Streaking Anecdotes
Here's some anecdotes that people have emailed to me, along with those I collected for the ill-fated book.. Enjoy.
Grand Final Party Streak
When I was a geology student at university here in Melbourne, Australia in the
1990's, there was an annual BBQ/party in a classmates backyard to watch the
football Grand Final. It was always a crowded event and not only included all my
classmates, but even some of the lecturers.
Things were going along quite normally until my mate Mick dared me to streak
once around the backyard. As I was known as the shyest member of our class, no
one expected me to even consider it! But the beer in me gave me the courage to
say "O.K., I'll do it."
The plan was for me to strip off inside the house, run out the backdoor and
around the backyard, and back in the front door. The whole thing should have
been over in 5 minutes.
So I stripped off all my clothes in the bathroom and stepped out into the
loungeroom, grabbed another beer and walked out the back door. It was a hot day
and the warm breeze was beginning to give me an erection, but I knew I had to go
through with it, so I ran out into the crowded backyard where everyone was
standing around the BBQ. The instantaneous roar of laughter was deafening. At
first I thought they were laughing just because I was naked, but then I realised
they were looking at my fully erect and shaved penis.. My face instantly turned
bright red and I raced for the front door so I could get dressed. What I should
have anticipated was Mick locking both doors of the house with my clothes
inside. By this stage a lot people had their cameras out and were taking photos,
so I gave up trying to escape, got another beer and spent the rest of the day
stark naked amongst all of my fully clothed classmates, friends and lecturers.
Since then I was known all throughout university that I not only streaked at a
party, but that I also shave my dick.
My friends never let me forget this one.
- Anonymous
(OK... I realise this story has a slightly pervy feel to it, and I wasn't going
to put it up... but it has enough of a humorous element to pass. What is perhaps
most disturbing is the idea of dick shaving).
Streaking in 1972
It's about time to set the record straight. Attempts to record the history of college streaking over the past 30 years have missed their mark. It didn't start in March of 1974 at a large university (I think I've read that it was in Miami?), but rather in 1972 at a small college in Adrian, Michigan.
When I arrived at Adrian College in fall of '72, there was some quiet chatter about the "Feeman Streakers." It took some time, but eventually the story came out. The previous spring a few of the men of Feeman Hall had taken a brief but courageous romp through the center of the campus late at right wearing only their smiles and tennis shoes. As far as I know, these brave souls were the first college streakers of modern times.
Later that next spring, the runs started up again. There were a few small events, and then, one warm spring day in 1973 the word began to spread. Big Streak Tonight. Being, in those days, something of a prude, I didn't participate. But I did witness about 30 guys take a run around the women's dorms and return, at a slow walk, back to their starting place in the "Men's Quad."
The next day, several of these men were summoned to the Dean of Student's office where they were issued a stern warning: No more, or else... . I never found out the the "or else" was, but it put and end to streaking at Adrian.
But it was only the beginning of college streaking. Even as the Adrian Streakers were receiving their ultimatum, news of the previous night's romp had reached some area radio stations, including one in Windsor, Ontario. Apparently their broadcast of the AC nudies inspired others to give it a try, and the ball began rolling. From there, it's history as we know it.
But
now you know .. the rest of the story.
- Charlie
F.U.D.A.
I keep reading stories of the first streaker arriving on the college scene around mid-March, 1974. I'm surprised you haven't uncovered F.U.D.A. In mid-February 1974, a friend sent me a photo of himself streaking across Harvard Yard, just as he was coming up on a clutch of unsuspecting young co-eds, three abreast, with their backs to him. It was straight out of the front page of the Boston daily newpaper (the Globe?), so I know this is verifiable. Only it wasn't called streaking yet. His friend, a journalist with an anarchist bent, passed out leaflets just before his arrival in boots and socks, and a long scarf trailing around his neck. It said "What is F.U.D.A? - Fully Unclothed Dashing Anarchists" Incidentally, the guy's last name is Fuda. Perfomance theater at it's finest. - Niki
Bobby De Wheels
This is a true story. Not sure how you can verify it as it happened back in the mid 1970's. But I was there and witnessed the whole scene. Perhaps a little background first. Bob was well known in the community of a North Coast town (Coffs Harbour actually) a jovial, friendly chap and a frequent patron of one of the local pubs (The Plantation).
