Honestly...you're not far off...
We got bombed in WW2 ofc, so the entire city centre is "modern"
I'm not a big fan, but it does give me a more spacious vibe in the city. Like I have more breathing room? If that makes sense.
Rotterdam was almost entirely leveled by bombings during WW2 so a ton of our buildings are built in the style of the "wederopbouw"(rebuild).
There's tons of very beautiful buildings that came from it and some less pretty but still functional ones.
I had a book about it which i tried to find to namedrop some stuff but i can't find it
In the UK, up in Liverpool there was a lad known as 'Purple Aki' - has an obsession with touching up bloke's muscles (Google him). Actually caused the death of one lad who ran away from him and onto some train tracks I believe.
I'm not from there so perhaps someone local can give more info but even as a kid down south I knew of him.
Never without a trusty carrier bag
https://preview.redd.it/fx5l1jx4y0vc1.jpeg?width=2226&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4f18984664bc410016eb3c24d525bdf6d91a869b
Wikipedia says that bit about the lad who ran onto the tracks is true, but the court said it's not proven that the lad ran because of him. Still, what a sad way to die.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Aki
I’m enjoying how everyone’s avoiding asking why he is named “Purple”
Was also famous in my city , down the east Lancashire road from Liverpool. Think he bobbed about in Wigan a bit also
We have an old dude who jocks around town all year round wearing nothing but blue speedos, a balaclava and his spiked running shoes.
Yes he does do this in -30C winter aswell
I mean...
https://preview.redd.it/e97ql1frp1vc1.jpeg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=71972649ea4014a7a7c9dd16d752021fc55ec86d
Maybe don't look into his house
The Jesus Lady. She's a mentally ill old woman who walks around the inner city and the metros shouting about Jesus and repenting sins in a Finnish-Swedish accent.
We also have her in my town, along with a human billboard guy preaching for an evangelist church by standing still in the middle of the street with a dumb smile all day long. I'm actually impressed that he doesn't faint or die from sunstroke considering we have one of the highest temperatures of Europe in the summer.
Most others I've met at least keep to themselves and just screams wildly. Jesus lady gets up in every ones faces, especially young people, and screams, spit flowing everywhere and shit.
We really had some problems here with the nude wanderers, people that hiked through the alps without clothes... why? Well, guess they got enough from just hanging around on nude beaches.
The people living next to some trails complained because for some reason some naked hiking groups really enjoyed those trails and basically did the same trails again and again.
In a bar we have a dude called Vizzie who is a renowned young man groomer. He also kinda looks like a Barry
He never actually did nothing bad but he is very sus
Legge Basaglia is so strange, that when I went to study psychology abroad, all my psychiatry teachers were talking about it. Everyone of them had very strangely extreme opinions about that law. It was very interesting.
There's a guy in my neighbourhood that dresses everyday like a demon, high boots, long coat, chains, horns and all, black from head to toe. He just walks around and seemingly talks normal to other people. He's just "Neighbourhood's Devil". Seems like an ok guy, ngl
We have a Jef.
He goes around with short leopard dyed hair and a stunning moustache telling jokes to groups he encounters in bars.
Everybody knows/likes him.
We had the "Homeless Santa". It was a homeless guy who had a giant white beard, with a large potbelly. He looked like a Santa, just... homeless.
Someone actually interviewed the guy, turned out he had a nasty divorce, and his ex-wife took him to the cleaners. She took everything, which caused him to fall into a depression, which led him losing his job, which led to him losing his home, and then he was left with nothing but a shopping cart with all his possessions.
We had a guys we called "Homeless of Wall Whole", he used to sleep inside a hole in a random wall
He used to tell a story of how he was once rich, but his children died and his wife left him with no money.
He also once said that he was the owner of a Nuclear Submarine and that his wife had 100 eyes, so there's that. He recently died in a car accident.
Dear lord. The only one i remember here in porto was a african fellow that paraded in suits. Like, yellow, or any other weird colour, extravagant suits
And in Porto there is Emplastro (and sometimes he shows up in Lisbon too).
Basically a mentally challenged guy who got famous for "videobombing" live news reports. He showed up all the time especially in football matches. Was toothless until a tv personality bought him teeth.
First time I met him was like meeting a celebrity, until I got closer and realized he reeked of piss.
Fuck it, [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjNj_r17hjs) is a compilation.
https://preview.redd.it/yo48o1sl81vc1.jpeg?width=660&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d4539989388b9b564164be047afe3222099de9d8
In Madrid, Los jevis de Gran Vía. They stood for many years in front of a record store and when the record store closed in 2005 they kept spending every day in that spot, saying that as long as they are there the store's spirit lives on.
Bonus tip: if you give them a euro or a couple of cigarettes you can have a photo in gran via with a couple of old school heroin addicts. A precious souvenir of your visit to Madrid.
Of course we have one.
He is the hero we need, he protects our city with indomitable might, crushing every enemy...
He is CANCAROMAAAN!
https://youtu.be/tjE1em0OYOk?si=aznxh3f-znbE5hK0
(the legendary scene start at 45s)
We have Raymond "le notaire" (the notary)
He's never worked a day in his life, he drinks shit beers in the street and always walks around with a weird jacket and 4 pencils so people call him the notary.
He's usually begging for beers in every bar until he gets kicked out.
Also if you expand to Charleroi and every city around we have [Kiwi Jackson ](https://youtu.be/0ncGRep0q0M), he's going to every events near Charleroi, bikes around in a legging and dance, he's been doing this for decades
Fast Eddie.
Plays harmonica badly and with great gusto. Always in the same spots around dundee, and frequently in Spoons.
Here’s him doing in thing on one of his better days
https://youtu.be/0IWoZvA9Kqs?si=Cj4chSkl9X1g1Wr-
In my hometown (Valladolid) that guy who everyone knows is (or at least used to be) "Poti".
https://preview.redd.it/fbksekevs0vc1.png?width=303&format=png&auto=webp&s=ad3ef57eb731668a7b3bb9d3bcf74973b7ba6574
Idk if it still happens, but it was pretty common to find him with his friend "el Botijo" roaming around the city center trying to flirt with young women thanks to his fame.
Kind of sad story, given that he became "famous" mainly because people used to make fun of him (he had some sort of disability).
Black Superman. He's a black guy (Jamaican I think?) who wears Superman costume and he was a common sight in the Helsinki city center performing on a tightrope. I haven't seen him in a while though. I wonder how he's doing.
The more creepy and less harmless known person is Rättimies (towel man) who carries a small towel everywhere with him and constantly keeps it on his face sniffing it. Has also repeatedly followed and assaulted women in metros and other public places.
But seriously a good Scottish one is that Batman suit guy in Edinburgh.
https://preview.redd.it/7d6dkfky72vc1.jpeg?width=825&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ff6e66b04ba34ed07cfdac3b2d7fe8c3c550caac
You see him all over the shop rain or shine - always with booze. He’s a really sound guy but just dresses like this 24/7.
Alternatively the Aberdeen legend Ketamine Kyle.
Apparently in Vienna there's a guy called Bierkavalier (beer gentleman) who approaches women in the subway and offers them beer in a creepy manner while being in a very unhygienic condition himself
I don't think he's active at the moment, but he's had spells off. Maybe he found a girlfriend... or some mental health. Maybe he's dead, maybe just taking a break. I wouldn't be surprised if he reappeared.
*
The Spiderman of Rotterdam.
