Rap Rap Chess (found art / DIY personals)

I visited the home of BB pals Richard "Dangerous Minds" Metzger and Tara McGinley last week, and Richard showed me this gem, found on a telephone pole nearby. "I'm still peeing myself laughing about this guy," says Richard.

MAN CLAIMS TO LOOK LIKE MICHAEL FROM "GOOD TIMES" (Dangerous Minds)

Update: A savvy BB commenter points out that the guy's a) prolific b) known.

[#1 posted by merreborn, July 16, 2009 9:36 AM]

This guy's pretty prolific:

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b137/xeomt/bizarresign2.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b137/xeomt/phonepole.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b137/xeomt/011009_16401.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b137/xeomt/6a00d83451afa369e201116903283e970c-.jpg

And of course, credit goes to the finder:
http://vnboards.ign.com/morningthaw/b5156/110832568/r110838833/

[#2 posted by jimbuck, July 16, 2009 10:00 AM]

I am also looking for women to give me money. No need to become my sex slaves, and I don't care if you're asian, white, hispanic, black, or anything else. Just give me money.

I look sort of like a blend of David Cross and John Malkovich.

[#3 posted by dr.hypercube, July 16, 2009 10:00 AM]

Present at the birth of a meme.

[#4 posted by Anonymous, July 16, 2009 10:07 AM]

Hah! I've stumbled upon this guy's work before, check it out: http://jeffgreco.tumblr.com/post/142898867/boing-boing-has-discovered-a-local-la-sensation

[#5 posted by Thac0, July 16, 2009 10:08 AM]

Proud to get in on this at the beginning this could be huge!

[#6 posted by Xopher, July 16, 2009 10:09 AM]

I bet it's an art piece. I bet he's trying to see if anyone seriously responds. I just hope he's planning to give the serious responders a gift certificate for a forehead tattoo that says "WELCOME."

[#7 posted by grawlrus, July 16, 2009 10:27 AM]

i thought wesley willis had died?

[#8 posted by mypalmike, July 16, 2009 10:29 AM]

It's like myspace, but on a utility pole.

[#9 posted by Tim, July 16, 2009 10:37 AM]

I first read this headline as Rep Rap* Chess. I am disappointed...

*http://reprap.org/

[#10 posted by Ted8305, July 16, 2009 10:57 AM]

If I looking for White, Asian and Latina ladies. Him name is Hopkin Green Frog.
I lost my ladies.
329-3228
Love, Some Guy Who Looks Like Michael on Good Times.

P.S. I'll meet some ladies.
I want to meet ladies to help me with Things.
Who wants to help me with Things.

[#11 posted by LavenderNotes, July 16, 2009 10:57 AM]

Nachos. Movies. Pizza. I am so there.

[#12 posted by zikzak, July 16, 2009 11:05 AM]

Maybe he just needs help learning a song?

[#13 posted by Anonymous, July 16, 2009 11:07 AM]

Any women who avoids this guy are "not getting hassled, not getting hustled" while he tries "keeping his head above water, making a wave when he can".

[#14 posted by SeattlePete, July 16, 2009 11:13 AM]

I was on a business trip to LA about four months ago when I spotted my signs. One was a request to meet people who were interested in arm wrestling for money, and the other was about needing help "getting my stuff back from BIll Clinton". The handwriting was identical to these. The only difference was that it said "checkers" in one corner and "chess" in the other. I should have made copies of them, but I sent the originals in to FOUND magazine.

[#15 posted by Cimbert, July 16, 2009 11:19 AM]

You have to wonder how much action this guy gets. It must be working or he wouldn't keep posting.

[#16 posted by Anonymous, July 16, 2009 11:34 AM]

TOYNBEE IDEA
IN KUBRICK'S 2001
RESURRECT DEAD
ON PLANET JUPITER.

[#17 posted by Anonymous, July 16, 2009 11:40 AM]

The Mingering Mike of classified ads.

[#18 posted by MooseDesign, July 16, 2009 11:52 AM]

Did anyone else think of PaRappa the Rapper when they read the headline?

[#19 posted by ihaveseenenough, July 16, 2009 12:19 PM]

I don't know if it's still the case, but when we called the number about a month or so a go, the voicemail went:

"Choke. On a coke.

