Saturday, January 14, 2006

Boomerang Mail

Hi Mail Art Playmates
I am as excited as can be about this mail art and being sent off to look at favourite old sites has got my creative juices really bubbling. Now Megan will lead us and suggest some projects so if you have wonderful ideas just mail her and let her know about them.

Aside from the projects I am planning to gradually mail Boomerang Mail to each of you.

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I am going to undertake to do regular illustrated letters and they will always include some pieces of ephemera on the condition that one piece of ephemera comes back in some imaginative way.

Whatever did I do before Soul Food became what I imagined it could be?

love Heather

6 Comments:

At 3:48 PM, Blogger Megan Warren said...

this boomerang mail sounds like a
great idea, perhaps it is something that we could all try?

 
At 6:16 PM, Blogger Imogen Crest said...

Sounds good to me!

 
At 4:56 PM, Blogger Rhonda Halushka said...

"Ahem..." the American coughed softly. "And what might this 'boomerang mail' be?"

 
At 10:17 PM, Blogger Heather Blakey said...

An American coughing curiously!

I made up Boomerang Mail. It is based on the idea that a Boomerang, when thrown well, will come back.

This verse by Drake is now totally, utterly, politically incorrect.

Boomerang mail is when you 'throw' a letter out, containing some tiny fragment which you are told must come back in 'return mail.

MY BOOMERANG WON'T COME BACK
Charlie Drake - 1961


(Oom-yacka-wurka, oom-yacka-wurka, oom-yacka-wurka)

In the bad backlands of Australia
Many years ago,
The aborigine tribes were meeting,
Having a big pow-wow.

(Oom-yacka-wurka, oom-yacka-wurka)

"We got a lot of trouble, Chief,
On account of your son Mack."
"My boy Mack? Why, what's wrong with him?"
DRAKE: My boomerang won't come back.
"Your boomerang won't come back?"

DRAKE: My boomerang won't come back,
My boomerang won't come back,
I've waved the thing all over the place,
Practised till I was black in the face,
I'm a big disgrace to the Aborigine race,
My boomerang won't come back.

DRAKE: I can ride a kangaroo (yeah yeah)
Make kinkajou stew (yeah yeah)
But I'm a big disgrace to the Aborigine race,
My boomerang won't come back.

They banished him from the tribe then
And sent him on his way,
He had a backless boomerang
So here he could not stay.

(Animal noises)

DRAKE: [Spoken] This is nice, innit? Getting banished at my time of life. What a way to spend an
evening: sitting on a rock in the middle of the desert with me boomerang in me hand. I shall very
likely get bushwhacked.

(An animal roars; Drake shrieks back.)

DRAKE: Get out of it! You nasty bushwhacking animal. Think I'll make a nice cup of tea. (Doing, doing,
doing...) Good gracious! There goes a kangaroo. I must have a practice with me boomerang: hit him right
behind the left earhole. Now then, slowly back.

Gruff voice: If you throw that thing at me, I'll jump right on your head. (It chuckles and bounces away.)

DRAKE: Innit marvellous? Got a land full of kangaroos and I had to pick that one.

For three long months he sat there
Or maybe it was four,
Then an old old man in a kangaroo skin
Came a-knocking at his door.

"Well, I'm the local witch doctor, son,
They call me George Alfred Black.
Now tell me, what's your trouble, boy?"
DRAKE: My boomerang won't come back.
"Your boomerang won't come back?"

DRAKE: My boomerang won't come back,
My boomerang won't come back,
I've waved the thing all over the place,
Practised till I was black in the face,
I'm a big disgrace to the Aborigine race,
My boomerang won't come back.

"Don't worry, boy, I know the trick,
And to you I'm gonna show it.
If you want your boomerang to come back,
Well first you've got to... throw it."

DRAKE: Ooh, yes! Never thought of that. Daddy will be pleased. Must have a go, nyuh-huh! Excuse me.
Now then, slowly back... and throw.

(Boomerang whizzes away; Sounds of a plane approaching and then falling from the sky.)

DRAKE: Ooh my God! I've hit the flying doctor. Eee-hee-hee! Can you do first aid?
Witch Doctor: Don't talk to me about first aid, boy, you owe me fourteen chickens, you know, when
I learned you to throw the boomerang, you know, first things first.
DRAKE: Yes, I know that, but I mean, I think on this occasion, you know, you could be a bit more
perspective...........

 
At 2:48 PM, Blogger Heather Blakey said...

Sadly customs are most unhappy if you send anything like this overseas Lois so do remember that when mailing won't you. I had someone try to send me a heat bag from the USA and customs went absolutely troppo and threatened to sue the person. So do take care won't you.

 
At 4:20 AM, Blogger Imogen Crest said...

How do I get to do this Heather? I think it would be brilliant!

 

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