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 THE
CONSTANT RIDER OMNIBUS (Microcosm
Publishing) by Kate Lopresti. Zine anthology, 2007. 125 pages. I read
most of this sweet little manifesto on the adventures of traveling in
general- and public transportation in particular- while riding the train
to and from work. Because I was reading this book, I was convinced that
something interesting was destined to happen during these trips, but my
sedate fellow passengers just wouldn’t oblige me on this front. Come on
people- I know my commute is only 12 minutes each way, but can no one help
me reach the gloriously awkward, tense and totally absurd heights the
absolutely batshit middle aged black dude I encountered about a year ago
on the Orange Line took me to? This guy kept asking people what time it
was, then muttering, “Gonna rape the women and kill the men. Rape the
women and kill the men.” And then he chanted, “Surrender yourself.
SURRENDER YO’SELF! SURRENDER YO’SELF DOT COM! DOT COM!” As soon as I
got home, I went to surrenderyourself.com and was fairly surprised to find
that it’s actually some sort of personal growth website with all kinds
of links on subjects such as healthy living, nutrition, religion and
family. I guess this strident gentleman was really just voicing his
concern for us in his own special way.
ANYHOW- This book is a compilation of all seven of Kate
Lopresti’s individually published Constant
Rider zines, and it’s chock full of interesting illustrations that
do a nice job of supplementing the text. Highlights include her essential
bus etiquette tips (including solving the age-old quandary of what to do
when sitting right next to somebody and then having the bus suddenly clear
out. Do you stay where you are or move away immediately? Either decision
might offend your seatmate…) and the hilariously embarrassing details of
the time she passed out on a train ride into work. Sure- there’s stuff
that probably will only appeal to her Portland (OR) brethren (local
transit legislation and in-depth detail about buses being re-routed due to
presidential motorcades, for example), but most of these fun stories are
easy to like and universally relatable.
One of my favorite things about The
Constant Rider Omnibus is that it made me remember incidents such as
Mr. Surrender Yourself Dot Com, and it’s also helped me once again focus
on what fabulous people-watching public transportation can provide. Kate
Lopresti conveys these everyday occurrences with a sharp eye for detail
and such gentle good humor that it makes me think I’d want to be friends
with her if I actually knew her. So Kate, if you’re ever in
Boston
, I’d love to spend an hour on the “T” with you, (quietly) riffing
on the characters on display. –Ben Hunter
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