St. Cloud Superman -- the song, the dude

I knew that if we included the song in our most recent Story Slam, it would spark a fresh round of curiosity, celebration, and trash-talk about central Minnesota's own self-appointed superhero.

Young Jeff interviews the Man of Granite (City)

When I pulled over, some local college students were working on a documentary. I gather it took a few years, but it eventually became this short film. I think the film benefits from its extended production timeline, since St. Cloud Superman evolves somewhat as years go by. This is definitely recommended viewing.

The song arose partly because of the complicated reaction to the MPR story. The story was an open-ended portrait of a local character; but to some, St. Cloud Superman is a jerk and a dangerous threat. Who am I to issue a verdict? (Though state records at the time showed he is not, as some have insisted, a registered sex offender.) The song was an attempt to capture the contradictory and controversial enigma that is St. Cloud Superman.

This latest Story Slam (theme: "Achilles' Heel") seemed an appropriate radio debut of the full-band version:

St. Cloud Superman is well-documented on the web. Here's a taste:

• * He has his own MySpace page (Latest headline: "Whoever threw that Big Gulp at me, you totally missed.")
• * He reportedly got into a tussle a few years ago with police at the State Fair
• * He has been joined on his corner (peaceably) by Spiderman and (not-so-peaceably) by Darth Vader
• * In October of last year, he physically stopped a man from jumping off a bridge in St. Cloud and committing suicide. The man had started talking to him because he recognized him, even out of costume.

Vindication at last?

Google around a bit. Plenty of chatter out there (including his alter ego, which has never been much of a secret).

hey all, thanks for the follow up. I think over my last two years here, St.C. Superman has taken a turn for the worse. He's not quite as dashing. . . often shows up with just a blue shirt, cape, and gym shorts - sometimes not even a superman shirt. . . alas. . .

Hi Jeff,

Thanks for the reference. Love your song! I actually hadn't heard it before. :-)