Favorite Detroit Eccentrics

[G-DDT]

Remember the topic folks, most of you are making some great contributions, so far.

[Zacha341]

Who was 'The Brow'? Does any one remember the guy that used to go around WSU and Cass Corridor on crutches perpetually with the one leg hitched up, knee bent down?? Glad I did not run up on Stinky Dinky!!

A lot of them in the old days hanging around downtown and local events. Like Greektown Stella, Dancing Gus, Polar Bear Gus, Stinky Dinky, and The Brow, of course. And some people who would only be remembered by those involved in certain activities, like the "Fort and WHAT?" guy who used to ride the buses late at night, or the "look at my eyes" guy who used to show up at west side rock shows with eyes painted on his hands. One of my favorites was the very quiet guy who would stand by Kennedy Square passing out home-printed obscene religious tracts.

[56packman]

What about the "Sir,Sir" beggar downtown? I know some Roosterboxers who ponied up to bury him!

[EastsideAl]

Who was 'The Brow'? Does any one remember the guy that used to go around WSU and Cass Corridor on crutches perpetually with the one leg hitched up, knee bent down?? Glad I did not run up on Stinky Dinky!!

The Brow was a retired Detroit school teacher who showed up at pretty much all local sporting events in the '80s and '90s dressed in white shirt and tie, carrying a bunch of hand-lettered signs containing the worst puns imaginable. He would wander the stands throughout the games holding his signs over his head. When not displaying the signs, or trying to get cheers started [[almost always unsuccessfully), he would just yell a stream of really bad insults at the opposing team. I believe he died in the late '90s.

He was such a super fan that he would always show up at the airport with his signs to "welcome" the teams back from road trips. In fact, he would often drive to Cleveland or Chicago to greet the teams as they got off their planes there, only to turn around and drive right back to Detroit without attending the game. Sometimes going directly back to Metro Airport in order to greet the teams at the other end of their return trip. I believe it was Isiah Thomas who gave him his nickname, because, well, just look at the pictures...







Stinky Dinky [[aka Dirty Dinky) was another oddball regular in the Tiger Stadium bleachers in the 1970s, who would also show up for a lot of events downtown and often rode the Woodward bus. He was a short little old man who wore big jackets covered with his homemade buttons. On the front was usually a huge button that said "I'm The Famous Stinky Dinky", and the rest were either sports related or just outright filthy dirty. He usually wore a pair of those cheap novelty oversize sunglasses, and an ancient Tigers cap that was also covered in buttons or written slogans.

He would encourage people to take pictures with him, and ask them to kick in a little cash for the privilege. He especially liked to take pictures with girls, who he would say nasty obscene things to while trying to feel them up. Indeed, he was always repeating the same scatological and obscene sayings, while also trying to cage cash, cigarettes, or beer off people. Add to that the fact that his name was also notably appropriate, and once the novelty wore off almost everyone who came in contact with him quickly learned to avoid him.

I was very surprised to find this picture of him by Dave Jordano, even if it is from the back.

[FEO]

Tony was big white haired guy that hung around the streets of downtown.
He wore a bright orange raincoat and a safety belt. He would direct traffic on his own.
He would even stop all traffic for the fire engines when they got a run.

A guy from California called Squirt went to all the police and fire stations in Detroit to sell his perfume. He would always squirt their Bell phone with some smelly perfume and when you made a phone call you had to hold it arms length away because it stunk. He didn't drive so he had to hire someone to drive him.

[canuck]

Squirt coulda become pals with Stinky Dinky.

[FEO]

Squirt & Stinky may be the same person as some of my sources listed both names.
I never ran across this person. I just came in contact with Stella & Tony around the early 70s

[Delray Kid]

Mo Cheese dancing to the curly shuffle at the Joe during Wings games comes to mind and for my southwest Detroit friends....Jo Jo the Clown [[R.I.P.) at any festival or just walking up and down Vernor in full costume.

[EastsideAl]

Greektown Stella Paris




Dancin' Gus Sinaris, in his work as a Tiger Stadium hot dog vendor [[check out that price!).

[EastsideAl]

Santa Claus Nick Feldman




Polar Bear Gus Latchney




I wish I could find a photo of Washington Blvd. Tony as described by FEO above. I remember him well standing in front of the Book [[nee Sheraton, nee Radisson) Cadillac Hotel unofficially "officially" directing traffic, and wearing his orange raincoat in all seasons. He went way back there. My mother knew him when she worked at the hotel in the 1950s, and he would always wave at her and say hi whenever we were over on Washington Blvd. She told me that he was on some sort of veteran's disability, but that he actually believed that he had been detailed by the police to direct traffic around the hotels on Washington Blvd.

[G-DDT]

If Cincinnati can have a a Mr. "Peanut Jim" Shelton, why can't we have a Dancin' Gus?

[G-DDT]

Gilda Radner and Lily Tomlin. The way they just immersed themselves into their characters.

[G-DDT]

Forgot to mention the Impaler. He was like Barry White meets Blacula. Had lots of class and presence. Loved to play with a noise metal band called N2 Submission. They'd screech away, while he sang bassy lines like "I want your soul. I will eat your soul." Neil Yee always had a soft spot for them.

[G-DDT]

Also, there was a local Cass Corridor resident named Larry. Some called him Larry the Looter, because he'd raid places like the Wayne State Art Department after the full semester, and take any items discarded in the lockers. He had a good eye for style and taste. He knew kitsch, too. He'd sell his stuff outside the Majestic for cheap [[beats plain panhandling). He was an odd street philosopher, as well. Sometimes, if some dude tried to sell him a stack of C.D.'s or similar collection that looked like the contents from someone's car, he'd buy it and track down the owner who may've been broken into, and return that stuff to them, free of charge.

Zoot's coffeehouse was known to do that on a number of occasions. It usually meant noticing the kind of taste in C.D.'s being sold, and saying "Hmmm, this looks like the things that our patrons would be into.", and sure enough, a break-in did occur to said assumed patron. Granted it didn't help reduce the incentive for such break-ins, but the descriptions were taken down for Wayne State police [[who were cool with Zoot's), and it was more important to get those items back to their rightful owners A.S.A.P.

[Lowell]

James Van Horn the 'Eat'em up Tigers. Eat'em up' guy who was hit-and-run killed in 2013.

Bill Tyler an always-drunk poet who supported his habits by selling xeroxed copies of his poems for a quarter also comes to mind. His passing was noted by one of the papers where his reported last words were a Cass Corridor classic -- Wine, get me some wine.

Donald Lobsinger with his ultra right Breakthrough could be counted on to counter-demonstrate ever progressive rally.

[RaumVogel]

This thread is

[Downriviera]

When 'The Brow' stopped showing up at the airport for the Red Wings, some of the players found out his car had died. Yzerman passed the hat in the locker room and they got him a car.

[Django]

Attachment 25808
Mary Anne Chene X Medbury.

[Django]

Lowell I love you but this is the most difficult site to post pics on.

[old guy]

Attachment 25808
Nice pic. Django.

Mary Anne Chene X Medbury.

[Django]

Thanks OldGuy. When I first posted it it was sideways and couldn't figure how to straighten it out. Someone at mission control must have straightened it out for me. Thank you Mission Control.

Heres a new guy His name is Terry, very polite, and well spoken. He pole dances with the bus stop sign on the coldest of days at Selden X 2nd. I call him Boogy Man.

[Django]

Im sure a lot of you are familiar with Alan Hill from the Packard plant. Still livin there today sayin prayers for everyone after a hard life.

[Django]

I call him Snowbank because he was once woken by a German Shephard licking his face one morning after he passed out in a snowbank the night before. He claims to be a Navy SEAL. He often goes to Bele Isle to talk with his constituents as he claims to be the Mayor of Belle Isle. You can often find him in a van down by the river.
I like him as my canvas but I love him like a brother.

[Gannon]

Cruel and unusual, Django.


How about that professor from Wayne State who used to drive that huge brown Eldorado with the bull's horns on the hood? He gets the nod just for looking like a pimp in my 80s and 90s Cass Corridor memories.

And the ghetto's two Rolls Royce drivers...who I believe are Joel Landy and the fellow who owns the Gaslight Lounge. Again, when I think eccentric...deviating from convention, bizarre...there're fewer better examples than driving a Rolls around pre-bankruptcy Detroit.

[G-DDT]

Got to throw in Maurice Greenia. Very Talented. His puppet shows were...well, if you've seen them. His work with the Don't Look Now Jub Band I appreciate. I still appreciate the stuff he did around the Downtown Hudson's before it was demolished.

At this point, might as well throw in Tyree or Frank Pahl [[even though he is more Wyandotte). They are truly blessed geniuses of weird and prolific creativity. I'm sure you can catch many videos online of Frank's performances, installations, or the automatons he's created.