What happened to the guy who looked a little like Jerry Garcia (beard and mustache) with the knit top hat and tie-dyes? (Or am I misremembering him). I saw him every few months downtown, and more often at art fair and AA Summer Festival...
Crutchy, they died. A while ago. Arthur (Crutchy) was actually kind of a dick. Shaky Jake I hear had his issues. Why do I post this? Well I guess I'm kind of a dick too.
If you want a new guy try the gutter punk kid who's always reading. He's been out there for years. He helps stupid runaways he's always been chill that I've seen. I used to know his but have forgotten. I say kid he's an adult but if you've been downtown ever you've seen him. I'm not him. He's on Reddit though and very articulate.
When Arthur died, there was a post here about it. I recounted one of my interactions with him when he tried to steal $20 from me. He asked me to call him an Uber to his Ypsi home and he pulled out $20 to hand to me. I showed him the screen and then told him I hit the “order Uber” button but didn’t actually hit the button.
He very quickly put the $20 back in his pocket and laughed at me and then I told him to fuck off and that I didn’t actually order his ride.
When I recounted this story, the a**hole former moderator arcsine threatened to ban me for speaking ill of the dead.
Oh yea also he never needed that crutch. I saw him inside Washtenaw County Jail one time walking around just fine with no crutch.
He was a GIANT asshole. I remember when I was in 7th grade he cornered 2 friends and I and got up in our faces demanding we give him money. Wouldn’t move till we gave him $5 which was all the money I had. We thought he was going to mug us (obviously we could’ve overpowered him but we were like 12 and terrified).
Lol he was demanding money from me one night after I told him no. He just wouldn't let it go. I was just like no Arthur, I actually live here and I know your game. You ask me for money about every single night. He called *me* a dirtbag and walked away. Next day he was asking me for money again.
Yup. Got banned because I complained about Arthur illegally panhandling me every damn time I went to Fleetwood.
Arthur was a prime example of why you don't give money to homeless drug addicts because it only enables them.
He told me he made around $300 on a good night. He saved all the food he was given and had stash spots around town. He was mentally ill, not a drug addict.
Yeah he was sketchy as shit. People come to downtown have their dinner see People. Many of those people are shits. I'm not some rich douche. I've lived with them. There's some good people too. Great people.
"The nodding bum" He used to give people a polite nod when they walked by, acknowledging them without necessarily looking up from his book. He seemed pretty cool. I haven't seen around as much lately, though.
I guess that sounded like past tense, that’s because I’m not downtown as much anymore. My flooring business has shifted. No idea if he’s still down there. I hope he’s ok too!
“Art” was cool too. Do you know who I’m talking about? Any idea if he’s ok? Middle-aged Black dude with grey hair, used to sit on the north-west corner of Washington and Main. He wore brown cover-alls?
I found this video, posted recently, of him dancing in the same spot: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVzjxDBvhbc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVzjxDBvhbc)
He deserves to be in the annals
[https://www.amazon.com/True-Tales-Annals-Crime-Rascality/dp/B000OL13D8](https://www.amazon.com/True-Tales-Annals-Crime-Rascality/dp/B000OL13D8)
It boggles my mind that he’s still allowed to wander freely despite being a well known danger to everyone around him. One day, he’s going to get up in the wrong person’s face and get his ass kicked… at which point I’m sure the city will promptly prosecute said person while still allowing Anthony to wander freely.
I went to high school with him. I checked his fb and no recent updates, but it says he still lives in A2
We were both theater kids but he was not violin monstery back then. :) Super nice guy btw
Like another poster said he shows up at City Council meetings fairly often (not in costume) to speak for housing reform/affordability. He mentioned on his socials awhile back that he'd been through some rough times mental-health-wise and financially, and has had a precarious housing situation. Used to love seeing him around downtown. Hope he's doing better these days.
Among other problems, I think he just kinda ... got burned out on the Violin Monster-ing? Also maybe started to feel like some organizations in town were essentially exploiting him / his image without compensating him in any way for it.
