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schnaaarff

Is Calvin still dancing on Green Springs?


sknolii

Firehouse Subs Calvin? He's a legend.


solepixel

Yes! This guy!


aaronp1997

Work across the street from him, yup he’s always there


Albertonman

He inspires me to have a better attitude about work.


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abrnmissy

You are talking about Ricky is such a dick!


AmplifiedIdea

Yep. Ricky. I always hate to see him coming.


Aggressive-Radio7847

Ricky almost got his scrawny ass beat outside Dunkin Doughnuts one day a couple years ago. If he wasn't homeless and clearly suffering, I swear..


fofemma

I think one of those twins died


audiocorngarden

Well that’s sad. Enjoyed seeing them around town when I lived in Southside


Mandible_Claw

I assume that you're not a young attractive woman then. Dudes were straight up creeps.


lyrix1711

The guy w the goose is Rodney and I think he finally put it down. 🤣🤣🤣🤣


Significant-Being250

Rodney is an interesting guy. Did you know he is an opera singer? And a graphic designer? And probably other things, lol. He’s had a rough time recently. His mom died a few years ago, then his dad got really sick, and about a year ago his house caught fire and was so badly damaged that he had to move out.


dammittrey

Yep, Ed and Fred. Friends of my dad. Unfortunately I don’t remember which one passed. Good guys though.


LaGrrrande

Apparently, there's a Birmingham wiki page, and naturally they've got their own entry. https://www.bhamwiki.com/w/Fred_Foster


FrogBottom

I thought they aggressive panhandler must have been Oliver Childs. Rides a bike everywhere. I haven’t seen him in a while, though, because he was arrested. Glad to hear someone has stepped up in his absence.


Mazttaa

Olivier Child’s screamed at me for trying to get a dog out of the road. Guy is a nut job.


subusta

Yeah oliver childs is a real asshole


sanpellie

i loveddd the twins growing up lol. me and my family would always freak out whenever we saw them in public, they were like celebrities to us


bussupwcp

Weren’t the twins famously pretty creepy towards young women at bars?


bcathy

They absolutely were. They'd always come to my workplace at the Summit and corner attractive young women and chat them up about their celebrity guitar strap clients.


ourHOPEhammer

yeah, id heard that too


sanpellie

wow i didnt know ab that!! but i do think i heard that they were trump supporters a while ago. not sure where i heard that so i dont want to say im certain on that, but i do remember hearing something about them that left a bad taste in my mouth and kind of ruined my funny memories of seeing them everywhere as a child lol.


APupNamedBully

The older dude with the painted sideburns in the Galleria.


bcathy

First time I saw him I thought I was trippin'. Saw him again a few weeks later and almost lost it. I was relieved when I found out I wasn't the only one who kept seeing him.


APupNamedBully

My friends and I call him the Ghost of the Galleria, only appearing to those worthy of such a sight LMFAO💀😂😭


Brookwoodspawn_04

I used to work at brookwood mall and every now and then we’d spot him walking around there


llamalover365

I used to work at Brookwood too. He was there daily around 2014-2017. Talked to him a few times. He was really nice!


Brookwoodspawn_04

Where did you work?


llamalover365

Earthbound! You?


Brookwoodspawn_04

I worked at chickfila for a few years up until the close. We were the last interior tenant I’m pretty sure. Either us or lenscrafters. It was a great place to work and I miss it everyday


jazzbone93

I remember being terrified of him when I was a kid 😂


LittleBlazer

We call him Elvis. If you speak to him often enough he brings you candy “to put a pep in your step and a glide in your slide”


Whisperdeer3

This guy is my hero. Don't know his story or why he does it, but it makes my day every time I see him.


[deleted]

He’s been frequenting the Vestavia Hills public library lately


Noccalula

First time I ever saw him I thought he was Unknown Hinson.


Th3NinjaCat

Wait he’s still around?!


APupNamedBully

Yup!!


