Mike calls himself the village idiot

I ran into a man yesterday sitting on the corner of 10th and Burnside in Portland, OR. I sat with him and talked for about an hour. It was an unseasonably nice day in the Pacific Northwest so it was nice to enjoy warmth and sun for a change. He asked me what I'm doing, and I told him. I went into detail about some of the things I've noticed from city to city, and he talked a lot.

I'm looking for some quick work and I asked him if he knows anywhere I can go to get some temporary employment. He told me a few places in the area to try. He said he doesn't go to them anymore, not because they don't find you work, but because he doesn't mind his lifestyle. He likes being able to sit there and tell people jokes as they wait at a crosswalk. He told me all he wants to do is make people smile, and I think I can live with that.

He calls himself the Village Idiot and says that he's famous because everywhere he goes people know who he is. He said, "If I take too long crossing the street people yell, 'Hey idiot get out of the road!'"