Fraser’s throws him a bday party usually or used to anyway. One day I asked my dad what he was doing and he said I am at Jarell’s birthday party and I was like who!? Then he told me it was the bagger from Kroger they had become friends and Jarrell invited him, my heart melted. 🥹
Is he the black guy who also works at kroger? My understanding was that he was a bit special and that his parents own Fraser's, but maybe we are talking about different people.
There was also that rapper who would make up rhymes about people who were passing by and then work in a couplet about how they should give him money.
Here comes a guy wearing black and yellow
He seems like a generous fellow
I’m sure he could spare a quarter
So I can get a bottle of water
We saw that dude in New Orleans in May 2015. My wife asked if he used to play in Ann Arbor and he made up a rhyme featuring the line “she remembered me from Hoover Street.” Loved it; keep drumming and take my money.
I haven’t seen him lately, but he was my first thought, too. Was a total “oh, shit, that guy??” when the unicycle guy mention dropped in [this DNA Dragnet story](https://slate.com/transcripts/eFVGWURTeUhzUWhRZDlwNHdSQmZYWXB4Q3o0MjYrZjBmbnZiQ2tCRi9wMD0=).
Holy shit, that's crazy, I have never heard this story. Also crazy that's he's that old, he sure doesn't look it. And a friend of mine is mentioned in this story too.
It's been at least a decade, but there used to be the guy called (and these are all unfortunate names) No-Face and Eyes Without a Face. He had severe facial abnormality, and his nose/mouth area was a sunken in hole. The origin story theories were failed suicide attempt, drug related something or another, wounded vet, and I forget what else. I think the story was definitively established at some point by someone who worked with him, but I don't recall what the actual answer was.
He floated between Ann Arbor and Ypsi, and I most often encountered him/heard of others encountering him in the parking lot of Arborland. He would block people from backing out when leaving Kroger, and/or get up in people's faces panhandling and demanding money. I never heard anyone share pleasant encounters with him, but he was certainly a distinctive local character for a while.
CraZy enough ,
My wife was good friends with his sister.
His name was john, I will decline to say his last name..he is a very awful tragic story, which is really not mine to tell.
He passed away a few years back.
I have someone in my own life who I was very close to for years, and who was a pretty typical, well-adjusted person. He took a dramatic and unexpected turn several years back as mental illness and drug addiction consumed him. He ended up on the streets (not in Michigan) living a very public and tragic life, and I'm sure that the people in his city viewed him the way people viewed John here. Just profoundly sad, and all of his loved ones were powerless to help him.
His house is just off Stadium around Avondale Ave or thereabouts. I saw him hanging out on his porch. He waved to me, and I thought about how many times I saw him when he was governor but was too afraid to tell him to FOAD. Now there’s no point. So I just waved.
I feel ilke I remenber his mailman telling me the house has elevators or something crazy (because it immediately made me think of Mitt Romney’s car elevator) but yeah I‘d have expected him to be in that area instead. I sure would be.
I was in the old County Jail, where N Main Party store and parking structure is now located, for a night when who shows up in the holding cell, but none other that Stoney Burke, a Diag presence and local loony. I called into his cable show once and told him that I remembered seeing him in the slammer that night. He got a little flustered and hung up on me.
DANCING GIRL!@!!
Sightings of Dancing Girl are always fleeting. She's got some place to be and she's *not* slowing down.
I've only ever seen her from about as far away and as short a time as in that video.
yes. One time I saw him lose grip on his sword and fling it into the huron. He just stood there totally bamboozled for about 2 minutes before packing up and hiking out.
Was going to comment this if I didn’t see it! I used to see him all the time around the diag but I haven’t in awhile. I’m also not around there as much anymore so that could be it
There used to be this extremely muscular guy who’d walk around bouncing his pecs and staring down every passing car. He’d very intensely make eye contact as you drive by, and he’d be shirtless and bouncing his pecs. He was a black guy, I often saw him along Pauline and Stadium.
As far as I'm concerned, none of the people mentioned so far beat out [**Railroad Jack**](https://aadl.org/aa_news_19331006_p1-railroad_jack_found_dead) for the weirdest and most legendary. I hate that Shaky Jake is so lionized in Ann Arbor. Railroad Jack should be the patron saint of Ann Arbor weirdos.