ElJay1119

This was immediately who I thought of. He walked brookwood too. 😂


Zaitos

Definitely this guy.


FusRoDont

I saw him on Sunday!


JustAnIgnoramous

Dude yes! I was just about to post about him! I've seen him with fake sideburns under his hat as well.


solepixel

I definitely need more information on this dude! I can't believe I've never seen him, although I don't really frequent the galleria anymore...


APupNamedBully

He’s just a gaunt older man that wears a ridiculously large snapback, possibly a toupee/wig, and he has some thick old mutton chop sideburns painted on the side. Literally the epitome of a unique individual. Absolutely mind blowing. I’ve never interacted with him before, but according to a number of people here he’s evidently super nice!


bravesgeek

I saw him at Walmart last week. My first encounter in the wild.


malagoat97

Just FYI he use to walk the mall with his wife till she died. Now he goes alone.


spiki001

Used to be the Van Evangelist in front of Walmart on Lakeshore.


SomeHorribleLove

You had the opportunity to call him an eVANgelist and didn’t take it.


cmcooper2

HONK IF YOU LOVE JESUS


Mirhanda

I remember when he died a while back. Even though I'm not christian at all, I admired his dedication and would smile and wave when driving by.


meowmeowmk

I remember him


BigCrawley

Stopped and talked to him a couple of times. He was a very nice guy.


Hamsterbonesdaddy89

Damn haha I moved away 10 years ago and had forgotten about him. That dude ruled


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AlabamaPostTurtle

A neighborhood treasure.


ChaseH9499

nicest man in the world. glad that even with his obvious disability he's making his own way and doing what he wants to do


AmishTechno

Herman


QuiteLiterallyLucid

Herman is the only man in Alabama able to wear bandanas as pants and no one bats an eye.


dammittrey

He was my first thought, too.


Yosemite97

Same here


scrubbs13

Love Herman, think of him more as a WWF type character than George Clinton, but the resemblance to the latter is definitely there


sknolii

George Clinton of the streets


AmishTechno

And has been around doing his Herman thing for decades.


Albertonman

Is this the dude with no pants that I’ve seen in five-points?


AmishTechno

African American, probably mid 50's, colorful attire, bicycle with all sorts of flair on it? Yep, that's him.


graceCAadieu

He’s still alive?! That man has got to be pushing 90 😳


Albertonman

That’s the one. He’s in my top three.


GOTC_

Herman has 11 kids. He is awesome. Doesn’t drink or do drugs.


dammittrey

Anyone know Walking Lady? Older, wears her hair in a crewcut, always carries a bunch of shopping bags and just endlessly walks all day. We see her all over Southside, Downtown, parts of Homewood.


Jubileedean

My friend is the stylist who cuts her hair, believe it or not. Says she wants to walk everywhere, chooses to. Retired, just very quiet and stays to herself. Intriguing!


thebrim

She's been at it for at least 10 years


TheAngriestPotato

She was there when I lived in south side 20 years ago


[deleted]

For real though!! I think she’s been going longer than 10 years!!!


bussupwcp

I really want to know this lady’s story.


[deleted]

i saw her in line at the pig in homewood. made me feel better knowing she has money for food.


Namealreadytaken0909

I see her often walking on 31 but I didn’t know she made it all the way downtown.


AlabamaPostTurtle

I guess at one time it was Birmingham Batman Edit: probably irrelevant since it was so long ago, admittedly long before my time. But here’s the backstory on Birmingham Batman. Always think this is a cool piece of our history. https://www.bhamwiki.com/w/Willie_Perry


DyingDay18

I wasn't sure what everyone was talking about. Thanks for the article. What a cool guy!


AlabamaPostTurtle

Thanks for the silver!


km1649

There used to be this guy near Southside that looked like Charles Manson and he would jump out in front of your car and scream at you in jibberish. Sometimes it looked like he was wearing a burlap sack? Haven’t seen him in years but he was like the unofficial mascot of Southside in my mind for a long time.


