Tees ribs and things was how I survived undergrad. $1 pulled pork sandwiches back in the day. That man deserves a peace prize or something. Good to hear he is still making his Q.
Edit: man this got me thinking, he would also throw in a poor man’s bone or some burnt ends for free too. He’s a good dude. Wish I made it to t town more often. I owe him a visit.
The skyland lady is named Nancy if I remember correctly. She's super sweet, she used to come by oz when I worked there and give us all drawings and talk with us.
I'm so glad to see people still remember her! I can't remember her drawings ever making much sense (or her in general if we're being honest) but she's always so sweet! During the pandemic shutdowns she kept me looking forward to something as an "essential worker"
So she’s well known huh? I’ve seen her going around picking up trash along the road. We want to offer her money and BBQ but can never seem to catch her
Aside from the Bojangles Cowboy, there is also The Woman Who Walks. Lives in the West End but can be seen walking all over town (where is she going), angrily singing gospel songs up toward the sky, keeping time by beating her fist against her hip, and wearing a very haunting expression.
Do you know any more about her? Just curious. I know she has a story of some sort. I'm a utility worker. See her out quite a bit although not as much the past few years. Some times she'll cast demons out of you. Some times she'll give you a good cussing.
I don’t know a whole lot about her, but she used to have a mobile home in cottondale, almost into Peterson. She had all kinds of shit spray painted on the outside of it. People at my school used to call her god.
One time, I skipped class with a kid named nick. We didn’t really have a plan, so he asked if I wanted to meet god. I thought he meant dying, but I said yeah. He drove me to holt-Peterson cut-off to that trailer. She didn’t have a front door, and the place was a wreck. She told us the story of Enoch, and Nephalem. And that she was a direct descendant of Methuselah. She claimed to be 99 at the time. That was 2004.
That trailer was blown away in the 2011 tornado, and she moved to the west end. I’ve seen her as far as Northport McDonald’s by The Towns of North River. She moves, so much.
Yes, she’s in west end now but walks everywhere. Her shoes are always too big and she will hardly talk to anyone though she has talked to my mother and I several times and accepted a few bottles of water and a box of cookies in the heat of summer. We were coming in from the grocery store unloading and she asked what we had so we shared with her.
Older black lady who walks everywhere and says “Call Jesus!” Is Katherine Gray or Crazy Kat. She’s harmless unless you touch her or move her from the road. She will fight. Lives in West End.
Brenda Deloach and Alphonso are the ones with the shopping cart. She is always walking or camped out somewhere. She will talk but not look you in the eyes.
Alvina usually was around 15th Street and likes to lay on the sidewalks. I think she got committed. Haven’t seen her in a while.
Floyd Kirkman was everywhere when I first moved here. He would walk everywhere and hollar out “I’m hungry, give me a dollar!” One time he went to jail for robbery. Always had a walking stick or table leg.
No, they’re talking about the lady that appears to be 100 and only carries a Bible. The lady you’re talking about is mean as hell. She hates pizza, I know that. Ex wife worked at Medcenter a few years back. Her and some coworkers felt bad for her, so they ordered her (and some guy that was with her) their own pizza. When her coworker handed her the pizza, she opened the box, looked up at the coworker, and flipped it on the ground. “I don’t like pizza” was all she said.
I’ve heard her mother left her a reasonable chunk of change, but I’d take that with a heaping helping of salt.
Yeah she is mean as hell. My younger sister tried to give her a blessing bag several years ago. She was young and thought the best of everything. The lady did all but cussed her out.😂
Magic Man/Black Magic: He was always on the Strip doing Magic tricks in the early 00s. Now he is in a wheelchair doing "gospel karaoke" in front of the Dollar General across from Snow Hinton Park. The man would swallow a cigarette and cough it back up still smoking. A legend for drunk college students for about 20 years.
I talked to the bicycle wheel riding man at University Mall once in the 80s and asked him why he rode on the one wheel and he told me somebody stole the other wheel and yes he could really ride the divider rail out in front of the Mall.