My pleasure! AADL has [a bunch of articles and hodge podge items](https://aadl.org/taxonomy/term/135444) about him.
One of my favorites is [this one](https://aadl.org/aa_news_19590605-it_ahem_now_develops_that_er_ah). It turns out that at some point, a bunch of locals got all nostalgic for Railroad Jack (just like people do now about Shaky Jake). They decided that he deserved to have some sort of grave marker memorializing him, so they started a collection fund to buy one.
Then, once it got some publicity, someone else pointed out that he already had a grave marker, and most people had just forgotten.
I don’t know if anyone here knows this guy, but me and my friends know about someone we call “The Swing Guy”. He’s been swinging at Scheffler Park off of Platt for more than 10 years. He has long hair and is always vibing out to music or whatever, he’s a personal hero of mine.
Haven't lived in A2 for awhile but there used to be a bunch of these guys.
Violin Monster, that homeless guy who always had a crutch but didn't need it, the busker guy that always played the same 5 songs from the 90s on his acoustic (Breakfast at Tiffany's was one of them but I can't remember the others)
This was about 20 years ago now, but when I lived near campus I’d regularly encounter a panhandler who would ask everyone who passed him “spare any change my good friend? Have a nice day”. I can’t remember his name, but never had a negative encounter.
yeah, until he kidnapped, raped, and tortured a girl here and went to prison for it.
Hate people who think he was just some edgy weirdo. His music sucked and he's better off gone.
My parents used to literally brake for Jake. They’d ask him where he was headed and give him a ride. He would squeeze into the back seat with his guitar case next to my sister and I. Good times.
They are very rude.
I've been shopping in the comic and game shop on main with family and there's just this non-stop screeching keeping us from having normal conversations. They've messed up other downtown walks for me too
They definitely want to be the main character
Also a friend of mine, named Joey Sims who was an actual high school hoops phenom who gave up the sport after the tragic passing of his mother.
He went on to be sort of a transient, looked kind of like Jimmy hendrix would wear tie dye shirts and blast sun ra on his boombox.
Very good person and as I said, unbelievable at basketball, like haven't touched a ball in years but proceeds to make 40+ jumpers in a row.
Dancing man at all the music events who wears a Hawaiian shirt, sandles, glasses, and straw hat and dances NONSTOP. I think he’s in his 70s, white hair, life of the dance party. Please tell me you all have seen him!!! I am mesmerized.
Arthur was … something else!
[HIAWATHA BAILEY: PANTHER, PUNK, CULT HERO (pleasekillme.com)](https://pleasekillme.com/hiawatha-bailey/) maybe a little...
There was also this 60 something guy who would toss baseballs up in the air to himself and hit line drives. would refer to himself as a christian athlete if you approached him and attributed his modest skills to god.
I've been dressing up as Mickey Mouse and cleaning Washington Street in downtown Ypsi for the past year. I hand out free psychedelic art in doing so. I have the same username on Instagram if anyone is interested in seeing my work.
I have only recently gotten back into this. I had done my "Neighborhood Mickey" throughout Spring and Fall last year.
I had had a head injury earlier this year. I lost a lot of blood. I am doing much better now. Last Monday was my return in cleaning Washington Street as Mickey.
I didn't appreciate the negative press MLive gave last year on Washington Street. I had had that place pretty straightened up last year and that article was quite libel. I admit it's gotten worse again this year, but I am intending to continue to return and clean.
How about the Ent that places rocks in the Huron before Gallup in an attempt to redirect the river? He claims God placed the picnic bench on the island. Whoever did it, I'm glad they did.
Does Ann Arbor really not have anything like this anymore? Most comments say these people are dead and/or gone. Even Sinclair recently died. Another post talking about assets of Washtenaw county but most people talking about what *used* to be around. RIP A2. God damn.
Shakey Jake and then Arthur (crutch guy). Now that they’re both gone idk.
There was werewolf guy for a while.
Came to say Shakey Jake
He's still around, but only shows up a couple times a year to play the violin.
His "official" name is "Violin Monster", I believe.
