Mr. Butch

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Mr. Butch - Allston, Ma. c. 1983 photo: Bill Swersey

Mr. Butch (real name: Harold Madison, Jr.), formerly known as the Mayor of Kenmore Square, is a homeless person living on the streets of Boston. What sets him apart from the myriad of urban homeless in the city is his notoriety among Boston's college students and within its rock scene, now spanning three decades.

In the mid- to late-Seventies, Butch would often be seen on the streets near the Berklee College of Music, playing a Fender Stratocaster guitar, with an open tuning that allowed him to play chords with a single finger. His wild dreadlock hairstyle and choice of guitar invited comparisons to Jimi Hendrix.

During the Eighties, Mr. Butch's fame among the local music scene grew, and he was given gigs at The Underground in Allston and The Rathskellar in Kenmore Square (both now defunct). It was around this time that he began to be featured in The Noise, a local music fanzine published by T. Maxx, and was featured in many of their advertisements. Mr. Butch is mentioned in the liner notes to local hardcore punk compilation "Bands That Could Be God", which featured, among others, Deep Wound (pre-Dinosaur Jr.) as the man to whom the compilation would be dedicated had he been on God's other side. Mr Butch is also featured in the art work for the CD compilation I've got my friends. It features a combination of Boston and San Francisco punk bands, including The Unseen, Dropkick Murphys, Working Stiffs, and Showcase Showdown.

In the early Nineties, the Boston University campus police, extending their authority over Kenmore Square, exiled Mr. Butch to Allston, Massachusetts, a neighborhood of Boston west of the Square. Butch sought refuge where he could find it, sleeping in friends' homes and occasionally in ATM lobbies. He often plays his guitar and penny whistle. He prefers Miller High Life if he can have a choice of beer.

As of 2006, Mr. Butch is still in Allston, depending on the kindness of friends and strangers.