The Life and Times of Peter Green
Archive: 19 June - 1 July 2000
June19th
Happy Birthday Alison.isn't it strange how you write something HUGE in the ol' diary so you remember and it is so big that your eyes ignore the message. Rosemaree saved my arse by reminding me and I looked down when she told me and low and behold there it was Alison's birthday. So I called, confessed, but she did get our present on time...so we hadn't totally forgotten (: I just suck when it comes to remembering birthdays.
Get a call from NZ and the test area for Neil's website is up , the address will still be: http://www.nilfun.com and he will add and subtract from the site every so often. Almost text free which will annoy a few people because some areas are vague but it's good for people to "explore" instead of following a well kept trail.
Loads of Bardot mail today- mostly from 25 year old woman. The demographic has changed , well for today anyway. hell as long as people are having fun, so many "industry people" find the Bardot thing to be a national threat like it's the end of music, which is such a wank. Music is about choice and people should be able to enjoy whatever they want.
June 20th
Call Bic (Runga) in NZ and she is about to head home to Auckland tonight. Asks me if I am going out on the NZ tour with herself, Tim and Dobby...but I've promised Grant so I think i'll be on the road with the girls. However we play NZ so I'm praying that I can catch a show or two. The tour is expected to start August 9th and go till August 27th- Bic Runga, Tim Finn and Dave Dobbyn. I think it's a Theatre tour. head to www.finn-runga-dobbyn.comWas thinking about how lucky I am, it really is a good existence and some saint is looking over my shoulder. Yes we work hard, but the benefits are incredible- get to see the world, meet some amazing people, come to work in my PJ's at midday if I want....and feel pretty good. if I knew I was going to die tomorrow I could turn around and honestly say it's been a pretty decent few decades and I can't think of any regrets. Maybe a few friends (ex friends) that I wouldn't of made such an effort for, but hey that's probably normal, someone will always let you down, but thankfully it's far and few.
June 21st.
The Solar Guys rock up finally to check out the roof angles etc. They will be starting tomorrow when I head off to Tassie so Mark is in charge of Solar additions to the house. They look rather white faced when they come down from the roof- "it's aghh very high isn't it" they stutter!Do a quick bag pack, my old faithful Enz tour bag is perfect for a few days away.
Hmm no word from Becky yet, you'd think that after all the postcards we sent her she'd send us one. Ok Booth is off the postcard list! (: Our friend Sal sends us a card from Glastonbury festival. She's been checking out Muse and Moby.
June 22nd
Do a quick morning run before heading off to the airport. By some food for Marky as he has to hang with the Solar guys all day, all the panels are at different heights and angles. It's going to look like Mir space station.Arrive at the airport on time and the Qantas people give me seat 1A. Can not remember the flight over except there was no food. Flying into Tassie is great, it looks like the wilds of Alaska.
Decide to use my natural sense of direction to get me to the record store. Hobart has really crappy inner city parking. But the gods were smiling- with only 16 spots left in the 10 level carpark, I drove in feeling very confident....2 Jesus people waved and gave me their space. 20 cars waiting and they picked me- Praise the Lord!!!
Arrive at the store several hours early, my Hotel is 200kms away- already a line of about 500 fans stretched up the sidewalk. The sun start setting and it sprinkles with rain, these fans are very patient, and school is out in a few minutes, so the numbers will probably swell.
It's now out of hand, the Police are called and we have to block off the street. An hour before Bardot arrive and 7000 fans have taken over. Security looks on amazed.
The mini bus pulls in and the girls are just so vibey- talk about beans for breakfast- huge smiles and they climb on the barricade and shake hands and the noise is deafening ....kids are crying, mothers are crying. It's young Sally's birthday and 7000 Bardot fans sing Happy Birthday.
It's hours and hours of signing, I end up wearing my Duddley DoRight hat, and Soph. keeps calling me Mr Doo-right when she wants something done. Sally looks fried, and is slowly disappearing under a wall of flowers and presents. So I head off to buy some juice and re-chargers (Sustagyn Gold milk) ...I walk behind some fans and they are all excited. I love it, when a group, no matter who they are, can make people this happy it has to be a good thing.