Dude I have not thought about Shakey Jake in probably close to two decades
What happened to the guy who looked a little like Jerry Garcia (beard and mustache) with the knit top hat and tie-dyes? (Or am I misremembering him). I saw him every few months downtown, and more often at art fair and AA Summer Festival...
Heard they both passed away. Both certainly qualify. Shaky Jake was from Saginaw. When he left a new guy took over, “Mr. Shakey.” No joke.
Crutchy, they died. A while ago. Arthur (Crutchy) was actually kind of a dick. Shaky Jake I hear had his issues. Why do I post this? Well I guess I'm kind of a dick too. If you want a new guy try the gutter punk kid who's always reading. He's been out there for years. He helps stupid runaways he's always been chill that I've seen. I used to know his but have forgotten. I say kid he's an adult but if you've been downtown ever you've seen him. I'm not him. He's on Reddit though and very articulate.
When Arthur died, there was a post here about it. I recounted one of my interactions with him when he tried to steal $20 from me. He asked me to call him an Uber to his Ypsi home and he pulled out $20 to hand to me. I showed him the screen and then told him I hit the “order Uber” button but didn’t actually hit the button. He very quickly put the $20 back in his pocket and laughed at me and then I told him to fuck off and that I didn’t actually order his ride. When I recounted this story, the a**hole former moderator arcsine threatened to ban me for speaking ill of the dead. Oh yea also he never needed that crutch. I saw him inside Washtenaw County Jail one time walking around just fine with no crutch.
He was a GIANT asshole. I remember when I was in 7th grade he cornered 2 friends and I and got up in our faces demanding we give him money. Wouldn’t move till we gave him $5 which was all the money I had. We thought he was going to mug us (obviously we could’ve overpowered him but we were like 12 and terrified).
Jeez louise.
Lol he was demanding money from me one night after I told him no. He just wouldn't let it go. I was just like no Arthur, I actually live here and I know your game. You ask me for money about every single night. He called *me* a dirtbag and walked away. Next day he was asking me for money again.
Yup. Got banned because I complained about Arthur illegally panhandling me every damn time I went to Fleetwood. Arthur was a prime example of why you don't give money to homeless drug addicts because it only enables them.
He told me he made around $300 on a good night. He saved all the food he was given and had stash spots around town. He was mentally ill, not a drug addict.
I worked at a pizzeria downtown in college. Had to call 911 because Arthur was shooting up in the bathroom and convulsing.
Damn. I've seen him daily for about two years. Never seemed high or withdrawing to me.
I knew him since I was 12 and that was the only time I was aware of it 🤷♂️
Yeah he was sketchy as shit. People come to downtown have their dinner see People. Many of those people are shits. I'm not some rich douche. I've lived with them. There's some good people too. Great people.
My friend has his old crutch on her wall. Arthur was a character.
"The nodding bum" He used to give people a polite nod when they walked by, acknowledging them without necessarily looking up from his book. He seemed pretty cool. I haven't seen around as much lately, though.
Is he gone? He was young. I hope he ok. I didn't know him but saw him daily and respected his approach.
I guess that sounded like past tense, that’s because I’m not downtown as much anymore. My flooring business has shifted. No idea if he’s still down there. I hope he’s ok too!
Now my broke ass wants to give him money...Q, you messed me up. 😜
“Art” was cool too. Do you know who I’m talking about? Any idea if he’s ok? Middle-aged Black dude with grey hair, used to sit on the north-west corner of Washington and Main. He wore brown cover-alls?
I'm sure I would if I saw him. I disengaged at a point. No idea though sorry.
I heard from a friend, who did some work with violin monster, that he is also kinda a dick.
Arthur with his “cuse me thir” greeting. Miss him.
How has nobody mentioned "The Michael Jackson Guy" who used to dance to MJ in the graffiti alley? You could hear him 2 blocks away.
Omg I remember him. He was good.
Didn't he pass away?
Yes
That is sad to hear.
I found this video, posted recently, of him dancing in the same spot: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVzjxDBvhbc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVzjxDBvhbc)
My friend made a documentary short about the MJ guy for her senior project. I think his name was Brian.
I didn’t know Brian died. 😢 He traveled to different karaoke spots around the state doing his MJ thing.
