cubzwin;842497481 said:

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I have the most vivid memories of Holy Hubert, the Bubble Lady and the Orange Man.

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Yes, those characters were "unique", but also the Alameda County Sheriff's Dept and the CA Governor's office.

CrunchyMunchyMan;842785852 said:

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His name was Alfred Dattner. Crunchy Munchy Man was my great-grandfather. Here's an article about him that I found online: https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/d...9640106_03.pdf. I have a bunch of pictures and Berkeley magazine articles on him that I need to scan.

It would be great to hear your memories of him. What else do you remember about him?

Thanks for your help!

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I just remember that he sold ice cream bars, and we did buy some from him from time to time. I should have been clear that he was not a "crazy." He would be more accurately referred to as a "character."

Holy Hubert. The man was fearless, took on Hippies, radicals, communists, rioters, you name it. Never saw him lose his cool.

I have a 1985 Stoney Burke video for ya!

Does anybody remember the Flaming Zuchini? I think he used other names and had several acts including having people break cement blocks on hid stomach with a sledge hammer. Circa 1972 -74.

In the early to mid 70s there was a lady around town that we called the Crazy Lady. Perhaps she is the same as some here have referred to as the Hate Lady. She was crazy as a loon, and went around town yelling at people. She would come into Oscar's from time to time and we would kick her out. Once I felt sorry for her and gave her some fries to take with her as I was kicking her out. She came back a couple of hours later and handed me a small card that she had filled with weird tiny hieroglyphics. I kidded my co-workers that perhaps she was actually speaking in tongues, and someday the hieroglyphics might be deciphered to reveal important information. So I stuck the card in my wallet, and then forgot about it, carrying it around for a few years. I eventually noticed it and tossed it. Maybe I missed my chance to learn the Meaning of Life.

Naked Guy anecdote.

Late good friend and former Physics TA (RIP) was on an airplane one day. Takes his seat next to an Asian woman. Kindly says hello, but gets no response. She seems shy and not too responsive to any attempts at friendly conversation. Very likely a language issue. No big deal; you never know who you'll sit next to on a flight.

Later in the flight, I can't remember exactly how it happened, he somehow reveals his association with Cal. She hears it and immediately comes to life and vociferously says, "Naked guy! You have Naked Guy?" He then went on to explain what he knew about the Naked Guy on campus. Although she was from somewhere in Asia, she had heard ALL ABOUT the naked guy and when she heard "Cal," she just had to find out about him. My friend was taken aback at her reaction and truly animated interest in the Naked Guy. Such a surprise to have her emerge from her shell to learn all about Naked Guy. The story brings a smile to my face.

RIP him, too.

Damn, I never put the two together - not that I would! - but that the Naked Guy and my good friend, both died in the prime of life.

Good story, but with a very sad component as well.

Oh well, that is indeed life.

Now as far as "crazies" go, my tenure at Cal included:

Rick Starr
Hate Man
Polka Dot Guy
"RARE!!!!"


Go Bears!

In the early 70's, it was Holy Hubert and the Bubble Lady who hung around Sproul Plaza. Remember them well.

I was going to say the polka dot man! I remember seeing him in crazy places all around campus. One of my favorites was a polka dot clad leg dangling out of one of the big pedestal urns in front of Dwinelle. Also the time I watched him move in slow motion wearing a gas mask across Sproul Plaza - took him about 30 minutes to go maybe 50 feet.

Does anyone remember Suitcase Simpson? He was around in the early sixties and I still recall seeing him in 1968. He dressed in a dark suit, sometimes an overcoat and hat and always carrying a large briefcase not unlike a suitcase. He wore thick glasses and looked somewhat like a Blues Brother without the shades. You would see him in the library, walking around campus and apparently he would attend classes. A roommate of mine said he showed up Professor Tenbrook's class one day. Tenbrook was blind and called on Simpson unaware of who he was. Simpson, it is said began reading from a random book which caused the Professor some confusion until a student clued him in on who has visited his class. He was apparently harmless but living in his own delusion.
The other I recall is Hubert Lindsay or Holy Hubert. He never tired of trying to save souls at the corner of Telegraph and Bancroft in his checkered shirt. He was indefatigable. When taunted or challenged which was often constant, he would say "bless your dirty little heart" with a big smile on his face. Hubert could be annoying but his opponents in the mob were usually equally annoying. I have a signed pocket Bible from him but don't recall when I got it.

One of my roommates invited Holy Hubert - Hubert Lindsay - to dinner one night. He was very entertaining and much more subdued than his public persona. He had lot of interesting stories, some of which might have been true. There was a lot more to him than what was evident from his preaching. He had memorized the entire New Testament and a lot of the Old. As a believer I did not agree with his preaching style and usually avoided him, but he had a lot more guts than I did. He went to other campuses too as friends from other parts of the country knew about him too.

Has anyone mentioned the guy who sold buttons? Not a character but he was there when I was in school over 40 years ago and I would still see him decades later. Haven't seen him lately. And finally, I did see the man with no face a number of times when I was there in the early 70's. I heard any number of stories about him but don't know which if any were true.

CrunchyMunchyMan;842785852 said:

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His name was Alfred Dattner. Crunchy Munchy Man was my great-grandfather. Here's an article about him that I found online: https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/d...9640106_03.pdf. I have a bunch of pictures and Berkeley magazine articles on him that I need to scan.

It would be great to hear your memories of him. What else do you remember about him?

Thanks for your help!

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You can see my post above -- he usually bought cigarettes and made sure he got his free matches.

Calfans;842498341 said:

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Great find! That was a fun quiz, not that I could answer any of the KN questions. Crunchy Munchy man wasn't a crazy! He sold ice cream at games and he'd say, "Hey Clyde, get your girlfriend a Crunchy Munch"...something like that.

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Agree. The Crunchy-Munchy man was not a crazy but he was a real personality. I first saw him as a Freshman in the fall of 1963 at Memorial Stadium. He had a quick wit and was ready with zinger for his customers. As a Freshman from a small town I was blown away by this guy who was unlike any of the vendors I had ever seen in my hometown. My thoughts were "I made the right choice in coming to Cal."

Rare! always kind of freaked me out. I also remember the Joke Man.

Though not technically a "street" crazy, does anyone know what happened to Dave Sqiub? He and his family used to come to every practice and game. I remember "beat the Kansas!" And "Miami sucks!" (Defending national champs btw) like it was yesterday. Might have been the best Cal fan in history.