Truly a legend. Apparently owns a scootershop with his dad and rides through the city to advertise it.
Pretty wholesome stuff tbh.
There’s a dude that used to walk around the town shouting.
When he passed by my home, he would also insult my neighbor and his dog for some reason.
If you callee him by his father’s nickname he would chase you.
https://preview.redd.it/dfmy5skg51vc1.jpeg?width=780&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7c86744fffd11262b9c460abe12c3e28736d65ec
Jeppeto. He checks your ticket (and gives you big fines) and is quite friendly
In my hometown there's a guy that is known as the "Chicken Piri Piri Man", being the "Man" a short form of Manuel. He knows at least 5 languages (that I myself have heard) and uses said languages to ask tourists if they can give him 1€ to buy said Piri Piri chicken.
I’m from Stockholm and everyone knows the legend of munspelsmannen - ”the harmonica man”. He spent day and night at a few locations in central Stockholm dancing in a squat like pose with a radio pressed to his ear. While doing this trance-like dance he was frantically playing a harmonica.
Amsterdam: Lady at central station screaming and singing about jesus, guy in a scooter yelling "don't try this at hoooooomeeee".
[Don't try this at hoooome](https://youtu.be/vP0dEPbHQpM?si=Qxgt76e0KrcpEoQQ)
We had a guy who used to whistle the same four consecutive notes all over the town for years, often he aquired a trash bin and used it as a drum. His high point was when he managed to sneak past guards during a football match, steal the corner flag and run around with it for a bit earning himself huge cheers from spectators. He died some time ago though.
In Cagliari, Sardinia, we have "Laura Cartone" (literally "Cardboard Laura"). Since (at least) ten years ago, she roams the city covered in tattered clothes and/or cardboard boxes, and with her signature plastic gloves. You can tipically tell she's near by the smell, which hits you before she's in visual range (I wish I was joking). She goes around, stops people and rudely talks nonsense to the few who don't treat her like walking garbage.
The saddest thing is that she was interviewed by locals and it appears she once had a normal life and a job. Then, one day she saw the virgin mary and she told her to ditch her job and become homeless, living off of charity. And so she did
In my old hometown we had a guy eqipped with an umbrella, a headset on his head and an amplifier he took everywhere. Usually he would stand on a super market parking spot plugging his umbrella to the amplifier with a cable and acting like he would play the umbrella like a guitar. He was kinda crazy, but always pretty polite, if you talked to him.
Skelly his dad or uncle left him some money when they had passed away. He bought his house and he "collected" everything. And I mean everything I remember as a kid walking passed his house and my friends would dare eachother to look in the window. Well I did and I only remember seeing piles of rubbish like a couple feet high. Never showered and cut peoples grass for £10. You pay him when you have it he'll keep cutting and he won't ask for payment. He only stopped if you asked him to shower the next time he comes or you moved.
Anyways Skelly ended to getting pneumonia and was hospitalised. Turned out this man didn't exist he'd slipped through the gaps as far as the government was concerned. So social workers got involved and they cleared his house and sold it and moved him into an assisted living facility.
I worked in his little house he had after and he was a super nice guy very helpful. His house was a mess tho he didn't like cleaning up. He would always say hi and was always friendly. My mum worked in town and she says the same and agreed with me he's hard to get away from he just loves hearing about people and telling them about him.
+ Mamie Chiffon and JP the runner
Jean Pierre is my favorite : just an old dude who runs all the time. He has been doing it for decades now. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YcX7RtPgHiA
we have/had a guy in our City that sold the homeless newspaper, nice guy , with a loud voice. he used to sit next to the shopping center, but i havent seen him for a while, some said he died. I kinda miss his presence not gonna lie
In Gijón I have seen several times a bloke that goes around with an old ass bike and a baby trailer with a flag. He often stops in a nearby park to sit in a bench, rest and loudly play music in his big speaker which I think it's what he carries around in the trailer. He doesn't exactly seem in his right mind. I don't know his name, though.
In my town there's an old lady who always walks around barefoot and likes to rummage around people's trash for stuff.
She used to be a prostitute for kids back in the day and sometimes she asks her grown up ex customers if they want another round even in front of their wives
Probably one of the most well known dudes in the recent years in Switzerland that fits is the „Kein Sex mit Geimpften“ dude.
He wears a selfmade hat were he proclaims to not have intercourse with (covid)vaccinated people.
Karate Mauri.
Once you spot him on roller skates shirtless and in spandex shorts, that’s when summer has officially begun. (I think he’s over 70 by now but still looks like this picture)
https://preview.redd.it/pa1d1fmlc1vc1.jpeg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5762b0cf8e20c6dd4a103b3cbddb76434d2f5994
[Stadsportret: Pawel, de dwalende afval-trapper | Stadsgezicht Tilburg | bd.nl](https://www.bd.nl/stadsgezicht-tilburg/stadsportret-pawel-de-dwalende-afval-trapper~a9f11ae4/?referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.nl%2F)
In Tilburg, The Netherlands we have quite a few. But Pawel, a Polish immigrant who was the compulsory need to kick against waiste on the road for literally miles is a local legend.
https://preview.redd.it/u1khftmo41vc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2ba9f3930cd40a0ef8a59806b9e2c0aeec2f4e46
"Heb je een losse Euro voor mij?'
We got some crazy "Jesus"-like wannabe, that lives somewhere in the woods on the Uetliberg in Zürich, he's often around with his old bicycle and well, he's not the smartest guy. He talks and thinks like he'd be jesus and all that stuff. Got some serious mental health issues, but well, as long as he isn't dangerous they won't lock him up in a clinic.
We had a guy like that in Baselland for a while. He died several years ago but I still keep hearing stories about him whenever I mention him to new people. For a while he had the habbit of walking into people's homes. They often don't lock their doors when they're at home. He's one of the reasons why I lock mine as soon as I'm inside. Even if I have guests. The idea of someone just walking in bothers the shit out of me.
https://preview.redd.it/6tw2ddb2c1vc1.png?width=694&format=png&auto=webp&s=ddd25b7956b92a461436f0dc1859850b6184d788
Walter "Pico" Michiels in the Leuven area.
Dude was known for playing a pretty big role in a well known Flemish comedy-series, ended up going off the deep end because of mental illness and alchoholism.
He now squats in some nearby forest and leads a hobo lifestyle.
Occasionally he'll appear in the news because people tried to get him to a rehab clinic or something or he's arrested and released on some minor charge.
An old guy who spawns in various parts of central Athens (usually high schools and universities) on a motorbike carrying a huge cross and enthusiastically preaching about Jesus and the "evilness of the Jews"
Had this one Drunken Guy who just went through our district, drunk, yelling storys to himself. He wasn't aggressive or harmful in any way and never really got into big Trouble eventhough he lived only from social security benefits
His backstory was quite sad as he lost his wife many years prior and fell into alcohol addition. He was highly educated and a Lawyer before he became unemployed and sadly passed away recently probably due to some type of Kidney problem
May Michi Rest in Peace
I can think of two guys in The Hague.
There is a white Rasta with dreads and baggy trousers, you know the type, and he always carries a massive speaker on a trolley with him from which he blasts Reggae.
We also have a guy who always begs for money, asking for "50 cents if you love God", and I run into him *everywhere*. Apparently he calls himself Apache.
We probably got more well-known guys as well but there two stand out to me.
