on the railway in the North West so probably see more than my fair share - Bangor Bob, The Bag Lady, Caergwrle Ken & The Frodsham Stationmaster being but a few. On a serious note though, a mate of mine's younger brother was terrorised by Purple Aki back in the 90's. Not much fun for him or his family...
Polly - 'Best of Luck' Horace spotted (actually heard first) in Sainsbury's in North Finchley two weeks ago. Still wishing everybody the best of luck. Still smiling. A moment I treasured.
I think the official term is local 'Belter'
The local monk is called Geoff and my mate in a band called Old School Enemy wrote a song about him called "Jesus Guy". My favourite belter was a local legend called Stan, we ended up becoming very good friends. Everybody knew him as he used to go to all the rock clubs and out party all the younger folk. He was 74 when he died and was partying this way up until his last few months. Do you remember that belter who used to sell the T&A outside the interchange, stood on the corner outside the Queen pub, he used to stand and shout "Everyone's a winner" all day long. Bradford has tons of characters like this and I love it!
@Big Pete I remember Worthings Dapper Gentleman. He used to stand on busy roundabouts all along the A27 playing the Dandy. He was from another world with All manner of props. Always a treat to see him as a kid!
Isn't there a Wizard Man in Sutton? Walks around in a cape with a staff and a dog. I remember a few years ago he was meant to turn the Christmas lights on in the high street.
One of ours in Cork (Ireland) was elected to the council. http://irishelectionliterature.wordpress.com/2009/09/09/famous-cork-independent-cllr-bernie-murphy/
There are quite a few in north Bristol. We have Running Man, a pin skinny greasy looking bloke who jogs everywhere, only pausing to pick up discarded fag butts. Then there's Special Brew, a wee old school Scottish tramp with a hatful of decent one-liners, who often appears to be taking notes while appearing to be waiting for a bus that never comes.
SABI ROCK man is a living legend in manchester, for a few years he used to stand a traffic lights on busy junctions during rush hour,wearing his own home made clothes and a cheese board advertising himself SABI ROCK and his website, which had no music on it just scrambled lyrics.. he got so famous that Key103 used to have a 'have you seen SABI rock man?' slot where listeners would phone in with sightings! havent seen him for ages now.... there is also a chap who walks around the city centre in full army camo gear, night vision goggles and a stereo back pag blaring out classic 60's beatles tunes.. i saw him last year at the german xmas market in manchester in his winter camo gear and night vision goggles blaring out xmas tunes.. bona fide nutjob!
Here in Brighton we have many, but as anyone who lives here will attest, this guy is one of the more famous ones. He turns up various clubs, bars and gigs and, well, does his thing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T28grtYfLeg&feature=related
Forest Gate a black guy called Columbo. proper nutter, went round tidying up and stuff, was pretty friendly, always smiling, but spoke gibberish. What really pisses me off is that someone set light to him. Some sick fuck thought it would be good (?) to set him on fire cos he was a nutter i guess? Really pisses me off cos he was a local character and (as far as i know) not a danger to anyone
The bradford monk lives over the road from my ex in baildon, nice guy.
There's a bloke in Glasgow called the electric scarecrow. Here he is causing trouble on a bus. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Lb80LyFXJs
I actually live next door to a man who people round here would probably say is the local nutter - he's about 6 foot 8 and looks like Catweazle - doesn't so anything that odd really, but he just looks and dresses strangely, plus he doesn't smell too good!- his mate looks a bit on the bedraggled side as well - my friend's kids call him Dirty Santa - lovely matted grey beard!
We had karate Joe , he used to do made up karate moves bare chested in all weather to attack buses ...not sure if he died as a result of a bus hitting him back or he died of hypothermia !
all of these are small time compared to manchester's crazy bus lady and her crusade against the freemasons/university
Watford and the met line have two. Biscuit has always a great deal in exchange for some biscuits. Naafi tea or awhole bag of left shoes my favourite offers I barely managed to refuse. Charlie the chimp made me look a twat, I was pointing him out to a non local, explaining how he was a local legend, a tramp who never begged, or was seen intoxicated...just before he pissed up the pub door and bin raided some doubtful looking beer bottles out the bin
Fantastic article. Leicester have two 'nutters'. The first is 'Birdman.' Often spotted in Castle Park / Victoria Park doing yoga. He is often spotted walking around Leicester with a bergen on his back. Is known to visit Birmingham. There is an interview here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRgFxfafIIA Unfortunately Leicester has its fair share of idiots who think its funny to bully people: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mGr9HD7XV8......................................................................................The second local nutter is Bernie who is a Leicester fan. Simply search 'Bernie Leicester City' on youtube. He wanders around with his face painted blue, always in the same clothes and carries a plastic bag which contains something(s), possibly newspaper cut outs. As to the 'he is a millionaire' - he was apparently a chartered accountant, once cycled to Norwich away and regularly walks to home games from his home in Loughborough (20m+ roundtrip). He has to be seen to be believed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeObadMQ1eM. Clearer video http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=fqMm1H0HnqA. On Derby: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMnsO4Zjwxo
Oh and with regards to Frank Robinson the xylophone man. I once visited Nottingham in 2004 around april-june time - I still remember walking along and seeing a man playing a xylophone outside some shops. He was playing the theme tune to Phoenix Nights over and over. Absolute legend. I am sure the local tv news (east mids) did a piece when he died.
