The Life and Times of Peter Green
Archive: 18 March - 28 March 1997
Tuesday March 18th We knew it had to happen, "Recurring Dream" takes a big drop down the Aussi charts from #14 to #23......well it's been hanging around like a soggy sock for soooo long I hope we can spend a year in the top 50. I notice that Michael Jackson is also 6 times platinum but he's so close to dropping out of the top 50......bye Michael.It will be nice to beat the King Of Pop! Any White has his "TEENAGE" album out in America today- I know I go on about this Cd a lot but it's a really good effort. Have been in contact with Andy a fair bit and Jane and myself are working on his Australian dates,at this stage its only Sydney and Melbourne. The Continental on Greville Street will be one of the Venues in May- so Melbourne people should call and ask the Continental exactly when he's on. Damn I'll be in Sth America.
March 19th
Heard that my mate Arloe will be back in Australia with Sheryl Crow playing a week of gigs. Hope we can catch up. Maybe Nick can do her hair.....it needs more bounce. Notice that Recurring Dream is top 20 again in the UK. Grant mentioned that soon we will get multi platinum awards (1.5 million UK sales).Start work on the envelopes for the next Newsletter,we usually do them all by hand,its a way of saving money for the club as that many stick on labels costs a chunk of club money.....if nothing else you can drift off.Next Newsletter will go out late April/early May.March 20th
Well more Gold records arrive from Belgium for Nick and Paul...of course the glass is smashed (Aust Post!!!!!!!!!!!!). Visit Paul first and we talk about the upcoming shows. Sunday is such a honey,shows me her new slippers,one is for her and one for Heddie (Noels kid)...one slipper each.Love it. Collect Chris Bourkes rough copy of the book to pass onto Nick. Paul has had a quick flick through it,but his mind is anywhere but Crowded House. he;s moving house, moving the studio, finishing up his album and rehearsing. Putting on a gig. Still I think some of the Paul interviews that Chris did are really good, very funny. Jump in the EK and zoom across to Nicks. He isn't answering his mobile and the machine is on...I know he's home..it's that Crowdies 6th sense. Use the secret gate entrance and yes he's in. Nicola is off to work (nice calvins girl) and what was to be 10 minutes stretches to 3 hours! He decides to take the book with him,which worrys me and I hope he doesn't lose it...I can see Chris Burke reading this Diary update and sweating...it's ok Chris you still have the master copy (grin)......grab Nicks photos........which include a few early family snaps.......Mark still looks like Mark, Nick has no colour coordination (but i guess most of us didn't in "those" days).A few shots around the Crystal Ballroom-which was one of Melbournes coolest Punk/new wave hangouts -started in 1978. I use to go there a bit,saw Nick play in one of his first bands and still have the poster (somewhere). I love the family photo of the Seymours camping down the coast...its exactly like a photo I have of our family. The Xmas camping trip IS so Australian,no wonder we all fell into our roles in "Weather with you" with such passion,it was inbred from all those holidays by the sea. There is a real geek shot which I assume is Nick......better not describe it,it will shatter his Gautier-esch image.An amazing shot of him in "Big Bang Como" from 1982.....same bass stance that he has now......has a short haircut (with bangs?) and those Semourish cheekbones.Nice suit top too. I think "Big Bang" became "BANG" mid '82...I've seen them play once.....there are one or two shots of Nicks friends who were in Tims "Fraction too much Friction" clip.....Nick was the art director for Tims Escapade clips. Great b/w of Sir Nick with Sigrid Thornton a famous Aussi actress....."Plays with Marionettes" were one band that we kept seeing (because they were always supporting everyone) in '84.....overall a very good looking bunch of blokes!!!!Very artscool-ish......Nick being the only one that was ever photographed sitting down (what does this mean Nick)?
Then of course it was the Mullanes....then the photos start getting a bit Crowdy related, a few snaps from the European tour that nearly killed the band, one of my fave shots that I hope Chris B. will put in his book- its a group shot taken at the Berlin Wall-the band are leaning up against the graffitti and squashed in next to them is our manager Grant. This was Grants tour- they survived on his Amex card and he'd sneak into peoples homes to do all their washing.....great times!