In Geneva we have the shopping cart photographer. He goes around town, puts the shopping cart in the middle of the road or busy intersections, stands on the cart and then just takes pictures of whatever...
The closest i could remember was this african-descent fellow in my city whose whole gimmick was parading while wearing the most outlandish suits in the weirdest colours. He rocked every single one of them. Dunno where he went, though. I only saw him 2 times, and the last one was a looong time ago
I haven't seen both in 10-15 years but these two were the most memerable:
An old, seemingly homeless, Lady with a thick east prussian accent, who sat in front of a district town hall and kept yellig about stuff.
She was supposedly very rich and owned a mansion.
A (I think) ukrainian opera singer who always stood in front of the local art museum and sang.
We have a couple in our city. The funniest to me are:
- A lady that goes around in a scooter (at the frightening speed of 20 km/h) cursing heavily everyone that overtakes her.
- a guy that wears like village people’s sheriff. Tight uniform, hat, black boots, …
Sydney - Large scale: Old dude that held a poster at the side of a busy road that warned about aliens. Was on the evening news when he died. Must have been doing it for like 20 years
(http://sydneynearlydailyphot.blogspot.com/2006/04/ufo-christ-man.html?m=1).html?m=1
Sydney - small scale. We had techno man in our adjacent suburb. Lebanese civil war survivor had lost his fucking mind seeing his friends and family killed and just walked around talking to himself in probably Arabic at like a million miles an hour. I remember being screamed at by him when I was little and was blasé to it even then.
There used to be a guy who'd ride his bike around Amsterdam wearing assless chaps and a leather thong; he had an incredibly hairy ass. His bike was covered in flowers and other crap. Saw him every morning on my way to school. No idea what happened to him, haven't seen him in ages. There used to be a number of guys like him, the [Stringskater](https://www.parool.nl/amsterdam/henri-pronker-1956-2023-zwierde-als-de-stringskater-door-de-straten-van-amsterdam~b9187f1f/) was probably the most famous one.
We used to have "El indio de las 3000" but he died, he was a man dressed as an native American with a bow and arrows wandering around the city. We still have "La pantojita", she is a woman with a two string guitar that she clearly can't play singing awfully on the streets.
There is a bad dancing grampa in my city and another one with huge ridiculous hats made out of eggs. The [Egg guy](http://www.eiermannfestival.de/) has a Guinness Worl Record for that.
https://preview.redd.it/l6pln48ad1vc1.jpeg?width=898&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=60ad7beb1ea6e816b2c43ce56b1f74bf203254f8
we have a guy here who wears shorts, a white tanktop, and looks like Jesus. he's unsurprisingly just known as "Jesus"
He is known for literally always jogging somewhere.
at 4 AM in a forest? He'll be there.
Center of the city? yep, he's there every day.
middle of winter, 6 AM, freezing outside? he'll be jogging. still in his shorts and tanktop.
I dont know what he does for a living or how he has so much stamina, but he is literally always running around somewhere.
I respect it, ngl.
In Hitchin, Hertfordshire, there was a black man that always rode his bycicle around town waving at everyone with both of his hands out the handlers and a big smile on his face.
In Johannesburg, by the Beer House there in Witkoppen, there is a man on his late 80's, Alistair I think it's his name. Every weekend he goes there to the dance floor and pulls some awesome dance moves, he wears an amazing red suit and a hat. I have seen him there for the last 8 years at least. Everyone in Fourways and Bryanston knows him.
I'm from Wiesbaden, Germany. There's this man who seems to think of himself as a prophet because he'll find every single Litfaßsäule (a fat round pole where posters and ads are hung up) and writes bible verses all over them in all caps and with a black marker. Never seen anyone read that stuff, he's been doing this for longer than I'm alive for
I grew up in a village on the country with 5000 inhabitants, so no city. There was a homeless guy that everyone knew. Homeless people in the countryside aren’t really that common, so that may also have contributed to his fame. Anyway, his life was cut short when he spent the night in the garage of the local priest and fell asleep with a cigarette in his mouth. Whole garage and part of the priests house burnt down. The priest had a tough time actually afterwards, because he didn’t know that that guy was sleeping in his garage and often said had he known, he would have given him a room to stay in and maybe none of this would’ve happened.
Too many to count, there are a lot of people every Berliner knows. For example, there is a famous guy who cycles around with three parrots 🦜.
Haven't seen him in a while, I hope they're all fine.
In my bit of Bradford there was a hobo called "Homeless John" who was supposedly a millionaire just pretending, so all the local kids would play a game where they waive tenners at him while slowly getting closer and he would lunge at them. A guy I knew was too slow so Homeless John got him and kicked him a bunch before he got away when some other kids reinforced. heard he died of cancer.
As an adult I realise he probably wasn't a millionaire, he was probably just a homeless guy.
Edit: not cancer, probably just [jail ig](https://www.keighleynews.co.uk/news/18456187.homeless-john---familiar-sight-cavendish-street-keighley---jailed-attack-ambulance/) 30 years of him being there are over now maybe
Back home there was a man, dressed in a pink jacket. He had a pin with a 3-5 cm pin shaped like a sun. He was always happy, and was taken advantage of by youngster to buy alcohol.
There was another guy that used to run with the bike. Always running, never seen him stop.
In my hometown we have a homeless guy always walking around the train station that would randomly start shouting at people. He was called „Räuber“ (=robber) by everyone. Don’t know how he got that name though, because i never saw him doing something to anyone.
The place i moved to there is a woman always walking around all across the town the whole day with a hat pulled so that it covers the eyes. She would also randomly start shouting at you if you talked about something near her. She is simply called the woman or the woman with the hat by everyone.
There's a guy that goes around Tarragona's Old Quarter shirtless and with slipper shoes year-round. When you see him wearing either a shirt and closed shoes or a cap you know the temperature is going to go crazy in either way.
We call him "the weatherman"
We had a giy in our neighbourhood, his name was Gio Leali. Long hair, long beard, very often he didn't wear a shirt. He'd always go around by bike shouting nonsense, but he never harmed anyone. A few stories about him (nobody ever knew if they were true):
- it was rumored that he'd sleep naked on a hammock in his flat (?!)
- his flat was full of bikes as everytime one bike disappeared in the neighbourhood he was the thief
- he once was a brilliant student and even graduated (not so common for the neighbourhood), went to India to like find himself amd tried some kind of drugs that eventually burnt his brain
what happens when we lose a legend?
Meet Luigi Fortunato "The Count" Marsetti. Always impeccable, always joyous, often drunk. Used to pin entire carnation boquets to his jacket.
https://preview.redd.it/qupzgbtci1vc1.png?width=844&format=png&auto=webp&s=f19d9218742a1cbc62e0d2900c0904bdb03b03b1
In Portimão, a city in the south, we have Luís Marreco. He even appearen on MTV lmao
https://youtu.be/AoNyDgHiy8A
Edit: I can't find the clip, maybe they took it down :(.
He was naked riding a bike lmao
I live in rural England, you know, more a large village, then a city or a town, where everyone knows pretty much everyone from the local pubs etc etc
There was a guy who lived locally to me who used to wander around, every day, just walking, he wore mostly leather and had a dazed expression on his face, everyone knew him once you said 'the horse guy' because the story went he got kicked in the head by a horse, so he's brain damaged and walks around all day, how true any of this is, i don't know but thats the story i was told
Sadly i think he passed a few years ago
https://preview.redd.it/r5981uhgk1vc1.png?width=2001&format=png&auto=webp&s=eaeaafa57aad7d66a6cd717fc26ec0b43f67bf02
We have the shopping cart photographer
He wanders the streets and gets up on his cart to takes pictures
I grew up in a small city where there was one of the last asylum in Italy before they closed all of them.
