Norwich Puppet Man

Last updated

David John Perry (born 9 April 1942), [1] commonly known as the Puppet Man, is a street entertainer from Wichita, Kansas, United States. The American now resides in Great Yarmouth, whose performance consists of dancing with a range of puppets while singing along to pop songs played on a portable karaoke machine. [1] Attracting fans and hatred alike, he has been repeatedly featured in the local news media of East Anglia such as the Eastern Daily Press and the Norwich Evening News . Lately he has also found fans on internet sites such as the video-sharing platform YouTube [2] or the social network website Facebook. [3]

Contents

Style

Using a karaoke machine, the puppets dance while Perry sings his own interpretations over songs by Elvis Presley and The Beatles. [4] He first started performing as the Norwich Puppet Man in the mid-1990s, [5] but in 1997 was forced to quit when his incapacity benefit was stopped because he was earning money through busking. He returned to busking on Gentleman's Walk in late 2005 [1] or early 2006, [6] by which time internet sites had begun to spread his fame. He does not hold, nor does he require a buskers licence to busk in either Norwich or Great Yarmouth. He usually performs in pedestrian zones located in the city centre of Norwich and town centre of Great Yarmouth, typically two or three times a week and mainly in the afternoons and on weekends. In Norwich, the Puppet Man can mostly be found on Gentleman's Walk off St Peter Mancroft and the old Haymarket around the bottom of Hay Hill. [7] In Great Yarmouth he is usually found on Regent Road, close to the entrance to the Market Gates Shopping Centre. [8]

Over the years, Perry's eccentric style of “dancing in the city centre behind his ghetto blaster and waving his puppets in time to an eclectic range of music” [7] has made the Puppet Man a cult figure in Norwich and Great Yarmouth. In a competition organised by the Castle Quarter Shopping Centre in June 2007 titled “The faces that sum up why Norwich is such a fine city”, he was named as one of the “25 Faces of Norwich”. [6] [9]

In summer 2008, Perry was hired by a nightclub in Norwich to perform some live action in front of 2,000 people for a student based event. [8] In August 2008, [5] the Puppet Man publicly announced that he was going to stop busking in Norwich and move his activities to Great Yarmouth, [1] but has since continued to appear in Norwich on a regular basis.

Puppets

The puppets David Perry has used since appearing as the Norwich Puppet Man are: [6]

While the provenance of the first six puppets is unknown, “Basil” and “Suzy” were donated in June 2007 by the owners of “Langley's”, a Norwich toy shop located in Royal Arcade on Gentleman's Walk. [4] Commenting on the puppets, Perry said about the gifts: "Some people don’t like my singing. I was pleased to get the new puppets. I’ve named the fox Basil and the squirrel is his girlfriend Suzy. Basil likes to dance to the Beatles and Suzy sometimes makes an appearance. Basil was a relation to Basil Brush and now he’s been made to work on the street he’s not happy about it." [4]

Public perception

Over the years, the Norwich Puppet Man has built up a cult following. As a local original, he has even appeared in a series of postcards of Norfolk, claiming to capture unappreciated parts of the county. [4] A group set up in his honour on the social network website Facebook gained more than 4,000 members, and tens of thousands of viewers have watched clips of him that were posted on the video website YouTube. [5]

While Perry's peculiar brand of entertainment has undoubtedly made him locally famous, the quality of the Puppet Man's performances remains controversial. Some describe him as a "legend" [7] and a "great favourite with many shoppers in Gentleman’s Walk", [7] others find him to be "a noisy obstruction totally bereft of any skill or creativity"., [7] and others still describe him as falling simultaneously into both categories. Whilst others just describe him as "The Yarco Noncey Puppet Man". When Perry was named one of the “25 Faces of Norwich”, a local shop manager said about the Puppet Man that he "adds fun to the streets of Norwich, he puts a smile on hundreds of people’s faces every day" [4] while an angry letter from an anonymous reader of the Norwich Evening News branded him a "dullard, in a backwater of inbreeding". [4]