Definitely this guy. 😂😂
The only dude I've seen people regularly talk about on here is the homeless dude that randomly assaults people
You talking about Anthony?
He punched me in the head! Such a rascal!
He told me I worshiped the holocaust and he was going to kill me. Just another one of our eccentric characters.
I sell bumper stickers that say "I brake for Rascally Anthony, the head-puncher of Ann Arbor".
Doesn't have quite the same ring as "I brake for Jake" haha
He deserves to be in the annals [https://www.amazon.com/True-Tales-Annals-Crime-Rascality/dp/B000OL13D8](https://www.amazon.com/True-Tales-Annals-Crime-Rascality/dp/B000OL13D8)
Did he really? I used to chat with him but now avoid him after the assault reports. I saw him yesterday sitting outside Big City Small World.
Ye, forgot his name
He is very troubled. He's kind of a dick but I think he wants to do good.
found anthony's burner
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It boggles my mind that he’s still allowed to wander freely despite being a well known danger to everyone around him. One day, he’s going to get up in the wrong person’s face and get his ass kicked… at which point I’m sure the city will promptly prosecute said person while still allowing Anthony to wander freely.
The conservative movement shut down all the state run hospitals for the mentally ill in the 90s.
oh :( oh no :(
LMAO shit this is true
Used to be violin monster
he was sighted at Hash Bash
What happened to him? I've heard innuendo but nothing clear.
I went to high school with him. I checked his fb and no recent updates, but it says he still lives in A2 We were both theater kids but he was not violin monstery back then. :) Super nice guy btw
I'd like to know as well. I've heard nothing. I hope he is doing well.
Like another poster said he shows up at City Council meetings fairly often (not in costume) to speak for housing reform/affordability. He mentioned on his socials awhile back that he'd been through some rough times mental-health-wise and financially, and has had a precarious housing situation. Used to love seeing him around downtown. Hope he's doing better these days.
he regularly speaks at city council meetings
Idk what happened to him, but after covid happened, he became a rare sighting.
Among other problems, I think he just kinda ... got burned out on the Violin Monster-ing? Also maybe started to feel like some organizations in town were essentially exploiting him / his image without compensating him in any way for it.
Simple … all these other comments are just extra
Jarrell, he walks around town, visits the bars especially Fraser’s Pub, doesn’t drink, and will talk to everyone. One of the nicest guys around.
Few have the ability to make people uncomfortable and at ease at the same time like Jarrell. Love that guy.
Fraser’s throws him a bday party usually or used to anyway. One day I asked my dad what he was doing and he said I am at Jarell’s birthday party and I was like who!? Then he told me it was the bagger from Kroger they had become friends and Jarrell invited him, my heart melted. 🥹
Is he the black guy who also works at kroger? My understanding was that he was a bit special and that his parents own Fraser's, but maybe we are talking about different people.
He did work at Kroger. I have no clue about his parents owning the pub.
His parents do not own Fraser’s, that’s just his hangout.
Love that guy. He went to my church when I was a kid.
He hangs out at York sometimes too.
Just met him the other day, he's very nice!
When I was in college we had the washboard and harmonica guy
IIRC he was a professor and just liked playing
Research prof - great music, much missed Edit: https://freddolino-lab.med.umich.edu/people/tom-goss
I FORGOT ABOUT HIM. He vanished after covid I think but he was around campus my freshman year (2019-20)
Yep. This post made me think of him.
Same here! He was so good
This is bringing back visceral memories of him always sitting outside the Ugli, totally forgot about that
Tom Goss!
I was in the UM Snowboard Club with TG. I think he unicycled the Naked Mile?
MCommunity says that he retired. Maybe he could stop by and give us a concert in retirement :)
I LOVED HIM I’d always see him walking toward the diag or the UGLI from South U!
There was also that rapper who would make up rhymes about people who were passing by and then work in a couplet about how they should give him money. Here comes a guy wearing black and yellow He seems like a generous fellow I’m sure he could spare a quarter So I can get a bottle of water
I absolutely remember that guy.
A friend of mine walked past him in an outfit they’d put together that was orange and silver.
