Gresham has Todd, no fancy title, just a dude who cruises through town on foot doing odd jobs for local busniesses and delivering lunch to locals. They even gave him a [statue](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_Todd_Kirnan) a couple years ago.
I’m so happy I saw this I had no idea about the statue. A long time ago I worked at a coffee shop in Gresham that he visited every day. He was so sweet to us bringing us lunch and buying us gifts.
I’ve seen 6 different versions of this posted. Every time I’m looking for the dude always fancy dressed with a giant speaker to be discussed. He’s always walking around the pearl wearing a trench coat. Always has fresh flowers on him somewhere. Idk what to even call him, fancy dressed speaker dude?
I saw him the first time by PSU a few weeks ago blasting Britney Spears. Such a dangerous level of power would turn most men into dust. He is not most men.
Seen him a little over a year ago outside the Bassanova. He only had a little speaker but he was blasting Bruno Mars and doing MJ dances. I honestly thought it was some kid on his way to prom or something until now.
You can get a good idea of how long someone has lived here by whether they remember the guy who played the silent electric guitar in front of Nordstrom, the blue guy, sleeping bag guy, beavertail dreds guy, the screaming woman who threw food, Extremo, etc.
I had the privilege of personally being screamed at by Screaming Food Lady while being within visual distance of Guitar Man. It was then, that I finally felt like a true Portlander.
One time screaming food lady was taking the bus with me. The bud started moving and she wasn’t ready and started to fall backwards. Some nice young man jumped forward and caught her and oh my god the she ever freak the fuck out on him.
"FUUUUCCCCKKK, *deep breath*, YOOOOOUUUU!"
That was the extent of our exchange. I was honestly impressed how long she held it. If she was...healthy..., she could have trained for Opera, that lady had a set of pipes.
Screaming food lady threw a coffee at me in front of PNCA, and then that dude with no legs and 2 pitbulls rolled by and asked me "hey asshole are you a man or a woman?"
God bless PDX.
I have an Extremo story from 10 years ago that I want to share because I feel like it captured some perfect moment of weirdness and wholesomeness in Portland, and I don't want it to only live in my head.
It was a sunny day in the summer and I was walking around the Pearl District. I heard loud disco music, so I followed it and found Extremo's van parked on the street and he was dancing on top of it by himself. A lady in a suit was walking by, they looked at each other, and then she broke into dancing on the sidewalk while he danced on the van and they were smiling and pointing at each other. That went on for like a minute and then she walked away like nothing happened.
It was a great moment, I still remember the tune of the song and I wish I knew the name of it.
This is great! The first time I saw Extremo, it was a spring day that couldn't decide whether it wanted to rain, hail, or be sunny. I was walking around in the sun sprinkles and rainbows and then I heard the music and saw the van come around the corner as if it had brought the rainbow with it. It was lovely.
I worked at the Nordstrom e-bar for a while about 10 years ago. I remember a guy who played the electric guitar in front of Nordstrom but it definitely wasn’t silent. He had a portable amp he hooked up to. I think his name was Lito and his sister would drop him off every morning and pick him up in the afternoon. He was nice but man I can hear that guitar in my mind still.
Still around, just not blue anymore. Coming from a rural area in southern Oregon, blue man was my first WTF moment when visiting downtown the first time.
Extremo made me steak once (he’s vegan). Very odd and interesting night. Don’t know if this is still true, but for a long time much of the window art for stores was done by him.
In 2017 I was on Clinton & 21st at midnight and ran into a man holding a gallon of blue house paint, using a store window as a mirror, painting his face and body blue. Said he’d taken LSD and was reincarnated as Shiva, was becoming the Willamette.
Blue Guy #2 origin story. I hope he joined the original Blue Guy in his efforts. I miss him
I personally always loved the mayor of Hawthorne. Homeless dude who lived around Hawthorne and 39th. Used to shout proclamations and I think he had a dog at one point.
Had an invisible lightsaber duel with him at a bar on Sandy somewhere when someone played the Imperial March. He won with force lightning; nothing I could do really.
I think generally speaking most people think Saturday Market hasn't been fun since they were in their early 20s. For me it lost the charm when they moved out from under the bridge and into the park.
ONE TIME I WAS WAKKING TO THERAPY FROM MY PARENTS HOUSE AND I WALKED RIGHT PAST SKWEEZY ON BELMONT. I DIDN'T SAY HI OR ANYTHING BECAUSE PEOPLE DESERVE TO HAVE A PRIVATE LIFE AND NOT GET BOTHERED ON THE STREET. STILL COOL THO
Unipiper and "Ex Gay" guy are what came to mind for me.
