Who Is Frank Chu?

January 27, 2003 5:43 PM

Who Is Frank Chu?A Craigslister put up an interview with various SF residents, and Frank Chu himself. For people not from the Bay Area, Frank Chu has been a downtown fixture for some time -- notable for his silent protest of bizarre space-crimes committed by ex-presidents.
posted by hammurderer (13 comments total)

I love seeing that guy downtown. I wish more people were as dedicated to their beliefs as he is. Granted, his beliefs are completely loony, but he's clearly devoted. Good luck, Frank!
posted by Down10 at 6:27 PM on January 27, 2003

I think that Gene Ray just found the only living specimen, other than himself, fit to carry on with Time Cube research after his demise.
posted by Pinwheel at 6:52 PM on January 27, 2003

your emperor
posted by sgt.serenity at 7:29 PM on January 27, 2003

a popular halloween costume in these parts too
posted by donkeysuck at 7:38 PM on January 27, 2003

seems like a nice, harmless man.
Its pretty obvious the people making this 'documentary'
had no idea other than wow ! this guy's really odd!
Its just one of those 'hey look at us we're making a movie cause we switched a camera on' type things.
Im sitting here scratching my head at how somebody could screw up so good a subject.
In case somebody posts with "well,what would you do?".
Well, i aint gonna tell you, apart from maybe you should sort out the lighting.
posted by sgt.serenity at 7:48 PM on January 27, 2003

One saturday I had the pleasure of standing ringside as Mr. Chu walked through a protest in front of the Gap at Powell & Market. There was honest to god a lull in the chanting as the somewhat wacky saw a true master at work.

There's part of me that's tickled pink to see him here, and another part of me that feels like a part of my own little private zany world has somehow been taken away. Irrational, I know, but there you have it.
posted by hob at 10:00 PM on January 27, 2003

frank is a fantastic character (i'm starting to worry about him a bit, as he seems to have developed a limp.)

we've got quite the pantheon out here, what with eddie the drummer (who recently reappeared around 4th street after disappearing from telegraph), rick starr (who's currently MIA), the "happy happy" guy, and some other minor characters who, nonetheless, are still fairly recognizable and turn up in the oddest places.
posted by fishfucker at 10:20 PM on January 27, 2003

I don't know what to think of him. He's sketchy and off-balance," Melonie Holzinger, a sophomore, says. "I'm afraid that one day while he's singing, he's suddenly gonna go all crazy."

please, i beg you , get a fucking life !
posted by sgt.serenity at 10:28 PM on January 27, 2003

rick starr has actually been banned from the berkeley campus several times, mostly for harassing/stalking women; so the above comment you've quoted is not too over-the-top. it's possible that presently he is MIA because he's been banned.

a bit of trivia: the cal police only allowed him to perform from the hours of noon until 1pm because they designated the coffee can to which he attached his microphone as a "sound amplifier" -- which is only permitted during those hours.
posted by fishfucker at 10:47 PM on January 27, 2003

i got the impression the guy was just a colorful fellow and it was freaking out people who were rigidly controlled in themselves.
the link makes no mention of harassing or stalking.
It surprises me that if this was indeed the case as you say,
then why would people be welcoming him back ?
oh . here it is :"Also, UC police banned Starr from the campus last year after being involved in a verbal altercation with a UC employee"
homeless people/characters are often wrongly accused of 'scaring' people.
surely if the man was harrassing women, he wouldnt be allowed back?
posted by sgt.serenity at 11:24 PM on January 27, 2003

Man, how come SF gets all the cool nuts? Madison mostly just gets cold-hearted panhandlers and Scanner Dan, a man of scabrous bald pate and a disturbing penchant for cackling.

Come to think of it, I haven't seen Dan for a bit. I wonder if he went south for the cold months.
posted by kavasa at 2:46 AM on January 28, 2003

I thought you were talking about Alex Chiu.
posted by MrMoonPie at 10:36 AM on January 28, 2003

if this is about that oriental chappie that gads about sf with the sandwich boards pertaining to some intergalactic conspiracy, then i feel compelled to type 'double post'. even though strictly speaking it isn't and i wouldn't care if it were, really.
posted by asok at 10:44 AM on January 28, 2003