Bob's disability, he was a paraplegic, never held him back from being one of the guys and could drink most under the table. He often finished the night asleep in his wheelchair alongside the bar. And could he handle that wheelchair. Nowhere was inaccessible for Bob, even up and down stairs. Hence the nickname Bobby de Wheels. One busy evening in the Planto. a stranger put $20 on the bar and shouted $20 to the bloke game enough to streak through the pub. Bob's immediate reaction was "you're on"
A few of us followed Bob into the 'Men's toilet and helped him strip while others got a car ready outside the pubs main entrance, below a flight of about 8 or 10 steps. Now the toilet had 2 entrances so Bob as pre planned burst through the door into the crowded saloon bar wheeling his way through the surprised but delighted throng, through the public bar, out the front door, down the steps like they were a ramp, into the car and off.
About half an hour later Bobby de Wheels returned to claim his prize only to discover the stranger and the $20 had vanished. But he was shouted a few drinks that night. - Okey
The Kentucky Derby Streaker
I was in the infield of the Kentucky Derby. I actually didn't see the
streakers running down the track. I was under the flag pole watching guy
after girl climbing the flag pole and yes, flashing the queen. I was
standing by my cousin when she started grabbing my shirt for me to look at this
guy who was also in the crowd saying "excuse me". He was nude
waist down with his pants over his arm. No one even noticed cause everyone
was looking up at the flag pole!
-Anonymous
College Shenanigans
This doesn't really qualify as a completely unintentional public display, but I certainly didn't mean to be on display to the extent that I was.
In college, there was a common area that often the target of drunken streakers. One night my freshman year, eight or so of us went out drinking at a bar where one of the girl's older sister was a bartender (so we could get served, we were underage at the time). We all got pretty drunk, then on the way back all us guys decided we wanted to streak. The girls (about half the group) wouldn't do it, but we guys decided to do it anyway.
Well, the girls were pretty drunk and heckled us as we stripped down. I got a lot of hoots and hollers when I uncovered my flaccid penis (about 9 inches long), and heard even more giggles and "oh my gods" as I started running and my prick was flopping around.
The really
interesting part didn't happen until we got back from the other end
of the common, though. The girls had hid our clothes and then hid
themselves, so there was nothing to put back on when we got back.
And, as we were looking around for our stuff, two cops shone their
flashlights on us! So, we all had to stand there, completely naked,
well lit from the flashlights, while the cops read us the riot act,
threatened to take us downtown, etc., and while lots of students
coming home from bars paraded by. At the time I was mortified, but
in retrospect I didn't mind so much. It definitely got me a lot of
attention!
- "Big" Charlie
High School Streak
I am 16 years old, and an 11th grader in high school in Mercer Island, Washington, United States. On October 5, 2001, a friend and I rode bicycles in the nude across the football field during halftime during our high school's homecoming football game. The homecoming game is the largest game of the season, and as a result, over 1,000 people watched us streak. Although I was later arrested and charged with indecent exposure, the streak will remain etched in the memories of all present. We have both video and photographs of our streak, as well as the police reports and school reports filed. - Christopher Janikowski
Bicentennial Streak
As with most 'streaking' stories this one begins with the consumption of vast quantities of inebriating liquids. It is the evening of January 24th. 1988. Location: The Longhorn Bar, Whistler, Canada. And I find myself amongst a group of Australians telling wind stories of the days skiing. Nothing unusual so far, this happens regularly every evening, until someone reminds us that it's Australia Day in two days time and it's the bicentennial year. We should do something special to celebrate. And what's more Australian that a good old fashioned streak.
Approximately 2:00 p.m. January 26 th. 1988 and a select few (7) from the previous evenings crowd gather behind the water tank above the Rendezvous Restaurant, Blackcomb Mountain Whistler Canada. Being the only ones stupid enough to go through with what we said we would, the seven of us stripped naked and propelled ourselves down the hill.
A spectacular decent then took place, past the crowded restaurant balcony,to the cheers of the onlookers and under the chairlifts, until we ducked offinto the tree to get dressed.
A few tips for anyone contemplating skiing nude, as discovered by personal experience.