The signing goes on and on and on, so weird because Neil's are usually so calm, and take over an hour. So next Finn in-store I will enjoy it much more. It's heading towards 9.30 and the Police are worried because fans are climbing on the buildings windows and squashing against the glass, so for the safety of everyone we call it a day. The manager tells me it's the biggest in-store ever, a huge crowd double what Killing Heidi had and triple the amount of c.ds sold.
I head to the car park and get stuck in a lift with a family- their two young kids in tears. I ask them why they are crying and it;s because they didn't get to meet the girls. So I take some details and will make sure they get a signed photo....the kids eyes just sparkle and this smile grows and grows and grows......they are so happy the lift door closes and leaves one of the kids on a separate floor!
Drive to Launceston...several hundred kms, the stars are amazing down south- so many, little eyes watching me from the heavens. I sit on the speedlimit and I think a camera springs me...so I'll probably cop a speeding fine.
Arrive Launceston and have some food- hang with Soph. and Tiff for awhile which is nice. Watch American Beauty and have a bad nights sleep (or lack of it). Chat to Mark and Leanne on the phone.
June 23rd
I ended up calling reception for headache pills, that's how bad it got. Mark tells me the solar electrician was suckered by Cosmo the rabbit....it was being "ball of fluff" ...we all fall for it.Open the paper and Bardot make the headlines- Launceston Schools are worried that no one will, turn up (grin). Our instore is as midday, on a school day. Catch up with everyone in the foyer as we are checking out, I decide to walk to the instore. I thought all these people were lining up for the cinema but no, it's a massive instore crowd again this time the line went for a kilometre.
Another crazy day but we speed people through so everyone got the chance to meet them, I took thousands of fan photos, and the manager gave me a Kylie single that I really wanted for Mr Minogue (Mark). Head to the airport, once more using my build in road map...and manage to get lost but my road skills are redeemed when I head down Melbourne street and come out near the airport freeway.
Launceston airport is rather Barnish....and just my luck the frequent flyer lounge is being renovated....so I head to the food area. Sit next to Belinda and a Jesus freak comes up and hands her a "Steps to peace with God" booklet. I hate religion being pushed especially at airports and especially when we are all chilling out. The Jesus person asks if - I know "him". I go for the jugular...."I know he spells dog when spelt backwards".....I give me most loving smile and the person thinks I'm even more freaky then they are and departs quickly. (I hear Queens "another one bites the dust" in my Ally McBeal music chip in my head).
Sit next to a cute person who is heading to a dance party that's on MY street- they ask my number but I don't give it....I need sexual confusion in my life like I need a bus load of Jesus Freaks..... I know Him and I know you too .......blow out the Melbourne in-store and head home to bed.
June 24th
The Solar people continue work....they are being really fussy over the structure which is good, I'm sure cyclones blow over our roof.....I climb the ladder and decide to do all the gutters, save us $80 and several roof men not turning up. Have a climbing harness on...the Greek lady that lives behind us is spying on me...so I Yodel so she thinks i'm in the Himalayas...I DO look like Tom Cruise in my harness!June 25th
See Rosemaree for some brekky. Babble is quiet today, everyone has the pre-GST blues. I notice John Howard's popularity in the opinion polls is on level with Hitler's. How many days to the next federal election.....I am so embarrassed that Australia has a dick head for a Prime Minister.Watch "October Sky" on dvd. Really enjoyed it and for a movie that has no sex, no swearing, no killing just some good ol' hope and destiny I thought it was great. It's taken from a true story about Homer Hickman (based on the book by Homer Hickman).
The place is Coalwood West Virgina. The year 1957 and school boy Homer Hickman and the rest of the town watch the Soviet Satellite SPUTNIK fly overhead. This Russian achievement inspires Homer and his mates to build their own rocket- against many obstacles- one being the town itself which tends to make every son a coal miner....and very few slip through the net to do other things in life.
