In our e-mail (and, probably, the e-mail of every other journalist in Houston) comes a letter from a Swedish television producer.
She asks:
Who is the most likeable, extraordinary and offbeat person in your part of America? Your own local offbeat character.
Here is one person in Florida that we will meet in our documentary, just to give you an example. He is called Naked-Ed and he lives by a river. Do you guys have any people like Naked-Ed, or other likeable and eccentric people in your part of America?
Why does she ask this? Because
Filip Hammar and Fredrik Wikingsson are two of Sweden’s most beloved TV Hosts. They will go to America from December 2007 to February 2008. Their assignment: Find America’s most extraordinary, likeable and offbeat person (and the 99 that were pretty damn close).
We hate to let Flip and Fredrik down. But we don’t know anyone who lives naked by the river (or, in our case, the bayou). And we’re not the biggest fans of “offbeat” anyway. So – any suggestions? – Richard Connelly
This article appears in Nov 22-28, 2007.
