In the beginning, there were hoboes. Then, a notable non-historian wrote some lies about them in his wonderful and wholly inaccurate almanac. That man was John Hodgman. The book was The Areas of My Expertise. Amongst the lies was a comprehensive list of notable historical hobo names, numbering 700. After Hodgman read the list into a music flattening device, one Mr. Mark Frauenfelder of the Boing Boing teletyped a suggestion that 700 cartoonists volunteer to draw one hobo each as a public service or for no particular reason. And so it was, more or less, and here they are.*The nature of the internet is participation. It doesn't fit into the big media model of sit there, shut up, and listen to us. The hoboes project succeeded because it was fun, and not the proprietary kind of fun. Anyone and everyone was welcome.
*From "About Hoboes" on E-hobo.com, written by me.
Hoboes became a phenomenon, the project gaining more and more collaborators, and gathering attention from major aggregators. After every hobo had been illustrated, the group spun off a plan for 700 sub-groups, each a list of 700 things. 700 zombies. 700 pirates. 700 unicorns. 700 underwear-clad vigilante mutants. People were encouraged to provide their own names to these lists, and subsequently, to illustrate each of the names. Because it was fun. And so it continues. I think there's a lesson there.
Exhibit B: Pirates.
22. Captain Greenbeard 23. Captain Doubledown 24. El Capitan Crunch 53. Careless Sextant 54. Larry the Landlubbin' Scalliwag 55. Liam afraid of the Silkie 56. Jojo the Boot-free Freebooter 57. 3-sheets 58. Captain Handspike 59. Sven Sirensong 60. Literate Pete, the Reader 61. Kraken-taunter Jimmy no-hands 62. Dolphin Veal 63. Captain Infant 64. Sigmund the Seasick Seamonster 65. Mary Manatee, the Sea Cow 66. Crabby 67. Jack Chum 68. Sharkbait 69. Fugu the Sea Ninja 70. Holy Mackerel 71. Sinky Sam, the Armor Enthusiast 72. Stowaway Jones, the Catch of the Day 73. Sailor Jerry 74. Captain Spiced Rum, the Regretful 75. Peggy 76. Tortuga Tom, the Shantykeep 77. Len the Lime-whore 78. Cracker the Parrot 79. Ratsoup Honky 80. The Untrustworthy, Ungrateful, Murderous Wench 81. Mutinous Marley 82. John Barleycorn 83. Dutch 84. Seagull-whisperer 85. Bart Barque, the Shallow Draft 87. Her Ladyship, the Liar 88. Pirouette Pete, the Pirate Dance Instructor 89. Pete Pete the Pete 90. Sargasso 91. Doc Laudnum the Kidney Collector 92. Knock-knock the codwallop 93. L'Mayonnaise 94. Lead-tooth Ain't-been-right 95. Fat John, the Grape-shot Catcher 96. Sir Cuttlefish, the Pirate with a Castle 97. Monkeymad Maury, the Monkey Psychologist 98. Scattershot Jones and his crew of biological offspring 99. Turtleneck, the Eponymous 100. Wendy Quick-as-you-can 195. Clambeard 197. Peg-peg, the Human Compass 198. Bahama Havana, the Cartegena Kid 199. Not-so-pretty Penny 200. Pieces of Abe 261. Quartermaster Masterquarter 262. Aye Nonimous 263. Aye-Aye, the bug eater264. Aye 2 Aye, The Concertina DJ 265. Aye eh, the Canadian Anchor 266. Aye-aye, the Apple-Polishing Bootlick Brownnoser 267. Freddy Knows-the-Tides 268. Floyd the Scum 278. Master and Colander 627. Disembodied Peg 628. Broad Whack 629. Furry Old Lobster 630. Cap'n Tickles 631. Captain Okey-Dokey 632. Camembert Frenchie, Le Scourge 633. Neopolitan Bon Bon Pistachio, the Peckish Pirate