Yes anon. Manchester's crazy bus lady. Definitely deserves a mention. She is the true definition of a local nutter.
Nice article Keith. Xylophone Man was a proper legend around Nottingham. We used to ask him for requests, but he always played the same tune - went up and down the scales and then gave you a 'ta
da' kinda look afterwards. He also spoke in tongues a bit which added to his mystique. Class.
The Bradford monk used to be smiley and wavey, but then he went really miserable and grumpy. Also I wonder if any Bradford readers (Bierley Pond area) remembered a tramp known as Lucifer who lived in a cave?. I remember Stan the old rocker, he was a top bloke. Famously their was Old Russian Anna the tramp who was apparantly tortured by Nazis in the war and experimented on, she frightened the life out of us as kids with her walking stick and coat full of badges but really she was kind to kids. Also there was Connie the tramp, infact there was a gang of tramps that used to stand in that stairwell near the Mannville pub opposite the Old Queens Hall. Bradford wins for weird folk.
Manchester's greatest and most feted nutter has to be The Market Street Mincer. During the mid 00s he could be seen prowling the city centre in unfeasibly tight denim. Rumour was that he'd been bummed by Freddie Mercury in his late teens and that it had mystically given him a permanent mince. Picture: http://www.google.co.uk/m/search?q=market+street+mincer&hl=en&client=safari&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=QKezTqGsLsmu8gPhu6SGBQ&ved=0CC4QsAQ&biw=480&bih=268#i=0
There's a woman in Edinburgh who rides the 29 bus back and forth between Silverknowes and Princes St, Can't remember her name but she has a routine which involves greeting anybody who sits next to her with a loud shrieking 'how are youuuuuuuse???' and continuing the conversation in a very loud voice, she always says she is going in to town to meet her boyfriend... lucky man. I grew up in Bradford and remember regularly seeing the monk. We moved to Brighouse and I still spotted him now and then, I think he occasionally stayed overnight at one of the big houses on Huddersfield road where a couple of nuns lived.
Some of these are great, top characters I remeber Xylophone Frank from my time in Notingham. But I'm not sure about Lenny the tramp from Enfield... from the sounds of it, he's not that eccentric, merely long term homeless and making the best of it he can. Not sure that makes him a nutter, just someone's who's had a raw deal in life
With a bit of luck when Bradford visit Kingsmeadow Moses will be out on show. Here he is in England attire. I like his jockey outfit better... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDfdy78ZFeU
Homelessness and mental illness is big lolz yeh
So pleased to see the reference to Frank Robinson aka Mr Plinky-Plonky who I used to see every day on my way to and from work in Nottingham city. In his hands the Xylophone seemed to have a life of its own and the songs that Frank "sung" to accompany the "music" were vague "la-la" chants very much akin to tuneless murmurings. His performance was so bad that it had a unique brilliance about it...and everybody came to love Frank and his daily buskings were rewarded with a stready stream of coinage from the good folk of Nottingham. Now, we all miss Frank.
Here is Grimsbys favourite nutter Ozzy the wino http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tfnDfbqCeY You will love the suprise down his top....
Kingston Upon Thames (big up the mandem) has Moses, the dreadlocked man with no legs - haven't been back there for a couple of years tho so not got a clue if he's still around...
the Tories shut down the large psychiatric hospitals in the 90's hence most of these poor bewildered people are left to wander the streets, at best get laughed at but often much worse.
And the winner for most obscure excuse to blame the 'evil tories' goes to...
Jesus man to me!is now being passed onto my daughter we often see him in baildon when dropping her off at school, we wave he waves. I laugh everytime my little un shouts look dad its jesus exactly what I did as a kid. fairly recent T&A article here http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/9194596.Almost_23_000_back__Jesus_Man__Olympic_torch_bid/
also is it something more about the Shipley area rather than Bradford, Jesus , Mad Mick (Ello Lady) The Dancer, and I've seen a belter in Asda 50 odd year old heavy set bloke dressed like Bo Peep - Too much Blusher if you ask me
Staines has Belshaw who spends his time befriending the local characters, and has subsequently become one.
i find this article very sad, after having a father with a mental health problem since i was 6, who was at risk of ending up on the streets, if it wasnt for us caring for him enough to ensure he took his medication as much as possible. So much for care in the community. These people deserve better in modern society...
