The Life and Times of Peter Green
Archive: 8 July - 12 July 1996
JULY 8TH
BOSTON- PARADISE CLUB- Second show on tour. What a great city-the buildings are really incredible-nothing like I thought it would be. We've just heard that the "recurring Dream" album is still at #1 in the UK,its doing well. Our Discovery Records person for the tour is Cindy-she's really cool and probably thinks I'm insane.She confesses that she thought I was a "Business man" connected with the band when she spoke to me on the phone. I've never been called that before, is it a compliment. Boston gig is hot-I think its going to be a good tour. meet a few more hundred club members,they all seem really cool-and it will make my job easier having so many nice people around. A few people mention the diary site-and of course I go red..Buy Chocolate covered "gummy bears"at the mall with our sound engineer Angus-he spends most of the day trying to buy sandals.
JULY 9th
The flights are a bit f*cked up today-yours truely took the early in the morning flight to New York...all on my own. Angus and Dougald are use to it-they reallky are the backbone of the tour-and Billy our tour manager-he's so patient-deserves a medal.Tim hasn't been sleeping,and Neil seems a bit vague today-guess he has a lot on his mind. The Venue were so fussy about wanting a seller etc etc,so of course ten minutes before the doors open-still no seller-so what was to be a night off,or at least doing "other" things had me selling. Thankfully Deb Levitt and some of her Frenz turned up to help. It was a duo effort-Deb. and myself doing merchandise-god bless her. I think between both of us we knew half the room. neil and Tim sign autographs at the soundcheck-the signed material is always gobbled up fast. Chat to the door man who is a twenty year hunk,he has a very cool tattoo (its American Indian related),he tells me my Gryphon is some of the finest work he's seen. The other door person has a clicker so I'm continually getting reports on how many people are coming in. Its a full house and we actually go over the limit-very hot inside. The Finns play really well tonight,a few Aussis in the audience. Neils guitar work is getting better each day-he still impresses me. Liam (Finn) and myself oggle at Lisa Loeb of Tortoise Shell glasses fame.Her "Tails" CD is really good chill out music-Love "Taffy" and "When all the stars were falling". We pose for a photo backstage on the "love couch"-she gives me flowers (grin). Get lost with Doug's and Angus looking for a place to eat at 1.00 in the morning.
JULY 10TH
Today is our day off-well kind of-we still have the Conan O'Brien Show to do in the afternoon. Just realised thats its been 5 years today since the Capitol Records car Park Show for the WOODFACE launch. Go shopping around Times Square, a lot of bargain shops have gone- buy a new dat player for the gigs. Back at hotel at 2.15,the black Conan Limo arrives and we basically drive around the block to the tv studio. Rehearsal for the show-neil has amp problems-it still sounds ok. A friend of ous-Mark-who you may know as "Diesel" (Yes Jimmy Barnes Brother in law) plays with Neil and Tim on the show. he's a really nice guy and a very talented player-my office may do some future work with him. he's in the Aussi charts at the moment-a duo album with Chris Wilson. At the show we find out that there are some "red tape" problems and we need Neil and Tims passports. Dash back to the Hotel and spend the next hour breaking into rooms. Get back in time for Tims radio MTV interview-quote on the starting on SplitEnz. "I had so many drugs in my system that I was going to start a band or end up in a mental instituion". We all get Conan embroided tshirts. TV groupies wait outside the studios videoing "stars". They get it wrong and video Bill and myself. Some guy asks Neil for an autograph,Neil asks "Do you even know who we are?". The guy replys "Yes youre the FIGG brothers"(Thats NOT a type-O). Neil uses the FIGG brothers story onstage during future gigs. Meet Deb. my web site S&M mistress,for Dinner-she steals me away to a restaurant called "America"-each food is a dish named after an America city. I have Houston and Deb gobbles down Philli (ed note: I had El Paso). We talk and talk,and are the last to leave. Deb is cool. Cant find any drugstores for Grants sore throat!
JULY 11th
Wake up call is again early- 6.30. A few hours later our flight takes off for Washington DC. More propellers...the last 3 planes have had them-they make me nervous. We sneak 12 bags,5 guitars and 2 boxes of merchandise onto the plane. The stewardess Nancy is a sweetie,she cant make it to the gig. We check into the famous "Watergate" Hotel-I'm sure the rooms are still bugged-so I sing as loud as I can and talk dirty. The decor is bad American.......very Nixon. Tonights show is in a seedy side of town. I bring the regulars in for soundcheck, the guys dont mind,its nice for club members to see the other side. Tim chats with Elizabeth-I think her black rose dress is better (fashion critic). This is our weakest gig for ticket sales,we need a huge walkup,the goddess is smiling...we get it. A really crowd and tonight I get to watch the show. A longtime friend Maryanne Kienapple grabs me at the end of the show-its great to run into people on tour. Spend a lot of time in the band room tonight-good couches and some nice vegie burgers from downstairs. I give Kieren a break and I look after Elroy who's full of beans. he steals the show by throwing by throwing a paper plane onstage with one simple word scrawled on it-Dickhead-remember he's only six. Fantastic version of "Devil you know"-Tim crashes his leg into the amp onstage and I thought it was part of the act-would of been painfull by the faces he was pulling. A couple of very strange suss fans try to crash backstage-I double up on security-dont know them but they look a bit insane..."always look into their eyes". Maybe they were related to the man outside our hotel who spent two hours talking to a tree today..I love trees but I think I'll stick to hugging them. Christina didnt turn up tonight-was going to have a talk to her and tim about the upcoming Tim Finn website. Crowdies are on the cover of the Sun newspaper music insert back home. I hear the album has already done platinum on advance sales alone. Should come in at #1.
JULY 12th
Early morning flight-feel very run down when I climb out of bed. The room clock is 20 minutes slow,so I just make it into the van. Once again no time for breakfast-bad move Mr Green. Mid-flight my sugar level drops to an all time low and I nearly black out.Do Not feel too well-its like a thick fog has descended,my fingers start to tingle.We stay at the airport O'hare Hilton-call the local Doctor-have to make it to this gig,heaps of clubbers and internet people-and it will be the first time I've met marck Bailey who runs our Internet site. Venue is really good,except we cant decide whether to remove the tables or keep them. Tims call on this one,he says that when ALT played there they kept the tables-so they stay. Wander out front with Liam,he's become very cool and is really an 18yr old in a 13 year olds body. Lots of club members,Marck is really fun and we bounce off each other -if I lived here I think he'd be a good friend. By this stage I feel like shit-I probably look a bit tripped out to the fans that night,the effects of the shot in my arm carried me through this gig. The band were once again really good-great version of Charlie. Celebrity Spotting- tonight matt Dillon and Cameron Diaz..were at the show...together. She looks better on film. Sadly because I felt like death,I missed both the Imperial Drag gig and the Internet party-hope both went well. Some of the crew tuck me in-Goodnight Jim Bob.