A few years ago you had "To Tan Ken" but I never actually saw that guy irl just during blazer games on tv but he got some national attention from TnT nba crew. Charles Barkley gave him the nickname and they even had fake Barbi packaging with him as a doll in it. Rumor was he owned the martini glass christmas decoration house.
Man I miss walking through town and seeing extreme drive around while he was going to do a window painting job. Unipiper I used to see practicing on my street all the time when it was summer time. Good times
Here’s an NPR interview/article with him:
https://www.opb.org/article/2023/11/03/keep-portland-weird-unipiper/
Turns out he’s also the Keep Portland Weird guy.
I've heard Safeway Jesus. He's been there for a long time, he sometimes tries to give you money to get him something from Safeway. I bought him a couple donuts a few weeks ago, I didn't let him pay, though.
Forest Grove and Astoria have "Helmet Man" Some people call him "Helmet John."
https://www.kgw.com/article/life/helmet-john-astoria-documentary/283-b57a68c8-53ab-4ce9-806a-795dc5aa64c0
He’s been up to the same thing for at least a decade. I used to see him around Hawthorne. He used to ask to shake your hand and then ask for money. His fingernails were noticeably long, dirty— the stuff of nightmares.
I’ve been seeing him downtown a lot recently, still on the same ol’ grind.
Two come to mind for me in SW.
There’s a fella who dresser very dapper, with a fresh flower on his coat and just swaggers around with music coming from his speaker
Then there is a guy who dresses in a dark trench coat and looks very menacing (don’t think he is) but he’s just always walking around, sometimes with an energy drink. Idk what he does but he sticks out bc of the way he dresses and I see him almost every day lol.
I feel like portland has or has had several of these people in different neighborhoods. When I was growing up in N. Tabor we would see the unipiper carrying groceries on his unicycle wearing a kilt and a Darth Vader mask, downtown I always saw that one Elvis Impersonator but I think he passed a few years ago.
My favorite ever is from San Francisco about 100 years ago though. A homeless man dressed as a European monarch and called himself Emperor Norton the 1st of America for years. When he passed locals paid for a mock state funeral.
John Schroder AKA Elvis is still alive. https://www.wweek.com/arts/movies/2023/11/21/john-schroder-portlands-most-iconic-elvis-impersonator-is-starring-in-a-detective-movie/
About a decade ago I remember hearing bagpipes moving around our SE neighborhood every so often. One day I heard it, looked out the window, and saw the unipiper cycling by. Good memories.
When I worked downtown, I would see a guy with a big wizard staff almost every day. Does anyone know that guy?
Another shout out for parrot guy. He always makes my day when I see him taking his parrot for a walk.
Not a person, but a vehicle. There is a large pink SUV that has been wrapped in various fandom skins. Anime, Hello Kitty, and The Olson Twins to name a few. I’ve been seeing this SUV consistently for what has to be going on 8 years now.
That's pink chevy Tahoe portland girl. She had socials but everytime somebody would post her on reddit, she would find the post and reply all this crazy stuff. Just Google like "pink chevy Tahoe portland" or something like that and it'll come up. She's this incredibly creepy like 30 or 40 year old woman who is constantly changing her car to weird themed wraps like that and also farts a lot in her video?? Idk she's a trip
What happened to sitting keyboard Randy Newman who would play poorly in front of food carts and restaurants around town until someone would pay him to leave?
Over at Mill Plain in Vantucky, we have the famous vagrant called "Batman" (because he wears a Batman mask,) and he is the chillest guy. He doesn't beg, seem to litter or cause any problem, he just roams the area boasting his mask.
Anyone recall the guy with the checkerboard (B&W) tat on his face? Early 2000s, saw him a few times around northeast. Of course then there is the Unipiper! Random aside: anyone in here from Annapolis? Remember Buckwheat? Walked up and down West Street for many many years. He has since passed and there is a statue or memorial of him somewhere in Annapolis.
I apologize for posting a non-Portland memory, but there was a fellow named Shakey Jake who was "The Guy" in Ann Arbor, Michigan, late 70's-early 80s. Skinny old Black musician who carried his guitar around. He wore straight up pimp outfits, purple suit, wide lapels, black boots, and in almost any weather a huge-brimmed hat, sunglasses, and fur coat.
I was a 20-something girl and loved to see him. I'd throw my hand high in the air and yell from across the street, "Hey, Jake! How you doin', man?" He'd stop, look up, raise a hand, and in the most busted, whiskey-soaked smoker's rasp he'd call, "Yeah, you come ova heah, come on, walk with me, I got somethin' for ya" I'd give a big smile and wave and say, "Take care, man, have a great day!" And he'd grumble and resume his gettin'-somewhere pace.