If it's -15 degrees and you don't wear gloves, after 10 minutes skiing your hands will be so numb that you won't be able to fasten zippers, let alone try and do up buttons. This makes getting dressed extremely difficult. If it's the first sunny day after a snow fall there's a good chance the sun will melt the snow sufficiently enough for the snow to fall off the trees. It is not a good idea to be get dressed under a tree when this happens. All your cloths fill up with snow and replacing ski boots on to the feet when they're full of snow is impossible.
Don't Fall Over.
And above all, expect to be known as the 'thimble dicks' when ever people greet you.
- Pablo
Thoughts on the Origins of Streaking
Hi, Karen:
I'm writing you this from Puerto Rico. No, I haven't had a chance to streak in public; skinny dipping maybe, but not streak. :-(
I heard once in television that the term "streaking" came out to be because of a New York City ordinance that stated that nudism in public if you STOOD someplace without your clothes, but the law didn't say anything about bodies in motion... hence the literal interpretation of the statute, and the practice. It was probably I suspect the first streakers made their way to the media either around the time of the Broadway staging of "Hair", or after Martin Scorcese's documentary film about Woodstock, but only became notorious enough by 1974 when it happened in ultra-conservative South Carolina, USA. Would there be a way of confirming either?
BTW, some choreographer for a world-famous ballet (I heard that this quote was accredited to George Ballanchine, but I doubt it) said once that they didn't choreograph any nude ballets, "for there are parts of the body which remain in motion long after both music and dancer have stopped." Should you get the original quote, I'd love to see it.
Hope this helps,
David
These anecotes were collected from mostly Australian streakers for the book in its original form. Some wished to remain anonymous.
Dave The Doncaster Streaker 1974
Dave Cook ran onto Randwick Racecourse with Allana Kereopa to become some of the most famous Australian streakers of the Seventies.
Dave
had previously travelled the world as a darts champion, and had sampled some of
the counter culture. He had also
been groomed for bookmaking and was a regular at the races.
It was Easter and I didn't have much money. I thought: "I'll liven it up." So I went around to her house and said "I'm going down to the races" and mentioned it and she said "Can I come?" I told her to just wear a pair of shorts and a top.
So we went out there, had a few beers, saw a few blokes I knew from Maroubra Junction pubs. I said what I was going to do and they laughed their heads off. I said "Can you just mind my clothes and I'll come up later?" They said "Yep."
I was in the middle. It didn't take long to take off the top and shorts. So there's 24 horses coming
around the track at 40 miles an hour. I know how fast they run. When
they jump out from the 1200 it takes them a minute; they can run 100 yards in a
minute. I knew exactly where they
were when I shouted "Go!" although I was a bit concerned. I thought if I hang back a little bit and she falls over she's going to
be dog meat, but I don't think I put her in any danger.
So we went out onto the track, straight past the policeman on the horse, under the fence, onto the course proper. We ran past the post, then the horses went into the straight.
And the old gentleman in the green gear, he wasn't trained for that. He was in his seventies. He said "You can't come in here without a badge." We'd just come off the race track and here's 24 horses coming down the straight! You can't come in without a badge. He's not interested that you've got no clothes on.
They didn't even know... "How are we going to move these people?" A bloke's running down from the jockey's room with some AJC club towels. The horses are going past the post at 40 miles per hour. Then they start pulling up, and then they start coming back in, and these jockeys are thinking "What the hell-?" They hadn't been trained for that either! They're nearly falling out of their saddles.
It's the Centennial Doncaster race - it's a hundred years old. The people that are handing out the cups are wearing grey top hats and tails. People don't wear that anymore. Bart Cummings had been trying to win that race for sixteen years and he wasn't happy. He said "They stole my thunder."
I'm not sure but I don't think they were ready for streakers that day, not at the Doncaster, they hadn't planned for streakers. The Premier is handing out the cup and wants his knob on TV. The Prime Minister and his Missus are sitting in the stands. She wrote in her diary "The highlight of my week was the streakers." That went in Women's Day or the Women's Weekly on something. And she maintains that the colt won by a good length.
