The Life and Times of Peter Green
Archive: 12 April - 26 April 2004
April 12th
Breakfast was so good the other day, we decided to head back to Daguerre's for a repeat performance. The bouncy gays boys with the rabbit ears were replaced by the all girl staff. One wearing a Wonthaggi T-shirt (Victorian country town) so I stir her around some local Wonthaggi landmarks.Nigel calls, well several times, which is o.k., I like to have a chat with the old Codge. He tells me the only two songs on the rough Sweetwaters Split Enz tape that he likes are 'Lead a horse to water' and ' Shark attack'. I'm trying to convert over quite a few reels so the guys have something to listen too. It's a slow process but has to be done. I just want fans to start getting some bonus stuff especially around re-issues. If we have no extra studio tracks then live will be good....
'Physiognomy' is my word of the week, it rolls off the tongue. I found that in an article in the paper and went 'oh nice choice of a word'
Mandy Kane's debut album entered the Aussie charts at #79 and sold a massive 760 copies. I remember John Justin raving just how unique Mandy Kane was, I think Mandy Kane is such an EGO with zero talent. Cosmo the rabbit playing a banjo could sell more then that. No idea why Johnny even considered working on that first single (which like all the rest was a flop) yep producing IS better then looking after a cover band, but maybe producing someone GOOD would be a step in the right direction. Kane is such a wannabe but will never be.... and for once the record buying public have it right.
April 13th
Miss Toija holding pride and place at the main table for breakfast and cute young boys all checking her out. She never eats, just her one coffee (hmm that sounds familiar).Book an airfare to Sydney to surprise the family at my Great Aunty's 80th!!! Imagine being eighty, I'm glad I can't (:
Two good movies on cable.
The first 'Walking on water' a very underrated Australian movie that did zilch, check it out.
The second is a TV Movie based on CNN guy Wieners wonderful book. It's called 'Live from Baghdad'. The book sells out quick, so try and get a copy first and then see the TV movie.
So we see that Sophie Monk has dumped her long term boyfriend Chris, after all this time and is shagging (?) a pro-surfer. Seems like only Katie and Paul will remain a couple, all the others who had boyfriends throughout the Bardot 'experience' are no longer with them. See what Fame does, just eats away at relationships. or at leastwe can blame it on fame.
Notice Bardot are making the News every night, if it isn't Sophie collapsing at the Logie awards, it's the Ex Manager Grant Thomas suing Screentime for $750,000. Go get 'em Grant! (bite).
April 14th
Totally blow out attending the Affordable Art Show, just too busy and I don't think I could trust myself. Thanks to Shane for inviting us, sounds like Ropar and Mr Gehlert did very well.Goodbye to Malcolm Hill at EMI. After 30 years they give him the sack, all those people getting retrenched, the industry is in a scary state.
Try to hire a giant bunny suit to wear as my disguise at the 80th party but being the Anzac Day long weekend most shops are closed.... so have to find another way to surprise everyone...... totally naked. Hmm probably not a good look for an 80th!
Call Enz man Noel Crombie and he's away so have a chat to Sally for awhile. Noel turns 51 this weekend.... funny when the Enz boys are all over the 50 mark. Time is creeping along. Of course I am still 21.....
April 15th
Telstra chairman Bob Mansfield departs last night. Telstra shares jump up 13%. Glad we kept all of ours.... sack more people and make them jump again. OK it doesn't work that way.... you never know. A lot of people are predicting that Ziggy's neck is on the chopping block next, I don't believe that...well not for awhile.Bec was going to call in, we waited and then headed to the food place at Windsor...and waited some more. She must be getting some amazing hair cut to take this long *grin*. Just as long as we see the little angel before she flies out for Canada. She might get mounted by a mounty and we'll never see her again...
The calendar people come by to go through tranni's and photos for one of our Skyhooks projects..... they seem happy with what we have to offer.....
