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Christ Comes to Coaltown
by William S. Repsher

published 2/21/00

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William Repsher is a LeisureSuit.net staff writer based in Queens.



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Subj: Whats your name
I live in McConnellsburg, PA. If any community needed hope more we do. We live in the poorest county in the whole stat and the only large employer in town has laid off hlf it's work force. Please come see us and bring us hope. You can stay with me for as long as you like.

-- Dawn
Sep 17, 2008 at 12:48PM

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"And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs. And they talked together of all these things which had happened. And it came to pass that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them. But their eyes were holden that they should not know him. And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad? And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days?"

-- Luke, 24:13-18

Emmaus is a good ways south of the Coal Region in Northeast Pennsylvania. Down around Bethlehem. And Nazareth, made famous by The Band when Levon and Robbie pulled into for salvation via a new guitar at the Martin factory. All they would have seen heading South on Route 81 was woods, farms, Golden Arches and small towns in the distance.

Had they left the interstate, they'd have been amazed how an approaching town, through tangles of tree branches and telephone wires, resembled some small Eastern European village, with the bulbous, golden domes of Russian Orthodox churches and angled steeples rising over factories and houses. Each town would look the same, but somehow different, as even the blank slate of a shantytown like Shaft or William Penn would mean civilization after a few hard miles of great black slag heaps (soon to be gone thanks to coal regeneration plants). The Molly Maguires traveled these back roads in the late 1800's, before an undercover detective and the hangman crushed their murderous coal miners' rebellion.

The long arms of Philly and New York don't reach this far. The suburban sprawl and six-figure restored barns of the southern part of the state haven't seeped north. I grew up thinking Scranton and Wilkes Barre were big cities to the north but see them now for the even-larger coal towns they are. The one or two ski resorts are miniscule compared to the tourist chalets in the Poconos. West of the Poconos and east of Eden.

"HAZLETON, PA. He appeared out of the blue back in October, clad only in a dirty white robe as he walked barefoot along the two-lane highway into this struggling former coal town.

Folks pointed at first as the man with the shoulder-length hair and scruffy beard preached to whoever would listen. Before long, though, many in this largely Roman Catholic community were embracing him as a holy man."

-- "Some See Hope in Mysterious Preacher," Joann Loviglio, Associated Press, January 29, 2000

I can see him now in the dim yellow light of a firehouse hall. The bingo cage and microphone sitting on a card table off to the side of the plywood stage. The firetruck smell of rubber and metal seeping from the garage next door. Creaks and scrapes of folding metal chairs opening on a cement floor. The taps at the bar turned off for this holy night, and the regulars in their baseball hats and blaze-orange hunting vests grumbling. The halo of a Pepsi clock glowing over his head.

Or maybe he's in a field. People milling around him, where they normally gather for turkey shoots and block parties, kids hunting for Easter eggs, and a cover band with umlauts in its name playing Skynyrd and Springsteen in the summer. The faces, hard and round, shadows of the Ukraine and Ireland, with bifocals and wrinkles, rosary beads and little black Bibles clutched in hand, gazing back at this man in nothing but a white robe and sandals in the dead of winter.

Turn a six-pack of Yuengling into the blood of Christ. A box of Mrs. T's Pierogies into His body.

According to the A.P., when anyone asks his name, he replies "What's your name?" He says it's part of a Hebrew tradition not to reveal your name to someone until you're their friend. So the locals now call him: "What's Your Name".

His real name, according to a police affidavit, is Carl J. Joseph, 39.

I've seen his face in a picture. Like Christ as traditional surfer dude. Ted Neeley and Willem Dafoe. He's got the look, even a year shy of forty. But where was Christ all those years, after teenage sparring in the temple with the rabbis and before a three-year lunge at earthly authority so burning and desperate even his own followers called for his head? "What's your name" is a Hebrew tradition? It's also a line from a David Bowie song that Pontius Pilate would have liked.

The newspaper says he's been traveling for 9 years, through 47 states and 13 countries. But he's never stayed in one place for so long before.

He spoke to 2,000 people once in Hazleton, and it's not uncommon to see dozens of people "standing in a field at 2 a.m. listening to him preach.

"He turns over all money and gifts he receives to local parishes, except for sandals he received recently because he did not own a pair of shoes.

"He said he will remain in the area as long as there is a need for his words."

-- from the AP article

I left when there was no longer a need for my words. Or at least I was filled with enough anger, boredom and resentment that whatever I had to say wasn't going to do anyone any good, and I had to go away. Back then I blamed it on the place, that I had "outgrown" it in some sense and had to move on. And maybe that was true simply in the sense of leaving home, wherever it may have been. But I can look back now and see that I had to outgrow whoever I was much more than the Coal Region itself. That sense of abandonment haunts and comforts me to this day.