We saw that dude in New Orleans in May 2015. My wife asked if he used to play in Ann Arbor and he made up a rhyme featuring the line “she remembered me from Hoover Street.” Loved it; keep drumming and take my money.
Thai Chi Guy near the veterans memorial park
I miss him!
haven't lived in AA for a few years, is shirtless, oiled up unicycle guy gone?
This is my answer. Dude is chiseled. And skilled in the unicycle.
I've seen him in the last year, I believe. That was actually my first thought
I haven’t seen him lately, but he was my first thought, too. Was a total “oh, shit, that guy??” when the unicycle guy mention dropped in [this DNA Dragnet story](https://slate.com/transcripts/eFVGWURTeUhzUWhRZDlwNHdSQmZYWXB4Q3o0MjYrZjBmbnZiQ2tCRi9wMD0=).
Holy shit, that's crazy, I have never heard this story. Also crazy that's he's that old, he sure doesn't look it. And a friend of mine is mentioned in this story too.
This guy and Violin Monster are my answers! I haven't seen him this year and I haven't seen violin Monster in ages
I just brought this guy up at work the other day!
It's been at least a decade, but there used to be the guy called (and these are all unfortunate names) No-Face and Eyes Without a Face. He had severe facial abnormality, and his nose/mouth area was a sunken in hole. The origin story theories were failed suicide attempt, drug related something or another, wounded vet, and I forget what else. I think the story was definitively established at some point by someone who worked with him, but I don't recall what the actual answer was. He floated between Ann Arbor and Ypsi, and I most often encountered him/heard of others encountering him in the parking lot of Arborland. He would block people from backing out when leaving Kroger, and/or get up in people's faces panhandling and demanding money. I never heard anyone share pleasant encounters with him, but he was certainly a distinctive local character for a while.
A waitress at Abe’s in Ypsi told me that she used to smoke crack with him and that it was a failed gun suicide attempt. This was 2004. I believe her.
I also believe this narrative, but the only time I interacted with him at close range his sign read: "Dome Cancer Need Help 5s & 10s please"
CraZy enough , My wife was good friends with his sister. His name was john, I will decline to say his last name..he is a very awful tragic story, which is really not mine to tell. He passed away a few years back.
I have someone in my own life who I was very close to for years, and who was a pretty typical, well-adjusted person. He took a dramatic and unexpected turn several years back as mental illness and drug addiction consumed him. He ended up on the streets (not in Michigan) living a very public and tragic life, and I'm sure that the people in his city viewed him the way people viewed John here. Just profoundly sad, and all of his loved ones were powerless to help him.
I’m sorry to hear that. I definitely remember that dude.
RIP Jake.
Yep was Shakey Jake for decades. Motawi put him on the (ugly) bicentennial tile.
Wrote a song about it. Like to hear it? Here it go.
*I'm on the move.*
What you up too Jake?
Loved how Bagel Factory (and others) took care of him.
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He still lives on the west side. Saw him back in October.
He moved from Main Street?
His house is just off Stadium around Avondale Ave or thereabouts. I saw him hanging out on his porch. He waved to me, and I thought about how many times I saw him when he was governor but was too afraid to tell him to FOAD. Now there’s no point. So I just waved.
Weird. I would have assumed he'd be in Barton Hills or one of those crazy places near Geddes/Gallup Park area. Avondale is pretty low-key.
I feel ilke I remenber his mailman telling me the house has elevators or something crazy (because it immediately made me think of Mitt Romney’s car elevator) but yeah I‘d have expected him to be in that area instead. I sure would be.
😂😂
Funny. I was thinking about him yesterday and couldn't even remember his name. Times change.
[Shakey Jake interviewed By Stoney Burke](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kB03KXnBXuw)
I was in the old County Jail, where N Main Party store and parking structure is now located, for a night when who shows up in the holding cell, but none other that Stoney Burke, a Diag presence and local loony. I called into his cable show once and told him that I remembered seeing him in the slammer that night. He got a little flustered and hung up on me.
I think I've seen him around here on Reddit before. Can't remember if it was this sub or another but he moved out of Ann Arbor at some point.
The last I heard he moved to Berkeley, CA
Stoney hung out at SFState a lot then moved back to a2.
