San Francisco has lost an icon and a legend. Gregory Jacobs, A.K.A. Bushman passed away recently and Fisherman’s Wharf will never be the same again. Jacobs made his living by pretending to be a bush and scaring the crap out of oblivious tourists when they walked by him. He would typically post up near a garbage can and hide behind a few branches. Whenever somebody would get too close, he would pop out and give them a little scare. Some people got mad, but most people would laugh, plop down some money, and then hang around for a minute and watch him scare somebody else. He did that for over thirty years. He’s scared millions of people and has become a celebrity in the process. And now he’s gone and the city feels a more little empty. It’s like New York City losing the Naked Cowboy. Things are never going to be the same again.
Gregory Jacobs was one of two Bushmen. There is also another bushguy named David Johnson, and Johnson prefers to be called the World Famous Bushman. There is some dispute as to which one is the original, but they were bushpartners at one point and gradually became bushenemies. Who knew the world of street performers and busking could be so interesting? It’s kind of cool that a guy who pretended to be a bush could gain the attention and affection of millions of people from around the world. Rest in Peace Bushman. You will be missed.
Critically Rated at 12/17
Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young
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