Does this man strike a chord with you?
By David Sapsted
(Filed: 16/05/2005) The identity of a man found wandering on a beach in an evening suit and who will not talk but who expertly plays piano concertos for hours is baffling police. The six-foot tall man, believed to be in his 20s or 30s, has been dubbed the 'Piano Man' since being found, soaked to the skin, on a beach on the Isle of Sheppey, Kent, five weeks ago. Now in a psychiatric unit at Medway Maritime Hospital, in Gillingham, he will not speak but, when left a pen and paper, drew a Swedish flag and a picture of a piano. When staff sat him at a piano in the hospital chapel, he played expertly for two hours and, since, has staged recitals lasting up to four hours. However, despite his picture being posted on the website of the National Missing Persons Helpline, nobody has identified him yet, though people have come forward to say that they believe they have seen him play at concert halls throughout Europe. Orchestras are now being contacted to see if they can identify him. "We have had a lot of calls from members of the public telling us they have seen him performing in various parts of Europe," said Ramanah Venkiah, manager of the psychiatric unit. "He has been playing the piano to a very high quality for up to four hours at a time and staff say it is a real pleasure to hear it. But we still have no idea who he is because he is not speaking." The man was found by two police officers in the early hours on the front at Sheerness. It was raining hard and officers have been unable to ascertain if the man had been in the water. He is physically fit and has no health problems. Despite the fact that he drew a Swedish flag, police believe that the man is probably English. He has short brown hair, is of slim build, and is believed to have suffered a mental breakdown. Michael Camp, a care worker, said: "He may have had a traumatic experience. He appears to be a professional pianist of exceptional ability and has amazed everyone who has heard him. "When he plays, all his anxiety disappears. Away from the piano, he starts to breathe very quickly and nervously shies away from people." The plight of the man has echoes in the story of David Helfgott, the Australian pianist, who overcame a nervous breakdown to return to performing. His experience formed the basis of the 1996 film Shine starring Geoffrey Rush. Anyone who recognises the "Piano Man" is asked to contact the National Missing Persons Helpline on 020 8392 4509.
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Wikinews reported on May 17 that several weeks earlier British police had picked up an unidentified man wandering the streets of Sheerness, United Kingdom. The man who has thus far refused to talk, has demonstrated himself to be an excellent pianist—earning him the nickname ''Piano Man''.

Since publication of our first article, we have been contacted by a fellow wiki contributor informing us that the ''Piano Man'' may be a British actor named Geoffrey Betts. Although our contact strongly believed he knew the identity of the man and contacted the relevant authorities in regard to his belief, this has turned out to be false. While Betts was not reachable by phone or e-mail, his  website was recently updated to the effect that he is ''not'' the man in question. In the meantime, the search for the identity has been narrowed down to three leads by authorities.

The original interview between Wikinews editor CGorman and contributor Steve Magruder is reproduced below.