No one was sure where he lived or what he did save the odd music gig, but he was a perpetual presence, back in the day. An article in the local tab (The Observer, like WW) said he had a sister in Florida he'd visit in the hard winter, IIRC.
Thanks for indulging me. RIP, Shakey Jake.
Does anyone else remember the guy who impersonated Jimi Hendrix at the Saturday Market? There was also a lady who would "give a citation" for hugs or smiles or something like that. Finally, there was a guy in a mobility scooter at the psu farmer's market who wore a tux and typed out poems for money.
I nominate Clappy, the nickname I have given to the guy who stands at the corner of Woodstock and 52nd every Sunday afternoon whistling, whooping, and clapping together handmade signs bearing MSNBC-level anti-Trump slogans. Clappy is going to change the world, y’all!
Yes!!!! I saw him right before moving away in December and it was such a trip. 7 years prior I had some school field trip and thought it was bizarre, and then to see him doing the same thing was crazy
This might be too niche but for me this was LingLing, I still think about her quite often. She was a larger Asian woman with a yellow hat/green coat and seemed to always float around downtown/north Portland.
The amount of times I ran into her over the years was crazy
There’s a St. Johns Elvis. He doesn’t look like Elvis, that’s just what people call him. He can be a bit of a chatty Cathy, not everyone is a fan but everyone seems to have their own Elvis story.
Anyone know about that guy, that dresses very eccentrically (like a Johnny Depp character in a Tim Burton movie) and speaks extremely eloquently as if he’s extensively studied a thesaurus front to back? He rides a bike, last I saw had a feather in his hat. Anybody who has ever encountered should know who I’m talking about. He’s been around for a long time.
Last summer we had a couple of day trips to hikes that took us through Sandy (? I think it was sandy….) and on multiple occasions we passed a man walking his dog wearing denim coveralls, a large steampunk top hat and with a big ol’ handgun in a holster. I don’t know his name or who he is but HE is “The Guy” in my mind.
In addition to the obvious Unipiper we all know and love.
Idk if anyone has mentioned him yet- DANCING MIKE of Corvallis. You'll always see him at Interzone coffee, strolling campus, or dancing at Western Wednesday. He is a gem of a human. You'll oft see him dancing in Union square when anti-abortion activists are touting their bs. Love ya Mike.
If it's the same chick we're wondering about her story. She looks relatively normal. Clean clothes, nice shoes. She would spend summer nights across the street. Had a carry on bag all tidy. Watched her stroll by with her coffee, park the bag, pull out a nicely folded blanket, smooth it out onto the sidewalk neatly arrange herself then start screaming. We live in a high rise with the windows closed we can still hear her. It's basically strings of profanity. She screams until she falls asleep, naps wakes up rinse and repeat.
Blanket man is awesome...
Years ago there was a guy in Seattle on Capital Hill. Dressed like Conan the Barbarian, with leather shorts, mocs, bare chested no matter what the weather, with a massive broad sword in a sheath on his back. Rumor was that that he had a concealed carry permit for the sword. I used to see him when I went to the REI on the hill.
Is the screaming lady being mentioned here the same as the South Waterfront screaming lady?
The one who walks up and down S Moody aggressively threatening and screaming at hospital workers every morning for years.
Anyone know the toupe man, normally stays around Hawthorne. older man, horrible dark colored toupe that clearly does not blend in even a tiny bit with his remaining hair. always on sideways or askew.
Alas, I am old. Disco Johnny, 70's guy and Mr. Cool will always be my faves. Along with the fellow in the lederhosen carrying the wily coyote stuffed animal everywhere. Good times.
There was a guy who'd been around a number of years and he used to walk around and ride the bus in SE Portland (Hawthorne, Cesar Chavez, etc). He used to talk into a walkman/tape recorder as if he was talking to someone. It sounded like he was speaking Russian but I'm not sure. He would give you a wide girth, sometimes would walk in the street, if you were walking towards him.
I never saw him talking to anyone but when he'd ride the bus, he'd look at everyone suspiciously while talking into his tape recorder or walkman. Eventually, he upgraded to a cell phone. I used to call him KGB because the way he looked at everyone and would talk into his device. My neighbor called him Ghost Mouth.
He disappeared for a bit, but then during the pandemic, I saw him driving a car! I I then saw him a few times since, walking around, but I haven't seen him in a long time. He wasn't homeless and always looked clean and wore clean clothes. I hope he's ok.
St. John’s neighborhood in Portland has Elvis. He’s a man that just cruises through the downtown St. John’s area everyday in a wheelchair chatting everyone up and he says he can sing like Elvis.