It's a movie that makes you laugh, smile and cry...and yes I got woossy and a bit blubbery.... as a lad from Wollongong- a city that was governed by the Steel works it brought back many memories of " a better life style elsewhere". Laura Dern has the accent down pack (Yo'all) and Jake Gyllenhaal is a great Homer. It also has that weird looking guy that looks like a ferret , he wa sin American Pie Movie (pretending he scored big time at the start of the movie) in October Sky he plays a high i.q'd freak and you like him more then his A.Pie appearance. The producer also did "Field of Dreams". Maybe rent this one first, but it's worth the effort.
From this teenage rocket boy to all the others out there trying to escape. 8/10.
June 26th
Finally find some Fruit Tingles for an old Aussie friends that's living in the States......mail them off as a surprise. Track down our old plumber and get him to fix the hot water system.... it will cost us 10% more from July 1st....I hate this new tax system.I just remembered, the International Whaling Commission meets in Adelaide Australia in July to vote on the new South Pacific Whale Sanctuary. Let them know that you want an end to the killing of whales. We especially ask any Japanese readers to protest as a huge % of the killing is done by Japanese boats- for scientific reasons- which is total bullshit. head to: www.helpwhales.com Please make the effort.
June 27th
Was going to make Soup today but got side tracked by work. I ask Mark what he is eating and he says there is a surprise in the kitchen and he has made us home made sausage rolls- like OH YUM! These are the best......! Add to that some Pan Rolls from my fave Indian haunt and I'm content. Will eat a massive plate of greens tomorrow to compensate.Have a chat to Soph. and she is just about to do an interview with Nichigo press- Japanese newspaper and apparently the girl group are on the front. Japan will love them.
Neil should be heading off to the USA soon to work on the album and chat to a few people about new record companies etc. Hope to hear some new stuff when he returns. The recent Tabac shows went well.
June 28th
Have a chat to Vali who is still in Italy- she sounds better and has been working on two new pieces of art. I couldn't work out if one is called "Golden Dreams" or if she said "golden dreams" to me as I said was going to bed. I think one has a Bunyip in the painting! She's still there for awhile longer....looks like she has gotten rid of Johnny out of her life. (not our Jj the other Johnny).Have a sore back from all the computer work- must be sitting crooked. Ben calls by and we have some breakfast, he;s off on the Midnight Oil tour soon, notice the Oils cover of The Real Thing didn't do much, it's almost out of the top 100 after only 3 weeks.
Good to see my favorite Yeti again and he serviced my Imac.
June 29th
Well signed on for private health cover today....had to do it. Went via AXA as they had all these bonus areas and you get cash refunds if you don't use it each year. At least we are covered if anything happens on the farm.Get an email from Mark Ryden's work shop, some new art is available on a cloth reproduction....I still want a Ryden original....one day.
June 30th
Rosemaree takes us to Office works and we buy the new printer, while the prices were still good. They also had typewriter ribbons that we needed so we grabbed some of them too. Then up to CC Music on high street where they sell DVD's for $10 cheaper then anywhere else.Spend most of the day working, and catching up on work.
We watch the Mummy on DVD....and it rains a bit during the night so i sleep well. Still have a sore neck so I need a massage soon....any excuse.
Last day of June (there's a song in that somewhere) so it mean tax time soon..... Mark keeps walking around saying tomorrow Australia is fu*ked forever thanks to that little **** John Howard- wow he hates him more then I do!
July 1st
Wake up and it's grey and miserable outside...must mean the GST has arrived. This Tax sucks.Stay home all day, even sneak on the solar power.....
Email some media contacts, and work on the internet.
Raid the banana paddle pops...I never win those stupid "stick" contests- you know where you match the three symbols...I always get two.
Two weeks of voting left for the ONYA awards, still time to vote- the Neil website has a click button that takes you straight to the voting...so still time.
A weird icon appeared at the bottom of our IMAC....looks like a razor blade.......it won't go away...I think it's watching us!
Anyway running out of things to say.....take care.
Peter
p.s.- think we are away on tour- so no club table at the Camberwell fair (sorry).