Perishers Prevent Perishing Cold in Perisher Valley

Image via Wikipedia

I awoke adrift in a snow drift.  As I came to terms with my consciousness, and remembered the events in Kerang-Kerrang, I could see there were awesome peaks all around us.  Climbing clear out of the hole I’d made I saw Cathy and Elle were kindling a fire, while Angry was building a snowman.

I helped Angry finish off the snowman, and then we joined Cathy and Elle as they cooked up some wild vegetable broth.  But we were running out of dead wood quickly, and didn’t know if we’d have enough to finish off the meal and keep ourselves warm.

I asked if anybody knew where we were, and Cathy said it was the Perisher Valley, in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales.  We had crossed over the border from Victoria during the dream.

Perishers Peruse our Parky Party

Then a few cartoon characters wandered out of the nearby forest pushing a pram and pulling a wooden buggy.  They were heading our way.

We said howdy when they got near, and asked where they were heading.

The one pulling a buggy said they were on their annual holiday from the Daily Mirror‘s Perisher cartoon, and were making their way home to Crunge after getting kicked off the train again.

He introduced himself as Wellington, and the other humans as Maisie, Marlon and Baby Grumpling.  The Old English Sheepdog was called Boot.

Perishers Save Us From Perish the Thought

Maisie said that we looked cold, and I replied that I was okay because of my grey, but the others were feeling a little chilly, and we didn’t know if we’d be able to finish off cooking our meal.

Marlon thought for a minute, before offering us his buggy, saying it wasn’t one of his most genius contraptions, and anyway,  it had seen better days.

We were overwhelmed by his generosity, and thanked him profusely before quickly dismantling it and heaping it on the bush telly.

Prog Rock Helps Travellers to a Good Spirit Sleep

Image by db Photography | Demi-Brooke via Flickr

I heard a voice announcing there would be another Crazy Train in an hour, but I didn’t want to be on it.  So I asked the others if they had any other ideas about how to leave Kerang-Kerrang in one piece.

Cathy Gets in Touch with the Wemba-Wemba Spirit

Cathy said she thought she could feel the Wemba-Wemba spirit in the area, and that if she could get a deeper contact she might be able to find a dream path out.

I thought for a little while, and then had a little brainwave; suggesting to the others that we search for the fabled Prog Rock of Kerrang, because I’d heard on the grapevine that it induces a good sleep.

Pink Floyd too Exciting for a Good Sleep

So off we went to find the Prog Rock.  It was easy to find, because there was a flying pig above lots of Animals the other side of a large Wall under the Dark Side of the Moon.

I suggested passing Pink Floyd Plaza because it seemed too exciting, and heading to the ELP-Yes Endless Lea side of town; because while the latter was excellently constructed, it seemed ideal for inducing a good sleep.

ELP – Yes Induces a Good Spirit Sleep

So on the border of ELP; under a Black Moon on Love Beach we took our places In the Hot Seat; and Yes; Close to the Edge, holding hands in Union we swept into slept until we could Fly From Here.

It was like no flight I’d experienced before.

Ozzy Osbourne’s Blizzard of Ozz outside Whiskey a Go-Go

Image via Wikipedia

As we left the Whiskey a Go-Go I saw a bat-like cloaked figure lurking in the shadows, which made me a little suspicious.  The next thing it was barking at the moon, and I became more than a tad worried.  Was this some kind of lone-human werewolf?

Ozzy Osbourne’s Blizzard of Ozz

A minute later a blizzard blew up out of nowhere, and the shadowy figure shouted that Oz was no place for a dog, and he was going to take it to Ozz, which had much more room through the extension of an extra z.

I then realised it was the 1980s Ozzy Osbourne, and with his reputation at that time for biting the heads off creatures I thought Angry’s dog might be in great peril.

Elle Uses Her Body to Great Effect

My concern seemed to be justified the next moment, when Ozzy sprang out of the shadows singing Steal Away (The Night).  Angry was still buzzing from his performance and seemed to be unaware of Ozzy’s presence.

Ozzy looked certain to reach Angry’s dog and snatch it away to a chilly life in  Blizzardy Ozz when Elle stuck out her leg and tripped up the Mr. Crowley singer.

A Crazy Train was passing through town on the way to the 1990s, and seeing her chance, Elle picked up Ozzy and threw him onto the train.

Ozzy sang back a love song.  I wasn’t sure if it was to Elle or the dog.

Anyway, Angry had seen the latter stages of the bizarre incident, and sang back at Ozzy that he could wave Goodbye to Romance.

Ozzy started waving, but at the same time sang that he would shed No More Tears.

No Rest for the Licked: It’s all Go, to Whiskey a Go-Go

Image by Gribiche via Flickr

We turned the corner of the temple of the dog, just as the spirit of Andrew Wood Thru Fade Away with a Gentle Groove.  We could see no sign of the Grunginator, just a Man In The Box balanced precariously, as if in Madness, on One Step Beyond the thirteenth.

Remembering Angry Appearing at the Whiskey a Go-Go

I was feeling rather drained, plum knackered in fact, and was about to sit on the temple of the dog steps, but then Dizzy exclaimed: ‘Quick, there’s no time to rest, Angry was supposed to be on stage at the Whiskey a Go-Go an hour ago.’

It had completely slipped my mind, and I felt like I’d seen the Whiskey a Go-Go poster advertising Angry’s appearance an age ago.  I did remember now though, and knew it wasn’t literary nonsense.

Rushing Angry to the Whiskey a Go-Go

So off we rushed back to the 1980s, and arrived at the Whiskey a Go-Go in next to no time, pronto.

The crowd had been getting restless, but they let out a great cheer as Angry took to the stage.  Including members of Guns N’ Roses and Motley Crue, who would take trash metal into the 1990s and beyond.

Angry had a surprise for us all at the end when he magicked a puppy out of his boot, telling the crowd it was an iconic gift from the temple of the dog.  I never saw where Angry got it; maybe I was taking forty winks at the time.

It had been hard work, and damn right dangerous at times, but it was rewarding to think we’d played a small part in saving trash metal.