Comments on: Who is the most interesting person in Springfield?

By: joeymarchy

joeymarchy — Sun, 17 Dec 2006 23:49:01 +0000

Thanks for your thought Jim.

By: stephen dare

stephen dare — Sun, 17 Dec 2006 18:42:07 +0000

Thats too bad about Fred, Jim.

He was devilish, charming and fascinating.

A bit like Sammy Davis Jr. playing a down and out 1940s Mephistopheles.

By: jim draper

jim draper — Sun, 17 Dec 2006 15:54:08 +0000

Just wanted to say a word about my dear friend Fred Pinkney
who was the most interesting person in Springfield, and
second only in popularity (whether that be love, hate, intolerance,
or disgust) to the mayor. We spent many hours together in
lenghty debate, Fred was a Republican, and many more hours
in business ventures, (sorry about the door knobs guys.)
At any rate Fred succumed to a brown recluse spider bite
from crawliing into his last attic, and checked himself out of
Shands instead of having to deal with the humiliation of
being a patient. Fred was adicted to crack (starting with free basing coke at a UF party in 1978. His mama told him about heroin. She didn’t know crack. Those of us who knew Fred best
remember his MO which was stealing plants out of one yard and
taking them two houses down and selling them. One day,
Lisa may have to verify this, he got high and tried to sell
Lisa Rowe back her own plants. At any rate, Fred was a good man,
a loyal friend, we had a couple of major fights but I never called the cops on him. We had rules, I wouldn’t let him smoke crack in the building. I took him down on the street one time for coming to an opeing high and hitting on the high school girls. We made up the following Monday. He was an asset to the Republican Party.
I never could understand that, and I refused to take him to vote because I knew he was a hugh Bush supporter. But we could
argue politics, religion or the finer points of the DaVinci Code,
Fred’s favorite book, (along with way too many other Americans.)
He told me that he was in jail over 75 separate times, I would love
to verify that. Every time he got out he would come see me and we would catch up. He never killed anybody that I knew of, except
for maybe this old couple on the northside, but he was high.
I do know the cops were looking for him for questioning. He
wanted to do a movie called, “Life After Dark.” about what it was
like being a crack head.
I was all for it, almost bought him a video camera, but I knew that it would be at the pawn shop in two days.
Fred, I miss you, and I know that Springfield misses you.
jim d

By: Aunt B

Aunt B — Tue, 25 Jul 2006 17:39:58 +0000

Joey, I log on to your blog from time to time to learn what’s happening in your life and neighborhood. I enjoy reading your thoughts and ideas and the responses from your fellow bloggers. Keep up the good work. Aunt B

By: joeymarchy

joeymarchy — Tue, 25 Jul 2006 01:14:14 +0000

I will be the first to admit I need to get out more. I am playing softball this August, so that will be my one of my first attempts to get out and meet some of my neighbors.

By: PCollins

PCollins — Tue, 25 Jul 2006 00:09:54 +0000

“I hope that you will ponder the numerous reponses and reconsider your pick.”

I disagree. If James is the most interesting person to JOEY, then that is the “correct” answer.

On the other hand, I think the Folio is the wrong vehicle to do the story. They often go into their stories with preconceived agendas and unfortunately the “outside world” does not get all sides of the picture.

Folio: good only for bar/nightclub/concert news.

By: PCollins

PCollins — Tue, 25 Jul 2006 00:02:11 +0000

Without a doubt….Goliath Flores.

Amazing guitarist & conversationalist…

By: Lisa Simon

Lisa Simon — Mon, 24 Jul 2006 20:19:00 +0000

Stephen, I love your picks. You definitely know Springfield and its residents. It’s people like Charles and Imma, Jim and Don, Eva, Doug and Lisa to name a few that make me love living in Springfield. To all of you that are afraid to leave your boring, whitebread neighborhoods; you will never know what you are missing.
Joey, dude you need to get out more.You are missing way too much.
As far as crime goes, I have been affected no more here than I was in my former “desirable” Southside neighborhoods.

By: Michael Howle

Michael Howle — Thu, 20 Jul 2006 17:48:15 +0000

I admit James is interesting, just not the MOST interesting person in Springfield. For some reason I think this funny pop culture reference (not a tough guess) parallels our discussion:

Jules Winnfield: Pigs are filthy animals. I don’t eat filthy animals.
Vincent Vega: Yeah but bacon tastes good. Pork chops taste good.
Jules Winnfield: Hey, sewer rat may taste like pumpkin pie, but I’d never know ’cause I wouldn’t eat the filthy mother-fu**ers. Pigs sleep and root in sh**. That’s a filthy animal. I ain’t eating nothing that ain’t got sense enough to disregard his own feces.
Vincent Vega: How ’bout a dog? Dog eats his own feces.
Jules Winnfield: I don’t eat dog either.
Vincent Vega: Yeah, but do you consider a dog to be a filthy animal?
Jules Winnfield: I wouldn’t go so far as to call a dog filthy, but they definitely dirty. But, dog’s got personality; personality goes a long way.
Vincent Vega: Ahh, so by that rational, if a pig had a better personality, he would cease to be a filthy animal. Is that true?
Jules Winnfield: Well, we’d have to be talking one charming mother-fu**ing pig.

By: vicupstate

vicupstate — Thu, 20 Jul 2006 17:26:25 +0000

While I can appreciate the sentiment for James being the ‘pick’, I have to say doesn’t Springfield have a bad enough image, without reinforcing it? Louise DeSpain, DowntownParks, Phil Neary, Stephan Dare, et al are the heros of this story. Pick the pioneer that has been there fighting the good fight the longest. The one that didn’t give up through years of crime and grime. The one who parents refused to visit him in the ‘hood.

Besides, do you really think James is going to open up to a stranger (Folio reporter) and give his life story?