The Life and Times of Peter Green
Archive: 22 June - 5 July 1997
June 22nd
Dear Readers, first off apologies- I've just jumped from the office chair and have ignored my duties with the Diary Site.....what earth shattering event has dragged me away from my beloved site! The Brady Bunch Variety Hour (a repeat)...has just started on cable. Talk about the gamut of emotions. Do you laugh or cry when you see what young Bobby Brady has become...that huge affro- no doubt inspired by tv dad Mike. Of course to confuse us all there is the fake Jan....I remember this started all those rumours about the real Jan being dead! The best line belongs to Alice...who wanders in on a sketch with the lines of "never fear Alice is here,with 70lbs of emergency gear". The red,star-spangled flares flip and fly as those Bradys gyrate,singing "Yanky Doodle Dandy". To top all this,the special guests are :Lee Mayors and Farrah Fawcett....it's just too much.So where were we........ah yes the 22nd. Well tonight Hessie is back at The Esplanade-St Kilda. They received so many calls about the "Shed" nights that he's decided to do it again. I think the final night will be July 27th. Sean Kelly from The Models is one of tonights special guests. The Shed itself has had a few minor adjustments (as one does,to ones shed)...a new table is onstage and a new kitchen chair.
Heard Tims acoustic/pop version of Regurgitators "Nothing to say",would love to have it out as a club single or something,it's really good.
June 23rd
Get a call from ex-Crowdies drummer Peter Jones.They start rehearsing new Bass players tomorrow and then an extra guitarist. We talk a little about Nick, he's still in Los Angeles.......must be strange for him. Hope he doesn't focus all this back on Neils breaking up of the house......it's been over a year now...June 24th
Well it's week #50 and Recurring Dream s still hanging around in the Australian top 50......only 2 weeks to go and then it's been a year. It's at #44 (was#46) so it's hanging on by a thread......"Bringing down the Horse" by the Wallflowers is the office favourite Cd this month.....that Jakob Dylan -brilliant. Rosemaree drops in the latest update so we start on those. The club keeps getting new members,it hasn't slowed down one bit.....go away,shoo,leave me alone...(not really)
June 25th
Go visit Australia Post...have a 11.00 meeting about a possible 50,60 ,70's stamp series for mid '98. We talk about Crowded House being used in the next series. The designs look great.Pete from Mental as Anything gets in contact about using this painting of his on the upcoming Enz "Best Of". Noel and Nigel have pulled some images off Vid. clips-two images work ok, the rest didn't make the grade. I throw some old art work in,including the Chryslais Fortune Teller cover.....but i really like Pete's painting the best. Try to get all the band to see all these ideas, if we don't ,the Enz wheels will start grinding to a halt and we'll mess up the deadline.
Well it's Tim Finns birthday, give him a call. he said he knew I'd remember, does this mean no one else did? Marie threw him a suprise party a few days earlier...which was nice. He's excited about going to Hong Kong and asks us about the Tim site, which finally looks like being up July 7th,as soon as Christina gets back from her work related travels. Also i delayed it by adding a few updated areas.
Watch "Tank Girl" tonight,very cool, love the music and the comic overlay bits. Naomi Watts as Jet Girl is very sexy, she looks like our buddy Toija! It's the glasses.
June 26th
Have dinner with Spock and Katie......Spock cooks, thai chicken (yum)....still on my malaria tablets so my appetitie seems depleted. We go through a few bottles of wine, had a really nice night. get home at 3.00. Raise my glass to Jacque Cousteau who died ): That's so sad, he was a hero of mine and was one of the few french famous people who stood up to Chirac and told him how fucked he was testing bombs in the pacific. Would anyone care if Chirac died....? No! Good I'm glad we all agree on that (as if you have any choice readers) (grin).June 27th
Peter Jones turns up,....eating a pie. Is that anyway for a celebrity to act... slurping and munching....at least he finished it before I did the photo shoot of Mr Jones and his gold records.Spain and Belgium for Recurring Dream. Nick's Deadstar replacement is Peter McCracken (ex Plums).Our friend Johnny is frantically getting all his gear ready to start work on these songs of his. It's so good to have him finally entering the studio. We were considering building a studio onto Belmore just so "Johnny could enter the studio". We have lift off teenage rocket boy! Now all we need is for you to get this album out into the shops. Sad that so many damn great songs are sitting in the wings waiting,while so much crap gets released.......hang in there Jj it will happen.