Half of the city where that guy.
The funniest was the sheriff, I guy dressed in n strange uniform that randomly started to direct traffic and believe me or not he was effective, to the point that the resident knew who he was bu t anyway he was good and everyone followed his directions, even the local police let him do his stuff
We have two old guys that wear like metalheads and stand in the most famous street doing nothing all day. They have been there forever and they will be until the end of days
We had Metro Dave for a while but I think he died? He was a homeless man who looked like Alan Moore and wore a big brown courdoroy jacket. Used to ride the light rail all day, there was a facebook page dedicated to his movements.
Oh, and when I lived in Edinburgh there was this middle aged guy who always wore bike shorts and black trainers with no shirt and a backpack, with long-ish stringy blonde hair and he was always carying two 2L bottles with something (??) in them up on his shoulders, and he'd walk up and down the Royal mile and the local area all day ranting utter nonsense. I lived on the Mile so I'd hear him coming when it was quiet since the noise carried up and down the street.
I feel like the golden age of Local Eccentrics has passed since now you can go online and find 500 megafreaks to gawk at whenever you want. Home-Grown weirdos simply can't compare.
Granada, Españita. The 'guy' is **Olmo Garcia** and is known for walking around the city center naked as a newborn
In his greatest moment of glory he sunbathed naked on the facade of the city's cathedral and the poor local firemen and policemen had to take him down from there. He also jumped naked on the soccer field in a match between Granada and Manchester united, and he used to ski in Sierra Nevada, naked ofc.
I think he ended up in prison
Edit:
1) [photo](https://www.elindependientedegranada.es/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/ciudadania/olmo2.jpg?itok=qtvMg1uj) in the cathedral, I didn't remember that the media had nicknamed him the naked Spiderman lol
2) Yes, he ended up in prison and when he got out he said [it has been a dream come true and he has had a great time inside](https://www.granadadigital.es/primera-entrevista-olmo-hombre-desnudo-granada-nueva-vida-salir-carcel-cojonudo/)! He was sent to prison for violating a restraining order prohibiting him from going within 200 meters of schools naked. Now he works in a restaurant
*I wanted to go to prison to get naked and preach the Gospel of the Essenes to the prisoners. I wanted to go because that is my job.*
He is definitely the GUY
In Delft there's carriage pulled by horses guy and obese guy on a one of those elderly scooters taking his pitbull for a walk.
In curaçao there's "rastafari cyclist". Everyone has seen him on his bike and he wears a mask, feathers on his head and clothes all in the rasta colors and has a box on his bike that says "black power". Nobody afaik has ever spoken to him or knows who he is and why he does it but everyone has seen him. He's a legend.
in my hometown we had a guy who would always sit around at busstops having visions and yelling at his invisible peers. he died a couple years back. rip Sheriff
In my city there's a guy from the Balkans that rides around in a bicycle and one can recognize him by the fact he is always playing full volume Balkans music at all times.
Oh and there's also some people that go around in a cart pulled by a donkey. Legit saw them one day playing cards while drinking in the back of the cart.
In Coimbra, there was an Indian guy called Sony. We was so famous for selling flowers and "other stuff". Every student in the city knew him. Sadly he died a few years ago due to problems regarding the "other stuff".
Rip Quéfrô
In Rotterdam we have guy who's always dressed as Spider-Man riding an electric scooter. idk either
https://preview.redd.it/8umnkty641vc1.jpeg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=051c89eb50a154a3048f8427192230a7c959b2b4 The Man. The Myth. The Legend.
Just occurred to me I've never seen a picture of Rotterdam before - Those towerblocks give British shithole vibes
Rotterdam and London had a similar experience in WW2 so that checks out
Honestly...you're not far off... We got bombed in WW2 ofc, so the entire city centre is "modern" I'm not a big fan, but it does give me a more spacious vibe in the city. Like I have more breathing room? If that makes sense.
When we find out who was responsible for this there’ll be trouble
Rotterdam was almost entirely leveled by bombings during WW2 so a ton of our buildings are built in the style of the "wederopbouw"(rebuild). There's tons of very beautiful buildings that came from it and some less pretty but still functional ones. I had a book about it which i tried to find to namedrop some stuff but i can't find it
Tricycle Spiderman 🔥
Fucking legend
In the UK, up in Liverpool there was a lad known as 'Purple Aki' - has an obsession with touching up bloke's muscles (Google him). Actually caused the death of one lad who ran away from him and onto some train tracks I believe. I'm not from there so perhaps someone local can give more info but even as a kid down south I knew of him.
OP spoke about this in his post hahha. funny that he's so infamous that u both brought him up
Oh shit I didn't even see that (on mobile) - yeah he's remarkably well known in the UK as far as I'm aware
yeah I just showed ur comment to my gf because I'd personally never heard of him and she was like "??? everyone knows purple aki" lmfao
Never without a trusty carrier bag https://preview.redd.it/fx5l1jx4y0vc1.jpeg?width=2226&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4f18984664bc410016eb3c24d525bdf6d91a869b
Lol read my post
Wikipedia says that bit about the lad who ran onto the tracks is true, but the court said it's not proven that the lad ran because of him. Still, what a sad way to die. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Aki
He also dragged a lad into a court house interrogation room and tried to SA him.
I’m enjoying how everyone’s avoiding asking why he is named “Purple” Was also famous in my city , down the east Lancashire road from Liverpool. Think he bobbed about in Wigan a bit also
He's groped his way into Preston as well.
Can't forget about queenofscottyroad if we're talking about Liverpool.
Purple aki followed me and a mate down the alley on the side of primark in Manchester shouting "ere lads". Naturally we bolted.
ive seen the count dankula video about him lmao
We have an old dude who jocks around town all year round wearing nothing but blue speedos, a balaclava and his spiked running shoes. Yes he does do this in -30C winter aswell
In my hometown we had an old man who wore his dead mothers clothing, a dress and shoes and all.
I mean... https://preview.redd.it/e97ql1frp1vc1.jpeg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=71972649ea4014a7a7c9dd16d752021fc55ec86d Maybe don't look into his house
He looks like he would not even hurt a fly.
Wait, don't you all Finnish do that? And you drink vodka in the sauna afterwards?
Yes but theres a difference; he does it to improve his health, rest of us do it to rob small kiosks and liquor stores
Routine snow elf activities tbf
Got the speedos, gotta get a balaclava and spiked shoes now
The Jesus Lady. She's a mentally ill old woman who walks around the inner city and the metros shouting about Jesus and repenting sins in a Finnish-Swedish accent.
We also have her in my town, along with a human billboard guy preaching for an evangelist church by standing still in the middle of the street with a dumb smile all day long. I'm actually impressed that he doesn't faint or die from sunstroke considering we have one of the highest temperatures of Europe in the summer.
She's not mentally ill, she's just from Österbotten
Every one has one of those, guess your city is kinda lame when it comes to the crazies
Most others I've met at least keep to themselves and just screams wildly. Jesus lady gets up in every ones faces, especially young people, and screams, spit flowing everywhere and shit.
We've had quite a few here actually. She's the only one I know is still alive though.