Nigel Griggs calls and he is in a chatty mood, an hour later I hang up and have no idea why he called. Isabelle from France sends over a massive Easter parcel and she spoils us beyond belief. Chocolate my lover.... MMMMMMMM.
April 16th
Hmm the return of Summer, all this week, so warm, no rain, very dry.... too strange. It's meant to be getting colder not hotter.Not sure if it is the weather but I feel so weird, strange, faint, hard to breath, even a drop of sweat on my face.... I never sweat. Is it a Voodoo Curse?
Fill up some hanging baskets with bulbs, always good to keep the bulbs in the fridge for awhile, just seems to help them spring into action (no pun).
Am very frisky with all this sunshine. Grrrrrrrrr.
Clean up ten zillion leaves outside, the compost bins are full again. Do a little dance amongst the leaves, some cute girl walks past and laughs at me... I go red.
April 17th
Happy 51st Noel Crombie.Call into Toija's home hair dressing salon and Mark get's a trim. Toija is baking away so we have this homemade pear cake with poppy seeds. Yum. Endless sit ups tonight.
Send some Canada request/information to my travel agent. Don't think the family will be happy about our possible travel dates, we'll wait and see.
April 18th
Oh Wollongong we miss you (not). A Wollongong granny was jailed after selling heroin from her Port Kembla (Wollongong) sandwich shop. What a nice old dear- fry her. (opps).Work on some ideas for the LIVING IN THE SEVENTIES anniversary issue that will be coming out on CD October 28th....30 years...wow.
Start on some Mens health tablets, they'll probably just make me more frisky.
Urgh Human Nature debut at #15 with their horrible single this week- they suck, so lame. Alex Lloyd drops back and Betchadupa move up from #17 to #16 on the Australasian artists chart. Go lads.
Miss STiffany stays at #38 for her 5th week. The music charts are strange, some may say boring.
April 19th
Mail Mum some more money for the BBQ, bet they over compensate with rissoles and sausages. The uncles will end up eating BBQ for the next week.Belinda gives Mez at Joy FM a call (at Mez's request) and they have an on air chat. Miss Belinda also calls us, and she is on the front cover of one of the swimwear magazines, she sounds good.
Meeting at Mushroom and the Goddess is kind and gives me a parking spot right out the front. Talk Hooks and Enz.... Enz and Hooks.
Dean tells me our block at Beenami has inspired him to buy some land, it's good, he seems really proud of that and that's really good. he also hands me Tim Rogers new solo CD "PLAY SPIT POLISH" and we have a chuckle over Tim's 'Letter to Gene'. Rogers supported Neil at a few shows, and we all loved his first album. So I'm happy to have this release (thanks Dean).
The dickhead neighbours next door put in their own complaint sheet of trumped up charges, they are now so paranoid....will be almost fun to reply. They just don't get it, I'm just letting the legal stuff do what it will and if necessary just call the Police to stop them making noise at 4.00 in the morning. It's like they are really morons or something. Talk about frying brain cells. The classic moment came when they put the incorrect home address for the place they were complaining about. Dumb with a capitol "D".
April 20th
A day of meetings, Mark washes the kitchen floor with Coca Cola. I just shrug. Calm.April 21st
Wash car using a bucket, pick up more leaves.... and the tree's still have 90% coverage.Get Mal Green an Enz DVD, can't believe Mushroom forgot to send him one, poor bugger.
Thanks Craig for the Live Bowie CD, it's one to be played in the car. Harry also offered from a another gig- you guys are spoiling me. Hey it's Bowie... I woke up singing 'Kooks' this morning.
