The Crazy Robertson - New Clothing Brand Based on Homeless Man

"The Crazy Robertson" is the street name of a 56-57 year old homeless man (real name John Wesley Jermyn, aka John Jermien) who spends his days skating and dancing along Robertson Boulevard in Los Angeles. According to his sister, Jermyn is schizophrenic which causes him to periodically shout and curse, but he refuses meds and shelter.

Three 23-year old entrepreneurs are selling his image and the phrase "No Money, No Problems," on t-shirts selling for $48, and hoodies selling for $98, and apparently can barely keep up with demand. Mr. Jermien gets 5% of the net profits of clothing sales.

Here's a video of Mr. Jermien in action:

The entrepreneurs have also set up a MySpace page to publicize the brand and are working on a "nightclub-promotion venture."

The Wall Street Journal says the popularity of The Crazy Robertson brand is symptomatic of an increased U.S. "fascination with homelessness." If true, that is creepier than I can express.

Mr. Jermien's sister says his condition is being exploited. What do you think?

Source:  http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119498984049791758.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Comments

[captain flummox]

It just feels so wrong.

[anne]

i dunno...it seems like they view him more as an oddity than a person with talent. it's interesting to get the viewpoint of someone who's out there.

thanks for stopping by.

[Perez Hilton]

You're both wrong, John is a legend, too bad it took 20+ years for the media to recognize his talents!!!! Welcome to L.A.

[anne]

i agree, erin. the essence of the brand seems to be a fascination with mental illness, which is disturbing, exploitive and creepy.

he also should get more than 5% of net profits, and he should have legal representation.

[erin]

i think it's working because it's such a weird subject (not him personally, but "a crazy homeless man" as a fashion icon is pretty bizarre). i'm sure it is extremely popular considering everyone is always trying to be the first or only one to have something new and unusual. i don't agree with it. it's easy for them to feel better because they are giving him some of their sales.
he isn't asking for this kind of publicity. it's not like he's a functioning human being, who is behaving like this to be famous. he is someone who is sick and refuses help. selling clothes with images of him flailing on them and then giving him a small chunk of that change doesn't change the situation. he doesn't know what is going on and he certainly isn't capable of using the money to make himself better. i agree with his sister.
if they were serious about helping him, they'd stop selling his images and still donate some of their sales to a foundation that researches schizophrenia.