So for my very first BCR blog post (thanks, BCRians, for believing what your blog lacks is more knitting-related content!), I'm going to toss up a softball: one of my all-time--nay, my all-time--favorite Harper's reading, shamelessly copied directly from that classic mag, oh so many years ago. Whatever this dude is doing today, I wish him much success. (And by "dude," I mean Daniel Nussbaum. Not, you know, Oedipus.)

OEDIPUS, KING OF THE ROAD
By Daniel Nussbaum. Nussbaum has retold the story of Oedipus using 154 of the more than 1 million personalized license plates registered with the California Motor Vehicles Bureau. This story is one of thirteen that Nussbaum has compiled in PL8SPK, a collection that includes retellings of the Book of Genesis, A Streetcar Named Desire, and Andy Warhol's Diaries.

ONCEPON ATIME LONGAGO IN THEBES IMKING. OEDIPUS DAKING. LUVMYMRS. LUVMYKIDS. THEBENS THINK OEDDY ISCOOL. NOPROBS.
OKAY MAYBE THEREZZ 1LITL1. MOTHER WHERERU? WHEREAT MYDAD? NOCALLZ NEVER. HAVENOT ACLUE. INMYMND IWNDER WHOAMI? IMUST FINDEM.

JO MYWIFE GOES, "OED DONT USEE? WERHAPI NOW LETITB." I GO "NOWAY. IAMBOSS. DONTU TELLME MY LIFE. INEED MYMOM. II WILL FINDHER. FIND BOTHOF THEM."

SOI START SEEKING DATRUTH ABOUT WHO IAM. ITGOEZ ULTRAAA SLOWE. THE SPHYNXES RIDDLE WAS ACINCH BUT NOTTHIZ.

SUDNLEE WE HEAR SHOCKNG NEWS. WHEN IWASA TINY1 THISGR8 4SEER SED IWOOD OFFMY ROYAL OLDMAN THEN MARREE MY MAMA. SICKO RUBBISH, NESTPAS? WHOWHO COUDBE SOGONE? STIL MOMNDAD SENT MEEEEE AWAY. MEE ABABI AWAAAY.

NOWWWWW GETTHIZ. MANY MOONS GOBY. IMET THISGUY ON A TRIP. WEDOO RUMBLE. WHOKNEW? ILEFTMY POP ONE DEDMAN. UGET DAFOTO. MAJR TSURIS. JOJO MYHONEE, MY SQEEZ, MYLAMBY, MIAMOR, MYCUTEE. JOJOY IZZ MY MOMMY.

YEGODS WHYMEE? YMEYYME? LIFSUX. IAMBAD, IAMBADD, IMSOBAD. STOPNOW THISS HEDAKE. THIS FLESH DUZ STINK. ITZ 2MUCH PAYNE 4ONE2C. TAKEGOD MYEYES!
AIEEEEE!
Harper's Magazine/June 2000