Smack on.

Leave a message at the beep and we'll call your right back."

[#20 posted by SamSam, July 16, 2009 12:21 PM]

I also read Rep Rap for a while, and was really confused by the image. Had the Rep Rap machine become sentient and started playing chess and trying to attract the ladies?

[#21 posted by hbl, July 16, 2009 1:09 PM]

I would love to meet some hot chicks with big butts. I had no idea the solution had been staring me in the face every 30 yards along the road.

I'm gonna get my sharpie and laminator and staple gun. It's like Friday night come early.

[#22 posted by fistula spume, July 16, 2009 1:13 PM]

These are messages from the mystery blob that's devouring the Alaskan coastline. Don't call it!

[#23 posted by nathanmaas, July 16, 2009 1:24 PM]

Who wrote these? It's incredibly similar in style to David Bradbury Haning, but with handwriting more like The Zodiac Killer. Examples:

http://haning.blogspot.com/
http://imgs.sfgate.com/c/pictures/2005/10/05/dd_zodiac01.jpg

Perhaps someone decided to create a hybrid of the two.

The claims on this one: http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b137/xeomt/bizarresign2.jpg are so completely like Haning, it's ridiculous.

[#24 posted by jawsy, July 16, 2009 4:20 PM]

Here's some posts from losanjealous about these signs:

http://www.losanjealous.com/2008/11/21/for-sale-on-melrose-wolverines-daughter-2-books-taco-bell-thundercats-movies-moneymy-heart/

http://www.losanjealous.com/2008/12/12/that-goofball-with-the-hand-lettered-melrose-signs-is-at-it-again/

http://www.losanjealous.com/2009/04/09/mid-city-hand-lettered-sign-bandit-strikes-again-affirms-michael-jackson-appearance-tags-marley-usc/

Googling the phone numbers, I found these, too:

http://twitpic.com/2zjpy
http://twitpic.com/1obi3
http://i40.tinypic.com/5xy76.jpg

[#25 posted by Anonymous, July 16, 2009 7:51 PM]

TED8305, you are my hero of life. I laughed out loud.

[#26 posted by Anonymous, July 16, 2009 10:52 PM]

This guy is all over my neighborhood. Some of them are really great.

[#27 posted by MichaelRN, July 17, 2009 3:35 AM]

Um, sorry to be a wet blanket and all, but it seems to be a rather benign (although admittedly entertaining) manifestation of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder.

Art and madness have always been intertwined to some extent.

[#28 posted by Padraig, July 17, 2009 4:29 AM]

Okay, I'll admit it.

What is this Rap Rap bit about??

I am completely clueless about this...other than the fact that it's quite odd and funny (peculiar).

[#29 posted by Anonymous, July 17, 2009 11:24 AM]

I've rode the bus with this guy on more than one occasion- he takes the 210 bus down Crenshaw into Hollywood but stops off a lot to put up his fliers. He's a very big (buff, not fat) black guy with natty dreads and he likes smoking weed.

[#30 posted by JL Bryan, July 17, 2009 1:09 PM]

This BB post just opened up a whole new world for me.

Anything you want--no matter how ridiculous, unlikely, desirable, or expensive--just hand write your wish and tack it to a telephone pole. Problem solved.

Maybe it's some weird postmodern urban voodoo. I wonder if chicken sacrifices are required?

Now, to go grab a pen, paper, and a box of thumbtacks...and possibly a chicken...

[#31 posted by Brainspore, July 17, 2009 1:15 PM]

Your move, craigslist.

[#32 posted by Sterlz, July 17, 2009 1:40 PM]

I can confirm personally this man is a derilect/"outsider artist" from the West Hollywood area. I work off of Melrose, and have spoken to him personally. I confirm that he is a rather large african american man, and his name is Jay. Prolific he is indeed. I have app. 5 or 6 of his pieces that I have taken home, and kept. Super funny stuff in an off hand sort of way. I asked him if I could take his picture, as I am an illustrator, and I wanted to draw him (natty dreds, raiders shirt, dude looked cool.). He denied vehemently, and insisted that he: "doesnt have the time man" and just sorta ambled off taping up more signs. Here's where it gets a little funny: I actually offered him cash to take his pic. Denied.

Go Jay!!!