So I spend a big part of the day with Nick and we gasbag the time away. He still has to do JJJ and the Melbourne launch and then Deadstar fly out for the UK. He hands me the latest UK dates which I'll post on the Tongue in the Mail site.I go home and its now dark...........
March 21st
Deadstar launch at the Prince of Wales. There is some talk of getting some copies of the album into the shops earlier. The 14th is still the date but some stores may get it a few days earlier. Skip who manages Mental as Anything is in town and we try to think up album titles for the upcoming Mental as Anything album. I really like "Miss Muriel Keates" as a title and "Tortoise" is good... Mark finds this Aussi movie on cable called "Sex is a four letter word". I cringe at first but it ends up being a really good movie....very much like an Australian version of the "BIG CHILL" but more honest.Pity about the title,it could of been a hit.March 22nd
Do some snaps with Mary Anne's coffee mugs for Laura Taylors shop...decide to hold the flying Crowdies House from World where you live clip in one hand and coffee mug in the other & get mark to take it looking into the fisheye mirror in our hallway.Skip calls and I pick him and half the Mentals up in the Phoenix and we drive to Pauls cafe. Paul christens me saint Peter for driving them (sorry Paul its been taken) and we sit around the huge table at the front with Mardi and Sunday and have a very civilised brekky (Pancakes with wild berrys-yum). Find out that one of the Mentals (BIRD-who plays Drums) spent a year working at Sydneys infamous Bondi Lifesaver-THE Venue that we use to go to when we were at school...he probably use to sell me illegal drinks (underaged). he's also writing a book on the Mentals......it was a fun morning,the chatter went on and on.....days like this I love working for a band.
Home again and after a great morning I cringe as I decide to "tar" the roof gutters of Belmore. It waterproofs them and stops rust etc.....so up onto the roof I go, decide to do it myself as Mark is busy editing the next issue of the Video newsletter. The view from Belmores roof is pretty amazing and it's a good spot to paint and meditate. Three hours later I'm back on the internet answering emails......it takes a further 2 hours to finally get rid of the last bit of tar from under my fingernails.
March 23rd
Wake up singing "Sunday Morning" by the Velvet Underground.......have a shower and head to the Elephant. Rebecca emailed me and told me to pick her up. She isnt out the front so I go upstairs and her light is still on and the kitchen drapes open......I know she's not in....hmmmmmmm SEX is in the air. Of course everyone placed bets on whether Rebecca had sex last night....... because I'm a gentleman and because I know she;lll probably read this issue of the Diary we wont go into it.........but i lost the bet!The Elephant boy (not man) tells me where he got his singlet....it has a really good low back=perfect to show off ones Gryphon tattoo. Work on club stuff for the rest of the day...mostly Video newsletter boxes...
March 24th
Finally my credit card is ready, after the ANZ messed it up twice (MR Greer, Mr Grogan.........)it's handy for even more flight points. Speak to Claire at EMI and it looks like Woodface will have an August reissue date,for EMIs celebration in the UK. Hopefully more in the next newsletter. Speak to Amanda at the office and she is down here with Lodestar....on the weekend.I think she'll be working for Neil soon.....another good soul lost to NZ.March 25th
At least Recurring Dream is holding its own again, we only dropped a few spots this week to #26...it moved up a notch in Melbourne....INSTINCT moved up 42 spots in VIC. EMI decided to release it as a limited edition digipak...I think only 1000 were done so its going to be a good collectors item. Will sell out quick. Mark starts the tedious task of dubbing off the Video newsletter.....we have liftoff. Meanwhile I am trying to find enough authentic Crowded House stage passes to give away to each club member with the next newsletter,hope we can do it,they'll be great souvenirs. Off to the suburbs today to hassle the various record shops and make sure they are stocking INSTINCT. Use close to $30 on petrol...they things we do for this band.March 26th
Coffee with Spock at the Elephant-he's enjoying his time at Gotham/BMG. Plenty of work. They've just finished the animation on the new Richard Pleasance/FELT clip. Give Spock the artwork for the video Newsletter so he can fine tune it. Talented bugger. I need to get some more memory and a scanner soon, the club lists and everything else are really exhausting the poor ol' MAC. Will have to organise a club auction soon.We have to go into the city as its the opening of PUNKULTURE at the Performing Arts Museum. Decide to visit some record shops for stock. A friend tells me that Brashes on Elizabeth St. is closing down...another Brashes store bites the dust. I'm walking (very fast) down the city mall when this girl walking the opposite way, leans over and whispers "jesus loves you" in my ear. It totally throws me, and leaves me with a HUGE smile. I turn and she jumps on a tram, before she climbs aboard she turns and smiles. Mark catches up and asks me what that was all about. Left me all warm inside for an hour.