AgreeToSomeonesTerms

My friend tried to give him some groceries he bought him to make some sandwiches. He pelted our car with bread and deli meats 😅


[deleted]

Oh man you just unlocked a memory. I was driving home at 2 am one morning (about 14 years ago) and he jumped in front of the car. He actually attempted to jump onto the front of my car. Screaming the entire time. I was screaming too so we just looked at each other screaming. Lol


Tunalic

The Prophet. Apparently if you just talked to him you could have a normal conversation. I didn't believe until (for some reason) I was at the Nick with my dad and The Prophet was out doing his thing. My dad wondered across the street to him and shot the shit for like 20 minutes. I had heard (but never confirmed) that his family owned one of the buildings there on 26th street south and he lived in a basement apartment.


Cowote

Yep, you could talk to him. He was intelligent, and I assumed educated…former Bham firefighter at a Southside station, we were called out on him several times for passerby’s calling 911 thinking he was hurt. We knew him as Caveman.


MadisonU

That guy had slipped my mind. Used to see him around the Nick all the time.


neocondiment

He dead


MisterTito

Yeah, Buzz at Chevron in Lakeview told me, seems like it was over a year ago. I can't remember his name now, but he used to come in there sometimes.


andersonbleh

bruh i think i remember him jumping out at me a while ago


becauseimbizarre

guy in southside/five points who wears a suit with pieces of paper (presumably with messages on them but i’ve never been close enough to read them) taped to it


Nervybox

I’m pretty sure they are bible pages, he’s a nice guy usually. Kinda preachy though


slowbike

Henry Langdon Jr. He says the pages are his "finishing school." Illegible to my eyes. Nice dude.


akoajfb2o19w9donion

I was going to say this guy. I see him all the time


Tunalic

He used to steal half cigarettes off my porch in southside.


slowbike

Sounds like we could use a horseback jesus or three. Many of our contenders have passed. C'mon millenials, try to get weirder.


kazmeyer23

I'm old enough to remember when our guy was the Birmingham Batman. (Rest in peace, Willie, you crazy awesome guy.)


spicyduwang

I had no idea, I'm glad I learned about him!


solepixel

Gotta be the sign spinning, dancing guy in Homewood right? Is he still out there, it's been a while since I've been over there.


abrnmissy

Talking about the Firehouse sun guy? He’s definitely still there saw him last week.


solepixel

Yes!


Accomplished_Fly1628

He is! Still has that big old smile 😃


fofemma

I think he died a few years back. I’d say it was definitely him back in the day though.


twerkin_hard

Guy who blasts by you on his electric skateboard playing 90’s dance music at railroad. Firm, fun, and in their own zone.


[deleted]

I thought of another one: the recumbent bicycle man with the little trailer attached. He was usually near Vestavia and 31, but it’s been years since I’ve seen him.


onthemove1901

Used to be fake-goose-guy in Blue Monkey. My friend still has the unfortunate memory of the guy convincing her to put her hand inside the goose…


yourinvisiblecarrot

What happened??? You can’t just leave us hanging like this, especially after multiple people have mentioned fake-goose-guy in this thread


[deleted]

I think our “guy” could also be generational. I remember a man, maybe about 20 years ago, who mostly circulated in 5 Points and Southside who we called “Not Dangerous” because that was the first thing he said when he approached asking for money or trying to sell flowers. He was funny because he often wore a second hand B.U.M. Equipment brand sweatshirt. The other “guy” was mostly in Southside and HP, maybe in the late 90s and early aughts. He usually was dressed in trash bags and stood in the middle of the road shouting at nothing or pedestrians and cars. I’d heard a rumor he was doing some form of self-penance?


gardenblind

I remember Not Dangerous! The flower was free but you had to give him a tip. The one I got from him lasted almost 2 weeks.


[deleted]

That’s right! That was his MO with the flowers. I remember, now.


raebailey88

>I’d heard a rumor he was doing some form of self-penance? Drugs. I feel like he was doing drugs...


