Hi, it’s Greenygrey. I’ve been working on a synopsis for the Werewolf of Oz today, which will hopefully show up on our Amazon page. I thought I’d share it here with you too. Cheers!
The comedy fantasy begins with Grey Werewolf’s arrival in Oz, having been exiled from it’s Greenygrey world. It has also been divided from its other half, Green. Oz is the setting of the Wizard of Oz, and the nickname for Australia, and from Grey’s arrival in Western Australia the story combines the two meanings of Oz for Grey’s magic realism quest across the continent to a Wizard of Oz theme.
Grey starts meeting interesting characters from the start, with the names and stories emerging out of real place names found on Google maps. Some of the first characters met on the trip return to the story for the conclusion, which brings the often wacky and disparate episodes to a clear Oz theme ending.
The first extended storyline arrives in chapters 5-8, with Grey reaching the real towns of Bunbury and Collie; they are combined into the bun-mining town of Collie and the bun-burying (to keep them fresh) town of Bunbury. Grey meets Colin and Ollie, the collie (dog) colliers of Collie (the real Collie has a coal-mining history).
A town called Latham then provided a five-chapter self-parody for the author; including twentieth-century British ‘Home children’ removed from their families and exiled to Commonwealth countries, Cool Hand Luke, Guns N’ Roses, the Eagles’s Hotel California and a Lost plot.
Grey then goes to the Rock-It festival with Sancho Panza and Don Quixote after meeting them on the edge of Cervantes, before its first companion joins it in chapter 17. The Toto character is based on legendary AC/DC singer Bon Scott, one of the author’s biggest rock n’ roll heroes.
Monotonous monotheists (MoMo), who take the place of witches in the story, arrive into the narrative a couple of chapters later. The town of Meekatharra is the location, with meerkats taking the place of munchkins. Bruce and Sheila Orlov say they have been living in fear of the monotheists, after they lied and robbed them to build up their power. As in the Wizard of Oz, one baddie is killed by the protagonist, and the other vows revenge. A mild monotheist based on the musician Moby takes the place of the good witch.
MiMo Moby gives Grey an emerald cork-hat, which takes the place of ruby slippers; and tells the travellers to take the dust sandy path, taking the place of the yellow brick road.
Grey and Bonzo continue north, and cross into the Northern Territories through the Kimberley. After meeting some strange characters in Darwin, Humpty Doo and Nitmiluk they head down into the desert.
They meet Elle there. Based on the model Elle McPherson, she symbolises body, taking the place of the scarecrow’s brain in the Wizard of Oz.
After another meeting with the MoMo East, disguised as a bunyip of Aborigine legend, they meet Alice at the spring, and go to the Great Gig in the Sky with her.
After crossing into South Australia through the Rainbow Valley, they are transported into another dimension by a timequake near Adelaide. The travellers have to win a time wager on an AusRuIcket game between Crows and Redbacks to return to normality.
Then Grey meets Angry on Kangaroo Island. Based on Rose Tattoo singer Angry Anderson, the mind takes the place of the Woodman’s heart. The travellers learn about kangaroo mythology on the island, with the personifications of good and evil being Skippy (tv kangaroo) and Rolf (Harris).
After meeting Tazzy on Tasmania,
and several poetic rhymes later,
they crew on board a ship skippered by Capt. Dec O’ Rum, who acts with decorum despite having a deck full of rum. His mate is Dai ‘of the Seas’, whose wine and women loving lifestyle is reminiscent of the Greek god, Dionysus. There is an epic poetic battle on the voyage, after Pirate Lacost is on sail.
The travellers meet Cathy when they arrive in Victoria. Based on the athlete, Cathy Freeman, Cathy symbolises spirit, taking the place of the Lion’s courage in the Wizard of Oz. This completes the body, mind and spirit team.
The travellers enter a nearly 5000-word Terminator inspired time-travel story when they reach the town of Kerang. The name Kerang is one r short of the rock music magazine Kerrang, and the travellers have to battle through rock music decades from the 1960s to 1990s to continue the quest in New South Wales.
After Lord of the Rings and Deliverance inspired episodes, the travellers reach the east coast. The story winds down going up the east coast, with characters from early in the tale reappearing, and the plot being revealed with some surprises.
The Life of Brian mixes with Lord of the Rings for the epic concluding battle, before Alice in Wonderland and the Elysian Fields of Greek mythology provide the final journey to meet the Great Dame of Oz (Barry Humphries’s Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson) for the travelling team.
mistYmuse 