# Who is the Guy who uses the bins as drums in Cardiff?



## Allen CCFC (May 2, 2006)

I've continually noticed a black guy with dreads who uses the bins as drums in town. 

Anyone know much about him?

I saw him outside Waterstones a couple of saturdays ago and he looked a bit upset


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## ddraig (May 2, 2006)

Ninjah
he has an album out and everything!
he's ok but can be a bit off sometimes imo
he was on a thread on here and some of us went on the parade round town for his album launch, which was quite funny


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## ddraig (May 2, 2006)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/music/sites/ninjah/pages/biography.shtml


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## ddraig (May 2, 2006)

some of the comments on that page are a bit funny


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## Col_Buendia (May 2, 2006)

Old thread here: http://urban75.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=124376

Anyone actually heard the LP? I never got round to buying a copy...


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## Sweaty Betty (May 2, 2006)

I just love the way that everyone passes by him and doesnt even bat an eyelid anymore.......like he is part of the furniture


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## Dai Sheep (May 2, 2006)

What about 'toy mic trevor'?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toy_Mic_Trevor


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## Col_Buendia (May 2, 2006)

People like Ninjah & Toy Mike Trev keep my faith in Cardiff not having turned into one gigantic plastic dog turd. Bring on the St Davids Centre Mk II


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## nwnm (May 3, 2006)

but a gigantic dog turd would make such an excellent sculpture for queen street


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## King Biscuit Time (May 3, 2006)

Better than those utterly miserable Robert Thomas Statues (Except the miner).
The 'family' on the end of Churchill way by Nat West is particularly bleak looking I think.

Cardiff City Centre Statue Trivia no1 - 'The Miner' which is down by Boots, opposite Barclays bank has a wife in the original sculpture, but Cardiff city council didn't want to pay for her, so they just got the bloke made.


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## ddraig (May 3, 2006)

Col_Buendia said:
			
		

> Old thread here: http://urban75.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=124376
> 
> Anyone actually heard the LP? I never got round to buying a copy...



yeah i got it, not bad, bit strange in places


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## Col_Buendia (May 3, 2006)

King Biscuit Time said:
			
		

> Better than those utterly miserable Robert Thomas Statues (Except the miner).
> The 'family' on the end of Churchill way by Nat West is particularly bleak looking I think.
> 
> Cardiff City Centre Statue Trivia no1 - 'The Miner' which is down by Boots, opposite Barclays bank has a wife in the original sculpture, but Cardiff city council didn't want to pay for her, so they just got the bloke made.



The miner's a fucking dismal statue... I mean, if you look closely at it, first off, he's holding the light down at the level of his knees, so he is not "lighting the way", i.e. he is not looking forward nor trying to find a path. Secondly, his hand is held in a strange sort of non-clench. He seems neither to be clenching his fist nor actually doing anything with his hand. At best, imo, he seems to be pointing to the ground. Added to the dropped light position, it seems to me to be absolutely redolent of defeat, a miner who can neither clench his fist in pride nor in defiance, holding a light that sheds no light on the future, a miner from South Wales who can not point to a future for mining in South Wales. 

Indeed, without getting too nit-picky about it, I found it striking that the light was held down at knee level. At an introductory presentation on "Cardiff" (™) when I 1st came here, the marketing people from the city council proudly blabbered on about how Queen St had the highest "footfall" of any commercial street in the UK. So given that they measure the success of attracting consumers to the commercialised city centre (or plastic dog turd, if you prefer) in terms of "footfall", how appropriate that they install a defeated miner to point at the ground and light the shoppers' feet with his lowered Davey lamp to help the parasites from marketing count the feet necessary to prove they're doing a good job 

Moreover it is a testament to how they have ripped the heart (and continue to do so) out of a community that they need to erect metal figures to replace the long-gone figures of the living, breathing community that once used to feel that Cardiff was its home.  Metal people in the bay, metal people in Queen St, plastic people in the shops, rich people on the council I shouldn't wonder.


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## RubberBuccaneer (May 3, 2006)

WAsn't the statue put there because that's where they collected money everyday ( on my way to work ).

Or is that a Buccermyth?

Also there is a couple of statues that are good - the Jim Driscoll one ( now in a wasteland ) and the one commerating the start of the Greenham common peace camp that originated from a march that started in Cardiff


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## joffle (May 3, 2006)

Col_Buendia said:
			
		

> Old thread here: http://urban75.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=124376
> 
> Anyone actually heard the LP? I never got round to buying a copy...



Theres one song where he spells his name in a rap.....but the beat doesnt fit how many letters are in his name so he spells his name wrong...very odd.


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## Col_Buendia (May 3, 2006)

King Biscuit Time said:
			
		

> Better than those utterly miserable Robert Thomas Statues *(Except the miner)*.


Here, KBT, I just noticed you said "except the miner"!  Why do you like it? Or except it from the general "miserable" category?


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## Dai Sheep (May 3, 2006)

Seen ninjah in town today. He finished his 'set' on the bins, then proclaimed to everyone he would be back to 'smash their heads in' after he had been for a water break. 

Glad I was on the other side of the street. Didnt think he was like that.


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## Lucky JACKSON (May 3, 2006)

My ex was a close friend of Robert Thomas family.
A thoroughly decent fella and a great storyteller.
I agree though his statues don't seem to capture any life.


He passed on a few years ago.


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## LilMissHissyFit (May 4, 2006)

Dai Sheep said:
			
		

> Seen ninjah in town today. He finished his 'set' on the bins, then proclaimed to everyone he would be back to 'smash their heads in' after he had been for a water break.
> 
> Glad I was on the other side of the street. Didnt think he was like that.



I think I must have sen him just after that, he seemed quite agitated and was 'preaching' loudly at anyone passing about injustices 
Is he mentally ill or just wonderfully eccentric?


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## waterloowelshy (May 4, 2006)

LilMissHissyFit said:
			
		

> I think I must have sen him just after that, he seemed quite agitated and was 'preaching' loudly at anyone passing about injustices
> Is he mentally ill or just wonderfully eccentric?


Ive seen him get agitated quite a few times in town - dont know how much of is it is just bravado and showing Off and how much of it is real? – you have got to be a bit mental mind in the first place aint you to play the drums on the bins round town?!


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## Dai Sheep (May 4, 2006)

LilMissHissyFit said:
			
		

> Is he mentally ill or just wonderfully eccentric?



Who knows, but a few years ago I seen him wandering around wearing a gas mask! Makes you wonder...


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## ddraig (May 4, 2006)

i'd like to know the answer as well
 some people say it's part of his 'act' etc and some people say he's a twat.

i've had a nice calm chat with him once about tunes and stuff and he was fine. i've also seen him shouting at people, ranting and what looks like attention seeking, most people know of him now and just ignore him


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## RubberBuccaneer (May 4, 2006)

He's very softly spoken. I like his black speedos and gold chain combo best. That turns a few heads


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## 1927 (May 4, 2006)

Lucky JACKSON said:
			
		

> My ex was a close friend of Robert Thomas family.
> A thoroughly decent fella and a great storyteller.
> I agree though his statues don't seem to capture any life.
> 
> ...



I knew his sons very well, the one Ceri I think is a brillaint artist in his own right and in 1992 did a portrait of Colin Jackson which i tried to buy at the time,was good enough to hang in National portarit gallery,and prob would ahve if CJ had won gold in Barca!


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