Subject: Wandering Didj: status

 

Date: Wednesday, June 17, 1998 12:15 PM

Greetings, didj blokesses and blokes.

You know those bumper stickers that say "This may be a Heap, but it's in front of you" ?? Well, I feel a bit like that today. Like a heap? Well... maybe! but mostly in front of you lot...you see, you can all ponder on the wandering didj...where is it? ....what does it look like?....when will I get it?.... but I am in front...I HAVE IT...I am in control, heh hehe heh hahahaaaa!

So, Guan, Peter, Mike, Brandi and others tracking this beastie...you can rest easy, it is still in circulation and in good hands. James Dowling, Pete's buddy from the U of W. Sydney hort school, and designated
Wandering Didj International Courier, called me up about 10 days ago. About 10 minutes before he did, I had just warned my wife Jen and kids that "Hey, an Aussie-sounding bloke might call sometime about a didj".. Lo and behold if it didn't happen right after the words were spoken. Jim wasn't sure then of his itinerary...we discussed some options for exchanging it, then I had to go travelling. A week or so passed and no word...hmm thinks I, maybe he's headed somewhere else, so I sit down and type an email to his host friends up in the Gaspe peninsula, about a day north of where I am. Pete sent me those details.

Next day I'm at work and the phone rings...it's the local bus depot, with 2 packages for me. So down I trot in my lunch hour..no idea what was there...out comes the guy with what is obviously a didj, and the
accompanying notebook! It must have been on its way before I emailed. Telepathy again?

I must say I feel privileged to be the first official North American playing recipient. The history of objects is facinating: I was thinking of the tree, where it grew, who cut it and fashioned it, traded or bought it, where it has been so far, travelling in cars, vans and planes, zooming across the sky at 40,000 feet and 600 mph. . Imagine seeing a didj go by at that speed! Crossing the oceans. And now it's wiggled its way all the way to the sleepy Canadian Maritimes. It's a warm, humid, cloudy, damp, west-coast sort of weather here on the east coast at present. Conditions which promote introspection and a tranquil state of mind. Apart from that, it's probably good for the didj.

I delayed unwrapping it until I got home, so the family could share the unveiling. "It looks weird!" pipes up Lucy (12). "Hmm", says I, untaping layers of bubble-wrap on the kitchen floor, and noting old mailing labels from Australia still attached. It's a plain instrument, a bit like a big long thin gourd, very thin below the mouthpiece, gently flaring to about 9 cm at the "bell" end (but it's a parallel exit, actually). Red ochre colour, just like that red rustproof primer you use on old cars. No decoration apart from the signatures - nice touch! The bottom 2/3 is fairly straight but the upper part curves. Picture an almost-straight banana: the mouthpiece at the stalk end. So, to play it....I'd say that this is not a didj that plays itself. You have to
warm it up, and in my view it demands energy, power, and concentrationto make it really speak, then it seems to want to go fast and loud.

I had a hard time to find the first toot, but once I got it, it's loud. Upper toots..I haven't got them yet. Maybe I won't! Pete, your journal entry says "big mouthpiece" I thought it was almost crampingly small!
Must be me big lips. It's a bit buzzy, a bit like Guy Grant's didj on "Cyclone Tracy" (DP01). The journal is already interesting. The oil coating on the didj looks solid...nice linseedy smell. No wax on the mouthpiece, which is cut straight across, i.e. flat. This is a no-nonsense didj, folks. I did a light leak test, couldn't see any cracks, although Pete's entry spoke of them. A careful surface exam did reveal 2 or 3 very thin cracks and at least 2 of these did fail the kiss test, so they are leaking a bit of air. I will ponder that and see what I can do. The didj also needs a better case than the bubble wrap....I will investigate a tube carrier.

So there's the first Canadian report, didj lovers. From here, I would say it makes sense to ship the didj west across Canada then down into the western USA, but it may depend who is travelling where, when.

Oh BTW, where do tapes go...Dave B, is that you again??

Cheers,

Rob (alias "The Heap")

Fredericton, New Brunswick
46N, 66.5W

(where it's still cloudy an' drizzly an' about 20C)

Subject: proposed WD trajectory
Date: Friday, June 19, 1998 1:16 PM

Hi gang.