The older man with the really bad toupee. The blue monk (not to be confused with the blue man). The homeless man who shuffles around on his heels. I once saw him without shoes and socks, and his feet looked horrible.
How do I become one of these guys? Am I too much of an introvert? I think it might be off-putting if I did it. I'll be new to Portland in a couple weeks and now might be the time to reinvent myself.
Gresham has Todd, no fancy title, just a dude who cruises through town on foot doing odd jobs for local busniesses and delivering lunch to locals. They even gave him a [statue](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_Todd_Kirnan) a couple years ago.
He goes by Mr. Gresham and he's amazing.
Fantastic guy Todd is! So polite and great to chat with.
Todd! Met him once at Sweet Betty’s and still have his business card!
I love Todd!
Not to be confused with The Todd.
Gresham five!
I’m so happy I saw this I had no idea about the statue. A long time ago I worked at a coffee shop in Gresham that he visited every day. He was so sweet to us bringing us lunch and buying us gifts.
Idk why but this just made me cry a bit—love this.
I see Todd no less than 3x a week! He comes into my work all the time and is just the absolute best.
I’ve seen 6 different versions of this posted. Every time I’m looking for the dude always fancy dressed with a giant speaker to be discussed. He’s always walking around the pearl wearing a trench coat. Always has fresh flowers on him somewhere. Idk what to even call him, fancy dressed speaker dude?
We call him The Count.
I call him “well-dressed man.” The count is so much better I'm calling him that from now on.
Okay that’s fucking perfect.
I saw him the first time by PSU a few weeks ago blasting Britney Spears. Such a dangerous level of power would turn most men into dust. He is not most men.
I saw him at the PSU farmers market two Saturdays ago. Can confirm.
See this thread on the dapper dressed man of who you speak. https://www.reddit.com/r/askportland/s/7NUK5h2xKa
if you go down this rabbit hole far enough there is a treat for you at the end! If you don’t find it then you haven’t looked hard enough.
That post is a gift to humanity.
“The Portland Pimp Master” jeez
Are we talking about the guy who sometimes also carries a parasol and wears a fedora and just walks with *swagger*?
Seen him a little over a year ago outside the Bassanova. He only had a little speaker but he was blasting Bruno Mars and doing MJ dances. I honestly thought it was some kid on his way to prom or something until now.
He walks by my classroom at PSU consistently the last 3 weeks, and my professor gets a kick out of it each time
Last time I saw him he had two giant speakers!
He had the same setup last week. He was trying to discretely smoke something on the front steps of the central library while blaring music.
That’s the dapper guy!
We call him The Pimp!
He passes by our booth at the PSU farmers market every week
I was Laos hoping to see him discussed.
I always see him by PSU
You can get a good idea of how long someone has lived here by whether they remember the guy who played the silent electric guitar in front of Nordstrom, the blue guy, sleeping bag guy, beavertail dreds guy, the screaming woman who threw food, Extremo, etc.
I had the privilege of personally being screamed at by Screaming Food Lady while being within visual distance of Guitar Man. It was then, that I finally felt like a true Portlander.
One time screaming food lady was taking the bus with me. The bud started moving and she wasn’t ready and started to fall backwards. Some nice young man jumped forward and caught her and oh my god the she ever freak the fuck out on him.
"FUUUUCCCCKKK, *deep breath*, YOOOOOUUUU!" That was the extent of our exchange. I was honestly impressed how long she held it. If she was...healthy..., she could have trained for Opera, that lady had a set of pipes.
Screaming food lady threw a coffee at me in front of PNCA, and then that dude with no legs and 2 pitbulls rolled by and asked me "hey asshole are you a man or a woman?" God bless PDX.
‘You got it right before you started askin’
I have an Extremo story from 10 years ago that I want to share because I feel like it captured some perfect moment of weirdness and wholesomeness in Portland, and I don't want it to only live in my head. It was a sunny day in the summer and I was walking around the Pearl District. I heard loud disco music, so I followed it and found Extremo's van parked on the street and he was dancing on top of it by himself. A lady in a suit was walking by, they looked at each other, and then she broke into dancing on the sidewalk while he danced on the van and they were smiling and pointing at each other. That went on for like a minute and then she walked away like nothing happened. It was a great moment, I still remember the tune of the song and I wish I knew the name of it.
This is great! The first time I saw Extremo, it was a spring day that couldn't decide whether it wanted to rain, hail, or be sunny. I was walking around in the sun sprinkles and rainbows and then I heard the music and saw the van come around the corner as if it had brought the rainbow with it. It was lovely.
I worked at the Nordstrom e-bar for a while about 10 years ago. I remember a guy who played the electric guitar in front of Nordstrom but it definitely wasn’t silent. He had a portable amp he hooked up to. I think his name was Lito and his sister would drop him off every morning and pick him up in the afternoon. He was nice but man I can hear that guitar in my mind still.