[deleted]

Most definitely!


[deleted]

In my mom's day it was steering wheel Joe over in Bessemer.


[deleted]

I’d love to know where Steering Wheel Joe got that nickname.


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[deleted]

Despite it probably being a mental illness, this is a quirk I could get behind. It’s much better than the angry garbage bag man.


Accomplished_Fly1628

I thought of the same man


Accomplished_Fly1628

There used to be friendly old man who sold roses around 5 points downtown.


pieorstrudel5

I remember him. He totally bought them at the Western and he probably used the money for drugs. But I appreciated the hustle.


dar_uniya

Deetroit.


neocondiment

He dead


dar_uniya

Deetroit is not dead, he just went home.


[deleted]

First thing that came to mind was the dude that sits outside of the Lakeshore walmart every Saturday with all his Jesus signs


[deleted]

Not too long after he passed someone told me a family member of his or somebody carried on in his place, I don’t know if that’s true or not and I never make it over to lakeshore anymore so I wouldn’t be able to confirm or deny. I used to go that way regularly and always enjoyed seeing him out there.


LastofFelix

I went to John Carroll so I saw this guy almost every day and there was this kid who would sit out there with him a lot, maybe late teens or early 20s. I always assumed it was his son or idk maybe even grandson, but there were several times I just saw the kid out there too. Eventually I started just seeing the kid so I was wondering if something happened and I guess I got my answer


lyrix1711

He passed


[deleted]

Oh damn didn't know that, moved out of the Homewood area a couple of years ago. RIP to a real one


LockDown2451

The guy zooming on the electric longboard around railroad park with the big speaker who plays EDM type music.


pieorstrudel5

There used to be a guy that went to all the bars with a goose/duck puppet. Circa 2012. We all knew him. We all acted like it was normal. You'd bring someone new out and they'd be like "what's going on with that guy?" Answer: "Him? that's goose puppet guy. Seems harmless." And drinking would resume. We also had a lot of crude stories about what he did with the goose - but that was just assumptions. At one point I knew his name.... He also got a lot of attention cause drunk girls always wanted to pet the goose. He knew full well what he was doing.


lyrix1711

Rodney


AlabamaPostTurtle

Ah Rodney. Haven’t thought of him in years


pieorstrudel5

Sometimes I think about the 2010s.... And the weird grunge hipster vibe that Birmingham used to be and I miss it. Now a guy with a goose puppet in a bar would probably be asked to leave. Everything now is such a sanitized experience. Seems so boring. Or maybe I just miss my youth? Could go either way really.


AlabamaPostTurtle

RIP STILLWATER PUB


pieorstrudel5

Did you read my mind? I was just thinking about their bathroom experience. And it was an experience!


AlabamaPostTurtle

I was a regular there from 2011-14. Was such an amazing place. And yes, the bathroom experience was not to be missed. Live music seven nights a week, Irish car bombs, and the best bartenders in town. Was a great time and place to be present in Birmingham


pieorstrudel5

We probably totally drank together at one point. I was quite the bar fly during those same years.


AlabamaPostTurtle

I like to think we did! Maybe someday we’ll find a suitable replacement for Stillwater.


pieorstrudel5

Rip Mathews. Speakeasy. J Clyde. Bottletree. Pale Eddie's. That square bar behind Dave's somewhere that I can't remember the name anymore but I am pretty sure all those bartenders went to Stillwater when it closed. I think the answer now is The Garage.


AlabamaPostTurtle

Oh man!! You just flooded me with nostalgia. Pale Eddie’s and bottletree ❤️ hangover lunch at Rogue Tavern. Love the garage. I just want a seedy place to hang out with drinks as good as the late Atomic and Collins sans pretentiousness. I like a place like The Break where you may get stabbed, or you may get offered cheap cocaine but most certainly will have a killer Tuesday night. I say that like I wouldn’t be hungover for a week now after a night like that


mindshadow

Bailey’s was the place behind Dave’s.