1978, a good decade before I left. My brothers and I would sit on the steps of a mausoleum in the graveyard by the church. Bagging it because our relentlessly Irish Catholic grandmother had a debilitating stroke, preventing her from attending Mass. Our sister was still going through the motions, although that wouldn't last. Our father was doing much the same, only with the benefit of a car. And our mother was a filthy Protestant, so she was already hellbound and didn't count.

We got dressed up every Sunday morning, left at quarter to nine, and hung around talking about rock stars and school. Occasional parishioners passing by would glare at us. They didn't know teenagers like being glared at. We lived. The parish priest at that time was later nailed for possessing child pornography, and he was in the pictures, too. The church folded a few years back. My friend George bought it for a song. He didn't want any freaks moving in next door.

Here's a picture I clipped from a local newspaper and held for years before it turned too yellow: a group of Catholic-school children re-enacting Christ's agonizing walk up Calvary Hill. Roman centurions in wire-frame glasses and shag haircuts, bearing plastic Star Wars lasers and trashcan lids. The Virgin Mary in a headband and two-tone saddle shoes. Christ, a pasty-faced 12-year-old, bearing his cardboard cross, wearing a white sheet and a pair of Nike running shoes.

They do roughly the same show in Gordon every Easter, only with adults. What I always wondered: If this re-enactment were to be authentic, shouldn't most of the crowd be bawling out taunts like "King of the Jews" and "crucify him" and throwing stones at "Christ," even if they're only styrofoam chunks painted to look like stones?

"SHENANDOAH -- Gary A. Moses, 42, said when driving to Mahanoy City on Friday, he saw What's Your Name walking the road.

'It was bitter,' he said. 'It takes a lot to walk in these conditions with sandals and a robe,' he said. He stopped to offer him a ride but the nomad refused.

'His reasoning for not taking a ride is he said that's how he meets people.'

-- "300 Hear Nomad's Message," by Stephen J. Pytak, Pottsville Republican and Evening Herald, February 2, 2000.

The only Buddha I meet on the road back there is a guy named Buddy. Rumor has it he spent an afternoon hanging out at the bottom of a swimming pool as a boy, and is lucky to be alive, but is slightly brain damaged as a result. He thumbs it everywhere. It seems to be his purpose in his life. You'd have to be nuts to pick him up. He has a shock of red hair, and his rocking body motions let you know something's slightly off. He's often wearing a bright red Philadelphia Phillies warm-up jacket. No one knows where Buddy goes. He just goes. And he never gets there.

As Woody Guthrie must have known every Dust Bowl backroad, Buddy surely knows even the abandoned, dilapidated mining roads in the Coal Region. Buddy's going to be there long after What's Your Name is gone. I suspect one day he'll be thumbing my hearse as it passes on the road to the cemetery. Then again, much like Christ, Buddy has more reason to fear the motives of those nearest him than the capricious whims of omnipotent rulers:

"TAMAQUA -- The 27-year-old Tamaqua man who allegedly robbed and repeatedly stabbed a hitchhiker with a screwdriver Wednesday morning remains today in Luzerne County Correctional Facility in lieu of $75,000 bail.

Tedd Richard Fredericks, of West Broad Street, was arraigned before District Justice Joseph D. Zola, of Hazleton, on charges of aggravated assault, three counts of robbery, simple assault and theft by unlawful taking or disposition. The victim, Harold 'Buddy' Klinger, also of Tamaqua, was treated at Hazleton General Hospital for numerous lacerations and a broken right hand. Klinger is originally from the Ashland area, according to Tamaqua Police Chief George B. Woodward, who said the man is known for hitchhiking and panhandling in the Tamaqua area.

According to the affidavit of probable cause filed by Corporal Brian S. Tobin, a state trooper at Hazleton, the attack was initiated when Fredericks offered Klinger a ride for $6 when he saw him standing along Route 309 near Tamaqua. Tobin said Klinger knows Fredericks because they reside in the same apartment building, so he agreed to the ride. They then picked up Fredericks' mother in Hometown and took her to work at J.E. Morgan Knitting Mills, he said. After dropping her off, the two drove back to Tamaqua for gas, then headed back to Hazleton, he said.

'They drove on Interstate 81 and got off at the Hazleton exit,' said Tobin, who spoke with the stabbing victim. 'Klinger said they made a couple of turns and didn't know where they were. Then Fredericks stopped the car to go to the bathroom.' Fredericks then exited the vehicle and opened the trunk. He called Klinger to the back of the car and asked him if he did drugs. When Klinger said no, Fredericks began stabbing him around the head with a screwdriver, Tobin said. According to Tobin, Klinger didn't see the weapon at first, but when he started to get stabbed by Fredericks, he attempted to flee, but the attacker jumped on him and continued stabbing.

'Fredericks then took approximately $380 from Klinger and drove off, leaving him behind,' Tobin said."

-- "Tamaqua Man Charged in Stabbing," Chris Dean, Pottsville Republican and Evening Herald, 2/3/00.

