Silver Man Robot Dancers

As much as I applaud buskers and vagrants like the Bush Man who get themselves a gimmick to keep afloat, the metallic-​painted robots of the Wharf and Pier 39 are just all too smarmy.
I grew up going to places like the Venice Beach Boardwalk where gold, copper, bronze, and silver-​covered human robots will stand for hours at a time for tips, moving with methodically android-​like articulation. The gentlemen practicing this craft between Pier 39 and Fisherman’s Wharf are OK at the whole robot impression, most of the time not really trying, as though they figure the body paint is enough.
Furthermore, if they see you taking a picture, they’re likely to drop whatever character they were maintaining, step off their crates, and try to hustle a few bucks out of you. It’s the sort of behavior you steel yourself against when you hang around Hollywood and watch the costumed people outside of Grauman’s Chinese Theater dressed as superheroes and movie characters demanding $ 5 tips if you click a pic with them. Fist fights tend to erupt when people ignore them, with the next morning’s Times bearing headlines like, «Chewbacca Arrested, Superman a Witness.»
In both cases you just learn to leave them to the tourists, but this doesn’t always mean you’re safe.
A few blocks away from their usual performance area, I was taking a casual snap shot of the boyfriend standing in front of some parked MUNI F streetcars (
), and one of those silver men walks into frame, assumed I was taking it of him, and proceeded to harass me for a dollar.
That’s one piece of local flavor I don’t recommend sampling to everyone. It’s kind of hard to swallow.

I see these guys all the time. $ 1 for a show and a lollipop, what a deal.

When I usually binge eat down the Wharf I would occasionally see these guys fight each other. Its awesome!

These guys are okay. I used to find them scary as a little kid but now I find them kind of entertaining.

Do I like the dancing or the electronic voice robot music? I just can’t decide! Anyway, these guys would be 5 stars but watching that one bum with the tree branches scare the shit out of tourists is way more entertaining to me. I remember he scared some big European guy so bad that he fell out of his shoes! LOLLMAOROFLFUFMLPIIHB!

I saw much better Robot dancers in New York.
These guys were rude. A lot of them broke character often. I even saw one guy jump off of his crate and start cursing and yelling at tourists as they passed by. They kept begging for tips. It was really annoying, some of them didn’t even do a complete job of covering themselves up in the silver paint.

I love the funky music this guy plays. It’s so funky sounding. And you know what that means. Music you can lock to! :)

*cues up Midnight Star’s «Freak-​a-​Zoid”*
I am a freak-​a-​zoid
come on and wind me out
Paying homage to the days of yore when breakin and b-​boys were the norm, these fabulous gents entertain tourists and locals alike with their rigid and stiff dance moves. Their stone cold motions and gyrations may be replicated but never duplicated. They may not be private dancers but they definitely dance for money. In fact, they WON’T dance unless you pitch in some dough. Kick em down a few bucks when you’re up in the area and support them for the joy they provide everyone.
Now pardon me whilst I do my own robot man in my living room…
*cues up Newcleus’ «Jam on It”*
You gotta boogie to your best ability
You gotta funk it up until it knocks you down
And when you’re funkin’ up, be sure to pass it around

Hahahah. Damnit! How did I forget to review these dudes? I’m going to have to bust out my meager b-​girl skills when I come back to the west coast. Where is Kanye when you need him? He needs to recruit these dudes for his next video. Lol.

Hmmmm… Robot guy is puzzling to me. or tin man? seems to be the same. I just want to suggest that its easier to do the robot to some electrofunk, not Maria Carey remixes. More ttzzzztt zzttt, less toot toot.