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Colourful characters from the past

Humpday said:
I’d like to start a tribute to some of the colourful characters who’ve given flavour to the streets of our city. Recently we’ve had Zanta Claus, Flyerman, Kevin Clarke... Toronto’s Next Mayor, the Dundas Street Drummer and the late Ben Kerr, all preserved for eternity on Wikipedia,Youtube and elsewhere. I often wonder however, what happened to some of the characters from my youth. Anyone remember Joe Schmo, the record holding chess player outside Sam the Record Man? Crad Colodnik (not sure of the spelling), the author who sold his books outside Mr. Gameways Ark? The white robed "Queen of the Parkway"? "Yonge Street Jesus", who used to walk up and down the street dragging a 12 foot wooden cross? The short, perpetually unshaven, Tor Star newsie, with the cigar and the raspy voice? The sequined “World’s Greatest Dancer†who would set up his boom box at Yonge and Dundas? Does anyone have any information or stories about these people... or others? There must be some interesting tales out there.
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Wicked fast and really colourful speed chess player and yes, he frequented the sidewalk chess tables outside the now extinct Sam the Record Man (northeast corner of Yonge and Gould streets). There's an excellent article about some of Toronto history that talks of Jo in some detail:

http://torontoist.com/2010/08/historicst_making_yonge_street_more_of_a_fun_street/

I played my share of games against mister "Crash and Smash". He could be beaten, but not by me - at least not back then.

A couple of other links you (and others) might appreciate:

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessplayer?pid=126852 (some great quotes and comments, along with a record of five of his tournament games).

Great Article from 1979 (!!) -

http://www.si.com/vault/1979/09/03/823927/on-the-scene-neither-snow-nor-rain-nor-gloom-of-night-would-stay-this-chess-player

I had heard that he died as a result of being mugged, but - search as I may - could not find any references.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/nikon-norm/2151866556/
 
We have a new contender.
Young fellow about 18, very slender, long blond hair, with something like a cape and colourful tights, and various ribbons. I have seen him running in the middle of Bloor dodging cars like a super hero. He is vain and doesn't acknowledge humans. He runs a bit like an child because there isn't any musculature in his legs. I love downtown in part because of characters!!
 
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I recognized Zanta a few times this week blocking traffic at Yonge & Gerrard. His push-ups however are now unrecognizable. Flabby, he's lost it. Basically just lifting his ass in the air, rather than proper pushups. Glory days...they pass so quickly.
 
Who else has seen the skateboarding Spiderman. Not sure if he's the same as one of the posers at YDS but he often flies by whooping "Yahoo!". I was out on Yonge Street yessterday and heard the same "Yahoo!" and saw a younger man on a skatboard heading southbound at a good clip - made me wonder if his suit was in the cleaners.
 
That fellow with his uninteresting cat at Yonge and Dundas is not helping our efforts to become World Class. It's pathetic actually.
 
My first night back in Toronto and I discover Zanta passed out on the sidewalk at Yonge and Dundas, surrounded on Zanta-themed messages spelled out in tape on the sidewalk around him.

It's sad. We know he has issues, but at least he was relatively physically healthy before.

How long has this been going on for?
 
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CDL.TO said:
My first night back in Toronto and I discover Zanta passed out on the sidewalk at Yonge and Dundas, surrounded on Zanta-themed messages spelled out in tape on the sidewalk around him.

It's sad. We know he has issues, but at least he was relatively healthy otherwise before.

How long has this been going on for?
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He reappeared before the PANAM games with a lot of anti-cop messaging at Y&D, then graduated to disrupting traffic again with pushup sessions around Yonge & Gerrard (which were mercifully short since he's now out of shape); and I also saw him sleeping in his taped off area with his girlfriend asleep on top of him. I don't know how much of his mental issues are real or a put-on, or whether there is a difference. It would be interesting to know what he was like before his 'construction accident involving fall off a high ladder on his head'.

I'm much more pissed off at the shabby-hero opportunists. A fat Spiderman yesterday. Times Square has had trouble with a similar infestation. Perhaps a private sector solution would be to have Disney sue them all for copyright infringement?

I mean don't just stand there obstructing the sidewalk and expecting money and attention. if you want to be a superhero then do something to entertain us. Spiderman and Batman should fight each other for example, or climb to the top of the Billboard. The various Mimes (Cowboy, Face-guy...), drummers, break-dancers etc are VERY talented and deserve every loonie they get. Shabby-heroes - not so much. Get out of town.
 
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Another character is the very, very blind man. For two decades I've seen him recruiting young women to help him navigate the PATH, under FCP and today to the washroom in Manulife. And he chats their poor heads off all the while.

Except I'm not convinced he's blind, despite seeing this Act for 20 years.

The reason is that after seeing him shuffling around helplessly with his cane in 1987, I then saw him gorging at a hotel buffet where we were sponsoring an event. Our 'eyes' met and he seemed quite guilty.
 
CDL.TO said:
My first night back in Toronto and I discover Zanta passed out on the sidewalk at Yonge and Dundas, surrounded on Zanta-themed messages spelled out in tape on the sidewalk around him.

It's sad. We know he has issues, but at least he was relatively physically healthy before.

How long has this been going on for?
Click to expand...

I'm surprised that Zanta is still going. I remember him from downtown when I attended university, about a decade ago.
 
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