After playing around with various character ideas, I've finally arrived at something I can stand behind and treasure. This character very much came out of the blue and was an expected find...
Bernie Sylvester is forty-two years young and still the life of the party. Preferring to be known by his street name, Sly, he established himself as a web designer and sound technician within the California music industry. His total lack of any sense of fashion, unshaven legs, sun-kissed aging skin, and wispy combover make him a bizarre sight to behold. However, his charming smile and smooth talking either help you warm up to him, or further encourage you to ignore him and hope he goes away. If you carry on a conversation long enough with Sly, you’ll likely end up hearing about how he dropped out of high school to tour as a roadie for “The Red Hot Chili Peppers”.
While touring with the California born rock band, he met the love of his life, Roxanne. Both of them being on the road at the time, the relationship didn’t last. They still send each other an occasional postcard. Roxanne knows Bernie has big dreams, but a skewed sense of how to realistically pursue them. Sly’s relationships tend to be short lived, but that does not weigh on his heart. As far as he is concerned, he is simply a free spirit. Sly maintains this carefree attitude in many aspects in his life. His most prized possession is a convertible Ford Thunderbird which is mainly held together by shear luck and healthy applications of industrial strength epoxy. Whenever Sly does not have enough money for gas or to tackle the laundry list of repairs his car needs, he gets around by means of skateboarding. Hardly bothered by this, Sly enjoys getting the exercise and sees his hobby of skateboarding as a personal connection with California’s history.
Sly dreams of one day discovering the next major talent in the music world, and acting as their manager to guide them to stardom. Doing what he refers to as “talent scouting”, Sly hosts house parties which attract college students in the area. This provides him the opportunity to present himself as a pathway into the music industry for eager hopefuls. These parties also allow Sly to earn some extra cash by besting inexperienced youth at a few hands of poker. Deep down he has a good heart and hopes to one day make some close friends. He eagerly awaits the day when his dreams of stardom will be realized. Until then, he plans to take life as it comes and keep up with the hustle.
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