In line with his varied public perception, Perry has not only been featured in local newspapers and on the internet but also become subject to abuse by some people and sometimes even violence. In September 2010, he was reported to have been attacked in Great Yarmouth by an unhappy shop owner causing county-wide outrage. [6] In January 2015, the announcement of Radio 1's Big Weekend in Norwich, Perry was featured as a cult figure in the city on the BBC Newsbeat website.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norfolk</span> County of England

Norfolk is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and east, Cambridgeshire to the west, and Suffolk to the south. The largest settlement is the city of Norwich.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Yarmouth</span> Seaside town in Norfolk, England

Great Yarmouth, often called Yarmouth, is a seaside town which gives its name to the wider Borough of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England; it straddles the River Yare and is located 20 miles (32 km) east of Norwich. Its fishing industry, mainly for herring, shrank after the mid-20th century and has all but ended. North Sea oil from the 1960s supplied an oil rig industry that services offshore natural gas rigs; more recently, offshore wind power and other renewable energy industries have ensued.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lowestoft</span> Town and civil parish in Suffolk, England

Lowestoft is a coastal town and civil parish in the East Suffolk district of Suffolk, England. As the most easterly UK settlement, it is 38 miles (61 km) north-east of Ipswich and 22 miles (35 km) south-east of Norwich, and the main town in its district. The estimated population in the built-up area exceeds 70,000. Its development grew with the fishing industry and as a seaside resort with wide sandy beaches. As fishing declined, oil and gas exploitation in the North Sea in the 1960s took over. While these too have declined, Lowestoft is becoming a regional centre of the renewable energy industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anna Sewell</span> English novelist (1820–1878)

Anna Sewell was an English novelist who wrote the 1877 novel Black Beauty, her only published work. It is considered one of the top ten best-selling novels for children, although the author intended it for adults. Sewell died only five months after the publication of Black Beauty, but long enough to see her only novel become a success.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norwich</span> City and non-metropolitan district in Norfolk, England

Norwich is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about 100 mi (160 km) north-east of London, 40 mi (64 km) north of Ipswich and 65 mi (105 km) east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with one of the country's largest medieval cathedrals, it is the largest settlement and has the largest urban area in East Anglia. The population of the Norwich City Council local authority area was estimated to be 144,000 in 2021, which was an increase from 143,135 in 2019. The wider built-up area had a population of 213,166 in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aylsham</span> Town in Norfolk, England

Aylsham is a historic market town and civil parish on the River Bure in north Norfolk, England, nearly 9 mi (14 km) north of Norwich. The river rises near Melton Constable, 11 miles (18 km) upstream from Aylsham and continues to Great Yarmouth and the North Sea, although it was only made navigable after 1779, allowing grain, coal and timber to be brought up river.

<i>Steppenwolf</i> (novel) Novel by Hermann Hesse

Steppenwolf is the tenth novel by German-Swiss author Hermann Hesse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Street performance</span> Performing in public places for gratuities

Street performance or busking is the act of performing in public places for gratuities. In many countries, the rewards are generally in the form of money but other gratuities such as food, drink or gifts may be given. Street performance is practiced all over the world and dates back to antiquity. People engaging in this practice are called street performers or buskers. Buskers is not a term generally used in American English.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basil Brush</span> Fox puppet from British childrens television

Basil Brush is a fictional fox best known for his appearances on daytime British children's television. He is primarily portrayed by a glove puppet, but has also been depicted in animated cartoon shorts, books, annuals and comic strips. The character has featured on children's television from the 1960s to the present day. He has also appeared in pantomimes across the UK.