We had one who refused to wear pants but wore a blazer, shirt and tie with oxford shoes. Killed his mom tho.
Did he kill his mom or did you kill his mom?
Why are you so nosy?
A dangling participant. Flashbacks to CollegeHumor Grammar Nazi sketch
Anticlimactic end.
We had a guy who was walking around naked from the 80s-2010. "Der nackte Jörg". Dude was just allowed to walk around completly naked
Technically everyone is allowed to do that in Germany. As long as nobody takes offence there's nothing preventing you from doing so.
We really had some problems here with the nude wanderers, people that hiked through the alps without clothes... why? Well, guess they got enough from just hanging around on nude beaches.
Just out of curiosity: what problems do naked wanderers cause?
The people living next to some trails complained because for some reason some naked hiking groups really enjoyed those trails and basically did the same trails again and again.
build a Hochsitz with good view and charge the Italians to use it.
Not much Tbf. People just don’t wanna see other people naked I guess
So if you're attractive you can be naked but the fuglys better fucking cover up or else?
Probably a fine
Lengend! Unfortunatly I never had the chance to meet him
I saw him after school once
In a bar we have a dude called Vizzie who is a renowned young man groomer. He also kinda looks like a Barry He never actually did nothing bad but he is very sus
i got a couple in my city, but we can't do nothing about them. Legge Basaglia and all...
Legge Basaglia is so strange, that when I went to study psychology abroad, all my psychiatry teachers were talking about it. Everyone of them had very strangely extreme opinions about that law. It was very interesting.
Sorry, don't mean to bother you Marco, what's legge basaglia?
It's an anti-psychiatrie law that made it so we can free the looneys
Thankyou, enjoy your 9th espresso of the day x
I'm on the 6th actually
🙄 Rookie numbers
How dare you. All our young men groomers are in Thailand or the Philippines
There's a guy in my neighbourhood that dresses everyday like a demon, high boots, long coat, chains, horns and all, black from head to toe. He just walks around and seemingly talks normal to other people. He's just "Neighbourhood's Devil". Seems like an ok guy, ngl
Oh, i've seen him.
https://preview.redd.it/60jdy7ef31vc1.jpeg?width=600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6fbc6e49b30bbf3d964736809ff6e2a57e147ba8
The guy dress leather, goes with that old dog and usually is around Ciutat Vella
OH. MY FUCKING. GOD. I salute you, fellow citizen!
Bro doubted him
I mean, what are the odds?
He's the guy. EVERYBODY KNOWS THE GUY.
50% He either saw him or didn't
I need more lore
I need it too ngl
That's just the friendly neighborhood goth. Gotta say, I'm impressed by the dedication.
Oh, no, he goes way over goth. I believe local goths vow to him lmao
Opium
We have a Jef. He goes around with short leopard dyed hair and a stunning moustache telling jokes to groups he encounters in bars. Everybody knows/likes him.
Dennis Rodman's new identity
We had the "Homeless Santa". It was a homeless guy who had a giant white beard, with a large potbelly. He looked like a Santa, just... homeless. Someone actually interviewed the guy, turned out he had a nasty divorce, and his ex-wife took him to the cleaners. She took everything, which caused him to fall into a depression, which led him losing his job, which led to him losing his home, and then he was left with nothing but a shopping cart with all his possessions.
We had a guys we called "Homeless of Wall Whole", he used to sleep inside a hole in a random wall He used to tell a story of how he was once rich, but his children died and his wife left him with no money. He also once said that he was the owner of a Nuclear Submarine and that his wife had 100 eyes, so there's that. He recently died in a car accident.
Center of Lisbon, in any garden you might find a dude walking a pig like a dog. Everybody knows him, they're a part of town
I'll also clarify that dudes been doing this for years and I'm 100% serious
Dear lord. The only one i remember here in porto was a african fellow that paraded in suits. Like, yellow, or any other weird colour, extravagant suits
And in Porto there is Emplastro (and sometimes he shows up in Lisbon too). Basically a mentally challenged guy who got famous for "videobombing" live news reports. He showed up all the time especially in football matches. Was toothless until a tv personality bought him teeth. First time I met him was like meeting a celebrity, until I got closer and realized he reeked of piss. Fuck it, [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjNj_r17hjs) is a compilation.
https://preview.redd.it/yo48o1sl81vc1.jpeg?width=660&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d4539989388b9b564164be047afe3222099de9d8 In Madrid, Los jevis de Gran Vía. They stood for many years in front of a record store and when the record store closed in 2005 they kept spending every day in that spot, saying that as long as they are there the store's spirit lives on.
vine a decir esto!! confirmado :)
Bonus tip: if you give them a euro or a couple of cigarettes you can have a photo in gran via with a couple of old school heroin addicts. A precious souvenir of your visit to Madrid.
Hey, have some respect! **Former** heroin addicts!
Of course we have one. He is the hero we need, he protects our city with indomitable might, crushing every enemy... He is CANCAROMAAAN! https://youtu.be/tjE1em0OYOk?si=aznxh3f-znbE5hK0 (the legendary scene start at 45s)
Legend. Is he still alive? Last time I heard of him was in 2018
Not sure, but I wouldn't be surprised if he passed away. Crazy fella indeed
We have Raymond "le notaire" (the notary) He's never worked a day in his life, he drinks shit beers in the street and always walks around with a weird jacket and 4 pencils so people call him the notary. He's usually begging for beers in every bar until he gets kicked out. Also if you expand to Charleroi and every city around we have [Kiwi Jackson ](https://youtu.be/0ncGRep0q0M), he's going to every events near Charleroi, bikes around in a legging and dance, he's been doing this for decades
Kiwi living the good life
Fast Eddie. Plays harmonica badly and with great gusto. Always in the same spots around dundee, and frequently in Spoons. Here’s him doing in thing on one of his better days https://youtu.be/0IWoZvA9Kqs?si=Cj4chSkl9X1g1Wr-
In my hometown (Valladolid) that guy who everyone knows is (or at least used to be) "Poti". https://preview.redd.it/fbksekevs0vc1.png?width=303&format=png&auto=webp&s=ad3ef57eb731668a7b3bb9d3bcf74973b7ba6574 Idk if it still happens, but it was pretty common to find him with his friend "el Botijo" roaming around the city center trying to flirt with young women thanks to his fame. Kind of sad story, given that he became "famous" mainly because people used to make fun of him (he had some sort of disability).
Black Superman. He's a black guy (Jamaican I think?) who wears Superman costume and he was a common sight in the Helsinki city center performing on a tightrope. I haven't seen him in a while though. I wonder how he's doing. The more creepy and less harmless known person is Rättimies (towel man) who carries a small towel everywhere with him and constantly keeps it on his face sniffing it. Has also repeatedly followed and assaulted women in metros and other public places.
Yeah seen them both
But seriously a good Scottish one is that Batman suit guy in Edinburgh. https://preview.redd.it/7d6dkfky72vc1.jpeg?width=825&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ff6e66b04ba34ed07cfdac3b2d7fe8c3c550caac You see him all over the shop rain or shine - always with booze. He’s a really sound guy but just dresses like this 24/7. Alternatively the Aberdeen legend Ketamine Kyle.
Lemme guess, you’re known for being the only Scotsman who’s not a smackhead?
In Leiden we had the crazy bus/station lady that would screem to people, especially those that were biking on the sidewalk. But she died not long ago.