June 28th
Well Becky gets her bellybutton pierced and I'm considering a second ear ring. You'll here us coming a mile away from all the metal rattling.......then again I'm sure her bellybutton ring doesn't rattle...does it?Work on the Skyhooks site till 3.00 in the morning. Deb is going to put it up via As Was........should be fun. The 'Hooks basically pioneered the Australian music scene. Their debut album sold the equivalent of 15 gold records. Two of the band members suggested to Mushroom that they sign Split Enz to their (at that time) small stable of acts. I wonder what the Enz would of done if they wern't signed? Hard to say. Anyway if you are intrigued the address for the 'Hooks website is http://www.aswas.com/skyhooks/ We are still assembling pieces for it-photos,logo etc but some of the text is up and we should have the rest (including an unreleased tune) on the site soon.
June 29th
The coffee at the Elephant was fantastic today. Maz and Spock also turn up, so we hog a few tables......laugh and gossip. Nice morning. BCO tour in September, their new album will be called "Gizmo Mantra".June 30th
Well Eddie Rayner is in Sydney at the moment,working away at studio 301,he's remastering the Enz songs for the Spellbound album. There may be one or two changes in the track listing.....we'll have details next Newsletter. Hayden (god bless him) gets Pete's artwork over to Eddie to have a look at,so it's another step closer to getting a cover.A really young fan is waiting at p.o. box 333 today....have a chat and she makes me sign her club folder......the other post box people stare...by this stage I'm sure my glowing red embarrassed face could melt any permafrost layer. I was too scared to ask her how long she'd been waiting,at least the post boxes are inside now,so it;'s a bit warmer. In the eighties fans would wait at 333 and the boxes were all outside....brrrrrrrr.
July 1st
Rosemaree drops in the first completed draft for the Famous for 16 minutes Book. It's great, so many of you have sent photos in (Passport size please) for the photo collage that's going to be printed inside. You are running out of time,so dont delay pop a photo into the post to: p.o. box 333 Prahtran Vic. 3181 Aust.Jj starts recording today- 3 songs...and Andrew Duffield (another member of the Models) is also working on the album. Recurring Dream is still in the top 50 at #44 for week #51. Yieks, it's so close.One week to go. Nigel Griggs calls looking for a courier that can pick up some of the Luton copy masters and get them up to Eddie, I think 1 or 2 songs are going to be pulled for "Spellbound". Paul from Mushroom comes to our rescue,he's really good to work with- it's great having a "real person" at a record company,that makes the extra effort. Michael Gudinski give this man a pay rise! The other good news is that Phils Private Lives will be out around October and keep an ear open for the extra "hidden" track (Not listed)...it's from Phils USA EP. More in the club newsletter& yes available via the club.
