Remembering a Legend

King Love

One of the most well known characters of Tallahassee through the ‘80s and ‘90s would have to be King Love. Sporting a crown, cape, and plenty of protest signs, King love made his way through Tallahassee telling citizens “love is the only answer”. Although King Love is no longer with us in Tallahassee, his memory lives on. Below is a YouTube clip about King Love.
Above picture obtained at http://www.thetallahasseenews.com/kinglovex.JPG

Taxi Time in Tally

Jorge Domingo

It’s night time in Tallahassee, which means drinking, bars, and clubs. Tallahasseans love to go out, have alcoholic drinks, dance, and meet new people. But many times we forget the unsung hero’s who allow us to do this safely. With the dangers of driving after drinking, the Tallahassee Yellow Cab service is a phone call away, to help get partiers to or from a bar/ club safely. Friday night, my friends and I were heading out to Stetsons on the Moon for the night. We hung out at my friends apartment; having some drinks and listening to good music. When it was time to leave and head to Stetsons we wisely called Tallahassee Yellow Cab and then waited for the driver to arrive. When the small yellow taxi pulled up, I knew this was going to be one of those unforgettable taxi rides. Sitting in the driver seat was a short, yet very fat Hispanic man with one of the biggest beards of curly hair I have ever seen. Immediately when we opened the door the driver shouted, “Hey guys, I’m Jorge, where are weeee gooing?” We told him Stetsons and then he informed us that we seemed fun and he wanted to play Cash Cab. Obviously no money was involved, but it was still a lot of fun. We had a lot of laughs with Jorge and he made me appreciate taxi drivers a whole lot more than I did previously. We all felt that we had an instant new friend in Jorge and he even allowed some friends of mine to take a picture with him (above). As we were leaving, he gave us his personal cell phone number and told us to call him when we were ready to leave. He kept his word and was back at Stetsons picking us up shortly after we called. Next time you are going out in Tallahassee be safe and do not drive. Call for a taxi instead and you may get a ride to remember.

The Thong is Gone

Richard Irby

Last June I was sitting at an outside table at Jenny’s Lunchbox on Mahan Dr, when he came rolling on by. If you have spent any substantial amount of time in Tallahassee, you have likely run into Richard Irby, better known as Thong Man. Nothing more than shoes, socks, a headband, and a colorful thong is the attire of choice for Thong Man as he rides his bicycle through the streets of Tallahassee. He is completely shaven, except for his hard to reach back, which is thick in dark brown back hair. Like many citizens of Tallahassee, I was shocked when I had my first encounter with the Thong Man. My friend who was sitting with me quickly grabbed her camera to take a quick picture, which was immediately loaded onto Facebook. All the occupants of Jenny’s Lunchbox had their faces smeared up against the windows watching and laughing as well.
Thong man’s favorite Tallahassee roadway to ride on is the dangerous Appalachee Parkway, which leads him to areas of the Capitol buildings and the campus of Florida State University. Motorists somehow manage to not crash as they grab a quick picture on their cell phone, while many yell insults at the man. No matter what someone says, nice or mean, Thong Man simply raises up two fingers, to show the peace sign towards the voice. Thong man has turned into more than just another strange creature from the streets of Tallahassee; he has begun to have a cult like following. His fans created The Classy Tallahassee Bikini Bicyclist Fan Club on Facebook, where there are thousands of subscribers. As well, when Thong Man’s bike broke last June, fans joined together to raise enough money to buy him a new bike. Sadly, all good thong stories have to come to an end. Three Tallahassee residents accused Thong Man of exposing his genitals in late September of last year. A judge ordered Richard Irby to no longer wear thongs will riding through town, in order to not run the risk of having something unwanted fall out again. Thong man is gone for good, but his legend will live on through the hearts of Tallahassee residents.
Above picture obtained from http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/specials/weirdflorida/blog/bikini_bicyclist-thumb.jpg

“The Gas Station is Obviously the Best Place to Grill Out”

The Citgo Grilling Team

I was confused. It was a Friday night and there were three men grilling out in the parking lot of the Citgo gas station on the corner of Ocala Rd and W. Tennessee Street. While everybody else was out party hoping from AJ’s to The Strip to Potbelly’s on this particular Friday night, the men seemed content with sitting in the parking lot and grilling. I at first began to think that this was a one time phenomenon, but as weeks passed, I realized that this must be a regular event. Many Tallahasseans know by now about the weekly grill out and some have even been brave enough to go up and ask for a hamburger or hotdog prepared by The Citgo Grilling Team. The men of Citgo have become a semi-night time attraction of Tallahassee. It is always fun to bring visiting friends by to see what some of our favorite Tallahasseans are up to on a Friday or Saturday night.

...verse Zombies, really?

Glen Arthur Krause Davis

Tallahassee, you never seem to disappoint me. If you have not seen the grown adults playing Humans vs. Zombies, where they attack each other with Nerf guns, then you must be living under a rock. If you have not seen HVZ leader Glen Davis, then you are about to be in disbelief. Many people begin exciting hobbies such as running, knitting, or drinking. But Glen leads and participates in Humans vs. Zombies, with participating being an understatement. He takes it to a whole new level, way above your typical-everyday HVZ participant. I first met Glen through my neighbor Josh, who also plays HVZ. I walked into his room to find a large man wearing some of the oddest clothing I have seen in awhile. His outfit consisted of the following items; a Scottish kilt, a beret, gas mask, tall strapped black leather boots, a wireless walkie-talkie headset, and a satchel. Not to be forgotten, he was also loaded with weapons. Nerf “bombs” and automatic Nerf guns were apparently his weapons of choice. I have got to say, Glen was a nice guy, but the outfits and HVZ want to make me think otherwise. Thanks to the local Tallahassee FOX10 news station, even those who had not seen him in person, were able to see him during a feature on the six o’clock news. I can see Glen sticking around in Tallahassee for awhile, becoming an even bigger staple of Tallahassee culture.
Above picture obtained from http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?pid=3225880&id=616149058

Taking Back Doak

Jimbo Fisher

It is always tough to follow someone that had a long career and who was very successful, in any profession. Here in Tallahassee, we all get to watch every moment of the transition from Bobby Bowden to Jimbo Fisher as head man of the Florida State football program. Bobby Bowden is a household name in Tallahassee, as well as around the country. Bobby has been a longtime resident of Killearn Estates and has been an integral part of the Tallahassee community for decades. With Jimbo previously being the offensive play caller for the Seminoles the last few years, he has some notoriety but is still unknown to many. That will soon change. With a product on the field that has left a lot to be desired for the football team the last few years, the atmosphere at Doak Campbell stadium has been lacking what it had during the 1990’s. That is why in his first press conference as Florida State head coach; Jimbo stated that he wants to help “take back Doak”. I think that Jimbo has been doing just that already. He himself promoted the annual spring game, telling fans that he wanted them in Tallahassee and at the game, just like schools such as Alabama and Florida do. Tallahassee and Seminole nation responded favorably, with more than 51,000 people showing up at Doak, far exceeding previous attendance numbers. If Jimbo can keep it up and keep building excitement, he will be a part of the Tallahassee community for many years to come.
Aove picture obtained from http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/2009/sioncampus/01/14/trendspotters/p1-jimbo-fisher.jpg