Just like every other town, Davis has its own distinct and memorable characters to laud. People get included in this list for many reasons. Some are listed to celebrate and honor the distinct or interesting attributes that make them visible individuals in a sea of sameness. Rock on, characters — you're the people who will be remembered long after the nondescript faces walking along the sidewalk are forgotten!

For the past few years USA Network has held nationwide searches for local characters, from Iowa cheerleaders who can say anything backwards to the Naked Cowboy in New York. Similarly inspired, here's our own list of folks who add spice to Davis life.

The Current Characters

Characters now in another town

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2005-10-11 11:19:53   Last year in 184 Chem I saw a segment about a reporter interviewing a guy who smashed a car window to make a point -what was that? If it happened in Davis, it probably deserves a Wiki page. Also- Perhaps this page should have been called "Local personalities", to be more precise. —SteveDavison

2005-05-30 22:35:40   Does anyone know much about the guy who hangs out in King Lounge a lot? He usually wears a black, ragged jacket, black jeans. I've always wondered about him. When I'm in King Lounge in the late afternoon, he is usually there, sleeping most of the time. —JenniferChu

  • 2005-10-11 13:00:48   I am wondering if anyone else notices Walking Man. He lives in Cambridge Glen apartments, where I used to live, but walks all over town. I don't think he has a job. I've seen him walking by Albertsons, South Davis Safeway, University Mall. He always wears a black shirt, cowboy boots and cowboy hat. He's tall and thin and proably about 60. I don't think this is the same person as moon-shine man, as Walking Man never appears drunk. Everytime I see him, I get the James Taylor song in my head...."and the walking man walks..." —JanelleAlvstadMattson
  • 2005-10-11 14:10:21   Does he have the beard and blue eyes? He's a really kind person, my girlfriend and I once gave him a few sandwiches from Jack in the Beezy that they gave us by mistake. Used to see him a lot by the Marketplace last year, but I havn't seen him for many months around there. But then the next week we saw him in Safeway buying three bottles of wine.. —EdWins
  • 2005-10-11 14:33:21   Edwin, are you referring to Walking Man, or another guy? The guy I call Walking Man is definately not homeless. From what I remember, he's clean shaven. I've gotta get a picture of him. From what I've seen, he's very nice, but usually keeps to himself. He's definately over 6 feet tall and under 170lbs. —JanelleAlvstadMattson
  • 2005-10-11 16:41:52   I believe that I know the Walking Man that you are talking about. But I always saw him riding the P/Q bus line and getting off near the south Davis Nugget. Not enough of a character to warrant a page IMO. —JackHaskel
  • 2005-10-11 17:59:40   I used to live in Cambridge Glen too, and I think I know who you're talking about. I guess he's been around for years. —JessicaLuedtke
  • 2006-06-11 21:55:43   Just wanted to let people know that the cowboy guy "in black denim" is not drunk. His name is Mark. He likes soda. —GodShamgod
    • I think i know who you're talking about. He comes into G Street Pub a lot to listen to bands and drink soda. He always sits on the couch by the door. — ArlenAbraham
    • Is this the same guy I call "Walking Man"? I referenced him in an earlier comment. He's always in black with a black cowboy hat. Definately not drunk. Tall, thin, maybe around 50 or 60? — JanelleAlvstadMattson

2005-11-25 16:01:43   I can't believe Dirty Santa isn't on here yet. New in town, but definitely a character. Long hair and beard dirty blond tobrown, wears matching sweat shirt and pants (sometimes UCD logo), hangs out downtown a LOT. Then you've got Guitar Guy with the super skinny dog (plays out front of the old Butera House a lot, long hair trimmed beard, really nice guy), Robbie Blackbeard the Bum (wears a baseball cap a lot, probably around 20 or so, missing some teeth), Skating Dan Dietze (Everyone loves Dietze. You don't frequent G Street Pub a lot if you don't know Dietze. He has a chipped tooth, self inflicted tatoos, and a self-inflicted burn scar of concentric circles from an electric kitchen stove on his forearm.), and what I like to call the Hobo All-Stars. Basically the gaggle of transients that kicks it by the big tree in Central Park with a boombox. —JeffSpeckles

2007-04-26 22:36:31   KDVS once had a show produced by a local "tinfoil hat lady" who was convinced that the government was beaming microwaves into her house and controlling her thoughts. She even had a webpage. Does anyone know who she was? —GrumpyoldGeek

  • As an Art Bell fan (and George is growing on me), I second this. Government mind control activists, especially ones with radio shows, are decidedly "Town Characters". —JabberWokky