There are strange things about the Coal Region reporters will never pick up. Having been born and raised there for 20 years, I'm not even sure I have. Forget about the accent, a strange, guttural mix of Irish and Slavic. I can't imitate it, although I sometimes drop hints of it when back there for a few days. Mahanoy City is famous for always being on fire. And for once having their Christmas tree right in the middle of the main street, and it would invariably get wiped out every few years by a drunk driver. Old coalcrackers pronounce it "Mock-annoy."

Shenandoah is the heart of the Coal Region, if not the head. "462 da fuck" is a popular local saying, the town's area code, stated with profane emphasis. What amazes me about What's His Name--how he didn't get locked up in the hoosegow for vagrancy and then given a ride to the edge of town the next day. This unnerves me. Makes me feel like King Herod, and the pharaohs before him. Are people in the Coal Region easily led astray? No. In fact, you'd be hard-pressed to find people more stubborn. I know the hardcore coalcrackers, the factory workers who never make the papers unless it's holding a trophy or the antlers of a dead buck, are having a good laugh over What's Your Name. But I would say that as in any small town, curiosity runs wild in a situation like this, and it doesn't hurt that What's Your Name's is pushing all the right spiritual buttons. I'd imagine a majority of the audience at his shows are Christians; the rest just want a piece of the action. And they see a man who is not Christ, but gives good scripture anyway.

I've known Paul Rieder for a few years now, a gentleman farmer in the wilds of southeast New York state who's also a fine musician. One of his songs is called, "Jesus Died at 33-1/3." He and his wife, Heidi, have traveled extensively, and it's his habit to keep journals of these trips. It was Paul who brought my attention to What's Your Name's saga with the AP article that has touched off a media frenzy, with Time, The Washington Post, The Philadelphia Inquirer and ABC News hot on the trail. He sent me the AP article, along with his journal entry from a trip to Mexico:

3/27/97
Palenque and Misol-Ha, Chiapas, Mexico

It takes a bit to find out how to get to the waterfall at Misol-Ha without spending a lot of money. Everybody seems to want us on some kind of $50 package tour with all the tightlipped sunburned Germans. Finally, we decode the local schedule and get on a chicken-class bus--telling the driver "Crucero Misol-Ha" a few times so he'll remember to stop there--and slowly wait for the bus to Tila to fill. It's an ancient school bus painted bright blue (inside and out).

About half an hour in the bus stops in the middle of the jungle--not a building or path in sight--and on gets a white hippie guy dressed only in a thin blanket--the polyester kind found in bad motels. He sits down in the aisle up front. I know immediately that he's getting off with us.

So of course it's just the three of us there at Crucero Misol-Ha for the two miles or so to the water. He starts up a friendly conversation--he's American. Did we know there was a Rainbow Gathering at Misol-Ha this week? No, we did not. Turns out he's been on the Rainbow trail for six years now--no vocation, no money, and unless he's hidden some back there in the jungle, no clothing except a blanket. He expounds his philosophical position--he's essentially a holy fool, constantly moving around (Central America these past six months), going to these gatherings, sleeping in the wilderness and eating whatever he finds. (Maybe the Mexicans feed him 'cause he looks like Jesus.) He asks us what we do and Heidi says we're farmers--he thinks she said "performers," then laughs when we correct him, singing to himself, "Am I a farmer, am I a star?" We chat some about farming. He asks us our names.

"Paul and Heidi. And yours?"

"What'syourname?"

"Um ... Paul and Heidi. And you are ..."

"What'syourname?"

Aha. I laugh and he laughs too. It seems that What'syourname is his nom-de-Rainbow -- sort of a litmus test for a person's tolerance and humor.

We arrive at the falls: it's a much grander, jungly version of Hamilton Pool in Texas, a big collapsed grotto with veils of water pouring into a deep cool lake. It's around 95 now and very humid. Looks like the bulk of the hippies have taken off. What'syourname has a baggie with his passport and some money, but he doesn't have enough to pay the entrance fee at the park, so we pay for him. He then gives me all the money that he has and won't take it back, saying that he's held on to it for too long anyway. I'm wondering what the hell I'm supposed to do with this hippie's pile of pesos, if I should buy him a drink or something. But there is no one around selling drinks. What'syourname dives in the pool, blanket and all, and that's the last we see of him.

P.S. There's a picture with the article, and it's definitely the same guy. I feel like I should send him a couple of pesos.


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Name: Dawn
Subject: Whats your name
-- Sep 17, 2008 at 12:48PM
I live in McConnellsburg, PA. If any community needed hope more we do. We live in the poorest county in the whole stat and the only large employer in town has laid off hlf it's work force. Please come see us and bring us hope. You can stay with me for as long as you like.