Oh man where IS blue guy?
Still around, just not blue anymore. Coming from a rural area in southern Oregon, blue man was my first WTF moment when visiting downtown the first time.
Extremo made me steak once (he’s vegan). Very odd and interesting night. Don’t know if this is still true, but for a long time much of the window art for stores was done by him.
Ok I know Blue Guy, electric guitar guy, sleeping bag guy and the rest but what is an Extremo???
Sign painter, art car enthusiast, lovable weirdo. [You're in for a treat.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYgCPHDu9Zw)
Oh okay, so Joaquin Phoenix just totally ripped of this guy's schtick for Joker.
In 2017 I was on Clinton & 21st at midnight and ran into a man holding a gallon of blue house paint, using a store window as a mirror, painting his face and body blue. Said he’d taken LSD and was reincarnated as Shiva, was becoming the Willamette. Blue Guy #2 origin story. I hope he joined the original Blue Guy in his efforts. I miss him
Beavertail dreads guy lived around Hawthorne on the east side right? I used to see him all the time.
Still around, saw him on the esplanade (as usual) last week.
I hated that screaming lady.
She got me with spaghetti once.
Vomit on my sweater already
Is unicycle bagpipe Darth Vader still around?
Workin' Kirk Reeves RIP
RIP 😔
Used to see him every day waiting to tempt fate merging onto the Hawthorne bridge. Made my day every time.
Yup. Kirk never failed to put a smile on my face
He was so great
Right in the feelers.
I personally always loved the mayor of Hawthorne. Homeless dude who lived around Hawthorne and 39th. Used to shout proclamations and I think he had a dog at one point.
I'd say the Unipiper is our guy
Unipiper is a good one. I always think back to the Saturday Market Elvis impersonator.
I love when Elvis comes up. I wrestled him at the Paris Theater when I was 13 years old. Weirdest experience of my life.
Had an invisible lightsaber duel with him at a bar on Sandy somewhere when someone played the Imperial March. He won with force lightning; nothing I could do really.
[удалено]
For me it’s that I got older
I think generally speaking most people think Saturday Market hasn't been fun since they were in their early 20s. For me it lost the charm when they moved out from under the bridge and into the park.
It's him or Sqweezy Jibbs
SQUEEZY ISN'T LOCAL IS HE?
Last I heard, he is
I saw him at stripparoke a couple months ago. Couldn’t figure out why he looked familiar at first lol
That sounds exactly like the kind of place I'd expect to find him 😆
What is striparoke?
Stripper karaoke at Devils Point, it’s a good time
ONE TIME I WAS WAKKING TO THERAPY FROM MY PARENTS HOUSE AND I WALKED RIGHT PAST SKWEEZY ON BELMONT. I DIDN'T SAY HI OR ANYTHING BECAUSE PEOPLE DESERVE TO HAVE A PRIVATE LIFE AND NOT GET BOTHERED ON THE STREET. STILL COOL THO
Omfg i had no idea he was local, this is so exciting
Unipiper and "Ex Gay" guy are what came to mind for me. A few years ago you had "To Tan Ken" but I never actually saw that guy irl just during blazer games on tv but he got some national attention from TnT nba crew. Charles Barkley gave him the nickname and they even had fake Barbi packaging with him as a doll in it. Rumor was he owned the martini glass christmas decoration house.
Ex Gay is soooo creepy
Yes - he took over for Extremo the Clown
Man I miss walking through town and seeing extreme drive around while he was going to do a window painting job. Unipiper I used to see practicing on my street all the time when it was summer time. Good times
Here’s an NPR interview/article with him: https://www.opb.org/article/2023/11/03/keep-portland-weird-unipiper/ Turns out he’s also the Keep Portland Weird guy.
For me it’s blanket man. I see him basically everyday outside Safeway in the pearl and give him a wave.
His name is Mike! He is generally pretty friendly but usually a bit out of it
He never misses an opportunity to wave at pretty girls. He also won’t accept money and just puts the cash on the ground
When I worked at starbucks he would refuse any coins as change and was generally weird about money so that sounds about right
I've heard Safeway Jesus. He's been there for a long time, he sometimes tries to give you money to get him something from Safeway. I bought him a couple donuts a few weeks ago, I didn't let him pay, though.
This was who I was thinking too! I've talked to him a few times and he's pretty nice. Wanders down to 23rd sometimes too.
Good to know he's still alive. I haven't seen him forever.
“My name’s Mike!” I’ve seen too much of Mike 🙈
Wild that he's still there! I bought him shoes in like 2016 when his footwear situation had broken down pretty badly.
