With Comic-Con upon us, a few of my friends have decided they aren't going anywhere near downtown. I was bummed, because I already had a few friends talked in to going to see Adam Carolla at the House of Blues, and one of my friends found out this was in the middle of the Con weekend (anyone else wanna go?).

Peter Mayhew, who played Chewbacca in Star Wars.

^{Photo by Josh Board}

A couple years ago at Comic-Con, I ran into a couple female friends I hadn't seen in years. We decided to grab some dinner at Lou & Mickey's steakhouse. And as we were leaving the convention center, we saw a group on a corner giving out free ice cream. We didn't care enough to go over (usually if the words "ice cream" and "free" are involved, I'm knockin' old ladies over to get there). I heard a family of five say, "We didn't even go to Comic-Con. We just come down here for all the free stuff."

I then realized that near the train tracks right before crossing the street to get to the Con, lots of people are handing out goodies in bags. I'm not into comics or super heroes (the bags usually consist of pens, magnets, comics, and things that just don't make it worth me lugging around). I haven't bothered to pick up a bag in a long time, but for people that want freebies, it's the perfect place to hang out.

I then started thinking about the previous year, how I waited on a street corner for my girlfriend to pick me up (she was at a baby shower). I sat on a curb drinking a free 85 ounce energy drink (that some van was giving out free), and a blues musician that looked and sounded like John Lee Hooker, was sitting on a milk crate on the corner of 5th and Island, playing some great Muddy Waters tunes.

As I listened to him play "Hoochie Koochie Man," I thought about how I just saw Tori Amos and Go-Gos guitarist Jane Wiedlin at the Con promoting different comic related projects and here on a street corner, with no long lines, is a guy playing great songs for the occasional quarter or dollar bill someone throws in his guitar case.

When a few women walked by, he quickly changed the lyrics to incorporate the descriptions of the outfits they're wearing. This becomes a lot harder when people walk by in costume. He'd occasionally stop playing and say "What the hell kinda superhero is that?!"

I learned long ago, you don't make eye contact with the people working the kiosks in the mall. They'll try talking you into a cell phone, a cell phone cover, or anything. You just have to look straight ahead, act like you don't hear them and don't let them sense your fear. I didn't realize those same rules would've served me well. He said to me, "What the hell you lookin' at?!" I smiled and said, "Someone that's really doing Muddy justice. And your version of 'House of the Rising Sun' was sweet." I thought he'd smile with that compliment but instead he said, "Compliments don't mean $%*+ to me, man. Give me some money."

I didn't like his tone, but liked his attempt at humor. I got up, took a five out of my wallet and put it in his hat. Truth be told, I was pissed I didn't have any singles.

He then barked, "What the hell is that? A five?! You're watching an entire concert that would cost you $50 at the stadium." I smiled and said "Yeah, but…for that price, I'd get a full band."

I started to realize how crazy this guy was when people would walk by and he started yelling at them if they didn't tip. Even the ones that didn't stop to listen to him.

A couple in their 80s walked by holding hands, and he went into a beautiful version of Sea of Love as they slowly danced. A small crowd watched and applauded. He took that opportunity to berate the crowd for not tipping. At this point, I just started laughing hysterical (which got him to yell at me again).

A guy in a brown cape, weird hat and long wooden staff walked by. The singer was in the middle of an Otis Redding tune and looked at the three scanitly-clad women with the guy and said, "Are you a pimp, or is that a comic book thing?"

The woman with blue hair stopped and laughed and as she started to explain the costumes he said, "And what the hell kinda shampoo you usin' that be causin' that?"

A teenage girl with a Star Wars shirt took a photo of him and he snapped, "You want a picture? Well, give me a picture. A picture of Washington!"

She was confused as she walked away with her friends.

Not being the best at ingratiating himself to the foot traffic, he said to two women holding hands, "Wait a minute, what is that? Are you lesbos or something?" They angrily looked at him. He looked at me and said "Hey…I have more misses than hits, but I have to keep talkin'. I'd be a millionaire if everything I said worked."

My girlfriend finally showed up and when I got up to leave he asked me where my money was. I told him since he wasn't happy with the five dollars I gave him, I probably wouldn't give him anything else. He picked up his guitar and held it over his head like I was Abbie Hoffman and he was Pete Townshend at Woodstock (look it up). As I opened the car door he said something about not clocking me because he didn't want to go back to prison.

But I really got off topic.

I was talking about going to Lou & Mickey's with Angela & Myrna.

The patio seats were filled with people enjoying the people watching (Lou & Mickey's is the one patio you really can't sit at, since you smell sewage). All the other places up Fifth and Fourth - Dublin Square, The Field, Fred's Mexican…all have great patios that you can drink, smoke, and hang out with friends enjoying the crowds and tourists. And that costs you nothing (but what you pay for the pitcher of beer).

As we were eating our steak, actor Peter Mayhew who played Chewbacca in Star Wars, walked in. I wouldn't have recognized the 6-foot-8 dude (who's almost as hairy as the character) except for the fact that the table next to me was freaking out. And, I had just seen him at a table at Comic-Con charging $25 for autographs. I was surprised someone had a Star Wars doll (still in the box, of course; you need to keep it worth as much as possible), and another had a shirt. Both folks paid.

As he sat by himself, eating a steak faster than I've ever seen anyone eat…I wondered if you went up to get his autograph - would he ask you for any money? He did just an hour earlier.

Anyway, the point of the story is - there's a lot of ways to have fun in the Gaslamp Quarter if you didn't get tickets to the sold-out Comic Con.

I'm hoping this year I see C3PO at Lou & Mickey's.

For morecoverage go to: Comic-Con.