Name: Ariane
Subject: The Jesus Guy Movie
-- Jun 13, 2007 at 5:01PM
I want to let everyone know that Sean Tracey made a documentary about What's Your Name, it's called The Jesus Guy. Check out the website www.thejesusguy.com. We just started a blog, feel free to post your questions and comments. Also see the trailer and email us if you want to be on the mailing list (will have upcoming screening info).
Thanks,
Ariane

Name: Stanley
Subject: greetings
-- May 19, 2007 at 12:03PM

santiago de compostela....

Name: joshua
Subject: why is that your name?
-- Apr 25, 2007 at 12:23PM
it is a good thing that someone decided to perform acts of piety and preach "The Good Word". And it is better than this person, whatever his name may be and it really doesn't matter, that he does not want a following or to be labled Christ or as a guru.
Again this is great for the public, and a tree is shown by its fruit. But what about the esoteric doctrines. The Church isn't pretty and documents like the Nag Hammadhi Library, Qumran Essene texts and many esoteric societies claim that the Church stayed in Jerusalem (not in Rome) with it's successor being James the Brother, not Peter or Paul...and the Davidic lineage being continued through Mary Magdalene...who the Church falsly accused as a hooker....Surely one so close to God would have more clarvoyance with this matter...For those who supposedly kill for God, do not know or follow Him at all..

Name: angela
Subject: i want to know more about Christ
-- Jan 9, 2007 at 3:22AM
i just now learned about you. are you ever coming to louisiana? i would like to hear what you have to say!..thank you and God Bless

Name: Angelica
Subject: Whats your name/ response to Christopher Hunt
-- Aug 3, 2006 at 12:35AM
I've read about this man a few times, and I must meet him. I am residing in Tuscaloosa, Alabama currently. Please, If he is there, I would love to meet him.

Name: nancy
Subject: whatsyourname
-- Jul 16, 2006 at 11:19PM
just wondering if james is going to be makeing his way to Orange city Florida or Deland Fl.... its sure needs some truth here....... Any idea if he is heading south or North????

Name: Kat Mainzinger
Subject: Searching
-- May 3, 2006 at 3:37AM
Am curious, confused and in need of counsel. Hope WYN comes to Texas, would like to talk. If it is meant to be, then I will know.

Name: Remi Adefeyisan
Subject: Carl Joseph
-- Feb 27, 2006 at 1:21PM
I believe that if you are preaching the word of God then you are a man of God and you should come down to Manchester England to preach the good news of the Lord because that is what peaple down hear lack

Name: Christopher Hunt
Subject: James Joseph
-- Jan 23, 2006 at 10:16PM
If you are searching for "What's His Name" he is in Alabama. He has been hanging around the greater Birmingham area for about a year. He now simply goes by James Joseph. He is a good friend of mine. God Bless you all. The people at this sight have my email.

Name: An LS.n Reader
Subject: Carl Joseph
-- Jul 4, 2005 at 9:42PM
July 05 1830. WYN spotted walking North on Hendersonville Rd (25) between Hendersonville and Asheville NC.

Name: maria morley
Subject: carl joseph
-- Apr 3, 2005 at 6:18PM
Just a line to let everyone know that I have just finished writing a book about Carl Joseph he seems such a fantastic guy and hopefully at some time in the future we will get to meet him. As in my husband and I. Hoping to maybe take a trip to Pennsylvania next year sometime and even if he is not around at the time will talk to a few of the locals and maybe take some photos of the surrounding area for more writing about him and his progress. If there is anyone out there who is a fan of his would love to hear from you. All letters will be answered immediately. Best Wishes Always from the Carl J Joseph Appreciation Society. You can contact me at www.reincarnation.uk .com or at Faith House,69,Broomhill Street, Tunstall,Stoke-On-Tr ent,Staffs ST6 5JB or at Uk code 01782-826110.

Name: Connie
Subject: Carl Joseph
-- Apr 2, 2005 at 10:26PM
WYN was in Cullman Al. about 6 weeks ago.I met him in Nov.He was in Cullman from about Oct thru Feb or First of March. Have not heard or seen anything of him since.

Name: Dave
Subject: Carl Joseph
-- Mar 31, 2005 at 7:33PM
WYN's web site www.whatsyournameonl ine.com appears to be out of action. Any news on his whereabouts?

Thanks-
Dave

Name: Maria Morley
Subject: Carl Joseph
-- Mar 12, 2005 at 7:22PM
Hi its Maria again. Just wanted to let eveyone know that I shall be setting up a messaging service on our Reincarnation website in the next couple of days if anyone is interested.There will also be a few adds going out in this country for the new society/association which is now going to be entitled Carl Jesus Christ association. Hoping people will get in touch even if its just so I can give them info on him or even to just chat about this wonderful guy. All the best Maria. website address is at www.Reincarnation.uk .comor to maria@reincarnation. uk.
com

Name: Maria Morley
Subject: Carl Joseph
-- Mar 10, 2005 at 4:30PM
Looking to connect with other fans of whatsyourname if you could pass my email address on I would appreciate it. Have logged an address and email here also in case people would just like to take it off your website themselves. Maria Morley,Faith House,69Broomhill Street,Tunstall,Stok e-On-Trent,Staffs,ST 6 5JB, UK. e,MAIL maria@reincarnation. uk. com Telephone number UK 01782-826110.