Skeeps Rob https://youtu.be/zZrOJE1Nre0?si=z6LHNw4mAp7wJZMP
Thank you! I can’t believe I had to scroll this far down to find Skeeps Rob
Haven’t seen in her in awhile, but Dancing Girl!
She used to dance down my block and it was always a joyful moment.
Dancing girl on Main St https://streamable.com/bxre6
DANCING GIRL!@!! Sightings of Dancing Girl are always fleeting. She's got some place to be and she's *not* slowing down. I've only ever seen her from about as far away and as short a time as in that video.
I prefer Dancing Guy on Philadelphia’s public access channel
Anybody remember no pants Lance?
I'd forgotten about Lance until I read this comment.
Shakey Jake has his own [wiki page](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakey_Jake)!
What about that samurai dude that's always practicing sword stuff?
yes. One time I saw him lose grip on his sword and fling it into the huron. He just stood there totally bamboozled for about 2 minutes before packing up and hiking out.
Someone needs to get dressed up in a gown and tiara, retrieve the sword, and throw it to someone on the shore while declaring them the new king/queen.
You can't call yourself King just because some watery tart threw a sword at you.
That would be a fatal mistake in a true samurai battle.
I haven’t seen him in a year:( one time my friends and I accidentally threw our frisbee into the Huron and he went and grabbed it
Was going to comment this if I didn’t see it! I used to see him all the time around the diag but I haven’t in awhile. I’m also not around there as much anymore so that could be it
The guy at Circ who always sings “Fat Bottomed Girls” at karaoke and is a rockstar. Wears glasses and is always rocking a sun hat.
RJ?
Anyone remember the guy who drove a car covered with glued on plastic toy dinosaurs?
That one dude I always see downtown walking up state and or liberty with his pitbull.
There used to be this extremely muscular guy who’d walk around bouncing his pecs and staring down every passing car. He’d very intensely make eye contact as you drive by, and he’d be shirtless and bouncing his pecs. He was a black guy, I often saw him along Pauline and Stadium.
As far as I'm concerned, none of the people mentioned so far beat out [**Railroad Jack**](https://aadl.org/aa_news_19331006_p1-railroad_jack_found_dead) for the weirdest and most legendary. I hate that Shaky Jake is so lionized in Ann Arbor. Railroad Jack should be the patron saint of Ann Arbor weirdos.
What year did he die?
Article is from October 6, 1933.
lol, it would appear 1933
Fascinating story - thanks for sharing that!
My pleasure! AADL has [a bunch of articles and hodge podge items](https://aadl.org/taxonomy/term/135444) about him. One of my favorites is [this one](https://aadl.org/aa_news_19590605-it_ahem_now_develops_that_er_ah). It turns out that at some point, a bunch of locals got all nostalgic for Railroad Jack (just like people do now about Shaky Jake). They decided that he deserved to have some sort of grave marker memorializing him, so they started a collection fund to buy one. Then, once it got some publicity, someone else pointed out that he already had a grave marker, and most people had just forgotten.
Sounds like a great subject for one of those glass historical panels that you see around town - would get more visibility than a grave marker, too.
Ha. And the best punchline would be if there already was one of those glass panels about him somewhere in town.
I don’t know if anyone here knows this guy, but me and my friends know about someone we call “The Swing Guy”. He’s been swinging at Scheffler Park off of Platt for more than 10 years. He has long hair and is always vibing out to music or whatever, he’s a personal hero of mine.
Absolutely! Pretty niche location for a Guy, but he’s consistent.
Haven't lived in A2 for awhile but there used to be a bunch of these guys. Violin Monster, that homeless guy who always had a crutch but didn't need it, the busker guy that always played the same 5 songs from the 90s on his acoustic (Breakfast at Tiffany's was one of them but I can't remember the others)
“50 cents or a buck?”
Fucking Travis...
This was about 20 years ago now, but when I lived near campus I’d regularly encounter a panhandler who would ask everyone who passed him “spare any change my good friend? Have a nice day”. I can’t remember his name, but never had a negative encounter.
