Earlier this year I ran into the work of Alan Wagner. He makes physical mail you can send to friends. It is cheap. It is personal. It is absurd in the best way.
I have had a few months of these go out to friends and the results have been priceless. One mailer I got included a small sample of pesto from a couple who looked completely unhinged. Another friend got a fake court summons about a grandmother who was drinking gasoline. It came with photos of the grandmother and language asking you not to trust anyone who claimed this was not real. Hearing my friend describe it to me on a drive home had me laughing so hard I had to stop and catch my breath and my wife was laughing since she knew.
That is the charm. The mail feels local and specific. He uses real names and details from your town. Sometimes there are small physical items tucked inside to make it feel even more believable. You never pick the theme. He sends whatever he dreams up that month. It keeps you guessing.
One of the wildest pieces of mail I have ever received came with a metal necklace. The envelope said I needed to wear it around town to help shift public opinion in support of a local mother who was being accused of feeding her daughter dirt. The whole thing looked like mail from a political action group and even had my name printed on it.
Inside the envelope was a letter from “Morgan” asking me to stand with her and defend her against people who claimed she mixed dirt into her daughter’s soup. She blamed the photos on A I. Then she said that even if she had done it, plenty of people call dirt a kind of natural vaccine. The whole thing walked that line between sincere and unhinged in the exact way Alan tends to write. I sat there laughing at how far he pushed it.
The necklace itself was the final touch. Heavy metal plate. Her face stamped into it. The words I support Morgan. I don’t believe she fed her daughter dirt.
If you have ever wanted to send someone something so strange they have to sit down and process it, this is it. These mailers hit nerves you never expect. And when your friend brings it up in conversation, you get that moment where they pause, lower their voice, and tell you about the weirdest thing that showed up at their house. That is what makes this so fun.
I am not paid to say any of this. I am a customer. I have cried from laughing more than once.
If you want to try it, here is his shop: https truewagner.bigcartel.com
Here is his Instagram: https www.instagram.com truewagner
This article gives more background on his style
https www.pastemagazine.com comedy alan-wagner the-absurdly-unsettling-comedy-of-alan-wagner
Alan twists everyday things into something strange and memorable. His work hits the same nerve as the odd humor many of us grew up with. The kind that feels almost normal until you look a little closer.
If you know someone who enjoys that kind of surprise, this is an easy way to give them a monthly dose of weird. And the moment they call you to ask what on earth they just received is worth every dollar. I also loveed them so much I got some sent to my house, and look forward to finding them in all the mail in my mail box.