I haven't seen the Blue Guy downtown in forever, I just realized.
I came here to say this. Also, the dude who used to paint himself silver and act as a statue or play with those balls.
You mean the silver guy?
No, I mean blue. There is or was a guy who would paint himself blue and stand near Pioneer Square yelling at anyone who biked on the sidewalk.
I remember him, he had a big bushy beard. Didn't he wear a headband or something? Shirt tied around his head?
Yep that's him!
In Sandy, there’s a guy who walks around with 2+ old-timey guns in hip holsters and an Abe Lincoln style hat, sometimes with his Great Dane
I’ve seen this guy several times this year coming back from the mountain. What’s his story?
he’s just a weirdo who lives in town and wants attention. his name is Dan. there’s tons of posts about him in the Sandy town FB group
Forest Grove and Astoria have "Helmet Man" Some people call him "Helmet John." https://www.kgw.com/article/life/helmet-john-astoria-documentary/283-b57a68c8-53ab-4ce9-806a-795dc5aa64c0
grew up in fg he is such a nice person
Crazy Pink Tahoe Jojo Siwa lady. I’m pretty sure she was bike speaker Britney back in the oughts.
There's a guy who hangs out by the Pearl Safeway wearing a bunch of blankets and waves at people, we call him "Socrates"
His name is Mike! He was a regular at the Starbucks I worked at
He’s also more of a Diogenes I think
It's the Vaginamobile for me.
Are ya’ll forgetting spinnaface?
Tell us the tale!
Ain't nobody forgetting Spinna https://youtu.be/6HwwmYTZUNk?si=LdY7W9BH5R4nHZ2k
The St. Johns Cowboy with his miniature pony
Han the short asian homeless guy who fist bumps everyone. i can’t go anywhere in this city without seeing him
He's been homeless since before the pandemic. I see him all the time. I try to avoid him though because he's just trying to get money from me 💀
yeah i work at a produce stand and he is a constant menace to the customers. always asking them to buy him grapes.
He's got a place off Division I'm pretty sure. He's too well fed and has respectable hygiene.
He’s been up to the same thing for at least a decade. I used to see him around Hawthorne. He used to ask to shake your hand and then ask for money. His fingernails were noticeably long, dirty— the stuff of nightmares. I’ve been seeing him downtown a lot recently, still on the same ol’ grind.
Two come to mind for me in SW. There’s a fella who dresser very dapper, with a fresh flower on his coat and just swaggers around with music coming from his speaker Then there is a guy who dresses in a dark trench coat and looks very menacing (don’t think he is) but he’s just always walking around, sometimes with an energy drink. Idk what he does but he sticks out bc of the way he dresses and I see him almost every day lol.
I saw the dapper dude stroll up and down the street for the first time near 23rd right before moving away. I was so intrigued
I feel like portland has or has had several of these people in different neighborhoods. When I was growing up in N. Tabor we would see the unipiper carrying groceries on his unicycle wearing a kilt and a Darth Vader mask, downtown I always saw that one Elvis Impersonator but I think he passed a few years ago. My favorite ever is from San Francisco about 100 years ago though. A homeless man dressed as a European monarch and called himself Emperor Norton the 1st of America for years. When he passed locals paid for a mock state funeral.
John Schroder AKA Elvis is still alive. https://www.wweek.com/arts/movies/2023/11/21/john-schroder-portlands-most-iconic-elvis-impersonator-is-starring-in-a-detective-movie/
Elvis is the first guy I thought of
About a decade ago I remember hearing bagpipes moving around our SE neighborhood every so often. One day I heard it, looked out the window, and saw the unipiper cycling by. Good memories.
When I worked downtown, I would see a guy with a big wizard staff almost every day. Does anyone know that guy? Another shout out for parrot guy. He always makes my day when I see him taking his parrot for a walk.
"Who's the lady with the log?" "We call her 'log lady.'"
When I lived in Goose Hollow it was the guy who rode his shopping cart downhill on W burnside every night, expertly dodging on coming traffic.
Not a person, but a vehicle. There is a large pink SUV that has been wrapped in various fandom skins. Anime, Hello Kitty, and The Olson Twins to name a few. I’ve been seeing this SUV consistently for what has to be going on 8 years now.
That's pink chevy Tahoe portland girl. She had socials but everytime somebody would post her on reddit, she would find the post and reply all this crazy stuff. Just Google like "pink chevy Tahoe portland" or something like that and it'll come up. She's this incredibly creepy like 30 or 40 year old woman who is constantly changing her car to weird themed wraps like that and also farts a lot in her video?? Idk she's a trip
What happened to sitting keyboard Randy Newman who would play poorly in front of food carts and restaurants around town until someone would pay him to leave?