Mike S-H wrote:
<<<<
Well other Canadians are:-

Dave Nelson/ Wendy Pearson Canada
John Grivetti Vermont
<<<<<

Yes....but...I feel obliged to point out that Vermont is not actually IN Canada. At least, it wasn't this morning. :) :) Even if they are Canadians.

Maybe you sniffed too much N2O, Mike! :)

Well it's Friday on the list, time to lighten up a bit...been a heavy week, a couple of megs of hot debates. Good stuff though. Hey Bill Hudson, you still there? What about another issue of Didj man, to give us a laugh! There's been plenty of plot material!

Anyway, a good weekend to all the N. Am;'s and Euro's....the Aussies are already into it.

Cheers
Rob

F'ton NB

(where it's humid and sluggy)

Hey Brandi

Nice to hear from you. I am valiantly struggling to catch up on the list after returning from a canoe trip. I don't think it is possible to catch up unless I spend about 3 straight hours scrolling, which I don't have time to do. 37 digests unread!!! What a dilemma. I just read the bit about you painting a pool or something.. sounded hot...then the didj uni guys resigned. That's where I'm up to.

Yes I still have the WD. Drin was suposed to be sending a shipping tube he had supposedly made, but I have had no luck getting it from him, he has been going though some probs as you will know. So last week I got some stuff together and built one myself, it is v. tough and will last the duration I'm sure. I am planning to send it on to Dave Nelson in Fort St John, British Columbia, next. From then on it will be a
negotiation with whoever is closest to Dave. I assume it would go down the west coast....wend its way east (eventually, sometime about Y2K) and then head overseas...Europe etc.

The WD does not play itself. It needs effort and power, definitely those folks with "industrial diaphragms" will get the most from it. But when it's warmed up, it honks. I have not recorded anything on it (too busy
really) but I just heard my recording debut track is going on DP2 so maybe I should try. That was a nice surprise!

So that's the situation, I am planning to get the stick in the mails very soon and will let y'sall know when

Take care

Rob

"so many didjs...so little time...."

From: Hughes, Robert
To: 'Brandi Chase'
Date: Tuesday, September 15, 1998 1:06 PM
Subject: WD whereabouts

Hey Brandi,

The WD went off from these parts a while ago, here is a copy of my note to the next recipient (Dave Nelson in Fort St John, BC). I haven't heard yet from him, but I should soon, if not I will be following up,

cheers

Rob

--------------

Hi there Dave,

Well you are no doubt wondering where the WD is.....it is now making its way to BC and your pick-up point. It took me a bit longer than expected to get it off, sorry. Last week was v. hectic at my place. Our eldest daughter, about to turn 17, left to start her last high school year in Switzerland (snif...snifff....WAAHHHH!!)... well it was OK actually, although we *were* a bit traumatised to see her go. But she is having a great time and learning a lot. Then as part of this exchange deal we welcomed a Swiss 17 year old to our house.....all action...one out, one in....he's a bright guy and he even helps with the washing up!!! To cut a long story short all the WD stuff is done, recording, signing, writing in the log book etc, all packed up and consigned to the postal system.

So, there's two actual packages. The didj is in my mailing tube and the log book is separate, about A4 sized in a much taped-up envelope (recycling, you know). The didj will be unmistakeable. You will probably get some funny looks when it gets delivered. I did when going to the post office with it. I guess the most obvious comment will be "what's that then, a bomb or something?". And good grief, Canada Post employees are enough to make a saint lose control. I had all the costing done ahead to compare with courier costs etc. Then they slap on a label costing twice as much as they quoted before....charged me oversized rates..when it wasn't oversized...so I then challenge that....they can't measure it, no tape, any fool can see it's less than 2 m, but oh no, that's an unsurmountable problem...on it goes, phone calls, consultations, finally a tape is found, labels removed....customer service was probably better 200 years ago. OK! Rant over.

The real cost is relatively low so I have just covered it. I hope the onward leg from your end is OK. Where do you plan on sending it when you are finished?

I hope you enjoy the didj. It is not an artistic wonder but it has an earthy sort of feel. I found the mouthpiece awkwardly small but that can't really be changed. Let me know when it arrives!!

All the best

Rob

PS have your Swiss Army knife or a phillips screwdriver handy to open the
tube !!!