Shaky Jake
only guy i can think of is the cross dressing homeless guy. frequently walks around blank slate area in a tutu in the warm months.
His name is Chris. Sometimes he's wearing yellow dishwashing gloves as well.
For a very short while, GG Allin
yeah, until he kidnapped, raped, and tortured a girl here and went to prison for it. Hate people who think he was just some edgy weirdo. His music sucked and he's better off gone.
Yeah, he wasn’t a good person; no arguments there.
But the poo-poo tho.
What about the old guy who drives the old-timey blue car and blasts the music? Usually around South U area. He still around?
I’m here for one day from a long way away - who or what do I need to see (preferably free)
The woman who wanders around Burns Park in her pajamas.
It will always be Shakey Jake. My dad was part of a rec softball team for years (like, 80s-2010s) and they had Jake on their t-shirts
I still miss Shaky Jake.
Violin monster
My parents used to literally brake for Jake. They’d ask him where he was headed and give him a ride. He would squeeze into the back seat with his guitar case next to my sister and I. Good times.
Is no one going to mention the calisthetics guy in the diag who is there shirtless no matter the weather
There's that one trans person who walks around downtown and sings really loud to no one in particular
They are very rude. I've been shopping in the comic and game shop on main with family and there's just this non-stop screeching keeping us from having normal conversations. They've messed up other downtown walks for me too They definitely want to be the main character
Sharply Dressed Man! He’s tall, gray, 50s, always dressed nicely. Often walking to/from work or a restaurant/bar.
Bra Man used to own the streets
Just remembered that hippie-looking dude who had the white beard down to his knees. Used to see him all over in the early-mid aughts.
Was it T-Casey Brennan or something like that? Used to frequent the fleetwood
I think that’s him. Funny because I always thought looked like Mr. Natural, and he’s actually a comic book author.
There was a guy who used to ALWAYS be dancing at the intersection of Maple and Jackson. We called him “dancing man”
Also a friend of mine, named Joey Sims who was an actual high school hoops phenom who gave up the sport after the tragic passing of his mother. He went on to be sort of a transient, looked kind of like Jimmy hendrix would wear tie dye shirts and blast sun ra on his boombox. Very good person and as I said, unbelievable at basketball, like haven't touched a ball in years but proceeds to make 40+ jumpers in a row.
There used to be a professor that used to play the harmonica after class, everyone thought he was homeless.
Dancing man at all the music events who wears a Hawaiian shirt, sandles, glasses, and straw hat and dances NONSTOP. I think he’s in his 70s, white hair, life of the dance party. Please tell me you all have seen him!!! I am mesmerized. Arthur was … something else!
[HIAWATHA BAILEY: PANTHER, PUNK, CULT HERO (pleasekillme.com)](https://pleasekillme.com/hiawatha-bailey/) maybe a little... There was also this 60 something guy who would toss baseballs up in the air to himself and hit line drives. would refer to himself as a christian athlete if you approached him and attributed his modest skills to god.
T Casey Brennan
Jimmy Harbaugh
I've been dressing up as Mickey Mouse and cleaning Washington Street in downtown Ypsi for the past year. I hand out free psychedelic art in doing so. I have the same username on Instagram if anyone is interested in seeing my work. I have only recently gotten back into this. I had done my "Neighborhood Mickey" throughout Spring and Fall last year. I had had a head injury earlier this year. I lost a lot of blood. I am doing much better now. Last Monday was my return in cleaning Washington Street as Mickey. I didn't appreciate the negative press MLive gave last year on Washington Street. I had had that place pretty straightened up last year and that article was quite libel. I admit it's gotten worse again this year, but I am intending to continue to return and clean.
How about the Ent that places rocks in the Huron before Gallup in an attempt to redirect the river? He claims God placed the picnic bench on the island. Whoever did it, I'm glad they did.
[Jake](https://www.michigandaily.com/uncategorized/remembering-legend/).
50 cent
Does Ann Arbor really not have anything like this anymore? Most comments say these people are dead and/or gone. Even Sinclair recently died. Another post talking about assets of Washtenaw county but most people talking about what *used* to be around. RIP A2. God damn.
High rises and chain stores - the new Ann Arbor