Honduras will follow Spain and pull troops out of Iraq. Thailand is next we hear, very fearful of attacks in all this turmoil. I know hoWARd is in for the long stay. You can just see that over the next few weeks the amount of coalition soldiers killed will increase, you can feel it. It will end up being the highest month EVER since this war started as far as deaths. By June the Coalition death toll will reach 1000 soldiers killed and the Iraq's who knows 35,000. What has been achieved, where is the Peace, where is the rebuilding. The conflict in Iraq costs the USA Tax Payers 7.7 billion $ US a month. Since March last year congress has approved $160 billion USA. None of this money has been spent on rebuilding, that's just to fund the war machine. $160 billion, and already 860 dead, on the coalition side. I really think I'm an idiot I just do not understand how this can be dismissed as a good thing. It sits on my brain like a tumor and drives me a tad angry. Urgh.
Head to the Neighbourhood Watch meeting with Jacqui and little Miss Genevieve. There are 12 of us, the community at Prahran is a bit non supportive, they'd rather be clubbing. The meeting is run by our lovely Mayor and she has this gorgeous Greek Mum that we have met before. makes me laugh. Plus a local Police officer is present and he was really informative. It was good to support and I learnt a few things.
April 22nd
Michael Jackson was indicted today by a Grand Jury, so the trial is a go. he'll probably worm his way out of this, hopefully though justice will prevail.The Bic UK dates are in so we send them out to the fans. The only date changed is the 14th June- the show at Leeds is no longer happening. England seems to be embracing her, nice to see.
Tim and Neil email from the States, they are just finishing up, and have promised to get back to me regarding the tour. It's funny, every second email has been asking if I am coming along to work on the world tour. Hope so, usually depends on the tour budget.
April 23rd
Give Mum a fake phone call and tell her I am back from NZ in a week.... in reality we are flying into Sydney and surprising everyone at the Party.JET are at #26 this week (from 31) on the USA charts with 'Get Born', hope it keeps climbing into the USA Top 20. If you live in the States have a listen, it was our Album of the Year.... and yes you guys are sick of me mentioning it! *grin*. Despite rumours we are not managing Jet, or sleeping with numerous band members.....(they wish).
Buy some Dragon Fruit at the local market to take home for the fruit salad. This will have them talking.
April 24th
Wake up bright and early and shuffle into the shower. Mark is already awake, and looking bleary eyed. He loves me for booking this flight (and trys to stab me with a fork).It's been raining non stop so we decide that Cosmo will have to live inside for a few days, with an abundance of food.
He's sitting at the window near the balcony waving his little rabbit paw as we head off. Drop the car into the Valet Park (hey more freaky flyer points). A short time later we are touching down in Sydney.
We have a suite at Crowne Plaza Darling Harbour Sydney. Finding the hotel is a nightmare. Darling Harbour has endless construction work going on, one way streets and bridges...... we persist and despite it being similar to the Chevys Chase and the European Vacation People (Hey kids there's Big Ben) we eventually made it.
We head off to get some lunch at Fioriani's and Mark spills his drink over the crotch of his jeans. Hmm nice wet dick and balls look Mark..that will win some fans (cough). The various sharks at Sydney Aquarium were licking their lips! Ouch.
The Aquarium is great, especially the under water walking corridors where the sea life swims next to and above you. Nothing like a massive Manta ray settling inches above your head. My only complaint was the lack of hammer head sharks. We did get to see Mango- the yellow baby shark. He is a freak, so bright and would of been killed in the wild from lack of disguise.
The Aquarium offers a VIP tour where you can feed some of the animals like the Seals etc, so check that out. I hadn't been to Darling Harbour since we did the New Years Eve show their with Split Enz, Crowded House , Boom Crash Opera etc... which was a decade + ago.
April 25th
Wake up early and head downstairs to the breakfast room. Do a bit of 'instinct' driving and avoid the 100,000 people and diggers who were on parade for Anzac day. All the way down the coast we see convoys of hotted up cars, so there are endless traffic jams. Wave at all the old diggers who are so proud of their medals etc, I hate War but am so appreciative as to what the digegrs stand for and the spirit of Anzac.Call in and buy flowers for our Mums, the 80 year old great Aunty and anyone else we could think of. Sorry Merelyn and Maz we gave yours to the cleaning lady as we couldn't take them on board.
