Most folks know him as Chilly Willy, prominent homeless man about town. You would see him all over Charlotte, just walking around, sitting on a bench, getting harassed by "the man." Matter of fact, I was rolling my way back into the uptown after a delivery on 4th Street yesterday around 3:30PM when I saw Chilly Willy lying in the grass surrounded by a few bystanders and some CPCC campus security. It had been months since I last saw him. I wondered what the hell he was doing, but he was probably just doing Chilly Willy stuff.
Chilly is infamous for two things; coming up missing, being pronounced dead, and then reappearing out of nowhere, and his multiple appearances in the mugshot magazine Slammer.
He used to be one of the regulars uptown. Part of our social anti-social fabric. In the past few years, he has been reduced to a cameo role. I remember years ago when he would walk around with this miniature blue $5 drug store boombox pressed against his ear. One day he sat across from me and asked me to put fresh batteries in it for him. Chilly could get irritable, but I did my best to teach him how to do it on his own while making the swap. Finished with the job, he cranked it on, stuck it up against his head, and walked away wailing to the tunes.
Like Gurney Man and Good Spirit (also hit by a car) before him, they're just gone like that. Irreplaceable characters that regardless of their pasts, arrest records, or public opinions, they were just as much a part of our cityscape as the tallest of buildings. He'll be missed.
That kinda shit messes with me. Haven't seen him in months, see him yesterday, now he's dead. Four years ago, I saw Obama outside his Charlotte election headquarters on my way home. The next day he was president. The things you just happen to see while riding a bike.
On that note...
There is no pleasant segue from that.
This weekend is a triple header for me, starting with the October Spoke Easy Get Down after work this evening. A party in the sense of the word when spoken in college terms. Free beer, a bunch of dudes, and three uncomfortable women. Since I'm "sponsoring" their alleycat this November, it's best I make an appearance as benefactor royalty.
I'll hopefully keep myself under control and not hit the New Belgium keg too hard since tomorrow I'm strapping on a number plate. I didn't think I'd race anymore in 2012, but whatever. It's happening. Race report on Monday, I guess.
And Sunday, I'm going for a Pisgah ride with Bill Nye the Science Guy and his team of Nuke-U-Lar technicians. The seasonal trails opened on the 15th, and it's time to get some Bennett, Coontree, and Cat Gap action.
Chilly Willy, play us off...
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4 comments:
Wow, the guy very musically talented actually. More so than some others who I've seen that think they are.
May he rest in peace.
Tragic. We drove right through the commotion and behind the ambulance. There was never a question as to what happened at that intersection. "Another pedestrian hit..". Makes me a little sick to find out it was CW.
what in fact are you providing by sponsoring this event?
I am contributing my pile of schwag collected this year that would fit others better than me... that and a little something for DFL that will inspire them to go faster next time.
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