They fined me $200. I think Allana's judge thought it was cool [because she was
fined less] but what happened an hour after the streak, it went all around the
world, and then it just became big. I
didn't go to court until Tuesday and my judge wasn't in a happy mood. He thought "No, we have to stamp out this sort of thing."
It was in the papers. The photo is in a few pubs about the place.>
I still love the horses. My father once said to me "Pick the right job, because you work every day until you die." That was pretty frightening at three years of age.
Triple M Streaker Tracey Collison
Tracey
Collison streaked before a crowd of 37,000 at a Manly v Sydney Roosters league
game in July 1996. She was
attempting to win $10,000 in a competition to promote radio station Triple M, by
displaying their logo to as many people as possible. She wasn't eligible for the prize because her actions were
illegal.
At the time I was involved in a court case representing my father. The solicitor's fees were about $15,000 and I got myself into a mortgage because of that court case - it's well over $100,000 at the moment, which I'm now paying off. The court case is against my mother. >
I decided to streak about two hours before the game and I went there with Craig my fiance, just wrapped up in a wraparound skirt, and I was painted at the last minute. We didn't have enough time to buy any real paint so we grabbed some blue house paint that I later had to wash off with turps.
I left it until 12 minutes to go in the game because a lot of people tried to streak that night because word had got around. It was Monday night football and Triple M had done a huge promotion that night. Apparently a few people did get caught, trying to streak. I waited until a big fight broke out at the end of the field and all the security guys went there.
I went straight past Fatty and Blocker so they could have a good look and the streak opened the Footy Show the following Friday. I wasn't worried about being nude - I was really nervous before I did it - like I couldn't talk for an hour before it. I wasn't nervous about being nude on the field. I'd told people I was going to streak and I was worried that I would get caught before I got out there. I always do what I say I'm gonna do.
I got right across the field, then I turned around and came back, and I started to head toward the footballers at the goalposts but they got me before I got there. It took them a while to catch me.
The security guard told me how stupid I was, but I couldn't really say anything. And they carted me off with a blanket around me and put me in a paddy wagon out the back for half an hour or so until the audience that I had created disappeared.
There were reporters at the court and I asked my solicitor 'What's the big event today?' and he said 'You.'
The courtroom wasn't very scary at all. The solicitor said I'd be fined unless I got a certain magistrate, and I walked in there and it was that magistrate... apparently he wasn't real friendly with things like that. He was around retirement age and didn't think it was very funny.
My Dad couldn't believe it. He was the only one that I rang on the way. I'd wanted to streak since I was eight years old and I've been telling him all my life that I wanted to do it... mainly at a cricket match because at Christmas holidays that was all we did and the only exciting thing that ever happened was if someone streaked, so that put it in my head.
When I rang him he said he didn't believe me, but asked who was I going to watch, and I said 'I dunno, but I'm going to streak' and he freaked out. To my face he's very 'Oh Tracey, you shouldn't have,' but he still doesn't mind showing me off. He's 72.
Soft
porn magazine Hustler offered to pay Tracey's $650 indecent exposure fine in an
interview on Triple M, and offered her work. Following a centrefold shoot, she now travels the country promoting the
magazine. 
I was dancing and well on my way into my career before I did the streak - it wasn't what made me who I am and I didn't actually do the streak for the publicity. I did it for dad.
It was great for publicity workwise... because a lot of people know me who wouldn't otherwise, and it helped me in making a business in Sydney. The streak didn't make me a stripper.
I loved it - 40,000 people screaming at me, I loved it! If I could draw a crowd like that in any way I'd do it. I don't care what I'd have to do. It was excellent!
The Mischievous Jewish Bloke, Massada and the Vatican:
You'll find a history of streaking in quite a lot of Jewish youth movements. It's a traditional part of the Israel experience: at the end of the HSC a whole bunch of kids go overseas and live together, go on hikes and stuff, and it's a tradition to do them all naked. Jogging for Nature was a tradition institued by the group of kids who went before us during the first Gulf War, and basically it was a staple group of eight - three female and five male - who went running around the City of Jerusalem naked on regular occassions. Our efforts at least compared with them.
At one point eight of my friends ran around the promenade in Jerusalem with only gas masks on.
I've got a photo of me and a friend streaking at the Vatican. We walked all the way up to the top of the tower, right to the very top, and waited until the guards went around to the other side, then, off we went, getting the photo of us exposing ourselves to the entire city of Rome.
