Roy McDonald (4 June 1937 – 20 February 2018, approximation) was a poet, busker, author, philosopher and "professional conversationalist" in

London, Ontario London is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River (Ontario), Thames River and N ...

, Canada. He was well known for singing and reciting poetry in front of Joe Kool's Restaurant and Jim-Bob Ray's Bar on Richmond Street. For many years he stood at the northwest corner of Richmond and Dundas (the old centre of downtown London) and discussed the literary world with passersby. His long, grey beard, plastic bags filled with books and

journals A journal, from the Old French ''journal'' (meaning "daily"), may refer to: *Bullet journal, a method of personal organization *Diary, a record of personal secretive thoughts and as open book to personal therapy or used to feel connected to onesel ...

tweed jacket A sport coat, also called a sport jacket (or sports coat or sports jacket in American English), is a men's smart casual lounge jacket designed to be worn on its own without matching trousers, traditionally for sporting purposes. Styles, fabrics, ...

, and habit of striking up friendly conversations with nearly everyone, making him a very recognizable and well-known figure around the city.

Life and career

McDonald grew his beard for decades. He claimed his was the longest at the 1969

Woodstock Music and Art Fair The Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held from August 15 to 18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, southwest of the town of Woodstock. Billed as "an Aquarian Expositio ...

. His clothes often fell into disrepair, and he occasionally mended his pants with

duct tape Duct tape or duck tape is cloth- or scrim-backed pressure-sensitive tape, often coated with polyethylene. A variety of constructions exist using different backings and adhesives, and the term "duct tape" has been genericized to refer to all o ...

. He decorated his jacket with

buttons A button is a fastener that joins two pieces of fabric together by slipping through a loop or by sliding through a buttonhole. In modern clothing and fashion design, buttons are commonly made of plastic but also may be made of metal, wood, o ...

. He was often referred to as the unofficial Mayor of Richmond Row, a colourful segment of Richmond Street located in downtown London. Contrary to what some believe, McDonald did live in a house, a home on Wellington Road near Whetter Avenue, the same home he grew up in. Roy spent most of his life in London, but he also spent time in Montreal, where he developed a problem with alcohol. He had the will to quit drinking and was completely sober from age 38 until his death. Pocketman (Dorset Publishing 1979) by Don Bell, is a book of comedy loosely based on Roy's time in Montreal. Also there is a song called Pocketman that was written in 1977, two years prior to the book, by Jeff Rogers-Wardle that describes the first encounter Jeff had with Roy.

Death

McDonald was found dead in his home in London, Ontario on 21 February 2018, at the age of 80, after friends had reported to the police that they hadn't seen Roy around in a few weeks, so the exact date of his death is unknown. Even though McDonald had a zest for life, he was known to scoff at his own death. "If I die today," he once said, "I would die fulfilled."

Publishing efforts

Ergo Productions published both of McDonald's books. ''Living: A London Journal'' is a detailed account of a week in McDonald's life, and ''The Answer Questioned'' is one long

pun A pun, also known as a paronomasia in the context of linguistics, is a form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from t ...

-poem. They can be found in the London Public Library and the UWO library, and are carried in some bookstores, including the one at UWO. In 2024, author Lynda Curnoe, who was close to McDonald and served as his archivist, published ‘Organizing Roy McDonald’, which recounts the process of turning his vast and chaotic literary estate into a coherent archive, along with his biography.

Publications

* ''The Answer Questioned'' Ergo Books, Chapbook 1970 * ''Living: A London Journal'' Ergo Books, 1978 96 pages

Discography

*''Souwesto Words: 25 poets in Southwestern Ontario'' Ergo Books 2002 ''Poets on the CD: Penn Kemp, John Tyndall,

Molly Peacock Molly Peacock (born Buffalo, New York 1947) is an American-Canadian poet, essayist, biographer and speaker, whose multi-genre work includes memoir, short fiction, and a one-woman show. Career Peacock's latest book is ''Flower Diary: Mary Hies ...

, Emily Chung, Paul Langille, Sheila Martindale, Roy McDonald, Sadiqa Khan, Jan Figurski, Jody Trevail, Beryl Baigent,

John B. Lee John Busteed Lee (born 1951) is a Canadian author and poet who is Poet Laureate of Brantford, Ontario. Biography Early life Born in Highgate, Ontario, Lee was raised on a farm near the village of Highgate. He went to Ridgetown District Hig ...

Cornelia Hoogland Cornelia Hoogland is a Canadian poet, playwright and retired professor. She lived on Hornby Island, British Columbia, Canada, but until 2011 divided her time between London, Ontario as well, where she was a professor at the University of Western ...

James Reaney James Crerar Reaney, (September 1, 1926 – June 11, 2008) was a Canadian poet, playwright, librettist, and professor, "whose works transform small-town Ontario life into the realm of dream and symbol." Reaney won Canada's highest literary ...

, Colleen Thibaudeau, Michael Wilson, Aimee O'Beirn, Jason Dickson, Marianne Micros, Skot Deeming, Victor Elias, David J. Paul, April Bulmer, Julie Berry, Don Gutteridge''. * ''An Evening With Roy & Wayne'' Pete Matthews productions * ''Roy & Wayne Live at Bean There'' Pete Matthews productions *. " Richmond Row Sound System "Featuring Roy McDonald" Available on Bandcamp http://richmondrow.bandcamp.com

Filmography

* ''The Roy Chronicles'', by Grant Cushman (for public access television) * ''Living On the Fringe'', by Anna-Sophie Lunding * ''The Last of the Hippies'', by Rico Medina * ''BEARD: A few moments in the life of Roy McDonald''. A Play by Jason Rip 2000 * ''Portrait of an Artist'', a student film by Ryan Furlong, University of Western Ontario 2003
''Roy'', a student film by Josh Kish, Fanshawe College 2007

Cited sources

University of Western Ontario The University of Western Ontario (UWO; branded as Western University) is a Public university, public research university in London, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land, surrounded by residential neighbourhoods and the Thame ...

Archives * ''the late'' Win Schell, Ergo Books, London {{DEFAULTSORT:McDonald, Roy 1937 births 2018 deaths 20th-century Canadian poets Canadian male poets Canadian buskers Writers from London, Ontario Poets from Ontario 20th-century Canadian male writers