July 2nd
Greg from the 'Hooks jumps up and plays bass with Dave Warner from the Suburbs, at Melbournes Continental. Greg has penned a short story in Dave's new book. Barry -he writes for WHO magazine,is writing a book called Fandom, and keeps missing me for some interviews that I'm doing for it. Could be fun. Just got in the free "StageTalk" cds-we are sending them out to club members who have been in the ranks for 10,9,8,7,6 and completed their 5th year as clubbers. As you can guess we are using every cent for these.......but it's a good thing to do. I think the Crowded House/Enz fans are the most loyal of the batch, and anyone that supports a band for a decade deserves a free cd. The final track is titled "Fuck'Em" and is Paul Hester encourageing the audience to chant loudly "Fuck the Industry"...... Nigel put this together and Spock has created some spooky art. It came out really well....except for 1 or 2 incorrect dates where the stage talk came from......July 3rd
Looks like Phil will have 1 or 2 of his paintings up forsale on Deb's Internet art gallery [http://www.inthemoment.com] ....maybe a few other people. I think i'll offer one of mine. hey cmon,I've sold 5 out of 5 .......100% sold.......have a pretty weird oil painting which could be the one. I'll just let the various New York galleries fight over it...ok how about the Brunswick Street Coffee shops arm wrestle over it. If Blue Poles can sell for a few million, a Green original is worth at least a few buck$.........stick to the Diary Site-OK I hear you guys......geeez.We rush through all the morning stuff at Prahran and head to the world famous Elwood Beach Cafe for our band meeting with Uncle Hessie. We're on time, he's late...but not by much. H e has that hat on and is wearing his Hester grin.Weve just finished doing a handbill drop for the "SHED" shows so we look like shit. "Hi Boys" between hugs and calling for coffee. Our Melbourne office is going to be involved in some aspects of Paul and The Largest Living Things future...... we are all taking it slow. Basically an EP will be released first,to test the waters and to get some airplay and the name out. The album is nearly ready to go, so I guess (like the rest of Melbourne) we are all looking for a deal! He keeps saying "What IS Tim doing in Honkers".....all I can do is laugh.......
Paul has told me to make mention on the Diary Site that you Melbourne-ites coming down to the Shed shows, bring your favourite "spread" and Paul and the band will make Toast for you on stage and bring it to you. See this band is dying to please you.
After the meeting we drop him home and check out his new house, yes Paul has moved on from Wave Street. Rosie and Stan love the new house,and as promised I have found out the name of Sundays pet cat......she's called Wednesday. It has a great yard for the kids (Sunday and the animals) to run wild in.
July 4th
Hayden starts work on his material,recording in Melbourne. Tempted to crash the recording session as a backup singer....but it might put him off!Hope he turns up for coffee at the Elephant...he knows what time. We think Miss Candy has her eye on him!The traffic is really bad on Chapel Street today, the Phoenix slithers down the street avoiding all the pot-holes (not that sort of pot Becky).....and who should we spot...yes VIVIENNE. She's just had her hair done, an incredible shade of purple, with a great faux coat on.......I wave and she runs up to the car.... Mark opens his window ...just in case she has her murderous telephone with her. Just as we are saying Hi,I spot a break in the traffic and take the plunge.... bye VIV. We drop in 3 mailbags at the post office,we can just carry them..... there has to be an easier way.
Get a strange call from Amanda who is now working for Neil in NZ.....he's after some of the master tapes? Maybe our dreams of a rarities cd might happen. Hope so,so many good songs that have never been released. We may have some news in the next issue.
Roswell special on tv. Notice they interviewed some people at Manns Chinese Theatre.....if you look closely in the background you can see our reflections ....the person being interviewed was next to us.....I chickened out. Wasn't too bad, sadly i 'm starting to agree that all the trashy Roswell saucer Crash stuff just makes it into a giant carnival....and pushes whatever truth there is further away. The only thing of real interest was a metal shaped object which was handed onto the investigators by a woman at Roswell. It was tested and found to be so pure that it couldn't of been made on Earth. That's the sort of evidence that is needed. Project "Mogul" at least makes it a possibility instead of just a normal old weather balloon.....but why all the security,and why two trucks to remove all the debris from one balloon with radar reflectors.....beam me up Clinton!
July 5th
Happy 50th Birthday Roswell! All the babies born today,surely someone must name their child Roswell. Works for me.MAC gets her diary book photos done with her ferrets........can't wait to see them......yes we do accept animal snaps as part of the photo area.........
Looks like I'll be off to NZ for a few days for the Crowdies Book release. Hope to catch up with our lucky 12,000th reader Kiri...for lunch. So with a bit of luck I'll bend Neils arm for a listen of some new songs.....something to look forward to.......that's all for now. take care Peter.