Spare Change Guy

In case you don't get enough of his croaky pleas in person

adamg — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 13:20:37 +0000

Somebody's set up a Spare Change Guy account on Twitter.

Early sign of inflation?

adamg — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 18:57:50 +0000

Christina Prignano reports Spare Change Guy is now wandering around Government Center asking for $1.

Spare Change Guy visits Dorchester

adamg — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 13:46:14 +0000

Maybe Spare Change Guy is just tired of Downtown Crossing and the Common? Around 8:30 this morning, Tracey Newman tweets, MBTA police escorted him out of the Savin Hill T stop on the Red Line. Not long after, Dan Tobin spotted him nearby on Dorchester Avenue, asking for, yes, spaaaare chaaaange.

Do Spare Change Guys work on a schedule?

adamg — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 23:36:45 +0000

I was meeting somebody on the Common today (it's amazing what you can do when the weather's nice). As I walked down Winter, there was Spare Change Guy doing his usual thing (and still clean-shaven) right at Tremont.

Meeting done, I walked through the Common back toward Downtown Crossing. Spare Change Guy was sitting on a bench. His hand was out, and he was asking for spare change, but he was really subdued, almost like his battery was worn down.

At his usual spot at Winter and Tremont, there was a Spare Change guy, somebody hawking Spare Change News. So is there some rotation going on here?

Spare Change Guy gets a haircut

adamg — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 16:09:47 +0000

Do you think he used some of his spaaaaare chaaange to pay for it?

Beggars can be choosers

adamg — Sun, 03 May 2009 13:44:13 +0000

Spare Change Guy probably should have chosen a better place to ask for money than a march by people asking for money. Eeka, who forwarded this photo, reports SCG wasn't having much luck this morning.

It's time for a change! Can anybody spare some?

adamg — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 14:35:26 +0000

Streetsim took the definitive Spare Change Guy photo at the Tea Party demonstration outside the State House earlier this month. Who knew he had an entire rooting section now?

Posted under this Creative Commons license.

Guy who doesn't believe in government handouts made appearance at Tea Party

adamg — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 13:32:09 +0000

Garrett videoed Spare Change Guy working the crowds at yesterday's rally.

The most awesomely awful thing you will hear all week

adamg — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 15:07:13 +0000

Cosmo Catalano picks up the gauntlet I threw down and puts up an audio mashup of Chinese Stick Guy and Spare Change Guy singing "Happy Birthday."

Spare Change Guy gets around

adamg — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 00:37:01 +0000

A correspondent spotted him down in Ashmont this evening, asking passers-by for, well, you know.

Spare Change Guy doesn't always ask for spare change

adamg — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 04:14:22 +0000

Sometimes, he asks for matches.

If you can't give him spare change, at least give him a break

adamg — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 15:13:48 +0000

Whalehead King ponders Spare Change Guy:

He's an ugly guy with an ugly face. We don't follow him everywhere he goes but we suspect he brings up the rear in the human race. Despite that, he is a man and he seems to be an honorable one, even if he is often misunderstood. ...

Spaare weeeed?

adamg — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 22:05:04 +0000

The Mick is walking across the Common wearing a t-shirt with a large "P" on it, when Spare Change Guy approaches her, asks if she goes to Princeton and smokes weed.

Spare Change Guy still around

adamg — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 17:51:13 +0000

And still being ignored in Downtown Crossing.

A Spare Change Guy warning

adamg — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 14:56:37 +0000

He's not just some innocent, if annoying, crank, he's a scary and potentially violent sexual harasser, duffless2323 warns:

... I have personally been harrased by him on 2 different occasions, a few years apart. I also saw him say some very violent and sexually explicit things to another young woman who was by herself until I turned the corner, I then walked with her and he went back to the spare change routine. She was very relieved someone came along. ...

Also, he's discovered Somerville.