Remember no one knows I am turning up, so I make a fake call from the car park of the shopping mall, pretending I am on the plane to NZ. Sis falls for it, the great Aunty falls for it, all of them do.... I'm getting good at this. I keep blowing into the mouthpiece ...what did they think I was strapped to the wing?????
Buy some champagne , put on my disguise so no one spots me driving past the house (nothing like some Hedwig sunglasses and a massive beany). I am trying to find a way to sneak into the backyard, and I suddenly wonder if the secret gate I made on the huge hedge exists still. After all it's been decades since I crawled around in here in my Batman outfit. I fumble about in the now huge hedge and find the secret clip and the hidden door opens. So here am I, much taller, arms full of flowers and champagne crawling through a hedge tunnel. Funny if I got stuck, it would be tragic.... Thankfully I didn't and sneak out hiding behind a cupboard. The only person who springs me is family friend Mick and he keeps Mum about it.
The Uncles and Sis's boyfriend are BBQing... I casually walk past behind the flowers, and all the relatives are at the table. Mum is offering up BBQ and I ask for a sausage, she hands me one, goes white and starts to cry (I have that impact on people). *GRIN*. What can I say ...'Surprise'. Sis says she can't believe I conned her with my plane story....I am bad. (Who's Bad!).
Catch up with cousins, relatives, some I haven't seen since the late seventies, have packets of Instant print film so take loads of photos for them, of them. Somehow I end up looking after the tables (rent a slave) but it's ok, I love these people. My two cousins David and Lea and myself pose for a photo- we were always playing Batman when we were younger. Lea was Bat Girl, David was the Penguin....so it was a reunion of sorts.
We all talked about the times heading off to the camping ground, acorn fights that would leave us all bruised and battered, day walks with picnic lunches down massive golden beaches, bomfires and family sing along's where grandfathers would pull out accordions and bango's . We were very lucky, our families were messed up in small ways like all families but the passion generated when they were all together was always more potent then any of the bonfires on the beach that we built. At these far too infrequent gatherings I see that spark, and it floods back. I wonder if families today have this, and feel sad for those who never have.
It's a way too short visit. By 5.00 I drop Mum home, and head off to pick Mark up who is visiting his Mum and step dad. They are happy to see us (Phew). Have to get back to Darling Harbour as we are catching up with a good friend and her partner. Get a speeding fine doing so, one of the few that I ever have received , but it's ok. The cops were nice and told me to fight it as I was just marginally over the limit (I thought it was an 80 zone).
Dinner in the room, miss our friends call by 5 minutes. So that sucked.
Have a quick phone meeting and soak in the rather large bath tub.
April 26th
Another early morning. The wake up call is a REAL voice, not a bad computer recording. That was a surprise. I think it's a public holiday in NSW, but not Victoria. Am getting to know Sydney's back-streets quite well so we end up at the airport in next to nothing time. Have breakfast at the Freaky Flyer lounge and read the papers.We are soon home and Cosmo is happy to see us. He tries to talk, and I'm sure he's saying 'where have you boys been?'... he gets even more attention then previously (if that is possible).
Ben Yeti calls and we lock in dinner, our favourite slow service place on the other side of town. he's off to Japan soon so we have to eat before the next tour.
I spend the day contemplating escaping the city, forever.... weird, not sure if it's a passing fad or a real need to have land, a horse or two and some silence. Tasmania keeps calling me, so who knows. I'm not rushing into this but sometimes I just go with my gut instincts. My head is in a strange space, not necessarily a bad space, we are lucky that we could sell this place and buy an incredible house elsewhere. So the security part is not a problem, but we have to really want to.
That's it dear diary, my head is floating around somewhere in a bubble, bobbing from one point to another on the map of terra firma , what am I looking for?
Peace!
PG