We arrive just in time for the speeches at the opening of this new exhibit. Some of the usual faces which is nice, grab some white wine and mingle. See Greg from Skyhooks and we have a chat. haven't seen him since his party. he's working with some new singer.....will have to get that Skyhooks website up soon. The Punk exhibit is good, some great photos and the Punk Doll inspired me. I was going to wear my SEX shop zip pants from MClarens shop,but decided against it as they are so bloody uncomfortable. the Australian punk section was far more interesting...great shots of Nick Cave and the Boys next door......etc. If you are in Melbourne go see it, its good to support the Arts Museum.
March 27th
Listening to JJJ whilst working in the office and hear a live report from The Fauves who are playing the Northern Territory. Thats pretty cool- their album is almost gold here,well worth a listen and I noticed "Dont get death threats anymore" is getting full rotation on JJJ and some of the "other" stations.Great to see them doing well. Also on JJJ was writer Linda Jaivin, remember I mentioned "Eat me" and "Rock N Roll babes from Outer Space" her two books. (I preferred EAT ME). Well Rock and Roll babes is going to be a Movie (or is it a stageplay...or both). Anyway Linda has also been working with a Melbourne band and they have a song from the book called "Sex Experimentation Chamber" and Triple Jay gave it a spin. Totally trashable song- will have to get it,play it,throw it away etc etc. Way to go Linda you mad thing......it's great to see someone "moving" with their ideas, she just does it.I think i finally found some artwork for Chris's Book, a courier picks it up... will have to get Nick and Grant to ok it...thats if they like it...we'll see.
March 28th
Oppps Mark made homemade sausage rolls today....aghmmmmmmm meat on good Friday ...does this mean if you follow the religous ways you can't have oral sex on Good Friday???OK as long as you dont swallow......says the person looking over my shoulder.(that's a bit rude) Well we passed out sausage rolls to half of Melbourne so now we will all end up in hell........as Morrisey once said to me "there is a place in hell for me and my friends"..see you there gang. Actually I dont believe in Hell,just another excuse for the Church to scare people. I believe that being good is important but if I'm bad...like eating the last Tim Tam I wont rot in hell.Sometimes I think God has had an extended Holiday and hasn't visited Earth for quite awhile, when people set fire to inncocent kids in school grounds or massacre them in classrooms on the other side of the world I really wonder if God was otherwise distracted ...like the eternal one was watching reruns of Gilligans island or something. or when someone loses their baby after carrying it for nine months or morons like the Right to Lifers start shooting abortion clinic staff, I think "Hey God-HULLLLOOOO GOD-did you blink, why is this happening".....and please save me from that ol' chestnut "but you must have faith my son" BS. BUT..there are times when you see and hear about the most amazing things and you nod thinking yeah-this is a very cool world......so where were me..oh yeah Marks sausage rolls. All I know is that they tasted good!Maybe the Pope should do some serious baking instead of driving around in the Popemobile (to the tune of batman please) and kissing peoples feet.....isnt that un-hygienic shouldn't he have some protection so he doesnt get athletes foot...oh thats right....he doesn't believe in "protection".Bake on the vatican.Have a good Easter everyone.See you at Paul Hesters Shed Shows every Monday In April.- xxPG