Tough times for Cape Region character

Sometimes a guy just needs a break.

That's what South Philadelphia native Phil "The Boo" Lederman has hoped for since he moved to the Cape Region almost a year ago, trying to get away from the crime in his hometown.

“I was from South Philly, and the crime rate was really, really bad,” Lederman said. “Even though I was well-respected in the neighborhood, I got invited to come down here and start a new life.”

But his move hasn’t been simple. Since he relocated, he’s been unable to find work and has been living on savings. A man who invited Lederman to stay in Millsboro was evicted, leaving him homeless, jobless and virtually friendless in Sussex County.

“It’s been a bad streak, and I’m just hoping someone will give me a break,” he said. “I’ve got a clean criminal record, I don’t do drugs and I don’t drink. I’ve been all over. I’m just a guy who wants to work hard, get by and make a living. It’s tough out here.”

Art on the mind

An award-winning bodybuilder in Philadelphia, Lederman is a true individualist. He said he shaved his head one day after working out at the gym and decided his skull was an open canvas.

It started with a small tattoo of Tweety Bird in the middle of his head. In the eight months that followed, Lederman spent hours in the tattoo parlor, getting a distinct mural tattooed on his skull.

The mural, he explained, depicts the battle of good versus evil, with Superman and Mighty Mouse battling to save the other Looney Tunes from the grips of the devil.

“I didn’t want no plain old bald head.  These are all my superheroes growing up as a kid,” Lederman said. “I can grow my hair back, but I think it’s great because I always want good to conquer evil. But with everything I’m going through now, it seems like the evil is winning.”

The man, the myth, the legend

With his unique personal style and body art, Lederman rarely goes unnoticed, especially by fellow tattoo aficionados and small children who often want to get a closer look at the mural.

While mothers can often be overheard telling their young children things like ‘No, baby you can’t get a tattoo of your name,” after they spot him, Lederman, or “The Boo,” as he prefers to be called, welcomes the attention with a smile and an offer for closer inspection.

He has a resume that includes more than 20 years of bartending and restaurant management experience, bodybuilding trophies and even film credits. According to his resume, Lederman has appeared as an extra in movies like Zoolander and has been featured in publications from bodybuilding and tattoo magazines to the New York Times, but he hasn’t been able even to get a dish washing job in the Cape Region.

Spending most of his time in the park in Millsboro or the McDonald’s in town, Lederman has made only a few friends, including some auto repair workers who have helped him keep his car-cum-home running. Staff at the fast food restaurant have come to know him, including Sheronda Jones, who testified to her affection for “The Boo.”

“This right here is my buddy, my roll dog,” Jones said, pointing to Lederman. “He’s a wonderful, nice man to talk to, and he’s very encouraging. I’d do anything for him. He’s getting ready to come to church with me.”

Cold shoulder from churches, social services

Lederman hopes Jones’ church will be more receptive than some of the other outlets he has tried to contact for assistance.

Though he was raised Jewish, Lederman counts Christmas as his favorite time of the year and makes little distinction between a Jewish or Christian God. But so far, Lederman said, he’s been rebuffed at the faith-based organizations he has contacted for help.

“I’d like to think I’m a decent person because with the way things are going down here, if I weren’t I’d be committing crimes to try to get something to eat,” Lederman said. “If anything, I’d like to represent the man above, but it’s different and unique because I’m different and unique.”

Social services have offered no assistance to him either, Lederman said, and two months ago, after becoming homeless and watching temperatures  skyrocket, he was forced to pay animal protective services $40 to take his Chihuahua, Meathead, rather than let the dog suffer.

“My savings are dwindling because you can’t just take and take if you can’t replace,” he said. “I’m not asking for a nickel. I lost everything, but thank God I still have what’s inside.”

Anyone who would like to contact Lederman with job opportunities or other assistance can reach him at 302-259-9299.