Local Characters

Precinct Boy · Post by **Precinct Boy** » Tue 06 Apr, 2010 10:11 pm

Anybody remember through the 70's and early 80's. Jonny Skin or jonskin as we knew him, he was from Horsforth and seemed to know absolutley everyone around town.He never arrived or went home with anybody.

Crazy Jane · Post by **Crazy Jane** » Sun 16 May, 2010 6:19 pm

I was downstairs having a fag yesterday when there was a knock on the door, so i go and answer it and he says "Hi, I'm Mick Artistic and i draw portraits on paper bags", and he hold up a framed example.Things must have got a bit tight for him of late

Bluey · Post by **Bluey** » Sun 26 Jun, 2011 2:55 am

First post here, sorry for just diving in but was doing a Google search to see if I could find any info about the Morley/Leeds city centre 'pinhead guy' (face is covered in safety pins and bits of metal) and this place was my first proper 'direct hit'. Last time I saw Pinhead, I was on the 51 bus to Morley and he started making these sucking/slurping/hissing noises (which irked the driver, as he asked him to stop). He did for a bit, started up again and the bus driver bollocked him, saying he'd chuck him off the bus if he persisted. He stopped slurping after that. Heard he was a bank manager back in the day, any truth in that?Reading through all this has jogged my memories (can't believe I forgot about the barefoot black guy, remember once browsing through music magazines in WH Smith and he was stood next to me, bare-chested and bare-footed, browsing through TIME, talk about surreal!) Anyone remember this scrawny, tall, balding, bearded late-30s/early 40s guy who could be seen dancing feverishly on traffic islands/street corners/sidestreets in the mid/late90s-early 2000s (I used to call him "The Spirit Of The Dance")??? Was having a pint at the Hedley Verity a few weeks back with my work colleagues and one of my mates was talking to this bearded, grey haired guy, who eventually sodded off after a bit. I asked my mate who he was and he says "Oh, it's that guy who used to dance" and basically found out that (obviously) he'd been a heavy drughead but was now a reformed character, more's the pity.There are a couple more non-mentioned 'characters' I've not seen mentioned yet.One is that tall trampy guy in Leeds city centre who dresses all in black (often with binbags attached to his clothes), has a black 'bandana' and normally pulls this cart along that is full of carrier bags/bin bags and stuff. He smells really stale (especially in summer!) but there is something mysterious about the guy, he's got a kind of trampy X-factor about him...Another is this guy who I used to see loads in Dewsbury throughout the 90s, he was like a hippie gone nuts, he used to wear a long, beige coat/cape/raincoat, have a very long beard and long curly hair, wear blue-tinted Lennon specs and wore a beige, Muslim-style Benny hat. One day I passed him in the street and noticed his face was daubed in this white cream and he stank of lavender/Parma Violets. He seemed very benign, just used to sit on his own (mainly) on the little bench on the corner near the bus station, almost opposite the swimming baths. Haven't been to Dewsbury for ages so don't know if he's still about. Anyone seen him about recently, know anything about him???

BLAKEY · Post by **BLAKEY** » Sun 26 Jun, 2011 10:04 am

Bluey wrote: One is that tall trampy guy in Leeds city centre who dresses all in black (often with binbags attached to his clothes), has a black 'bandana' and normally pulls this cart along that is full of carrier bags/bin bags and stuff. He smells really stale (especially in summer!) but there is something mysterious about the guy, he's got a kind of trampy X-factor about him... I see him almost daily in Leeds - haven't ever been "down wind" of him though so can't comment on how he niffs. He always seems though to have a kind of proud and elegant air about him, as if he's quite OK and there's nothing odd in his way of life. There's probably a sad story behind him and I daresay he's been a professional of some kind.

Chrism · Post by **Chrism** » Sun 26 Jun, 2011 10:40 am

Bluey wrote: First post here, sorry for just diving in but was doing a Google search to see if I could find any info about the Morley/Leeds city centre 'pinhead guy' (face is covered in safety pins and bits of metal) and this place was my first proper 'direct hit'. Last time I saw Pinhead, I was on the 51 bus to Morley and he started making these sucking/slurping/hissing noises (which irked the driver, as he asked him to stop). He did for a bit, started up again and the bus driver bollocked him, saying he'd chuck him off the bus if he persisted. He stopped slurping after that. Heard he was a bank manager back in the day, any truth in that? I used to see him down the market on a thursday, flea market day. he was allus looking round there.