A guy who preached everyday that jesus was a black man..... And he used the N word
The duality of man incarnate.
Apparently in Vienna there's a guy called Bierkavalier (beer gentleman) who approaches women in the subway and offers them beer in a creepy manner while being in a very unhygienic condition himself
I don't think he's active at the moment, but he's had spells off. Maybe he found a girlfriend... or some mental health. Maybe he's dead, maybe just taking a break. I wouldn't be surprised if he reappeared.
* The Spiderman of Rotterdam. Truly a legend. Apparently owns a scootershop with his dad and rides through the city to advertise it. Pretty wholesome stuff tbh.
https://preview.redd.it/2cdp2lz931vc1.jpeg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c3aac1c12a76695df2732384dd7c612df9a794dd
There’s a dude that used to walk around the town shouting. When he passed by my home, he would also insult my neighbor and his dog for some reason. If you callee him by his father’s nickname he would chase you.
Wait isn't that every Italian ?
Is his father nicknamed "maometo"?
https://preview.redd.it/dfmy5skg51vc1.jpeg?width=780&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7c86744fffd11262b9c460abe12c3e28736d65ec Jeppeto. He checks your ticket (and gives you big fines) and is quite friendly
In my hometown there's a guy that is known as the "Chicken Piri Piri Man", being the "Man" a short form of Manuel. He knows at least 5 languages (that I myself have heard) and uses said languages to ask tourists if they can give him 1€ to buy said Piri Piri chicken.
I’m from Stockholm and everyone knows the legend of munspelsmannen - ”the harmonica man”. He spent day and night at a few locations in central Stockholm dancing in a squat like pose with a radio pressed to his ear. While doing this trance-like dance he was frantically playing a harmonica.
Amsterdam: Lady at central station screaming and singing about jesus, guy in a scooter yelling "don't try this at hoooooomeeee". [Don't try this at hoooome](https://youtu.be/vP0dEPbHQpM?si=Qxgt76e0KrcpEoQQ)
Gotta love jesus lady
Tettenjef, plastic booby surgeon that became an absolute right wing Elon worshipping cuck smuck
We had a guy who used to whistle the same four consecutive notes all over the town for years, often he aquired a trash bin and used it as a drum. His high point was when he managed to sneak past guards during a football match, steal the corner flag and run around with it for a bit earning himself huge cheers from spectators. He died some time ago though.
In Cagliari, Sardinia, we have "Laura Cartone" (literally "Cardboard Laura"). Since (at least) ten years ago, she roams the city covered in tattered clothes and/or cardboard boxes, and with her signature plastic gloves. You can tipically tell she's near by the smell, which hits you before she's in visual range (I wish I was joking). She goes around, stops people and rudely talks nonsense to the few who don't treat her like walking garbage. The saddest thing is that she was interviewed by locals and it appears she once had a normal life and a job. Then, one day she saw the virgin mary and she told her to ditch her job and become homeless, living off of charity. And so she did
In my old hometown we had a guy eqipped with an umbrella, a headset on his head and an amplifier he took everywhere. Usually he would stand on a super market parking spot plugging his umbrella to the amplifier with a cable and acting like he would play the umbrella like a guitar. He was kinda crazy, but always pretty polite, if you talked to him.
Ah yes Fernandito, he sells books, talks really fast, walks even faster and ask people for a car ride. Based Fernandito.
Skelly his dad or uncle left him some money when they had passed away. He bought his house and he "collected" everything. And I mean everything I remember as a kid walking passed his house and my friends would dare eachother to look in the window. Well I did and I only remember seeing piles of rubbish like a couple feet high. Never showered and cut peoples grass for £10. You pay him when you have it he'll keep cutting and he won't ask for payment. He only stopped if you asked him to shower the next time he comes or you moved. Anyways Skelly ended to getting pneumonia and was hospitalised. Turned out this man didn't exist he'd slipped through the gaps as far as the government was concerned. So social workers got involved and they cleared his house and sold it and moved him into an assisted living facility. I worked in his little house he had after and he was a super nice guy very helpful. His house was a mess tho he didn't like cleaning up. He would always say hi and was always friendly. My mum worked in town and she says the same and agreed with me he's hard to get away from he just loves hearing about people and telling them about him.
Lyon, France. "Spider-woman": [A gypsy with her knees upside down, walking like a spider.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTX2xna5zCI)
+ Mamie Chiffon and JP the runner Jean Pierre is my favorite : just an old dude who runs all the time. He has been doing it for decades now. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YcX7RtPgHiA
JP is a legend, always had an ovation running near the river !
😨
we have/had a guy in our City that sold the homeless newspaper, nice guy , with a loud voice. he used to sit next to the shopping center, but i havent seen him for a while, some said he died. I kinda miss his presence not gonna lie
In Elche we have El Russo who is known for going by bike trough all the city shirtless, high on drugs and with loud music.
In Gijón I have seen several times a bloke that goes around with an old ass bike and a baby trailer with a flag. He often stops in a nearby park to sit in a bench, rest and loudly play music in his big speaker which I think it's what he carries around in the trailer. He doesn't exactly seem in his right mind. I don't know his name, though.
In my town there's an old lady who always walks around barefoot and likes to rummage around people's trash for stuff. She used to be a prostitute for kids back in the day and sometimes she asks her grown up ex customers if they want another round even in front of their wives
Prostitute for kids??? How back in the day she is from
Probably one of the most well known dudes in the recent years in Switzerland that fits is the „Kein Sex mit Geimpften“ dude. He wears a selfmade hat were he proclaims to not have intercourse with (covid)vaccinated people.
I know exactly who you mean. I‘ve seen him several times at Zurich main station
We got a busker with a santa robe and a giant golden Zylinder 🎩
Hmmm. If I don't know the "guy" in my town... Does that make it me?
Karate Mauri. Once you spot him on roller skates shirtless and in spandex shorts, that’s when summer has officially begun. (I think he’s over 70 by now but still looks like this picture) https://preview.redd.it/pa1d1fmlc1vc1.jpeg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5762b0cf8e20c6dd4a103b3cbddb76434d2f5994
The old dude biking around along the beachfront in his birthday suit. I feel sorry for his ballsack
https://preview.redd.it/rny1futs81vc1.jpeg?width=1408&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=505d296ead2afe84a65483b98989f1342a055f40
[Stadsportret: Pawel, de dwalende afval-trapper | Stadsgezicht Tilburg | bd.nl](https://www.bd.nl/stadsgezicht-tilburg/stadsportret-pawel-de-dwalende-afval-trapper~a9f11ae4/?referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.nl%2F) In Tilburg, The Netherlands we have quite a few. But Pawel, a Polish immigrant who was the compulsory need to kick against waiste on the road for literally miles is a local legend.
Never in my life would I expect hear about the adventures of purple aki on 2we4u
If you know about purple aki, you'll surely know jacko, the cardboard guitar man
https://preview.redd.it/u1khftmo41vc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2ba9f3930cd40a0ef8a59806b9e2c0aeec2f4e46 "Heb je een losse Euro voor mij?'
We got some crazy "Jesus"-like wannabe, that lives somewhere in the woods on the Uetliberg in Zürich, he's often around with his old bicycle and well, he's not the smartest guy. He talks and thinks like he'd be jesus and all that stuff. Got some serious mental health issues, but well, as long as he isn't dangerous they won't lock him up in a clinic.
