Talk: The Lonesome Drifter

Hey, has anyone else thought that his dad may be the Mysterious Stranger?

irony

Given the fact that this guy is maybe the mysterious stranger's son it was pretty ironic he killed this guy for me.

I thought it was similar to the song "A Boy named Sue". His dad leaves him and his mama when he's a little fellow, only thing he left him was an old guitar, and he says when he finds him, he is gonna kill the son of a bitch.

So did I but apparently it's not. Sonictheblade 19:51, October 29, 2010 (UTC)

seriously? I have to say it? it's been this long? am I really the only one who picked up on this? yes? alright fine, does anyone else think the name 'lonesome drifter' is a parody of 'lonely wanderer'?--Katikar 22:07, November 6, 2010 (UTC)

No. And we don't reference/homage to Fallout 3.JASPER//"Do you like hurting other people?" 22:10, November 6, 2010 (UTC)

and why not? because it's only a few years old? I mean c'mon, it's dead obvious, its just a south western wording of the same thing, the character himself hasn't got much to do with him, except for the "wondering the wastes searching for dad" but the name seems to be a clear enough similarity--Katikar 23:26, November 6, 2010 (UTC)

Except in order for it to be the Lone Wanderer, the Lonesome Drifter's entire dialogue has to be a complete and total lie.

I didn't say they were the same person, I said that I think Bethesda's having a little joke--Katikar 08:54, November 14, 2010 (UTC)

mysteious strangers son i think if you speak to him he says that "he was always a MYSTERIOUS guy" and even when he was with ma she said he still felt like a STRANGER" or something like that, I mean come on mysterious and stranger.

• Between the gun and his diologue his father is clearly the mysterious stranger.

• His name and the fact he is searching for his father are clear references to fallout 3's lone wanderer. Similar to being referred to as a "Vault dweller" In FO3

149.152.132.74

Hmm

guys, dosent he remind you of the Lone wanderer in fallout 3? I think they are trying to remind us..Think about it..the Lonesome drifter and the lone wanderer are two similar names...with two similar stories..anybody else see a similarity here??

Impossible. The lone wanderer is a east coaster. The lonesome drifter is from montana. The canonical lone wanderer is half-caucasian. The lonesome drfiter is full african-american. --Helpful guest

I don't think race really matters here - the main reason they aren't the same person is because they aren't the same person.Chadwsmith 16:15, December 13, 2010 (UTC)

• Lone wanderer - from The Capital Wasteland, knew his (or her!) father personally, mother died in childbirth, only possible connection to music is helping some old lady get a new violin. (Ignoring DLC) *DIED* - 4 years before the events of New Vegas.
• Lonesome Drifter - from Montana, never met his father, mother raised him, sings and plays guitar.Chadwsmith 16:15, December 13, 2010 (UTC)

I think it's an obvious joke about the Lone Wanderer. The guy obviously didn't mean that they're the same person, but this character is just a nod to Fallout 3's protagonist.

Obviously you like the word obvious. That said - it is *not* an obvious joke, there is no connection to the Lone Wanderer at all, other than the name and "looking for dad". But the circumstances are completely different, so are the results, so is everything else. And I was more responding to the notion that the reason to differentiate the two is race. There is far more than race between the two. Let me put it this way - if they were trying to make a joke, they could have done a *MUCH* better job. The drifter should have been wearing a Vault 202 jumpsuit, for example, or at least some vault jumpsuit - and could have had some delusions of grander about saving the world calling himself the final, only chance for mankind or the Mohave Messiah or something, babbling about purifying something, or never having enough clean water. Or, even better, mourning the choice to blow up that nice town that took him in. "I'm sorry, Moriah! I'm so sorry!" (instead of Moira). Trying to collect 99 Nuka Cola Quantums or something... Lots of other, better ways to mock the Lone Wanderer than just using something close to the name and having that character looking for his dad. The obvious joke is that his dad is the Mysterious Stranger. The name Lonesome Drifter is a play off of that. If you drift around, and are lonesome, then you are a stranger to everyone. If you drift from place to place alone, then nobody knows anything about you - ergo, you are pretty mysterious, stranger.Chadwsmith 16:50, December 14, 2010 (UTC)

• Not same person, nobody is saying that. But a reference to the name. Similar to you being refereed to as "Vault Dweller" early in FO3.

He is the "Lonesome Drifter" which is a more western/cowboy version "Lone Wanderer" and is wandering the wastes in search of his father.

Well, he is the only person in New Vegas with a regulator duster. And since the regulators from the first Fallout don't appear to have worn the dusters, it seems likely that this one came from the Capital Wasteland, where the Lone Wanderer is.LucidDreams 05:25, April 7, 2011 (UTC)

Lady killer conversation piece

I have the lady killer perk, and when he mentions that he's from Montana I had the option to ask him the following:

"[Lady Killer] Wait, Montana? You wouldn't happen to be 17, would you?"

What the hell is that?

The taking of the lady killer perk sets up that your character sleeps with a lot of women, and then leaves, the implication is that 17 years ago the courier got some girl pregnant and ran off. though since you can adjust the age of the courier it doesn't make any sense with younger characters, but whateva.--Katikar 15:41, November 14, 2010 (UTC)

"The taking of the lady killer perk sets up that your character sleeps with a lot of women[...]"

Honestly, THIS is even more confusing. The description of the lady killer perk reads "In combat, you do +10% damage against FEMALE opponents. Outside of combat, you'll sometimes have access to unique dialogue options when dealing with the OPPOSITE sex."

Just where does this perticular perk indicate that your character slept/sleeps with a lot of woman? I was flabbergasted when the lady killer option showed up for the lonesome wanderer, because it's supposed to work on FEMALE characters. Either Obsidian messed up this dialogue, or they should have added something like "Oh, and this perk indicates that you slept with a lot of woman and ALSO affects dialogue options of the SAME sex" to the perk description.