Name: Maria Morley
Subject: Carl Joseph
-- Mar 10, 2005 at 4:03PM
Am gathering info on Carl Joseph the travelling prophet for a book I am compling about him. But he seems to have disappeared and nobody seems the least bit bothered,as to wheather he is alive or dead. Am als in the process of setting up a society entitled FREINDS OF CARL JOSEPH UNITE in order to track his progress if you could help in any way I would appreciate it even if its just to contact me to let me know that he is okay. Love and Light Always Maria.

Name: Chris Roberts
Subject: Repsher Responds
-- Jul 11, 2004 at 11:20PM
I guess I wrote some things without thinking about how you might have responded to them. I wrote what I felt after reading some of your comments and the others that I interpreted as painting a negative picture of WYN. At the time they made me a little angry and anger is something that I need to work on.

I wish you hadn't used profanity in your response.

I am sorry if I offended you.

PEACE.

Name: William S. Repsher Responds
Subject: Re: What's your name"
-- Jul 8, 2004 at 9:16AM
Thanks for the first post. Fuck off for the second. If you hadn't already guessed that I think Whatsyourname is basically harmless and I don't have a problem with him, then you need some reading classes. I'm not "skeptical" ; of anything -- there's nothing to be skeptical about. This is a guy who enjoys playing the Jesus card with impressionable folks while he travels around the world. More power to him. But spare me your pious nonsense. For all your apparent distrust of "soapbox" preaching, you sure seem to share the same mindset.

I'll "judge" whomever I want -- although, again, like your version of skepticism, I haven't judged anyone here. I do have an opinion. That's not judgment. Judgment is damning someone. If you can show me where I've damned this guy, please point it out to me.

If you want to over-indulge in religious crackpot nonsense, knock yourself out -- but spare me the bullshit, friend.

Name: Chris Roberts again
Subject: What's your name"
-- Jul 7, 2004 at 6:13PM
To Reshner and all of the other skeptics of this man. If you are perfect and so is your past, then go ahead and throw stones. But this man does not want celebrity, money, fame or any other worldly thing that your minds are brainwashed and diseased with. I know that this is judgemental and I also know that I am not perfect. WYN does not claim to be Jesus, so why all of the pun in reference to Jesus and If you Know the Bible, then you should know that the antichrist will be a world leader. What's Your Name does not judge at all, I met and talked with him. He is not false and doesn't claim to be anything perfect. So stop judging him because he is not judging you. He is an evangal preacher that chooses to not live by money or possesions and he travels without imposing himself like the fire and brimstone soap box preachers that I have seen so many times before. He is legitimate and just a man. So look into yourselves quit letting the world and the media make up your minds for you. Haven't we all done bad or wrong? And won't we will continue to do these things. WYN is truly walking the narrow path. He told me he did once have a relationship with the devil, but God led him away from that. I know I've done some bad things in my life and catch myself everyday sinning in some way no matter how small or great. But I'm trying how bout you.

Name: Chris Roberts
Subject: I met what's your name in charleston sc
-- Jul 7, 2004 at 5:43PM
On Folley beach in Charleston South Carolina I saw "What's Your Name". I had seen a news story on 20/20 or one of those types of shows years ago I guess in 2000. At the time of the story I remember thinking I would like to know more about this man.
He left a profound affect on me in the very short time that we talked there on the beach at the water's edge with thousands of people around probably commenting, but I was so comfortable with this man that I didn't care and I am probably one of the most self-contious people in the world. A million questions were running through my mind about how he survives and does the everyday things that we do and neglect. But he answered the simple questions in between the spiritual advice that he was giving me because I had just as many of those questions as the simple meaningless ones. I would like to meet him again and spend more time listening because my time was so short I think I missed much of the message he was giving me, yet I retained a great deal as well, if that makes any since. Being at the beach with family and knowing they were probably ready to go back to the room in downtown and I was so far down the beach because at first I did not follow him, but then decided to and we had a conversation, when I finally caught up to him. In the end he told me his name so I hope he thinks I am his friend because I am. I want to learn more and if I knew where he would be I would walk with him regardless of how crazy my family thinks it is. This was on the Saturday before the Fourth of July 2004. I am originally from and am living in Rutherfordton North Carolina.

Name: Bre
Subject: What's Your Name
-- Jun 11, 2004 at 10:39PM
Has anyone seen him recently? I would really like to meet him & listen to what he has to say. I remember seeing him on the local news station back in 2000 & left an impression on me that has never left me. I finally found some information on him this year on the internet.
He certainly is a mystery ..showing up somewhere & then disappearing whithout a trace... I wonder why we don't see more on him in the news.

