ooh, Bristol nutters...
...well, let me see.

Firstly the lovely old man in the Bearpit underpass who used to make airplane noises and spin his walking stick at people. Sticks in my mind mostly because he once lifted up my Grans skirt with the stick. He's probably dead now.

Best known is probably Pants Man. So called as he wears nothing but a pair of black leather pants with cowboy boots all year round. Add to this a wild mane of hair a la Crystal Tips and an old ladies shopping bike and you get the picture. Always to be seen about town and at Ashton Court Festival

We also have The Bride of Christ. An old lady in insane old lady make-up (loops of black eyeliner, scrawls of red lipstick) and a wedding dress. Often carrying a posy. When asked why, she answers 'I'm the Bride of Christ'

There is also the man with blue spiky fright wig hair, a long black monks habit and bare feet. Apparently with a severe heroin habit, and I haven't seen him for a while, so he may also have corked it.

And we have Sapphire who's the local transvestite, and more of a 'character' then a nutter. Mentioned only for longevity- I can remember being in the shopping centre as a child and commenting on 'that funny man' to my mum. It was Sapphire wearing leopard skin leggings and platform shoes. Sapphire, you are a screechy old excuse of a queen but I salute you for your dedication to fun fur and fake animal-print fabrics over the past 25 years.

As mentioned in the very first post, ASDA Bedminster is a rich hunting ground. I have seen:

1) The Hamster Ladies. Identical ancient twins who carry their handbags clutched to their chins with great pouchy cheeks

2) How to describe him? He has no name, but he is the very tall, elegantly tweed-clad man in his late 40's who looks like a distinguished professor, and yet has to be taken shopping by his mum where he gallops up and down the aisles like a horsey. He swears a lot too!
(clapper, Fri 17 Sep 2004, 10:31, Reply)