In 1993 we hiked up Massada (the holy mountain) at dawn, naked. The funniest thing was, we were a whole group of people hiking, and the leader who was taking us on the hike was repeatedly telling us to "put your clothes back on!" Then, as we reached the summit, there was a school of religious Jewish girls up there and my lecturer was red faced. He just hit the roof. We said "Look, we're going to do this," so he said "Just some covering please!" And so we held our shorts over the front because we were not going to fail: we started this naked, we were going to finish this naked (and it's a four hour hike).
So we held our shorts up in front and the religious girls walked past us. When they turned around and looked back, they realised we were just holding the pants on, but by that stage it was too late. They were all trying to hide their eyes and look at us at the same time.
And we reached the summit - totally nude. There's nothing like hiking naked - you don't sweat, you don't feel uncomfortable, you don't get underpants going up your bum or anything like that, it's just really nice.>
Podge's Streak
Graham Murray, or "Podge" to his mates. Warning, this story is painful.
I did a streak at Matta [Matraville] pub about 20 odd years ago. I was working at ICI then and we went on strike for a day. So we went up the pub about 12 O'Clock and got on the piss.
About 9.30 that night, pretty drunk, they were all talking about streaking, so one of the young blokes walked past, and he had a reefer - you know, wacky backy. I had a puff - the first time and I've never touched it since. So I said "I'm going home", but when I went outside it was raining. So I thought "Bugger it, I'll give 'em something to look at."
So I got my gear off and found an old half a beer box. I put two holes in it for my eyes. This is Matto pub, and in the old days they had a horseshoe bar. So I come running in with no gear on, I jump onto the bar and go hurtling down one side of it. There's about ten blokes drinking on the corner, at the horseshoe end.
Meanwhile, this old bloke was picking up all the empty glasses and he spilled a couple of them. I'm on the top, hit the wet patch and go arse over head.
I've knocked over all the glasses and kicked them, skidded on my bum and collected all these blokes on the corner of the horseshoe bar. I flattened all of them. I felt a real sharp pain in my backside, like someone had bitten me.
So I was first up, because I was on top of all of them. I go running for the door and on my way to the door one of the blokes has turned the box on my head around and I ran straight into the wall as I couldn't see where I was going.
So I get up off the ground and all the fellas are in there laughing at me. I get in my car and feel a real sharp pain again. So I get out, look down and there's a schooner glass sticking out of my bum. I ripped it out, put my undies on and went to the hospital. I got 15 stitches in it.
I got home to the missus about 2 O'Clock in the morning and she wanted to know where I'd been. I said "I slipped over at the Matto pub and fell on a schooner glass in the toilet."
The 1954 Streak
Of course, streaking had been exerting it's appeal long before the 70's...
It was 1954. I was in the army - national service - and a whole lot of us became mates. We had a weekend leave in Sydney. In the early hours of the morning, I took a bet that I wouldn't run naked down from Macquarie St to George St through Martin Place. And we'd had a few grogs. It was a five pound bet which was a lot of money in those days and the idea was that I'd get undressed in the car - I had my uniform on of course - and run down Martin Place and they would drive around the block and meet me at the other end. When I think of it now, you'd be crazy to do it... I mean, what if they weren' t there?
So I did it and they were thankfully at the other end - but the unfortunate complication was that there was a ceremony going on at the Cenotaph - it was nearly dawn - and we didn't know about this. I approached and was shouted at by a number of people in the distance as I dodged between traffic, crossing over the streets - it wasn't a plaza in those days.
By the time I got down there, it's where the post office is, I saw what was coming and people sighted me and there were lights on. So I diverted myself by running up onto the cloisters of the PO and a woman screamed, and a bloke made a desultory attempt to chase me, but I was gone.
Round the corner was the car, so I got in and was nearly having a heart attack by then. We were laughing so much as we drove off. Then for some mad reason I said "Why don't we get dressed in our uniforms and go back. You know, as if looking the part?" Which we did.
They didn't recognise us - we sort of marched up and this woman who'd screamed - I remember her - she said "Thank heavens you're here boys, there's been a terrible maniac running around."
I got my five quid anyway.