Name: William S. Repsher Responds
Subject: Re: what's your name
-- Mar 30, 2004 at 11:40AM
A documentary! If that isn't the dog's bollocks.

At the time, I remember ABC Evening News doing a segment on him. In terms of Pennsylvania, I'd also contact WNEP and WBRE -- two of the big local news stations out of Scranton/Wilkes Barre who most likely did stories on him, too. I'd have no idea if those people would have archived their reports, but I'd gather that they all did stories on him at that time of his largest popularity. Rest of the country ... I have no idea.

Name: wendy
Subject: what's your name
-- Mar 30, 2004 at 11:09AM
I'm from the company making the documentary on What's Your Name? does anyone know how to get footage/video clips of him? Any contacts or info you may have would be great!

Name: William S. Repsher Responds
Subject: Re: whosname
-- Mar 5, 2004 at 1:10PM
Not that I'm aware of. Fill me in if you've heard otherwise.

More importantly: has he seen The Passion of Christ?

Name: Jill Connick
Subject: whosname
-- Mar 5, 2004 at 12:51PM
Did Whatsyourname really get busted for child porn??????????

Name: William S. Repsher Responds
Subject: Re: What's your name
-- Oct 28, 2003 at 8:43AM
Mind my asking where you're checking in from? When you say "AP article" there apparently have been a few dozen written about the guy on his various stops all over the country. Plus, I like to see where he's going.

You really think this guy is going to harm children? I don't get that impression -- why would a guy pretending to be Jesus, with zero defenses in the world and apparently no home, put himself in that sort of position? O.K., so he's a bum ... but to insinuate that he could be a child molester or a person in any way interested in bringing harm to children is another thing. Besides, I'm not aware of anyone being invited to give a presentation in a school then entering that school and commiting any sort of crime. The guy strikes me as being harmless.

My article was simply done on a personal level to tie in this bizarre story with my feelings on home (northeast PA), especially in regards to the Catholicism we were raised with. The major articles and news shows I was seeing at the time did nothing to shed light on that region and how a guy like that could catch on there -- which he did like wildfire for a short time there. Little did I also know that a friend following the story saw the same news coverage and related a story to me of meeting Whatsyourname a few years earlier in the jungles of Mexico. More a think piece than actual reporting.

More power to the guy if he can manage to live this way!

Name: dos
Subject: What's your name
-- Oct 28, 2003 at 2:31AM
It's funny. I live near the AP article. That guy just leeched on us for about 6 months. He was brought into a local school unsearched, and was left alone with children. Most of them used the term "Fake Jesus" to describe him, but they were children as I said. The entire incident was quite comical in retrospect. We at the school used to round up articles from all types of sources. I think I found one within a supermarket tabloid (subject hazy, been a while) along the lines of starting a car being a miracle.

Frankly I think the only reason that he left was that the person that he was staying with realized that he wasn't leaving on his own. We are, after all a very zealous theological region, (zealous translated as certain sects of islam are).

He also came back in either 2001 or 2002. Quite funny.

even funnier, I wasn't looking for anything near that when I found this site. Go Figure.

Name: Big D
Subject: whodatname
-- Sep 30, 2002 at 3:42PM
I knew him from the Miss. Gathering and the road. My ex-wife remembers him asking her lines like: "What's your sign?" He really dug Rush.

Name: William S. Repsher Responds
Subject: Re: whatsyourname
-- Sep 18, 2002 at 6:52AM
Nina -- no article attached, and I'd love to read it -- I'll check out the archives for this paper. Michigan! This guy's getting around.

As for "responding to God's call in his life," I'm a little leery of those kind of declarations. A bunch of young men deeply into fundamentalist Islam recently did the same and ended up driving jet airliners into buildings and murdering thousands ... all in their God's name. So, no, I can't say the same.

I got no problem with whatsyourname, but I'd simply let the guy live his life and let that be a statement in and of itself. You don't need PR when you're walking around dressed like Christ and not trying to make money off it.

Name: nina
Subject: whatsyourname
-- Sep 17, 2002 at 10:17PM
guess who turned up in michigan recently? check out the article in the bay city times of sept 15, 2002. by the way, his website is now in the hands of someone who is maintaining it.

whatsyourname is simply responding to God's call in his life -- can we say the same?

Name: grace
Subject: nina's post
-- May 26, 2002 at 11:22AM
website doesn't seem to exist...

have you looked at it lately?

i would love to see it if you can get me the correct address...

thanks for sharing!

Name: Nina
Subject: Whatsyourname
-- May 26, 2002 at 3:03AM
Although the website isn't presently being maintained,you can find out more about Whatsyourname at www.whatsyournameonl ine.com
(Be sure to click on the footprint in the upper righthand corner for the interesting stuff.)
God bless him! Send up a prayer that he will continue to follow the will of God wholeheartedly.