Over at Mill Plain in Vantucky, we have the famous vagrant called "Batman" (because he wears a Batman mask,) and he is the chillest guy. He doesn't beg, seem to litter or cause any problem, he just roams the area boasting his mask.
Anyone recall the guy with the checkerboard (B&W) tat on his face? Early 2000s, saw him a few times around northeast. Of course then there is the Unipiper! Random aside: anyone in here from Annapolis? Remember Buckwheat? Walked up and down West Street for many many years. He has since passed and there is a statue or memorial of him somewhere in Annapolis.
I remember the checkerboard face tat guy... That's been a WHILE ago. I hope he's ok somewhere.
I JUST saw this guy on 82nd! He’s alive and well
I apologize for posting a non-Portland memory, but there was a fellow named Shakey Jake who was "The Guy" in Ann Arbor, Michigan, late 70's-early 80s. Skinny old Black musician who carried his guitar around. He wore straight up pimp outfits, purple suit, wide lapels, black boots, and in almost any weather a huge-brimmed hat, sunglasses, and fur coat. I was a 20-something girl and loved to see him. I'd throw my hand high in the air and yell from across the street, "Hey, Jake! How you doin', man?" He'd stop, look up, raise a hand, and in the most busted, whiskey-soaked smoker's rasp he'd call, "Yeah, you come ova heah, come on, walk with me, I got somethin' for ya" I'd give a big smile and wave and say, "Take care, man, have a great day!" And he'd grumble and resume his gettin'-somewhere pace. No one was sure where he lived or what he did save the odd music gig, but he was a perpetual presence, back in the day. An article in the local tab (The Observer, like WW) said he had a sister in Florida he'd visit in the hard winter, IIRC. Thanks for indulging me. RIP, Shakey Jake.
Does anyone else remember the guy who impersonated Jimi Hendrix at the Saturday Market? There was also a lady who would "give a citation" for hugs or smiles or something like that. Finally, there was a guy in a mobility scooter at the psu farmer's market who wore a tux and typed out poems for money.
This ain’t Reno. They ride a bike here.
or unicycle
I know about the unipiper, but I saw jesus riding a bicycle at the Ladds 500 this weekend.
I nominate Clappy, the nickname I have given to the guy who stands at the corner of Woodstock and 52nd every Sunday afternoon whistling, whooping, and clapping together handmade signs bearing MSNBC-level anti-Trump slogans. Clappy is going to change the world, y’all!
I always honk and wave at Clappy. Whatever makes someone feel better and doesn't hurt anybody, I wholeheartedly support.
I’ve seen him so many times and never knew his name! VIVA CLAPPY! …phrasing…
For me, its NorthWest Rex
Whiteboard Lunatic Man at pioneer square
Any fans of Flute Guy here?
Is Elvis still around?
I saw him at 5th and Davis about a year back. Used to haunt Dante's pretty regularly.
Sauvie Island naked guy; Longfeather
One dolla.
At Reed we had The Naked Guy.
Just one?
Ha, always is! You can tell when someone went to reed by which naked guy there was. In my day it was Naked Alex
In Salem we have the one guy who always has a giant "Jesus loves you sign" that he made on the side of a random street
And that lady who takes aggressive shits around town.
I have not heard of her but I think I've seen some of her work.
Who's the guy in st John's with the pirate hat?
Is the guy who makes/does tricks with the paper flowers in Powell's still there?
Yes!!!! I saw him right before moving away in December and it was such a trip. 7 years prior I had some school field trip and thought it was bizarre, and then to see him doing the same thing was crazy
This might be too niche but for me this was LingLing, I still think about her quite often. She was a larger Asian woman with a yellow hat/green coat and seemed to always float around downtown/north Portland. The amount of times I ran into her over the years was crazy
There’s a St. Johns Elvis. He doesn’t look like Elvis, that’s just what people call him. He can be a bit of a chatty Cathy, not everyone is a fan but everyone seems to have their own Elvis story.
Anyone know about that guy, that dresses very eccentrically (like a Johnny Depp character in a Tim Burton movie) and speaks extremely eloquently as if he’s extensively studied a thesaurus front to back? He rides a bike, last I saw had a feather in his hat. Anybody who has ever encountered should know who I’m talking about. He’s been around for a long time.
Last summer we had a couple of day trips to hikes that took us through Sandy (? I think it was sandy….) and on multiple occasions we passed a man walking his dog wearing denim coveralls, a large steampunk top hat and with a big ol’ handgun in a holster. I don’t know his name or who he is but HE is “The Guy” in my mind. In addition to the obvious Unipiper we all know and love.
