I can relate. I am king of the freakmagnets.

That's because you talk to them. Freaks leave me alone. Because I walk away.

true enough. some so-called freaks are merely enjoyably weird people (like myself), so that's cool. others are flat out bananas, them I could do without, but everybody needs company I suppose.

I'm not a freak magnet, but I've known people who definitely were. One of them quit riding public transit because of it, and I gave him grief about it until he rode with me a few times and I saw him get asked if he was a priest (he was wearing a Syracuse sweatshirt and jeans at the time), panhandled repeatedly while I was not, and a few other little incidents like that. After that, I couldn't blame him for wanting to avoid it.

Dianne's a Skagit county girl. One of the notorious Mapes sisters. Her sister Fran runs a second hand store in Old Town, Eartha Kitty's. There's something about north Skagit that breeds media people. Ed Murrow was from Edison.

Not a freak magnet -- strangers tend not to talk to me -- but a friend of mine is. She's a social worker. By god, I don't know how people on the street know that, but they do.

My sister is the biggest freak magnet that ever was. She has some great stories to tell; I tried to get her to start a little 'zine about it.

Wild! Jon Shipley's a friend of mine. And a noted freak magnet. Wait a minute...

A friend calls me "the lightning rod of weirdness." Which I love.

I am a magnet for religious freaks. Every once in a while, someone steps up to me in the street and tries to convert me. I also seem to attract drunken bums and gypsy fortune tellers.

I couldn't click on the link because it contained the consecutive numbers 1, 2 and 4. I just ain't doin' it. I once clicked on a link that contained this series of numbers and seconds later my chair broke and I bumped my head hard on the keyboard. I had the imprint of keys on my forehead for 3 days after. The 1, 2, and 3 keys no less. If that's not a sign, I don't know what is. ARE YOU SUGGESTING I JUST IGNORE THIS??! ME, I listen to these things. One has to. It's my little guardian angel saying "listen up!" Thanks little guy!

Sorry I couldn't participate more in the discussion, eribc. c$and+b disallow the consequtive kingdom of consonants!

I used to attract freaks a lot in high school, till I developed my LA-hardened "eyes forward/brisk walk" if-I-ignore-them-they'll-ignore-me mentality. Of course, now that I'm not living in a big city any more, it kinda makes ME the freak.

My wife is a freak magnet and I'm the opposite (and yes, I'm aware of the irony). People will come up and talk to her just about anywhere while I'm seemingly invisible (not that I mind).

My best friend is a freak magnet.
Which concerns me greatly.

I have from earliest memory the icy stare of death and the freak-out-right-back-on-you-but-bigger defenses perfected. The Murder Capital of the US title seems to follow me around (New Orleans, D.C., Richmond)((none current title holders - is it Baltimore now?)) but I have always been freak repellant, thank god. Of course, I repel a buncha nice/interesting people that way too, I'm sure, but I'll take it. It's frustrating to have friends talk to people they Shouldn't Be Talking To (imo), and not know whether to wield my anti-freak powers on their behalf or not. Cause, you know, like tommasz says, opposites attract, and that's why I love them.

I'm not sure I qualify as a freak-magnet, but I did have a guy travel across the country from Utah to Jersey after meeting me once. By chance. While driving.
Nowadays, no matter what store I'm in, someone will always mistake me for an employee. I must have a "retail" face.

Nowadays, no matter what store I'm in, someone will always mistake me for an employee. I must have a "retail" face.

Me too, especially in bookstores, although I haven't worke in one for about 7 years. I must reek of ink.