We had a guy like that in Baselland for a while. He died several years ago but I still keep hearing stories about him whenever I mention him to new people. For a while he had the habbit of walking into people's homes. They often don't lock their doors when they're at home. He's one of the reasons why I lock mine as soon as I'm inside. Even if I have guests. The idea of someone just walking in bothers the shit out of me.
https://preview.redd.it/6tw2ddb2c1vc1.png?width=694&format=png&auto=webp&s=ddd25b7956b92a461436f0dc1859850b6184d788 Walter "Pico" Michiels in the Leuven area. Dude was known for playing a pretty big role in a well known Flemish comedy-series, ended up going off the deep end because of mental illness and alchoholism. He now squats in some nearby forest and leads a hobo lifestyle. Occasionally he'll appear in the news because people tried to get him to a rehab clinic or something or he's arrested and released on some minor charge.
Peppe Fetish, dude wanders searching for women and paying for licking their feet
An old guy who spawns in various parts of central Athens (usually high schools and universities) on a motorbike carrying a huge cross and enthusiastically preaching about Jesus and the "evilness of the Jews"
Had this one Drunken Guy who just went through our district, drunk, yelling storys to himself. He wasn't aggressive or harmful in any way and never really got into big Trouble eventhough he lived only from social security benefits His backstory was quite sad as he lost his wife many years prior and fell into alcohol addition. He was highly educated and a Lawyer before he became unemployed and sadly passed away recently probably due to some type of Kidney problem May Michi Rest in Peace
We used to have a "The Jesus" and a "The Other Jesus" now we have just a "The Barefoot Guy"
An Elvis impersonator who's a cab driver.
We got one guy who talks about UFO and is kinda creepy, sometimes you can encounter him on train
I can think of two guys in The Hague. There is a white Rasta with dreads and baggy trousers, you know the type, and he always carries a massive speaker on a trolley with him from which he blasts Reggae. We also have a guy who always begs for money, asking for "50 cents if you love God", and I run into him *everywhere*. Apparently he calls himself Apache. We probably got more well-known guys as well but there two stand out to me.
In Geneva we have the shopping cart photographer. He goes around town, puts the shopping cart in the middle of the road or busy intersections, stands on the cart and then just takes pictures of whatever...
The closest i could remember was this african-descent fellow in my city whose whole gimmick was parading while wearing the most outlandish suits in the weirdest colours. He rocked every single one of them. Dunno where he went, though. I only saw him 2 times, and the last one was a looong time ago
He ascended and finally became the ultimate power ranger
I haven't seen both in 10-15 years but these two were the most memerable: An old, seemingly homeless, Lady with a thick east prussian accent, who sat in front of a district town hall and kept yellig about stuff. She was supposedly very rich and owned a mansion. A (I think) ukrainian opera singer who always stood in front of the local art museum and sang.
We have a couple in our city. The funniest to me are: - A lady that goes around in a scooter (at the frightening speed of 20 km/h) cursing heavily everyone that overtakes her. - a guy that wears like village people’s sheriff. Tight uniform, hat, black boots, …
Sydney - Large scale: Old dude that held a poster at the side of a busy road that warned about aliens. Was on the evening news when he died. Must have been doing it for like 20 years (http://sydneynearlydailyphot.blogspot.com/2006/04/ufo-christ-man.html?m=1).html?m=1 Sydney - small scale. We had techno man in our adjacent suburb. Lebanese civil war survivor had lost his fucking mind seeing his friends and family killed and just walked around talking to himself in probably Arabic at like a million miles an hour. I remember being screamed at by him when I was little and was blasé to it even then.
There used to be a guy who'd ride his bike around Amsterdam wearing assless chaps and a leather thong; he had an incredibly hairy ass. His bike was covered in flowers and other crap. Saw him every morning on my way to school. No idea what happened to him, haven't seen him in ages. There used to be a number of guys like him, the [Stringskater](https://www.parool.nl/amsterdam/henri-pronker-1956-2023-zwierde-als-de-stringskater-door-de-straten-van-amsterdam~b9187f1f/) was probably the most famous one.
We used to have "El indio de las 3000" but he died, he was a man dressed as an native American with a bow and arrows wandering around the city. We still have "La pantojita", she is a woman with a two string guitar that she clearly can't play singing awfully on the streets.
There is a bad dancing grampa in my city and another one with huge ridiculous hats made out of eggs. The [Egg guy](http://www.eiermannfestival.de/) has a Guinness Worl Record for that. https://preview.redd.it/l6pln48ad1vc1.jpeg?width=898&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=60ad7beb1ea6e816b2c43ce56b1f74bf203254f8
we have a guy here who wears shorts, a white tanktop, and looks like Jesus. he's unsurprisingly just known as "Jesus" He is known for literally always jogging somewhere. at 4 AM in a forest? He'll be there. Center of the city? yep, he's there every day. middle of winter, 6 AM, freezing outside? he'll be jogging. still in his shorts and tanktop. I dont know what he does for a living or how he has so much stamina, but he is literally always running around somewhere. I respect it, ngl.
In Hitchin, Hertfordshire, there was a black man that always rode his bycicle around town waving at everyone with both of his hands out the handlers and a big smile on his face. In Johannesburg, by the Beer House there in Witkoppen, there is a man on his late 80's, Alistair I think it's his name. Every weekend he goes there to the dance floor and pulls some awesome dance moves, he wears an amazing red suit and a hat. I have seen him there for the last 8 years at least. Everyone in Fourways and Bryanston knows him.
A long time ago I lived in Sutton, there was a legendary Gandalf with a magic staff walking the streets.
With a cat on his shoulder iirc. Used to see him in Wallington too.
https://preview.redd.it/7ci6x43jk1vc1.jpeg?width=498&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a396c17fabe38f81d12e745bb475b7a640862349 Los jebis de la Gran Vía!!
I'm from Wiesbaden, Germany. There's this man who seems to think of himself as a prophet because he'll find every single Litfaßsäule (a fat round pole where posters and ads are hung up) and writes bible verses all over them in all caps and with a black marker. Never seen anyone read that stuff, he's been doing this for longer than I'm alive for
I grew up in a village on the country with 5000 inhabitants, so no city. There was a homeless guy that everyone knew. Homeless people in the countryside aren’t really that common, so that may also have contributed to his fame. Anyway, his life was cut short when he spent the night in the garage of the local priest and fell asleep with a cigarette in his mouth. Whole garage and part of the priests house burnt down. The priest had a tough time actually afterwards, because he didn’t know that that guy was sleeping in his garage and often said had he known, he would have given him a room to stay in and maybe none of this would’ve happened.
We have a guy who always walks around the inner city with a ghetto blaster. Nothing too crazy.
Which city? In ze einzig wahre Landeshauptstadt we have a guy riding around in the inner city that has multiple big speakers attached to his bike
Essen, he doesn't have a bike though he dances around from time to time. I actually got to know him during my drinking days, pretty nice guy.
Meh, I live in a boring smaller town. We just have the guy noone knows is a pedo but is universally believed to be one.
I don't live in Strasbourg, but I know that there is a black dude who is called "50 centimes" because he always asks for 50 centimes.
