There was an entertainer I saw frequently in the late 60's and 70's called Rolf Harris. He was an Australian and he sang, played an accordion, told jokes, and drew really fast pictures on an easle with a black felt pen that he'd give to an audience member. My mother loved him. Whenever he did family friendly shows at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre she always took us to see him.
Rolf Harris was also known for his adult raunchy humor and used to do an act in the 70's at the Cave, a Vancouver supper club, no longer operating. Those acts I never saw but my mother bought several of his records and the routine was on them so I got the picture.
Rolf Harris used to do a Christmas show at the QE. He'd always start off coming out singing "Jake the Peg" and wearing his extra leg. Some of the other songs I remember him singing are Waltzing Matilda, Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Two Little Boys, and Six White Boomers. He also sang traditional Christmas songs and he'd invite the audience to sing along with him. Unfortunately my mother always took him up on that offer and she'd be the only person in our section singing and she wasn't very good and people would be looking around trying to see who it was. It was very embarrassing.
Aside from the audience participation singing I always enjoyed Rolf Harris's shows. With the Christmas songs being played all the time on the radio now I've heard "Six White Boomers" several times. Now I'm starting to listen to the words a little more carefully. Before I'd just enjoy the cute song and melody. In the song Santa reunites a joey kangaroo with his mother. The joey kangaroo is in a great big zoo somewhere in Australia. How joey got there is never revealed in the song. But what is now very clear is that Santa is a thief. His reindeer drawn sleigh swoops down into the zoo and Santa swipes joey and puts him in the sleigh. Shortly after he removes joey from the zoo the reindeer switch over to kangaroos pulling the sleigh through the Australian sky because its too hot for the reindeer. Eventually joey spots his mama and Santa lets him go out in the wild again.
I'll never think of that song the same way again.
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