From the land of the rising sun, where he sketched his impressions for our May issue, Shel Silverstein flew the great circle route, touching down briefly in Anchorage, Alaska, to the Land of the Midnight Sun — Scandinavia, the home of the Vikings, Ibsen, Grieg, Strindberg, Ekberg, Kierkegaard, smörgåsbord, sex changes and the Swedish massage. Our bearded ambassador – with – port – folio called us, collect, from Copenhagen to make certain his Scandinavian sketches had arrived safely. They had, and included with them was a brief written report on his personal adventures: "This has been one of the most hectic months of my life," he wrote. "After touring Norway and Sweden, I settled down in Copenhagen, where I thought my beard would permit me to blend quietly in with the Danes, many of whom are also bearded. I couldn't have been more wrong. Due in large part to this damned beard, I (1) became involved in a barroom brawl (which I won) over a woman (which I lost), (2) worked as a solo washboard and featured vocalist (because I spoke the best English) of Papa Bue's Bearded Viking New Orleans Danish Jazz Band (a very popular group until I joined them), (3) suffered a slightly broken foot, acquiring a limp, a cane and a very glamorous air, (4) was under observation and investigation as a 'Russian Agent' because I was seen entering the Russian Embassy in quest of a visa, and (5) became involved in a brief but glorious romance which I'm not telling any 1,000,000 playboy readers about. As of this writing, my foot, heart and political standing are all in pretty good shape."
"You'll like Urla...she's a typical Norwegian girl...blonde hair...blue eyes...nice figure...tall..."
"Now for heaven's sake, Harry, try to look like a Viking!!"
"Decisions, decisions, decisions!"
"If you're a girl, how about having dinner with me tonight?"
"Room for one more..."
Silverstein sings the blues with the Bearded Viking New Orleans Jazz Band.
"Well, my goodness...Are all American girls built like Jayne Mansfield?... Are all Italian girls built like Sophia Loren?...Are all..."