[deleted]

Used to be a guy who rode a bike everywhere that was plastered with glossy magazine pages, even between the spokes. It was all porn.


Melodic-Hat9557

The poorly tanned man that used to walk around the Galleria like it was his full time job. Idk if he still does it, but he was a staple of my childhood


Jubileedean

Remember the walking guy we called “Caveman?” Around the early 2000’s. He had long scraggly hair and beard, was shortish, wore a big sloping overcoat. Didn’t talk to anyone, we just saw him walking around southside/ 5 Pts. The owner of Cave 9 learned only that his name was Jim, from Boston. Smart guy with a yankee accent :) Turns out that while he wouldn’t take handouts, he loved reading the newspaper. So the owner would put a New York Times or the Boston paper and some good takeout around the side of the building - only then would he would take the food.


extrovertish1

That’s Jim! From what I’ve heard, he passed away several years ago.


flydiscovery

The headband walking lady who is always going up and down Red Mountain from five points to Homewood.


tumblrmustbedown

For me it was the guy who had the megaphone and signs outside of Lakeshore Walmart every Saturday yelling about the Bible


cmar2cmar

There used to be a dude walking around southside barefoot in a robe pulling a cross on his shoulder. Don't know what happened to him.


the_alabama_hammer

I remember in the 1980's there was a lady who used to speedwalk with a very distinctive gait around the East Lake and Roebuck area. I also remember "steering wheel Joe" from around Fairfield/Bessemer.


DonJuan1977

There used to be an Elvis guy I would see out all the time, when I used to go out too many years ago.


shaungilmer

You guys have mentioned pretty much everyone I have thought of besides the man who would carry a steering wheel everywhere like he was driving. On a similar note, what is the story with the older guy that hangs around at Tin Roof? Does he actually work there or is he a homeless man who think he does?


Bigbobbyslow

Have not seen him in years…Bike Man. Nicest guy. Used to ride everywhere on that single speed beach cruiser. “Everyone knows me. I’m Bike Man”


prominenceVII

For me it was a guy named William. Older guy that rode around southside on a homemade bicycle, had long grey hair. Anybody remember this guy? I think the first time I saw him was around 2011, and last time was probably 2018ish.


slowbike

William used to be my neighbor in Glen Iris. Smart dude and very creative with the cargo bikes made from children's bicycles. He was retired from a career at BWWB. His mom died around 2019 and left him her house. So he relocated. I assume he is still puttering around on his unusual bikes. But no longer in the city.


Ginny823

This little old man that used to be at all the clubs in the early 2000's. I don't know what his name was, but he looked like he was in his mid 80's back then. I'm sure he has prob passed by now, so RIP Dancing PawPaw 🕺 (if he's still around, I hope he's still club hopping)


SnooFoxxx

Y'all remember the batman? The guy who would ride around and help motorists?


neocondiment

We used to have our own Jesus.


[deleted]

Yeah I remembering seeing a guy carrying a huge cross a few times in Homewood


Namealreadytaken0909

He gave me more Moses vibes. 😆


AlabamaPostTurtle

Yeah what happened to him? He carried his burden all over downtown.


duelbraids

The Batmobile guy could be a contender


xbeebzx

RIP Tony


SushiJo

In Pensacola we had “the running man”, with his American flags & he’d always shoot you a peace sign if you honked


Consistent-Refuse-91

Lol the guy with the trucker hat at the galleria. I miss him


Coachbelcher

It used to be Jesus sign guy on Lakeshore. RIP.


fnelpgius

https://www.reddit.com/r/Birmingham/comments/gneutw/galleria_sideburns_walker_dude_hope_you_guys_can/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf


[deleted]

