If off the distance you hear a whistle in a cadence more conga line police command, there's a good chance it's Baton Bob, a self-appointed Atlanta ambassador announcing his one-man rolling street party.
The whistle announces the Baton Bob show -- a baton-twirling drag performance down Atlanta's most populated streets. Just as quickly as you've seen him, he's gone, taking his performance ever forward.
For all the semi-celebrity status and news articles about his back story, his run-ins with police, his departure from St. Louis and his recent marriage, few ask questions outside his street-show character.
But, what about Bob?
We sat down in advance of the 45th Atlanta Pride Festival with Bob Jamerson to go beyond the baton.
Raised in a small Virginia town, Jamerson watched football with his father, but he preferred the halftime majorettes to the game itself. Still, he said, his childhood was happy.
"My family and my extended family all lived right there, so we had it all," Jamerson said. "I look back fondly on those years."
He spent the first years as Baton Bob in St. Louis, where after the Sept. 11 attacks he became depressed after losing his airline job. He sought therapy and was advised "to do what makes you happy."
"And so I just sort of twirled my baton a little bit," he said. "It was fun. People would laugh at it in the park, but honestly I was just trying to feel a little bit better in those days. The more I did it, the more I was recognized for it, and I guess that's how Baton Bob was formed."
His exodus from St. Louis is somewhat complex. After all, people aren't run out of town every day. For Jamerson, the incidents that preceded his move included several frightening encounters with St. Louis police Jamerson blames those encounters on animosity he received after performing his Baton Bob character in close proximity to the home of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, who had a view of Baton Bob's stomping grounds.
"The cardinal – he had it out for me," Jamerson said. "I think that the police and powers that be were looking out for what he wanted."
Whether the Catholic Church leadership of St. Louis actually conspired with police to drive out Baton Bob remains unclear. For Jamerson, the feelings of persecution were real. He was scared.
So he moved to Atlanta and took his act to Piedmont Park, twirling himself into the city's history books.
Outside of the Baton Bob persona is mostly soft-spoken. His apartment is filled with the artifacts of a life in character. A giant painting of Baton Bob glamorously twirling adorns his living room wall; it is a gift from a fan and friend. Still, even Jamerson gets that Baton Bob is just a character, albeit one that’s a little over the top.
Baton Bob can be a little over the top, but even he knows that. But baton-twirling marches are neither a manifestation of an ego gone wild nor some deep need for attention.
He is just Bob Jamerson, the one-time florist who now earns a modest salary making appearances as the character many have come to know and love. Like anyone else, he is sometimes conflicted. His run-ins with Atlanta police and encounters with overzealous fans or detractors have left him a little peeved.
He gets angry when talking about perceived injustice. Of course, his visibility affords him the opportunity to bring the issues of his community and his various causes to the forefront.
"I don't do what I do to be anyone's martyr," he said. "I don't need to be the hero. I just want to be left to do my thing, make a few people smile and stay with what works for me.
“As Bob Jamerson, I appreciate the opportunity to share my voice and use the platform in positive ways, he said. “But as Baton Bob, I just want to put on my headphones, get a good groove going and keep it rolling, honey."
This weekend, Oct. 10-11, the Atlanta Pride Festival will be held at Piedmont Park. The 45th annual festival, which promotes unity, visibility and self-esteem among lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, and transgender and queer persons, will feature a popular parade. Baton Bob will "most definitely" be there.
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