Name: Eddie
Subject: same
-- May 25, 2002 at 11:49PM
I met WYN at a gathering about ten years ago. I always enjoyed his company, and remember many amusing anecdotes that may help others to see him in a more human light. When he says he's not Jesus, believe him. However, when he says he has a personal relationship with Him, believe that, too.

He loaned me his copy of Black Elk Speaks, one of the books he owned then. All were spiritual in nature, and even then he was happy to share.

He didn't have a beard then, and he usually used someone else's cup to shave with. He was really clean then, too, although it was jeans and an old flannel shirt.
(Classic Rainbow quote: "What does the Buddhist monk do before enlightenment? Chop the wood and carry the water. What does the Buddhist monk do after enlightenment? Chop the wood and carry the water." WYN never did either.)

He sang often, and sounded very much like Neil Young (this seemed to be intentional, as he told me it was a great compliment when I commented on it).

I saw him months later with a girl he liked, and when I said, "What's her name?" he just grinned and said, "Yeah..."

At seed camp for a gathering in Tennessee in '93, several truckloads of local angry youths drove in and opened fire with shotguns, hitting some and freaking out all but him. At the time, I was in a tree listening to a drum circle. I stayed there, and as they drove off, firing at our campfire, everyone hit the ground except me and WYN, who kept a steady beat on the drum he was playing the entire time. It was terrifying and chaotic, but he was an island of peace.

As a final note, not only Time and 20/20 picked up on the story. The best coverage was on Comedy Central's The Daily Show. Worth looking up if it's archived.

Sorry so long-- he's quite a character!

Name: grace
Subject: What'sYourName
-- May 25, 2002 at 10:50PM
I met him at a gathering on Dec. 31, 1992 in Brooklyn, MS. He's a nice enough guy, and I would love to know where he is now and say hello. We wandered around in the woods for a while-- I think he enjoyed my company because I wasn't afraid of his religious trip, which can be threatening to people who hide in the woods to avoid facing the truth. We laughed about his name-- I think he had just decided to go by WYN, and we were amused by people's reactions when he introduced himself. I think he is misunderstood... he wanted to share a Christian message with everyone, but he is truly no different from HUNDREDS of kind people I have met over the years through the Rainbow Family-- he just found a better way to finance the trip. Safe travels, WYN. Take care, and stop back through the south sometime. We'll feed you and find some new takers.

Name: William S. Repsher Responds
Subject: Re: Whatsyourname
-- Apr 18, 2002 at 7:09AM
Sri, glad to hear that WYN's world tour touched the southwest. Nothing against the guy at all -- milking the Jesus thing a little too much for his own good. But not ripping people off or exploiting them for selfish purposes. More power to him, although the guy has to settle down sometime.

Name: Sri Naba
Subject: Whatsyourname
-- Apr 17, 2002 at 4:23PM
I met WYN in Arizona in 1998. It was at a rainbow gathering. He is a very kind gentle, human being. Good company. We and around 40 others lived in the National Forest together for a few months. Wonderful smile.
He really does walk his talk and I respect him greatly for that.

Name: William S. Repsher Responds
Subject: Re: Jesus Is In Chester, Va
-- Jan 14, 2002 at 8:33PM
Go figure! Sounds like he's on the northeast league of his North American tour. When you said "Chester," I thought you meant Chester, Pennsylvania. If you're unfamiliar with the terrain, the only white people you tend to see there are driving cars with sirens on the top. But Chester, Virginia sounds like a slightly different story. He walks among us!

Name: Peter Feddo
Subject: Jesus Is In Chester, Va
-- Jan 13, 2002 at 10:49PM
Yup, the newspaper I work for covered the story as well as a few other media outlets in the Richmond area. Here's the link to our article http://chesteronline .net/news/january100 2/story3.htm

Name: Someone
Subject: Whatsyourname
-- Dec 31, 2001 at 10:02PM
I have a friend who is over at my house now. He just told me about meeting this guy at a friends house. He is a very Godly man. From what my friend said.

Name: William S. Repsher Responds
Subject: Re: Whatsyourname
-- Nov 5, 2001 at 8:23AM
Er, uh ... you people? And no offense, but some nice hippie guy walking around who looks like Jesus doesn't fall under the category "antichrist&quo t; -- especially in light of recent events.

Name: Anon
Subject: Whatsyourname
-- Nov 5, 2001 at 6:49AM
Whatsyourname is the false prophet, the antichrist why cant you people see that he is not a messenger of god

Name: Dr. Hooter
Subject: resurrection crisis
-- Jun 28, 2001 at 2:58PM
I think he is going through a resurrection crisis at the moment, while West Palm Beach stripers massage his nasty clubbed feet with their long oiled hair. Thats where I saw him last...fun in the sun with the "hooterville gals"

Name: William S. Repsher Responds
Subject: Re: Carl Joseph
-- May 30, 2001 at 9:16PM
Bob, I don't know what happened to Carl Joseph -- by the reports posted to this page, it sounded like he was making his way directly south from Pennsylvania. I'd check papers in the Virgina/Maryland area at this point, although your guess is as good as mine.