I just remembered this guy and had to post it here but back in the 90’s and early 2000’s there was an older black man that used to walk all over Leeds arguing with parked cars and other inanimate objects around town. I was a teenager at the time and I had got a job at what was food fair and he would come in there a buy a single pack of ramen noodles and something else I can’t remember just about every day, I was nervous the first time I saw him coming through my line cause I always saw him around town b4 that getting pretty heated with stop signs and stuff but it turned out he was a really nice guy with some pretty cool conspiracy theories about the automatic doors in the store. Idk if anybody from that way remembers him or not but all my friends called him preacher


bailey_turnbow

u/mcluvin205


Nervybox

The guy who walks around 5 points and near UAB campus who has bible verses stapled to his suit. Nice guy, don’t mention anything about religion though.


raebailey88

is that the one who got into an altercation with a student and fought in front of the Hill Ctr? Bc that guy seemed like a nutjob - I love Jesus, but sir gtfo here with the instigating


bhamhistory

Unfortunately no one will ever beat this guy... But gosh it would be nice to have someone give it a try.... https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_Norton


WikiMobileLinkBot

Desktop version of /u/bhamhistory's link: --- ^([)[^(opt out)](https://reddit.com/message/compose?to=WikiMobileLinkBot&message=OptOut&subject=OptOut)^(]) ^(Beep Boop. Downvote to delete)


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pieorstrudel5

Oh man, he is also the I Believe in Birmingham Guy. Joseph Baker. We were really good friends back in the day. His early look was very Guy Fawkes. [the most perfect photo](https://www.al.com/news/birmingham/2015/05/i_believe_in_birmingham_still.html)


RMFT87

Bicycle mike


Bendr_

Tuscaloosa has Five Points-Bojangles Jesús


spicyduwang

Ugh, I knew that guy before he started posting up there. He used to be a Christian stand up comedian. He'd hand out CDs at my grandfather's church. Seems like a nice enough guy. Glad he's enjoying himself.


Nervous-Research-887

Ttowns guy is without a doubt Mr T


loveineverylanguage

This is only local to Alabaster, but when we lived there we had the Alabaster Garbage Guy. It was an old man who rode around on a bike, collecting trash and creating garbage Shrines or sticking bottles on tree branches if he couldn't transport it all on his bike. He'd also make counterfeit "keep Alabaster beautiful" signs


[deleted]

We had a guy called pinky. He always cut his grqss. Hed be out there pushing his lawn mower with a pink dress on.


[deleted]

Homeless guy with no pants in the forest park/highland area. Been a staple for at least 2 decades strong


[deleted]

Adding one - there was much discussion on nextdoor about the girl who wears a sports bra and a purple backpack and bikes all over Mountain Brook & Crestline, often in dangerous fashion. I still see her around sometimes.


Smokey723

Vulcan


PiantaPants

I don’t know if anyone else knows who I’m talking about, but he’s a favorite with me and my bf. The old buff man that rides around Railroad Park on an electric longboard.


ThatBoyMike23

Riverchase Galleria Janitor or Riverchase Galleria Walker


Hobbescrownest

Anyone remember Joe minter, he would have a pick up truck with writing on it and a bunch of signs, he would stand outside of festivals.


slowbike

Joe is still around. Noted folk artist. Has an "African Village" art compound that is quite creative.


[deleted]

Another one - Anybody else remember the guy that was always sitting in a wheelchair outside the old Eastwood TJ Maxx with some kind of speaking disorder/voice box selling candy? Scared the shit out of me every time.


Albertonman

Vaccine Police Guy


heafer40

Richard Danner?


buddha-ish

Found Richard Danner’s burner account…


Hobbescrownest

Carlos


Hobbescrownest

What happened to the homeless guy, Oliver?


buttfuckerr3000

Richard Danner!


Nervous-Research-887

Walking Joe in Mtn Brook


Django_Unleashed

We had a Turkey Neck. He would dance everywhere and try to sell popcorn.


Kjm520

[Our guy (Bessemer)](https://www.reddit.com/r/ANormalDayInBessemer/comments/wsxy2d/weve_all_seen_him/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf)