Amazing Strangers, Anthropology, Fundies, Union Square

Visitor’s Beware

Amazing Strangers Wendell icon

Something’s happening. I’m getting about 100 new subscribers every couple days on YouTube. This month I’m easily going to surpass 10,000 subs, and never before have I felt so at ease behind the camera as I do now. That combined with how manically I’m pursuing interviews & events there, 2015 is looking to be a stellar year for Amazing Strangers.

Viewer take note: A warning to anyone entering the park. Beware of the screaming lady with the Pitbull! They say dogs take on the personalities of their owners? Well then, this one is coming completely unhinged and on the verge of attack the first unsuspecting do-gooder who gets too close, and getting itself “put down.” It’s a clear recipe for disaster. Watch the video and you’ll see just what I’m talking about.

And the guy in the red coat? I’ve been calling him Slipknot, because that’s what I’ve heard him screaming (in that special Slipknot bellow) at times underneath those headphones. Seems also to be another regular, until he’s locked up somewhere.

There are going to be several new groups added to the map this year. The Fix-gear bike-messengers have squeezed themselves in between the skaters and the Flips section. And there’s a good, solid circle of Christians finally calling a spot at the Square home. And this bunch I think might actually stick it out, because they’re not quite as enraged as past prostilitizers. That goes a long way in securing their longevity there. One of them is Tom, the Bible-believing Christian, whom I interviewed during the May Day Demonstration.

Also, more than ever before, I’m shooting photos. Lots of them. I’ve found going back through filed of the last 13 years that I haven’t been doing that enough, and the images I do have are priceless. Here’s a gallery of the latest.

FacebookTwitterRedditShare
Amazing Strangers, Anthropology, Art, Blog, Freelance, Jesus Dressup, Magnets, Union Square

Calmly Begging for Rescue

Hire Me

Normal Bob sits above No Your City sticker
Normal Bob sits above No Your City Normal Bob place-holder

Yesterday I had an experience with a client that sent a chill down my spine. The client, who’s hired & paid me good money for an art  job told me, “I’ve got other jobs I’d love to have you working on, but you look so busy, I assume you don’t have the time for more stuff.”

In that brief instant, during a time when I’m scrambling around for money to pay bills, I imagined dozens of other potential clients saying to themselves, “Dammit! I’ve got jobs for this guy but he looks too busy to do them. I’ll go look for someone else I suppose.” Then flash forward 6 months to an image of me packing a U-Haul with what’s left of my possessions which have been put on the street by my landlord, on my way to a new life in Idaho to make some lame map of a park there that no one will ever care about.

Let me please be as clear as I know how to be. I need work. I have time for work. I LOVE to work! I also love to be all caught up on bills make-believing I can afford to still live in this city on a starving artist’s income. Please, for the love of God, if you’re out there needing art, or any other elements of my creativity, and you’re happy to pay, contact me! Prolong my stay in this expensive city! And thank you very much.

If you don’t have a job for me, but you’d still like to see me continue what I’m doing here, visit my store. That helps pay my bills as well.

I’m happy to say that after expressing these same thoughts to the aforementioned client he immediately sighed with relief and began a list of more jobs for me.

Jesus Dressup

This has been the toughest year for the magnets yet. The stores who’ve got them on their shelves have no problem selling them, but far too often I’ve been losing them because of customer complaints. It’s an ongoing problem I’ve always had to deal with (others frowning upon me profiting off the crucifixion), but I’m shocked at how many store managers as of late just don’t even want to chance it.

I’ve been dying to produce the new Batman Jesus Dressup I’ve got it designed and ready to go, but as I mentioned in the previous entry, I just can’t seem to accumulate the necessary funds to get that ball rolling. I’ve gotten a few stores recently who are very excited about Jesus Dressup in general, and it’s because of you people that I was able to find those stores and send them samples. So if there’s a store in your neighborhood you think might be interested in my magnets, please don’t hesitate to pass their name onto me. That simple act can make a world of difference.

Union Square

Amazing Strangers Wendell icon

Things are just getting underway at the Square, and I’ve got the camera rolling. Everyone’s been asking about that hat thief kid, whether or not he’s behaving himself since then, if he’s crazy or on drugs, and anything else I might know about him. All I can say is he’s been at the park several times since and has been pretty subdued. No other excitement from him yet, and from the looks of it he appears to have learned his lesson.

I’ve avoided tracking him down and grilling him for answers simply because if he wants his space I’m happy to give it to him. Also, I always have the lingering fear in the back of my head that when we finally do talk he’s going to ask for the video to be taken down. Yes, that’s what I have to deal with regularly in this unconventional hobby.

And then today, Apr 21, 2015 he approached me having just seen the video for the first time, twenty days later. His reasons and explanations may not be what you expect.

I got word that Chewy (Tarzan) got caught trying to sell dope to an undercover, and because he’s got priors he’s been put away for more than a few years. Matty Ice has been MIA since the last video. And there’s no sign yet of Lotion Man either.

I could go down the list of everybody who’s made an appearance thus far, but it’s easier just to show off the photos I’ve been taking.


Amazing Strangers, Anthropology, Union Square, Wendell The Garbageman

Wendell’s Hat Thief

Amazing Strangers Wendell iconSpring truly sprang yesterday when Wendell had his hat swiped off the top of his head by some crazy kid. And he seriously WOULD NOT give it back!

He taunted Wendell, and everybody else, kicking it around with the whole park chasing him. I was shocked when Wendell somehow found a way to snag the kid’s wallet. That’s when the true standoff ensued.

But wait, this is New York City, so of course a marching band comes right into the middle of the chaos, and the hat thief starts it in with them too. Kicking their money jar halfway across the park, he showed off both his complete lack of regard for anything, as well as some killer dance moves.

Because Wendell was able to get into the kid’s wallet we found out he’s actually a student at The New School! And if you pay close attention you’ll notice that Wendell was able to stick the wallet back into the kid’s pocket after getting his hat. I was impressed.

Anyhow, the last we saw of the hat thief was the girl who was crouched, speaking with him earlier in the video walked him away from the park. There was no sign of him for the rest of the evening. It was a wacky afternoon at the Square to be sure! Also, here are some other photos taken from that same beautiful day.

20 days later…

Amazing Strangers, Anthropology, Union Square

Jeffrey Babbitt

Jeffrey Babbitt who would be killed a year & a half later at Union Square by a chess player
Jeffrey Babbitt

A couple days ago I was looking through old photos to upload to this new Amazing Strangers Gallery and by chance I stumbled across pictures and video I’d taken on the day I’d met Jeffery Babbitt. In September 2013 when I’d heard one of the regulars had gotten killed at Union Square, I looked up the victim’s name. I was immediately saddened when I recognized him.

Jeffery was one of those guys who never made a nuisance of himself. He stood out because despite being a little odd looking he had a memorable style. He was a Greaser. His pompadour and sideburns harked back to the early 80s and made me think he was probably into Sha Na Na or Fonzie. In the 80s (Jeff would have been in his early 30s) there was a resurgence of that 50s Outsiders style. Combine that with his love for fairies, which he wore sewn to his coat, with pink, aqua or lavender colored tee shirts, I likened him to Emilio Estevez’s “Two-Bit” character’s ironic obsession with Mickey Mouse.

After finding the photos and watching the video again for the first time in years, the memory of meeting him that day came back clear as day.

My friend Samir had brought over her new pet mouse, Fitz, and while I was filming Jeffrey came over and started petting it. I was really happy he’d finally come over because before that I’d always wanted to take his picture but never had reason enough to ask.

In the video you’ll notice that he’s a little hesitant to walk away. That’s because while I was filming I was smiling, and wanting him to hang around, but I also wanted the video to look natural, so I let him walk away. Before he got out of earshot though I turned off the camera, called him back over and asked to take his picture. I told him how I’d been seeing him around for as long as I could remember, dug his style and would it be okay if I took some photos. I made sure to get good shots of both sleeves.

jeffery babbit cartoon illustration
Jeffrey Babbit drawn in remembrance of a true Union Square character

Jeffery obviously deserves to be counted as one of the Union Square originals. He should have made it to the postcard years ago. So yesterday when Shaggy said I should add him to the drawing I’ve been working on of all the characters from postcards past, I thought it was a great idea. He suggested I draw him flying up to heaven, which was inspired, because up until that point he had no idea about Jeff’s love for fairies. Drawing him ascending up to the Union Square in the sky with fairy wings truly completed this piece.

union square amazing strangers cartoon drawing
All of the Union Square characters for Matchgame Postcard gathered at park digitized in Adobe Illustrator

He was as gentle of a man as he appears in the video. It’s a travesty his life was taken a couple years later in such a violent and ugly crime. I hope these images and video are seen by the people who love and miss him most.

Artist, Atheist, Anthropologist