Name: Bob Schacht
Subject: Carl Joseph
-- May 30, 2001 at 3:16PM
I am interested in what has happened to Carl Joseph, the wandering "Jesus"-li ke figure sometimes called "whatsyourname& quot;. I can't find anything since February 2001. Please mail any info to me at r_schacht@yahoo.com

Name: Ira A. Skeptical
Subject: The Thin Divine Line
-- Dec 1, 2000 at 3:18PM
A preacher maybe, teacher not! If you want to reach the youth why hide a teenage past that might have included drug abuse, theft, rape, etc.? What's there that might be judged, when he already asks us to judge him any way? There is a fine line between authenticity and con. A shock-treatment position offers nothing more than novelty which soon wears off! Demystification takes place, and oddity becomes ordinary and base. True, he does raise questions, but doesn't your local priest who is responsible for a community and is engaged in the drama of longterm spiritual development!

Name: Nina
Subject: Christ Comes to Atlantic City
-- Oct 27, 2000 at 12:47PM
This beautiful man is now (Oct. 25) in our area. He attended 8:30am Mass at my parish and I was unable to speak to him because I had to go to work. What a Martha!! I regret not approaching him. But I am still on the lookout! So glad he is doing this. It is certainly a lasting impression.

Name: William S. Repsher Responds
Subject: Re: Christ Comes to Coaltown
-- Jun 11, 2000 at 1:58PM
That's interesting. When I went back to the Coal Region recently and asked about Whatsyourname, no one seemed to know what had happened to him -- thanks for the update.

I'm wondering if he's getting any residual celebrity treatment, as that story came and went in a hurry earlier this year. Now I can go back there and expect to see only Buddy in his Phillies jacket walking the roads.

Name: An LS.n Reader
Subject: Christ Comes to Coaltown
-- Jun 11, 2000 at 3:06AM
Whats your name came to Philadelphia in early May. He spoke at Presentation BVM Church (Cheltenham -- right outside of Philly) at that time . . (5/4???) . . anyway it was a Thursday night. Last Wednesday (6/7), he was seen on the same street (Martins Mill Road), presumably still at that church. I have not heard of any more talks that he is presenting, however. Just seems to be walking around now.

Name: William S. Repsher Responds
Subject: Re: Fast Food Jesus
-- May 22, 2000 at 7:51PM
What this article has to do with guns and meat is beyond me. Grow up, er, anonymous person in some other country?

Name: Spiritual things
Subject: Re: Fast Food Jesus
-- May 22, 2000 at 10:23AM
Only in America (the land of the armed and the home of the scared) do you get such disregard for spiritual things. Grow up America. Life is not just a good rifle and a good burger.

Name: William S. Repsher
Subject: Fast Food Jesus
-- May 18, 2000 at 9:12AM
Oh yeah? Buddha and I went through the Burger King drive through last night at the mall, and he mooned the checkout girl.

Name: max
Subject: Yahweh
-- May 17, 2000 at 5:12PM
I saw Jesus in McDonald's at midnight.

Name: Susan
Subject: Jesus
-- Mar 8, 2000 at 10:50AM
I'd love to get in contact with Whatsyourname to invite him to take part in a radio interview on the talk-back radio station I work for in the UK. Is there any chance you can help me get in touch with him? e-mail me at swoodward@talk-radio.co.uk or fax on 44 171 959 7805. Thank you.

Name: William S. Repsher Responds
Subject: Re: jesus
-- Feb 21, 2000 at 8:32PM
Herr No, both ABC (via their show 20/20 and Time had pretty bland takes on Whatsyourname -- as have all major news outlets. None of them have any understanding of the Coal Region and what this all means in that context -- which is fine, you should expect nothing less from strangers who pull into town and leave when they get their chunk of headline meat.

An update on Whats Your Name -- recent AP wire report has it that he was charged with trespassing in Ohio in 191 for "sneaking into an adult movie house." He openly admits to it and says that was part of his learning process. He was also assaulted a few days ago by a man on the street in Hazleton, who simply ran up to him, started shaking him and accusing him of being a "false prophet" before hopping back into his car and driving away.

Frankly, I'd be disappointed if the only naughty stuff What's Your Name has done is sneak into a porno flick -- something tells me a little investigative reporting would turn up a world of misbehavior. The longer you fall, the higher you rise!

Name: dr no
Subject: jesus
-- Feb 21, 2000 at 12:21PM
Wierd, wild stuff.

What was ABC News & Time Mag's take on this fella?


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