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found this on msnbc.com... anyone know him??

Silent pianist baffles British authorities
Missing persons center seeks clues to ID of man found at beach

Reuters
Updated: 7:59 a.m. ET May 16, 2005


LONDON - A smartly dressed man found wandering in a soaking wet suit near an English beach has baffled police and care workers after he refused to say a word and then gave a virtuoso piano performance.

The man, wearing a formal black suit and tie, was spotted by police in Kent on April 8 and taken to a psychiatric unit where it proved impossible to identify him because he would not speak.

It was only after he was given a pen and paper that caregivers were given an intriguing clue to his possible background when he drew an intricate picture of a grand piano.

He was taken to the hospital’s chapel where he played classical music on the piano for hours.

However, despite his picture being posted on the National Missing Persons Helpline’s Web site, no one has come forward to identify him.

“Very little is known about him as he has not been speaking with staff at the hospital where he is being cared for, but he has a talent for playing classical piano,” an NMPH spokesman said in a statement.

Newspapers said members of the public had contacted authorities to say they may have seen the man giving concert performances around Europe.

The Daily Telegraph said the man, in his 20s or 30s, is believed to be English and may have suffered a mental breakdown.

His story echoes the 1996 Oscar-winning film “Shine”, in which actor Geoffrey Rush played Australian pianist David Helfgott, who overcame a nervous breakdown to return to performing.

Yeah I read this in the telgraph this morning, it's interesting

Here's a picture...



Dave

I wonder what his repertoire is like? A concert by him is one I would be sure to attend if I could, just for the mystery and intrigue!

Very interesting. Almost a case of life imitating art. There is a film out right now called "Ladies in Lavender" about two sisters from the isle of Cornwall who discover a young man washed up on the beach. They take this "mystery man" into their home to nurse him back to health and discover he is a violin virtuoso from Poland!!!!

he looks like van Gogh

"Friends, Romans, Countrymen,......

Sounds like a copycat thing to me. Something for publicity. Hope he gets NONE!

Apparently all he plays is some Beatles and Swan Lake stuff over and over. Not the big virtuoso like rumors make him out to be.

HAve to agree here - I read the follow-up in the Telegraph this morning and think it's a pianist who couldn't quite make it so decided on the "Shine" approach to stardom/fame/money etc. ... He's very good though - he's baffled everyone for 5 weeks already

Regards,

Gary.

he could very well be autistic. If it is a publicity stunt, it is hard to understand where he thinks it will get him--no one listens to classical music anymore. Absent more information, I will take pity on him for now.

I read somewhere that he could be Swedish (and thats why he isnt talking heh)

Seems he has been recognized as a French street musician by a Polish artist who says he worked with him in Nice. Stay tuned.

Apparently the silent piano man and the street musician are two different people. The French guy was interviewed on TV, in the place where he usually performs, which is outside on a naked (i.e. no front panels) upright that looks like it's badly mistreated!

"Shine II" in the near future?

The latest (Sky News, UK):

The mystery mute dubbed the Piano Man could be the same man who turned up with amnesia in Canada six years ago.

The man found in Kent last month has baffled doctors trying to uncover his identity, by remaining mute and playing the piano beautifully for hours.


According to the Daily Mirror, he bears a striking resemblance to a person who walked into a Toronto hospital with a broken nose and bloody face after apparently being attacked in 1999.

Both men are the same age and have the same striking look and dyed blond hair. They are each unusually gifted and have been diagnosed with amnesia.

Authorities in Canada called their mystery man Mr Nobody and said he had no wallet or identification with him when he arrived at the hospital. Like the Piano Man, the labels had been cut out of his clothes.

He was diagnosed with post-conscious amnesia and eventually revealed his name was Philip Staufen, the newspaper says.

Staufen, who has also used the name Keith Ryan, is now Sywald Skeid and speaks French, Italian and Latin. His applications for Canadian and British passports have failed.

Staufen was freed from jail for immigration offences in Canada last year and has since gone missing from his home in British Columbia.

His wife Natalie, the daughter of one of his lawyers, is believed to be in Portugal trying to arrange a visa for him.

British authorities have received more than 620 calls from people believing they know the Piano Man's identity. All attempts to communicate with the agitated man have failed.

Can someone more medically knowledgeable than I am comment on whether the Piano Mystery Man's symptoms are consistent with autism or Ausperger's Disease?