"He died like he lived: Plans in the works for a boat trip to Cuba the following week, a novel in progress, and $4.44 in his bank account."

January 26, 2011 5:50 PM

Poppa Neutrino (born William David Pearlman) (previously) has died at 77. (His daughter's obituary for him excerpted here).

Homeless by choice, Poppa Neutrino was perhaps best known for crossing the Atlantic on a scrap-built raft in 1998, documented in National Geographic's Fantastic Voyage. He said that he was inspired to live nomadically by a documentary he saw as a child about Aborigines who periodically burned down their homes and walked away from them.

Here's a 2007 book review of Alec Wilkinson's The Happiest Man in the World. Random Lunacy, the 2007 documetary on Poppa Neutrino, is streaming on Hulu.com. (He also auditioned for American Idol.)

posted by liketitanic (13 comments total)

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posted by Sticherbeast at 5:53 PM on January 26, 2011

Hulu Link
posted by SkinnerSan at 6:03 PM on January 26, 2011

Amazing Man. 100 percent.

I ask that everyone here watch the documentary.

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posted by gcbv at 6:06 PM on January 26, 2011

Never heard of him before, but I like the cut of his scavenged, holey, poorly-tied jib. A man who followed and lived his dreams.
posted by Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese at 6:22 PM on January 26, 2011

That documentary is wonderful. Thanks for the great post, liketitanic!
posted by Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese at 7:33 PM on January 26, 2011

Damn. The world is poorer for having less lunacy in it today.

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posted by no mind at 10:15 PM on January 26, 2011

Um, that isn't the right link for the book review.

Try here.
posted by no mind at 10:33 PM on January 26, 2011

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posted by From Bklyn at 11:07 PM on January 26, 2011

This is the first I'd heard of him, and I honestly wish it had been sooner. He sounds like a fantastically interesting person.
posted by tizzie at 7:09 AM on January 27, 2011

Any idea what exactly constitutes the unstoppable Neutrino Clock Offense?
posted by MtDewd at 7:29 AM on January 27, 2011

The word "authenticity" is thrown around a lot these days, but it may as well have been coined just to describe him. It's been ten years since I last spoke with him, but he's never been far from my thoughts. One of the best human beings ever.
posted by StickyCarpet at 10:56 AM on January 27, 2011

This is one of the few DVDs I've bought on the internet. The people in it are amazing, and the footage is very authentic. But I found the documentary structure less interesting as the people. That said, if I remember correctly, there is a blind/mute Ninja in a Mexican circus and a truly epic cross ocean raft voyage. Also, Poppa Neutrino's football play is full of lulz.
posted by nirvan at 8:35 PM on January 29, 2011

Poppa Neutrino had no insurance or money. His family started a collection to help raise funds for Poppa Neutrino's cremation service and memorial Second Line. Folks can Chip In and find more info here.

The family is also planning an open party in about a month to celebrate his life.
posted by nirvan at 9:20 PM on January 29, 2011 [1 favorite]