Harley Carlson
Harley Carlson was born to in the Skunk City neighborhood of Syracuse, NY to a Niagara Mohawk gas technician and his wife. Syracuse in the 70's was a formerly grand city on the decline; as manufacturing plants moved overseas and small businesses closed, unemployment rose dramatically. Harley's father's job was never in danger, but his salary was never enough to let him relax, either. Like most of his peers, Harley had no prospects for a life much different than his father's.
Harley drifted uncomfortably through high school, not smart enough to do well without effort and with no encouragement to study hard. Shortly after he graduated high school he got a job waiting tables at the newly opened Dinosaur Bar-B-Que and quickly became part of the Central New York biker crowd that frequented the place and found that he really liked riding.
He seemed destined for life as a townie, but a few strange things happened at around the same time. First, fueled by the academic and athletic reputation of Syracuse University, the size and drawing power of the Carousel Center an increase in engineering jobs to the area from Lockheed Martin and the influx of immigrants from Africa and Central America stabilized both the city's population and economy. Second, the "Dino" added a bar and live music and, fueled by their unique sauces, became one of Central New York's premiere barbecue resaurants, as well as one of the nation's leading blues clubs in the country. Finally, Harley discovered that he had a talent for cooking and moved from the front of the Dino into its kitchen and to a substantial increase in salary.
This pay raise afforded Harley the chance to do something he had always wanted to do but never thought possible: travel. Over the course of the next few years he took several trips to Europe and toured over the Southern United States and was on his first trip to the west coast on the morning of 9/11.
- Since waking up, Harley has stuck with the main cast as a sort of side-kick or mascot. He complains, frequently, that he "didn't get any good powers" and has repeatedly asked out fellow Survivor Mandy Smith. Mandy always turns him down. Harley's persistence is especially admirable given his apparent power to predict the future; it's possible that he knows he's doomed to continual failure. On the other hand, he may know something that even Mandy doesn't and simply be paving the road for his eventual, pre-destined success.
Mandy aside, it's not entirely clear what Harley's motivations are for sticking with the group (or, indeed, what he now does for a living), but he's doing his best to be part of their lives.
