"Was that nude body suit guy really carrying a dead fish?" and other Critical Mass queries

Did anyone stop to talk to this fellow on Ashland and Milwaukee? I nearly creamed the bicycle in front of me from rubber necking that fishy derelict.

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Permalink Reply by Dubi Kaufmann on August 26, 2011 at 5:34pm

it was a performance art piece by Joseph Ravens. The performance was part of out of site http://outofsitechicago.com/  a series of performances in public spaces in Wicker Park.

Permalink Reply by Mike Zumwalt on August 26, 2011 at 5:59pm
Sure looked real, and big. I'd like to see the Dome of Doom personally.
Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on August 27, 2011 at 4:13am

It was a scary-looking toothy mutha of a fish, wasn't it? 

 

I could have swore that fish was moving on it's own.  Perhaps it was still alive and not, in fact dead.  

 

That's why I yelled to him to put it into the fountain and to "Free Willy!"

 

But if he had done this it would have ruined his Performance Art Piece.

 

+1 to nude body suit fish dude.   I'm sure a lot of bicyclists got to see the performance last night.

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on August 27, 2011 at 4:25am

Older white man -bald or very balding (my memory is bad) topless and wearing a tight pair of skin-colored "nude pants" but he had a big beer belly so the nude pants were bunched up at the crotch because they were not tailored for a "beer belly cut."

 

Bare feet.

 

Carrying a HUGE fish -I'm not into fish so I can't exactly identify it but it was grey all over and didn't seem to have much in the way of gills or frills/colors around the gills.  Not much for fins either.  It was long round and skinny more like a Pike or other long fish -not flat or tall in the vertical dimension -but almost snake-like in shape.  Maybe 3-1/2 feet long and 6-7" in diameter at the middle.  

 

The fish had a HUGE mouth with a ton of teeth on it which sort of put the idea of shark into one's mind it was so big but the tail was small and there was no huge dorsal fin.  It was either a real fish or very life-like.  It was heavy and flopped around.  The guy walked within 7-8 feet of me as he crossed through the mass from the left side towards the inner part of the Polish triangle where he shambled around the fountain.  

 

I've got an old iPhone and it takes me about 40 seconds to turn it on and get the darn camera app booted up so I wasn't able to get a picture of him. 

 

I'd like to see a picture to see how far my memory/description of him is off from reality.  But what I described above is what I remembered.  I'm bad with faces so I probably couldn't recognize him in a line-up.  That, and the HUGE SCARY-LOOKING FISH he was carrying was sort of taking the focus of my attention. 

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on August 27, 2011 at 4:39am
My wife says the guy had "blood" or fake blood on his chest -perhaps from the fish or maybe it was fake blood.  I don't remember this at all.  My memory is of maybe some hair on his chest -light-colored blondish or reddish hair. But it could have been fake or real fish guts or even redder fake or real human-type blood.  I can't say at all.
Permalink Reply by Brock T on August 27, 2011 at 8:53am
I didn't quite catch the dude with the fish in wicker park. Yeah, riding around Buckingham fountain certainly was one of the most surreal moments I've ever had on a mass ride. Wish I would have taken some snap shots. Anyone have any pictures they want to post?
Permalink Reply by Juan 2-3 or more mi. on August 27, 2011 at 11:33am

That was the most surreal moment of this month's ride.

It is good to see more art happening in Chicago.

 

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on August 28, 2011 at 1:04am

Yup, that's the guy.

 

For some reason I remember him being a little bit older.  He seemed to be huffing and puffing and leaning back a little bit more when carrying that fish as it seemed heavier.  

 

I don't remember there being that much blood.

Permalink Reply by Jason W on August 29, 2011 at 8:18am

It was definitely a real fish, and he was really bloody. (I remember more blood then that picture) I thought it had something to do with the truck with a canoe on it parked in the middle of the intersection.

 

When did you guys go past buckinham fountain? Near the end? We pulled off at North and Clark when the mass was heading south. Where did that mass end?

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on August 29, 2011 at 8:35am

Now that you bring it up it I totally forgot about the truck with the two plastic/ABS kayaks or canoes on top of it.   The fish guy was so bizarre that the image of the  truck was forgotten after seeing him.

 

I wonder if they were related?  I think they almost must be somehow.

Jason W said:

It was definitely a real fish, and he was really bloody. (I remember more blood then that picture) I thought it had something to do with the truck with a canoe on it parked in the middle of the intersection.

 

Permalink Reply by Bicycle Poet on August 31, 2011 at 4:21am
Someone took this video of him running south on Milwaukee, just as CCM was heading north on to Milwaukee.
Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on August 31, 2011 at 4:34am
Thanks @Bicycle Poet!

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