Great article for reinforcing negative perceptions
I was at University in Lancaster and we had a brilliant local nutter by the name of 'Bin Man Ken', who communicated almost soley in bird whistles and used to buy discount christmas carol CDs and insist on them being played in Paddy's.
the mad monk actually lives in the town of Baildon near Bradford his brother looks after him and he doesnt just walk every where he has being seen on public transport he,s a idle tossser and has avoided work for years pretending to be a monk so there
got 1 in sunderland who has a load of bags and cases he moves a few at a tim dont no how he duze it
In Brighton there's a homeless fellow known locally as Toothless Tony who lolls around with his dogs on pieces of string, waiting outside Pizza Hut asking customers going in if they will save the crusts for him. He claims to have once been a big heavy metal star from the north of England.
Toothless Tony once had Hulk hands.
Hunstanton,Norfolk had more than its fair share of 'nutters',in one year alone it boasted,a canadian mountie,a cowboy(who allegedly stabbed himself thru the heart!),a tribe of fake red indians and a lady who always wore a whole pile of wigs at once and had a delightful way of protruding her lower false teeth at you!
AS A NUTTER I HAVENT BEEN REDUCED TO THIS LEVEL OF NUTERDOM... SAW THE PIECE ON CULTURE SHOW - BUT NOT MUCH IMFO IMPARTED REGARDS THE TRUE NATURE OF LAADS MAG/WANKMAGS...
'Moses' sits by the road between Torquay and Paignton and waves at passing cars: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Strange-old-man-who-sits-on-a-bench-on-the-road-between-Torquay-Paignton/150160438331274
Southfields' 'Mad John'. Reportedly once convinced some Japanese tourists that he was the mayor of Wimbledon. Has the demeanour of one of Capt Pugwash's crew.
moses from kingston is still about ive had many conversations with him about his 'many' careers lool he dresses as a jockey sometimes and ive seen him as an army soldier too. most recently he wears all red with knee pads elbow bads and a helmet with a big teddy strapped to the front of him never fails to make me giggle :D ahaa
Purple Aki's biggest moment in the limelight was when he featured on a flag endlessly waving near the front row at a Glastonbury festival some years back! Also from the same area is Welly John. A trad hobo with a long grimy beard, a tea cosy hat, a holey carrier bag and a dead arm he habitually clutches. Moods are variable depending on whether he's had his medication
Ozzy in Grimsby, hes fucking mental.
Markxist, surely you mean johnny wellies from St.Helens! Accidentally bumped into him in Macdonalds (minus medication), told me if our paths ever crossed again he was going to kill me. The next time our paths crossed(suitably medicated), he invited me to his friends house to share his sausage roll.And theres nothing remotely funny about Purple Aki, he is one horrible bastard.
Goughy, that's the man! Great example of how he is medicated and non medicated! Purple Aki and his legend terrified me as a kid, indeed for some time I thought he was just that, a myth, how wrong can you be?!
Great article, how did I miss this. Told my kids about the Bradford Monk, they love trips to Salts or Shipley Glenn in case we see the man himself. Saw him about 6 months ago on Otley Road in Baildon he was walking in a South Westerly direction mood - reflective (was a Sunday). I had 3 kids in the car coming back from a football match in Bingley it made there day all waving and smiling to which he waved back all be it with a bemused look on his face.
Fat Harry in Wigan of course. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VbtdAvXjW4
I've done the 'revolving-door' tour of Greater London nuthouses as a patient, starting in 1976, last visit 2002. Moses from Kingston was in a rehab hostel with me in 1980-81. He'd been sectioned as a schizo, after trying to climb the gates of Buckingham Palace to deliver an important message to Her Majesty. His wasn't quite as odd then. No malice in Moses whatever, nice guy, - unlike Tony Hardy, the Camden Ripper, an alcoholic manic-depressive, who rambled on about 'The Silence of the Lambs' to female volunteers in a therapeutic art studio, just before Christmas 2002.
Remember Frank well as I spent 20 years in Nottingham. RIP Frank. Nottingham also had the crack head in Hockley who'd "sing you any song you like". Was supposed to have had a record contract and got it on with Danni Minnogue before the drugs took hold... Also remember 'Marigold' from my younger days in Norwich, directing traffic in Thorpe St Andrew in yes, you guessed it, yellow Marigold washing-up gloves!
Now live in Bradford, so the Bradford Monk is another local nutter to add to my "seen in the flesh" collection!
SABOTAGE
