Judge not the Free Hugs Guy, who brings smiles to the face of Cleveland

By Pete Kotz on Mon, Apr 28, 2008 at 5:11 am

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Affection at a price you can afford.

Anybody who’s spent time at a liberal-arts college knows the Free Hugs Guy. He’s the character who walks around offering hugs to all who pass – at least when he’s not pursuing his other interests, which include juggling, spelunking, and majoring in decorative beading. He’s almost as ubiquitous on campuses as the World of Warcraft Shut-Ins and the Holier-Than-Thou Capoeira Crew. But this is Cleveland—a dead-steel town (which makes us manlier than live-steel towns) where a man’s sexual orientation will be questioned if he admits to ever having tried sorbet. That’s why C-Notes, stumbling out of the Blind Pig after having just smashed a PBR can on our head last Saturday afternoon, was a bit taken aback by the sight of a Free Hugs Guy trolling West 9th….