Strawberry Whine

January 1, 1997

Dear, dear, dear Mr. Pinkwater,

What an amazing rush to find your web-site! And you even want to hear from the freaks who love you so……

My neighbor and partner in crime talked me into buying a modem and getting on the internet, and whan all was up and running, he asked me for a title to do a search on. I picked you, thinking I was very clever and obsure, because the net could never be so hip. Thank you for being so modern as to prove me mistaken.

I plan on joining to crusade to have have another 5 novels collection put together (one that includes Baconburg, one of my all-time favorites). I must ask you if you’ve ever been to Tuscaloosa, Alabama. I lived in that very surreal town for the past six years, and there is something distinctly Pinkwater-ish (or Daniel-ish, if you prefer) about the place. I think I saw the Chicken Man man there once in a small dingy bar. He was balancing a pitcher of beer, on a chair, on a pool cue, on his chin. He had on a hat that he refused to remove, even after many thrilled spectators bought many beers for him.

If you could respond to my note, it would be a thrill for me.

Peace and Papoosas,

Strawberry Whine

Am I going to have the strength not to repeat the Groucho Marx line about Tuscaloosa? No. I think this is more or less how it goes: ""I once shot an elephant in my pajama. What he was doing in my pajamas I'll never know. I usually hunt elephants in Alabama...because, in Alabama the Tuscaloosa."" You never dreamed when you did the web-search on my name that you'd wind up prompting me to disgrace myself, did you? Well, thank you for being my reader and everything. I have had other reports of the Chicken Man in real life.