Hobo Lifestyles #11

The Omen: The Last Sequel

by Tyler Carey

The Great Hoboes of New York come from varied backgrounds. Some are older - vestiges of the beatniks. Some are intellectuals with multiple degrees and the ability to quote James Joyce in casual conversation. Many of us got our start on a little 'zine called The Omen.

The Omen is a bi-weekly collection of satire, commentary, and myopia that has served as the starting place for ten years worth of writers, cartoonists, and curmudgeons. For all of those years, The Omen has held the much-needed bad boy spot on that politically correct campus up there in Amherst, Massachusetts, just near the foot of the Berkshires. Hampshire College sure knows how to spit out talent. To honor the past ten years of quality and bitterness, they even threw us all a party. It was great to get together for a genuine pig roast, hoist a few, and hooray with those who came before us, and those who carry the torch today.

	Where there is grub on a college campus, there are people...lots o them... Why should alumni who are returning for a pat on the back be any different?
	The greatest presidential candidate of all time, Mark Hugo, was on hand for the reunion. It was a working vacation, though, as you'll soon see. A presidential contender can't just hang up his presidential hat (...ahem) and kibbitz. There are palms to be squeezed, babies to be kissed, and food to be grilled. Mark dove right in...
	Great Hobo colleague Paul Boyar was on hand to show the proper way to pour a warm Boddington's. Paul later read from some of his Omen pieces, and relived every way his writing had ever gotten him in to trouble. There were many, including an especially intriguing story about an angry horde of Wiccans.
	Mark tried to unsuccessfully work the crowd at a few points. There was more of a focus on the roast pig, beer, and camaraderie than politics this afternoon. God bless this leader-of-the-free-world hopefuly for sticking to the issues, though.
	Wade shows off some mighty tasty pulled pork, as well as his latest indie t-shirt. If you haven't had a chance, read his X-Men 2 Review - it was carried on Darkhorizons.com. Folks is reading us Hoboes!
	Amongst those the NY-based Hoboes got to catch up with after a long absence was Nick Edwards. Nick is a talented film critic and gifted writer who lives in Western Massachusetts.
	Mark Hugo nearly caused a hippie riot when he tossed a marinated steak onto the middle of the vegetarian/vegan side of the grill. You'll notice a complete lack of veggie patties near the steak at this point. Something about the dead animal sullying the cooking surface. Mark tried to explain it to me, but I'm not sure any of us really understod the offense... Bad Presidential Candidate, though! Bad! There we go, ostracizing our constituency again...
	Hobo fellow-traveller Wilder's dog, Bacon, waits for some pulled pork scraps. Even at a vegan-heavy BBQ like this one, everybody digs Bacon.
	Current Omen Editor Justin Philpot tells the latest stories about The Omen's escapades on campus, while Hobo Benni Pierce looks on.
	Stephanie Cole, the mother of The Omen, tells the story of the magazine's founding. She'd written a well done piece about one of Hampshire College's campus activities, and the piece was rejected by the campus press for dubious reasons. After reading a column in a local paper that was of poor quality, Stephanie realized she could do this publishing racket well enough on her own. Out of that DIY mentality and self-assuredness, The Omen was born. Ten years worth of students at Hampshire College owe a debt of gratitude to Stephanie for opening the door to a campus-wide magazine with an open-print policy. Writers and creators who were spurned by the writing program, or the cliquey quality of the local press and campus magazines found their voices in The Omen. There would be no Great Hoboes of New York or countless other Omen-inspired 'zines if it were not for Stephanie Cole.
	Skullboy cartoonist Jacob Chabot's early creation, Surly Boy, served as inspiration for one of the two Omen birthday cakes.
	The other cake, which was nowhere near as yummy or cool.
	Ten years worth of Omen editors gathered around the cakes to pose for the cameras and say their farewells to the campus. At a college where tradition is scorned, it was encouraging to see how a collection of anti-heroes stand out as the idols and tastemakers. Here's to another 10 years of The Omen.

Another grand day out for the Great Hoboes. If you attended The Omen's tenth birthday bash, and have photos that you'd like to share, please email them to tyler@greathoboes.com. Likewise, please email tyler@greathoboes.com to join The Great Hoboes of New York mailing list.

Tyler M. Carey
Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, The Great Hoboes of New York
May, 2003