<i>Mike Bassett: England Manager</i> 2001 film by Steve Barron

Mike Bassett: England Manager is a 2001 satirical mockumentary comedy film directed by Steve Barron and starring Ricky Tomlinson, Amanda Redman, Bradley Walsh, Dean Lennox Kelly and Geoff Bell. The film follows Mike Bassett, who is appointed England manager having only previous experience of managing in the English lower leagues, he is tasked with guiding the team to qualification for the upcoming World Cup in Brazil. Journalist Martin Bashir provides voice-over, and the film features satirical cameo appearances from prominent figures in sport and entertainment such as Pelé, Ronaldo, Gabby Logan and Atomic Kitten. Minimal use of on-field action is employed, with the focus centred on behind-the-scenes events in boardrooms and the locker room.

<i>Give a Girl a Break</i> 1953 film by Stanley Donen

Give a Girl a Break is a 1953 American musical romantic comedy film directed by Stanley Donen, starring Debbie Reynolds and the dance team of Marge and Gower Champion. A young Bob Fosse has a featured role.

Duncan Scott Forbes was a Scottish professional footballer. He spent 33 years at Norwich City, 13 as a player, seven on the commercial staff and 13 as chief scout. The Times noted his aggressive defending by writing "Forbes got his customary booking; the referee ought to take his name in the changing room rather than on the pitch thus saving time."

Roy Walter Hollis was a footballer and is a member of the Norwich City Hall of Fame.

<i>War Horse</i> (play) 2007 play by Nick Stafford

War Horse is a play based on the book of the same name by writer Michael Morpurgo, adapted for stage by Nick Stafford. Originally Morpurgo thought "they must be mad" to try to make a play from his best-selling 1982 novel; but the play was a great success. The play's West End and Broadway productions are directed by Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris; it features life-size horse puppets by the Handspring Puppet Company of South Africa, the movements of which were choreographed by Toby Sedgwick.

Aaron Sillis is an English dancer and choreographer who has worked in many fields of dance, most notably working with leading international pop artists including Rihanna, Katy Perry, FKA twigs, Justin Bieber, Kylie Minogue, Mariah Carey and Leona Lewis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norwich Market</span> Outdoor market in central Norwich, England

Norwich Market is an outdoor market consisting of around 200 stalls in central Norwich, England. Founded in the latter part of the 11th century to supply Norman merchants and settlers moving to the area following the Norman conquest of England, it replaced an earlier market a short distance away. It has been in operation on the present site for over 900 years.

Gaz Stanley And The Piccadilly Rats is a well-known busking band and street theatre performance act in Manchester, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acle Straight</span> Road in England

The Acle Straight, also known as the Acle New Road, is a major road between Acle and Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England. It is part of the A47 trunk road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bracondale School</span> School in Norwich

Bracondale School was a private boys' school in the Bracondale area of Norwich, Norfolk. It existed from 1821 to 1993.

<i>A Great British Spraycation</i> 2021 artworks by Banksy

A Great British Spraycation are a series of 2021 artworks by the anonymous British street artist Banksy in various East Anglian towns in England. Pieces appeared in Great Yarmouth, Oulton Broad, Lowestoft, Gorleston-on-Sea, Cromer, and King's Lynn.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "copy" (PDF), Norwich Evening News , p. 2, 1 September 2008, archived from the original (PDF) on 21 March 2012
  2. ↑ Results for "Norwich Puppet Man" on www.youtube.com, access date 30 November 2010
  3. ↑ Results for "Norwich Puppet Man" on Facebook via Google, access date 30 November 2010.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Norwich Evening News Monday, 2 July 2007 p.3. For a PDF of the article, see here
  5. 1 2 3 Norwich Evening News Friday, 29 August 2008, p.18. For a PDF of the article, see here
  6. 1 2 3 4 www.norwichpuppetman.co.uk An online tribute to the Puppet Man, access date 30 November 2010
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Norwich Evening News Friday, 16 February 2007 p.3. For a PDF of the article, see here
  8. 1 2 www.norwichpuppetman.co.uk An online tribute to the Puppet Man, access date 30 November 2010
  9. ↑ Norwich Evening News Monday, 18 June 2007, p. 19. For a PDF of the article, see here
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.