Before he disappeared, he was the Automatic Human Jukebox, that famous Fisherman's Wharf street performer from the 1970s and '80s who once compared his popularity to that of the Golden Gate Bridge. Posted on 07/12/2005 8:56:40 PM PDT by Cultural Jihad
Before he disappeared, he was the Automatic Human Jukebox, that famous Fisherman's Wharf street performer from the 1970s and '80s who once compared his popularity to that of the Golden Gate Bridge.
His wacky act, where he popped out of a phone booth-sized cardboard box and played the trumpet, was featured in San Francisco guidebooks and mentioned in Penthouse magazine and the Wall Street Journal. He also appeared on "The Mike Douglas Show," "Charles Kuralt on the Road" and "To Tell the Truth."
Now, after years of anonymity, the trumpet-playing, anti-establishment hippie Grimes Poznikov has reappeared -- at a dump in the southeast sector of San Francisco. There, Poznikov lives under a rotting baby grand piano that is covered in a heap of clothes, blankets, liquor bottles, naked Barbie dolls, suitcases and a tattered American flag.
Poznikov's photo appeared last week with a Chronicle article about city efforts to clean up an illegal dumping ground that also has become a homeless encampment near the Caltrain railroad tracks. Property owners have agreed to start sweeping out the area Wednesday. His photo prompted an outpouring of concern from longtime residents who recognized Poznikov despite his graying and matted hair and beard.
"It's sad to learn that he now is forgotten and living on the streets," wrote resident Don Grimes, who used to take his visiting nephews to watch Poznikov's act near Aquatic Park because the family surname matched the street artist's first name. "He did play a part in creating San Francisco memories."
For more than a decade, people inserted money in a slot in Poznikov's famous "jukebox" so he would play them any tune by request -- and the more you paid, the longer he played. He also offered running commentary on everything from the legalization of pot to President Ford to the Mideast crisis.
But Poznikov stopped playing to tourists in the 1980s.
Sad tale. I hope the guy gets some help.
This man needs to be in a rehab soon.
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