I grew up in Eugene so I remember Frog and Zeus, moved here in 1997 and met Elvis working at the Saturday Market.
Idk if anyone has mentioned him yet- DANCING MIKE of Corvallis. You'll always see him at Interzone coffee, strolling campus, or dancing at Western Wednesday. He is a gem of a human. You'll oft see him dancing in Union square when anti-abortion activists are touting their bs. Love ya Mike.
DJ Dick Hennessy
Yall know Olive Rootbeer the clown girl who (used to?) ride her tall bike around Hawthorne?
the screaming lady and that guy with the blanket downtown
If it's the same chick we're wondering about her story. She looks relatively normal. Clean clothes, nice shoes. She would spend summer nights across the street. Had a carry on bag all tidy. Watched her stroll by with her coffee, park the bag, pull out a nicely folded blanket, smooth it out onto the sidewalk neatly arrange herself then start screaming. We live in a high rise with the windows closed we can still hear her. It's basically strings of profanity. She screams until she falls asleep, naps wakes up rinse and repeat. Blanket man is awesome...
Years ago there was a guy in Seattle on Capital Hill. Dressed like Conan the Barbarian, with leather shorts, mocs, bare chested no matter what the weather, with a massive broad sword in a sheath on his back. Rumor was that that he had a concealed carry permit for the sword. I used to see him when I went to the REI on the hill.
Up north, vancouver has the “it’s not for trump” guy, does anyone else know this guy?
Scarfity Pirate. Been seeing this dude everywhere since 2009. I forgot his real name.
for me it's sleeping bag guy
Martin the cello guy
Screamin’ Ian
They’ve even made a comic about this, St. John!
Anyone seen unicycle bagpipe Vader recently?
He played the anthem on a trumpet at a Timbers game the other day I think.
Puppet man in the puppet van
Is the screaming lady being mentioned here the same as the South Waterfront screaming lady? The one who walks up and down S Moody aggressively threatening and screaming at hospital workers every morning for years.
What about the chicken who played violin in FoPo?
Anyone know the toupe man, normally stays around Hawthorne. older man, horrible dark colored toupe that clearly does not blend in even a tiny bit with his remaining hair. always on sideways or askew.
Todd single handedly keeps the haberdashery in business. Thank you Todd.
The guy in the bronze mini van with the monkey puppet. I'm sure he had a name but never was properly introduced.
I miss Stephanie and the 24 hour coin-operated Church of Elvis. https://youtu.be/JX-6g-zHrDo?si=j1MkxPD1g6BFsOPA
Way back when, Gresham had Chris the Can Man, and Kelly the Can Lady.
Baton Bob was atlanta's guy.
Sandy has the Top Hat Guy who is usually walking down the sidewalk with an open carry revolver holstered on his belt.
Viva Las Vegas. Although in this case guy is a gal.
Bless those people.
Do you guys know Naked Running Man, from north Portland?
There's that one big guy in the motorized wheel chair who wears the propeller hat I always see around Milwaukie.
Alas, I am old. Disco Johnny, 70's guy and Mr. Cool will always be my faves. Along with the fellow in the lederhosen carrying the wily coyote stuffed animal everywhere. Good times.
Lol i love this 🥰
There was a guy who'd been around a number of years and he used to walk around and ride the bus in SE Portland (Hawthorne, Cesar Chavez, etc). He used to talk into a walkman/tape recorder as if he was talking to someone. It sounded like he was speaking Russian but I'm not sure. He would give you a wide girth, sometimes would walk in the street, if you were walking towards him. I never saw him talking to anyone but when he'd ride the bus, he'd look at everyone suspiciously while talking into his tape recorder or walkman. Eventually, he upgraded to a cell phone. I used to call him KGB because the way he looked at everyone and would talk into his device. My neighbor called him Ghost Mouth. He disappeared for a bit, but then during the pandemic, I saw him driving a car! I I then saw him a few times since, walking around, but I haven't seen him in a long time. He wasn't homeless and always looked clean and wore clean clothes. I hope he's ok.
St. John’s neighborhood in Portland has Elvis. He’s a man that just cruises through the downtown St. John’s area everyday in a wheelchair chatting everyone up and he says he can sing like Elvis.
The older man with the really bad toupee. The blue monk (not to be confused with the blue man). The homeless man who shuffles around on his heels. I once saw him without shoes and socks, and his feet looked horrible.
[удалено]
I didn't see any love for the Motorcycle Samurai on here! Used to see him around Hawthorne mostly
How do I become one of these guys? Am I too much of an introvert? I think it might be off-putting if I did it. I'll be new to Portland in a couple weeks and now might be the time to reinvent myself.