Otus the Head Cat

The fictional creation of Arkansas Democrat-Gazette features writer Michael Storey, Otus the Head Cat is a weekly commentary column of the absurd. Storey began the column in the 1980s as a parody of news which appeared on the editorial voices page of the then Arkansas Democrat. In spite of very blunt disclaimers at the close of each column, the writing style and authoritative faux facts have resulted in numerous controversies.

Among the more famous creations of the column are the annual arrival of the "humidity pods" from central America to the Little Rock area, signaling the sticky start of summer; area urban bow hunting teams to deal with organized gangs of deer; and stories of local political issues gone wild. Coverage of the North Little Rock navy, complete with its own nuclear submarine, the U.S.S. Razorback, and how it may be employed against the larger city of Little Rock across the Arkansas River; and lurid details of the lives of the Miss Arkansas candidates are also fair game.

The Razorback is a perfect example of the fact-bending fun of Otus. Those unfamiliar with central Arkansas may immediately point to the use of the state university mascot for a nuclear submarine, and the idea that a city so far inland would actually have a sub at anchor. The reality is -- all that is true as the former U.S. Navy attack sub was purchased by NLR, making it one of the few non-government owned statis displays. Once the reader realizes that is the truth, the bizarre further twists of Otus columns become believable.

The format is the same each week -- a fake reader sends in a letter asking for an explanation of an event -- for example, the incredible staying power of Arkansas governor Mike Beebe's hair. Otus always begins his reply with the phrase "It is wholly a pleasure to . . ." as a back-handed homage to the Democrat-Gazette's editorial director, Paul Greenburg. The catch phrase is used by Greenburg on his own letters columns, and started with Otus after Greenburg attempted to first kill the column, then achieve its movement off the editorial voices page into its current Saturday features segment.

Otus has long passed to the great beyond, but continues to write the column -- notice the halo over the photo -- and occasionally refers to being dead. There are other imitators in this region in newspapers of pets "authoring" columns.

References

http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2010/aug/14/otus-head-cat-ua-mascot-fostering-feral-h-20100814/

External links

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An example of the weekly column can be found at http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2010/aug/14/otus-head-cat-ua-mascot-fostering-feral-h-20100814/