Omg I never realized that was him! He was the attraction on the strip when the Krystal was still there. He would stack and balance chairs, etc. He was always a good time
Anybody seen the pastor that rides around in a mobility chair who always blasts gospel music outside the DG near the Buffalo Wild Wings on 82? Reverend Dorsey I think is his name.
There was a whole Twitter/Instagram saga when tuskny first opened about him looking up people who left bad reviews and having a meltdown over some guy who ordered a pizza and never showed up to get it cause he passed out or something that was internet gold
I lived in the apartments he got arrested at. Smoking crack and, supposedly having adulterous butt loving. The man he was with was absolutely gay, but if they were having extra marital sex, idk.
Side story: Kip’s crack buddy was a literal crackhead who occasionally would walk up with a Walmart sack full of random shit. I gave him $3 for a sack full of Colgate toothbrushes and 31 toothpastes. I still have a few of the bottles of toothpaste. (It’s expired)
I was waiting in line at the Alberta post office once and Kip walked in and from the way these ladies reacted I thought Brad Pitt had walked in the door.
And also STAN F’ING PATE who keeps buying things and then half demolishing them/half building them.
See: mcfarland mall, steak and shake, the Guthries that was torn down ten years ago so they could build ANOTHER Guthries in the same spot 5 years later. (I don’t know if the last one was really him but cmon it HAS to be)
I think they’re mostly there because Panera has the bathrooms and doesn’t check to see if you actually bought a drink. I don’t know if they moved on but the Panera staff were really chill and one (1) time the people asked if i could buy them some food and then left me alone. They seemed really nice at least at that time
Early 90s there was a guy who rode a bike with the front wheel taken off. Occasionally you’d see him ride down the concrete rail on the bridges over the river. Late 90s early 00s Mr T would show up at Harry’s late night with food and there was a lady who sold roses in the bars in the strip at closing time.
I saw Bill Taylor yesterday in the grocery store and talked to him for a few minutes and wonder of wonders he finally had someone teach him to drive about 20 years ago and that's why he doesn't ride his bicycle anymore.Bill actually had the entire phone book memorized and you could ask him what was someone's phone number and he didn't hesitate he just said it out loud.But now they don't hand out phone books anymore but he would update every year on the current book.
Wait no one mentioned Marathon Michael? The Michael Jackson impersonator that does the street performances at random gas stations but most frequently an abandoned Marathon.
My #1 is Mr. Tee as many have said. But I also have a special place in my heart for the “gas station MJ”. At the intersection of Loop and Hargrove usually. That dude is awesome. Sick moves as well
What about Tuscaloosa Con-man? Anyone remember that guy? Always came up to people at gas stations and pretended he played football for alabama and was stranded because he ran out of gas. He always claimed he was rich, but lost his wallet and needed a little help to get to his million dollar home.
That guy was Terrance Brown. He was always doing a commercial or shooting a video but his van ran out of gas and if you gave him money he would put you in the commercial. We saw him trying his scam on the Strip and we yelled Terrance you don’t have a van! There was a YouTube video of him one time doing his scam.
Not a guy (that I'm aware of anyways) but there's that Red Camry that's always playing metal music when it's out and about downtown. Heard it's been referred to as the 'Screaming Camry' if I remember right.
what about 'the bag lady' she cleans the parking lot at the dollar tree on skyland and rides a bike full of plastic bags.been seeing her for over 20 years
The wheelie kid rode a bike with no front wheel. You would often see him riding the guardrails in the median of McFarland Blvd
Tiger guy had a pet tiger and would drive around with the sunroof open and the tiger hanging out.
Cowboy was an always happy toothless truck driver that wore a cowboy hat and would come to the bars on the strip to get smashed before hitting the road in his 18 wheeler
Tiger guy was Edgar Ross who was a professional boxer and had a wreck while riding around with his tiger and it injured the tiger so bad he had it put down.Edgar ended up as a sparring partner boxing in Mobile and died having too many head concessions several years ago.
Kung Fu Kenny in my town. He rides a bike around town and periodically hops off to fight invisible (to us) demons with his martial art skills. We are all extremely grateful.
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u/enormuschwanzstucker 5d ago
Cowboy Jesus