2009-07-30 17:58:37   Maybe Walking Man (2005 comments) is the guy I know as Stomping Man, who lived for a long time at the Motel 6 in south Davis after he was evicted from Cambridge Glen. Long, stringy grey-brown hair, all black clothes. Kicks dogs and mutters nasty things to women and children. His raison d'etre is stomping around town muttering and kicking. Saw him out stomping in Woodland once, too - that man does love to stomp around. —calvin2

2009-10-05 21:15:20   Is Walking Man the same guy as the one I'm talking about? I don't think so? He always hangs out in the Art Lounge (every time I've gone except maybe at odd night times, he's been there), wears a black jacket (although I'm pretty sure I've never seen him with cowboy boots or a cowboy hat on), has a liter of soda, and has sudoku or puzzles or the newspaper with him? I think sometimes he goes through the garbage for food. The last time I saw him he was cutting things out (coupons?) and kept muttering "damnit. Damnit!" —AlisaKim

2010-11-01 13:40:07   Speaking of walkers, there's an Asian man I've noticed for years now, could be anywhere from 50-65. Head always tilted, walks in zigzags down the street, unless a car is coming, and he does a kind of Charlie Chaplin thing with his feet and legs when he walks. In parking lots, he makes sure to touch every man-made object with his right hand and right foot, at the same time. Ignores tree trunks, but touches the lightposts. He was doing it this morning at 5:15 in the Sutter Davis parking lot. If a parking lot has cars in it, he'll gently touch the back of most cars, and write down (or pretend to write down) the license plate number. He usually has a small plastic bag with him. Anybody know anything about this guy? I've seen him mainly in the Covell/Sycamore/Shasta Dr. area. —AirporterDriverPete

2011-04-01 07:41:14   I've noticed this one older man a lot in the last few months. He looks to be in his 50s or 60s(?) is about 5'6" with white hair and fairly clean shaven. He is always wearing khakis with an off-white, somewhat ratty knit sweater. Sometimes he is wearing a "hat" that looks like a round piece of netting in the shape of a yarmulke with a baseball cap bill stapled onto it.

Does anyone know anything about him? I see him walking around downtown or sitting in front of the Co-Op most frequently. I'm really curious but don't want to rudely go up to him and ask probing questions. —OliviaY

  • I do know he is an early morning and also early evening Starbucks customer, usually at the F St location around 7 am and again around 6pm. They know him pretty well. —Wes-P
  • He's Bruce Gutin. He's an artist and I'm told he is very intelligent. The Flatlander shirt he wore was produced by JosephMalki. —BruceHansen
  • He's also extremely crotchety. I have tried to be congenial and have politely told him to have a good day or evening several times only to be given grunts or dirty looks in return. — Wes

2011-08-09 20:04:19   There's a new interesting person that has been hanging out on 3rd/G in front of Ketmoree. She listens to a CD player with her CDs spread out on the sidewalk and dances. Interesting candidate for grad student or mentally ill... —ScottLay

2011-08-09 20:17:43   I have seen her many times recently and she is definitely becoming a town character with her portable CD player (yes, CD Player) and her quirky little dance routine. —Wes-P

What I love about Davis is the brain time dedicated to figuring out whether she is homeless/mentally ill or a grad student/professor doing some advanced research project. For those that haven't seen her, she's college-aged, Asian, decently dressed and looks like she's waiting for a friend to join her for lunch. —ScottLay

Davis Police Department was notified, after she would spend most of her day for 2 weeks at KetMoRee, we got worried because we did not know if she had a place to stay or what. Her routine is to buy multiple thai iced teas over the course of the day, we didn't even toss her thai iced tea out if she was gone for more then an hour. She doesnt really like to talk to people, and she was hostile toward me and a couple of staff members at one point (yelled at a customer once, chased me for a second when i was on my bike and passed by her). But she was nice at other times

Just saw her walking on G Street. She's not dancing yet, but probably will be shortly. —ScottLay

2011-08-09 21:07:32   Anybody know who the middle-aged black lady who walks around shouting at no one in particular is? I saw her first on Yolobus from the airport to UC Davis. I've seen her at least three more times walking downtown, on campus or on Russell. She usually has a suitcase or some kind of luggage she's carrying around with her. And she's always having a loud, angry argument with someone invisible third party. —jsogul

I see her when I'm running downtown in the morning, but know nothing more. As opposed to the Pine Tree Gardens folks, I think she's homeless. —ScottLay

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