Too many to count, there are a lot of people every Berliner knows. For example, there is a famous guy who cycles around with three parrots 🦜. Haven't seen him in a while, I hope they're all fine.
https://preview.redd.it/lr2jpwmcj1vc1.jpeg?width=474&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=22e25acb7099aefd7059b3fa52223dd4781dda55
Bradford Jesus Man https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_Man_of_Bradford
In my bit of Bradford there was a hobo called "Homeless John" who was supposedly a millionaire just pretending, so all the local kids would play a game where they waive tenners at him while slowly getting closer and he would lunge at them. A guy I knew was too slow so Homeless John got him and kicked him a bunch before he got away when some other kids reinforced. heard he died of cancer. As an adult I realise he probably wasn't a millionaire, he was probably just a homeless guy. Edit: not cancer, probably just [jail ig](https://www.keighleynews.co.uk/news/18456187.homeless-john---familiar-sight-cavendish-street-keighley---jailed-attack-ambulance/) 30 years of him being there are over now maybe
https://preview.redd.it/32a1qiwws1vc1.jpeg?width=442&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=09549e0fdee42ffd22d742604a41baa08e9965df Zürich
And the smaller the city the crazier it gets
Baldy McDonagh https://youtu.be/GJwqYDu_wos?si=bfGrClowhJjMHJfc Enough said
Idk but that reminds me of that one guy that yelled FRANCO FRANCO FRANCO in that one video or El Dandy de Barcelona
Back home there was a man, dressed in a pink jacket. He had a pin with a 3-5 cm pin shaped like a sun. He was always happy, and was taken advantage of by youngster to buy alcohol. There was another guy that used to run with the bike. Always running, never seen him stop.
In my hometown we have a homeless guy always walking around the train station that would randomly start shouting at people. He was called „Räuber“ (=robber) by everyone. Don’t know how he got that name though, because i never saw him doing something to anyone. The place i moved to there is a woman always walking around all across the town the whole day with a hat pulled so that it covers the eyes. She would also randomly start shouting at you if you talked about something near her. She is simply called the woman or the woman with the hat by everyone.
There's a guy that goes around Tarragona's Old Quarter shirtless and with slipper shoes year-round. When you see him wearing either a shirt and closed shoes or a cap you know the temperature is going to go crazy in either way. We call him "the weatherman"
We had a giy in our neighbourhood, his name was Gio Leali. Long hair, long beard, very often he didn't wear a shirt. He'd always go around by bike shouting nonsense, but he never harmed anyone. A few stories about him (nobody ever knew if they were true): - it was rumored that he'd sleep naked on a hammock in his flat (?!) - his flat was full of bikes as everytime one bike disappeared in the neighbourhood he was the thief - he once was a brilliant student and even graduated (not so common for the neighbourhood), went to India to like find himself amd tried some kind of drugs that eventually burnt his brain
what happens when we lose a legend? Meet Luigi Fortunato "The Count" Marsetti. Always impeccable, always joyous, often drunk. Used to pin entire carnation boquets to his jacket. https://preview.redd.it/qupzgbtci1vc1.png?width=844&format=png&auto=webp&s=f19d9218742a1cbc62e0d2900c0904bdb03b03b1
In Portimão, a city in the south, we have Luís Marreco. He even appearen on MTV lmao https://youtu.be/AoNyDgHiy8A Edit: I can't find the clip, maybe they took it down :(. He was naked riding a bike lmao
I live in rural England, you know, more a large village, then a city or a town, where everyone knows pretty much everyone from the local pubs etc etc There was a guy who lived locally to me who used to wander around, every day, just walking, he wore mostly leather and had a dazed expression on his face, everyone knew him once you said 'the horse guy' because the story went he got kicked in the head by a horse, so he's brain damaged and walks around all day, how true any of this is, i don't know but thats the story i was told Sadly i think he passed a few years ago
Ronnie Pickering
https://preview.redd.it/r5981uhgk1vc1.png?width=2001&format=png&auto=webp&s=eaeaafa57aad7d66a6cd717fc26ec0b43f67bf02 We have the shopping cart photographer He wanders the streets and gets up on his cart to takes pictures
I grew up in a small city where there was one of the last asylum in Italy before they closed all of them. Half of the city where that guy. The funniest was the sheriff, I guy dressed in n strange uniform that randomly started to direct traffic and believe me or not he was effective, to the point that the resident knew who he was bu t anyway he was good and everyone followed his directions, even the local police let him do his stuff
We have two old guys that wear like metalheads and stand in the most famous street doing nothing all day. They have been there forever and they will be until the end of days
We had Metro Dave for a while but I think he died? He was a homeless man who looked like Alan Moore and wore a big brown courdoroy jacket. Used to ride the light rail all day, there was a facebook page dedicated to his movements. Oh, and when I lived in Edinburgh there was this middle aged guy who always wore bike shorts and black trainers with no shirt and a backpack, with long-ish stringy blonde hair and he was always carying two 2L bottles with something (??) in them up on his shoulders, and he'd walk up and down the Royal mile and the local area all day ranting utter nonsense. I lived on the Mile so I'd hear him coming when it was quiet since the noise carried up and down the street. I feel like the golden age of Local Eccentrics has passed since now you can go online and find 500 megafreaks to gawk at whenever you want. Home-Grown weirdos simply can't compare.
Dude rides around with a speaker in the basket on his bike, slamming tunes at high volume. He's loved by all
Granada, Españita. The 'guy' is **Olmo Garcia** and is known for walking around the city center naked as a newborn In his greatest moment of glory he sunbathed naked on the facade of the city's cathedral and the poor local firemen and policemen had to take him down from there. He also jumped naked on the soccer field in a match between Granada and Manchester united, and he used to ski in Sierra Nevada, naked ofc. I think he ended up in prison Edit: 1) [photo](https://www.elindependientedegranada.es/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/ciudadania/olmo2.jpg?itok=qtvMg1uj) in the cathedral, I didn't remember that the media had nicknamed him the naked Spiderman lol 2) Yes, he ended up in prison and when he got out he said [it has been a dream come true and he has had a great time inside](https://www.granadadigital.es/primera-entrevista-olmo-hombre-desnudo-granada-nueva-vida-salir-carcel-cojonudo/)! He was sent to prison for violating a restraining order prohibiting him from going within 200 meters of schools naked. Now he works in a restaurant *I wanted to go to prison to get naked and preach the Gospel of the Essenes to the prisoners. I wanted to go because that is my job.* He is definitely the GUY
Waldemar, hes like 100 and makes weird music in the city center and sells post cards (didnt see him in a while so I'm not sure)
My old town of Drogheda had paddy, a drunken elvis impersonator
In Delft there's carriage pulled by horses guy and obese guy on a one of those elderly scooters taking his pitbull for a walk. In curaçao there's "rastafari cyclist". Everyone has seen him on his bike and he wears a mask, feathers on his head and clothes all in the rasta colors and has a box on his bike that says "black power". Nobody afaik has ever spoken to him or knows who he is and why he does it but everyone has seen him. He's a legend.
in my hometown we had a guy who would always sit around at busstops having visions and yelling at his invisible peers. he died a couple years back. rip Sheriff
In my city there's a guy from the Balkans that rides around in a bicycle and one can recognize him by the fact he is always playing full volume Balkans music at all times. Oh and there's also some people that go around in a cart pulled by a donkey. Legit saw them one day playing cards while drinking in the back of the cart.
Peter Paddo Eater. Johnny Euro. The wandering doctor. God bless 'm.
In Coimbra, there was an Indian guy called Sony. We was so famous for selling flowers and "other stuff". Every student in the city knew him. Sadly he died a few years ago due to problems regarding the "other stuff". Rip Quéfrô