My favorite line of his said to me was, "Hey Blondie, I like the way you wear your laundry!" Ha! He was always super positive, super funny and a delight to see coming towards you. I never had the chance to do a story on him, and will always regret that. It lights a fire to both tell the stories of and absolutely treasure the characters we still have.
But we didn't always have them. Wilbur Johnson chose to become Dr. Geek and spread his fun and love around town for decades. Bobby Brown chose to become The World's Greatest Wino and tell jokes on the beach for decades. We still have Harry Perry, the Tree Man, Solomon the Snake Man (now sans snakes, but still delivering fiery speeches atop his ladder), the Your Name On Rice lady (all of whom I need to do stories on - let's go!) ... but they weren't always there either.
I'd like to see a new generation of spirited and unique people create their own Venice legends ... you know you're out there, wanting to express yourselves, to give people a thrill, and to keep Venice interesting and different and worthy of being a destination, vs. turning into just every other generic chain store town. No way.
I'll miss Dr. Geek and his raps ... and look forward to seeing who comes along to carry his torch (or top hat). Rest In Peace, good Doctor!
*Photos swiped from his website ... http://www.teamuniteddiversity.com/dr-geek.html
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