Chrism · Post by **Chrism** » Sun 26 Jun, 2011 10:42 am

BLAKEY wrote: Bluey wrote: One is that tall trampy guy in Leeds city centre who dresses all in black (often with binbags attached to his clothes), has a black 'bandana' and normally pulls this cart along that is full of carrier bags/bin bags and stuff. He smells really stale (especially in summer!) but there is something mysterious about the guy, he's got a kind of trampy X-factor about him... I see him almost daily in Leeds - haven't ever been "down wind" of him though so can't comment on how he niffs. He always seems though to have a kind of proud and elegant air about him, as if he's quite OK and there's nothing odd in his way of life. There's probably a sad story behind him and I daresay he's been a professional of some kind. I used to see him quite a lot too. He used to go into the library and read all papers daily, especially the Times, Guardian etc etc.

BLAKEY · Post by **BLAKEY** » Sun 26 Jun, 2011 11:44 am

Chrism wrote: . I used to see him quite a lot too. He used to go into the library and read all papers daily, especially the Times, Guardian etc etc. The upper crust newspapers tie up then with my impression of him being no mug - and come to think of it he does often go in "The Works", the cut price bookshop in the Merrion Centre too. Also, for a chap who's presumably elderly (although you can't tell for certain) he's very upright, and walks in little short steps - quite a character.

Omegaman · Post by **Omegaman** » Sun 26 Jun, 2011 6:34 pm

Bluey wrote: First post here, sorry for just diving in but was doing a Google search to see if I could find any info about the Morley/Leeds city centre 'pinhead guy' (face is covered in safety pins and bits of metal) and this place was my first proper 'direct hit'. Last time I saw Pinhead, I was on the 51 bus to Morley and he started making these sucking/slurping/hissing noises (which irked the driver, as he asked him to stop). He did for a bit, started up again and the bus driver bollocked him, saying he'd chuck him off the bus if he persisted. He stopped slurping after that. Heard he was a bank manager back in the day, any truth in that? "Pinhead" (whose real name is Colin) lives in Gildersome across the road from me. He's a harmless guy, but the local kids run a mile when they see him around.The cheese slid off his cracker years ago. His brother is a bit odd too.As far as I know, he's never been a bank manager.Cheers

majorhoundii · Post by **majorhoundii** » Sun 26 Jun, 2011 11:47 pm

Omegaman wrote: Bluey wrote: First post here, sorry for just diving in but was doing a Google search to see if I could find any info about the Morley/Leeds city centre 'pinhead guy' (face is covered in safety pins and bits of metal) and this place was my first proper 'direct hit'. Last time I saw Pinhead, I was on the 51 bus to Morley and he started making these sucking/slurping/hissing noises (which irked the driver, as he asked him to stop). He did for a bit, started up again and the bus driver bollocked him, saying he'd chuck him off the bus if he persisted. He stopped slurping after that. Heard he was a bank manager back in the day, any truth in that? "Pinhead" (whose real name is Colin) lives in Gildersome across the road from me. He's a harmless guy, but the local kids run a mile when they see him around.The cheese slid off his cracker years ago. His brother is a bit odd too.As far as I know, he's never been a bank manager.Cheers I see him in Morrisons in Morley regularly. Also seen him in Morley Post Office and round and about in Morley.

Bluey · Post by **Bluey** » Mon 27 Jun, 2011 12:42 am

^Cheers for the info. Kind of suspected the binbag guy might've been a cut above your average wino, plus nice to have a bit of backstory on 'Colin'.I've been spotting another Leeds oddball quite a lot recently. I finish work at about 9.50pm each night and get the 446 back home to Hunslet around 10ish. There's this elderly guy, probably late 60s-mid 70ss, he gets on either near City Square or the stop outside The Square On The Lane, he wears this mainly crimson/red baseball cap and he generally sits near the front of the bus, making weird noises and 'tweeting', or makes these disturbing, high-pitched guttural noises with occasional fragments of hard-to-identify songs. He's totally harmless, I saw him tonight and he looked mega-wazzed and sleepy, swaying about in his seat (thought he was gonna keel over every time the bus took a corner!)Also got another memory jog, remembered this hulking, scary tramp who used to hang around the park at the side of the Mayfair Mecca bingo between 1995 - 2003/4, must've been 6"4' and built like a brick , visually kind of a cross between the first zombie seen in the original Night Of The Living Dead and Ian Paisley, with a dash of Father Jack tossed in. He didn't have a beard/tache and mainly wore an old suit jacket and white (well, *beige*) shirt, plus used to shout incoherently a lot, often at his fellow inebriates (his voice was either Scottish or Irish, bit too slurry to tell). Haven't seen him for quite a long time, might've pegged it by now?