But that's what the "Confirmed Bachelor" perk SHOULD be for, right? Oh, I forgot, the bachelor perk also indicates that your character slept with a lot of men and is openly gay. Bad implementation and description of/for both perks, IMHO. --   ryzawy  (talk)   15:23, February 10, 2011 (UTC)

Bethesda loves to throw confusing things into thier games dont they? Whats even worse is how they made his father all extra confusing with that comment aswell. The absoulte best part is the look on my friends face when he saw that aswell (his character was 22). --Helpful Gues

I honesty thought this a jab at Hannah Montana. Montana? 17? First thing that came to my head. 69.242.18.48 21:18, November 27, 2010 (UTC)

Obsidian made this game. Just sayin'.JASPER//"Do you like hurting other people?" 21:20, November 27, 2010 (UTC)

Adjust age, where the only option that has anything to do with age is how old your character looks.--Ol'JJ 07:15, December 10, 2010 (UTC)

Hee hee hee

"Ma always said he was a real mysterious feller, even when he was with her. She said he seemed like a bit of a stranger sometimes." 83.249.40.39 21:35, November 20, 2010 (UTC)

"Boy Named Sue" - more than a coincidence

There have been lots of back and forth edits concerning whether or not The Lonsesome Drifter is in any way connected to the song "A Boy Named Sue". Here are some quotes from The Lonesome Drifter (indicated by TLD) and the lyrics from "A Boy Named Sue" (indicated by BNS). Also, notice that Mr. Drifter never actually shares his name, while that doesn't prove it's "Sue" or any such female type name, it also leaves the door open that it is.

• "me and ma didn't have much, ever since my pa up and left" - TLD
• "My daddy left home when I was three And he didn't leave much to ma and me" - BNS

• "Been out here looking for him ever since, but he ain't an easy man to find" - TLD
• "I'd search the honky-tonks and bars and kill that man who game me that awful name" - BNS

• [When asked what will you do when you find him] "Can't say as I really know, maybe I'll just ask him why. Maybe I'll punch him in the mouth." - TLD
• "Well, I hit him hard right between the eyes And he went down," - BNS
• "But I busted a chair right across his teeth." - BNS

• [Asked about the Guitar] "Oh this old thing? Why thanks, friend. This here guitar is just about the only thing my daddy ever left me." - TLD
• "And he didn't leave much to ma and me Just this old guitar and an empty bottle of booze." - BNS

Here's a link to all the lyrics so you can make up your own mind on the topic.

No, it's not conclusive - it's not a one-to-one correlation, but I think there are enough quotes, or almost quotes, to say there is a connection.Chadwsmith 14:55, January 4, 2011 (UTC)

Thanks for posting the text. It makes the discussions clearer. However, there is no direct correlation between the texts, only general thematic similarities. The main thing is that Boy Named Sue is all about a guy who hates his Dad for giving him a girl's name. The Lonesome Drifter hates his Dad for leaving. A fatherless youngs man looking for a dad that left and being angry at him is a pretty common thing in the arts. What sets Boy Named Sue apart is the girl's name. I don't think there's any reference here.--Gothemasticator 17:07, January 4, 2011 (UTC)

It's not just a man seeking his estranged father. They both had guitars left to them by their fathers - guitars they still carry with them on this journey to find their fathers. They both use similar language "me and ma didn't have much... since.. pa... left " "he didn't leave much to ma and me". And, the Drifter never gives his name, I wouldn't either if my name was Sue. Plus, at the end of the song, they both draw down on each other. Drifter and Stranger are both packing serious heat. Both Drifter and Sue are traveling musicians. Both carry guns. Both use terms like "ma, pa, daddy". It's far more than thematic - it's textual.Chadwsmith 17:20, January 4, 2011 (UTC)

• "Ma" and "Pa" type language is jus the Western setting that the game and the song share.
• The Drifter not giving his name doesn't mean he's ashamed of his name.
• In the song, they fight. In the game, they both carry guns. That's no tie between the two.
• If the Drifter was meant to allude to Boy Named Sue, it would have been extremely easy to modify his dialogue to actually make reference to the song.

It's not textual. It's general thematic similarities.--Gothemasticator 17:32, January 4, 2011 (UTC)

Seriously?

• "me and ma didn't have much" - "didn't leave much to ma and me"
• "This old thing" - "this old guitar"
• "just about the only thing my daddy ever left me" - "he didn't leave much - just this"

Not exact quotes, but close enough. You are wrong.Chadwsmith 17:37, January 4, 2011 (UTC)

Yes, seriously. I stand by what I've outlined above. I've explained myself pretty thoroughly. If you have an ongoing problem with my stance or actions, please bring it up with another of our administrators.--Gothemasticator 17:47, January 4, 2011 (UTC)

Thanks. Will do.Chadwsmith 18:00, January 4, 2011 (UTC)

I don't see how this is any different than relating him to the Mysterious Stranger. There's no definitive proof of that either, yet there's an assumption made on the page. Br0seidon 18:11, January 4, 2011 (UTC)

The distinctive and unique musical cue upon holstering the weapon inherited from his dad is what ties the lonesome drifter to the mysterious stranger.--Gothemasticator 18:21, January 4, 2011 (UTC)

I thought of the song when I first saw him as well, the Lady Killer being bale to be used on hi but (not to my knowledge) and other male may be because he's called Sue?--90.220.126.225 20:39, January 8, 2011 (UTC)

Possibly a regulator?

since he's wearing the regulator duster and all. 99.120.102.106 21:14, February 6, 2011 (UTC)