The Life and Times of Peter Green
Archive: 10 June - 23 June 2001
June 10th 2001
Robin and Trudi turn up at the house after a shopping spree buying copies of HUSSY at Greville Books- really felt good-nice when you release something like this and your mates go and buy a copy- made me feel all mushy guys!Have one of those long phone conversations with Bob and we were both cracking up- we like the old Bobwa a lot- turned out she's a good mate... can see what Ben see's in her. her hair is very side-show Bob though!(:
God it's a mushy old start to the Famous for 16 Minutes site this week, marriage, weddings, kisses without the tongue....where has all the scandal and gossip gone, the darker side of the path Luke....Phew needed to do that ...I even went up the staircase and changed into a black shirt and devil horns as I'm sure the nice hippy-ish shirt just added too much "nice" to the mix. Not that being nice is a bad thing...but the world has two sides and they are both shown here. The Beatles and The Stones, Abba and Kiss, Bardot and Scandal'us (sorry that's a small joke)....I'm a Stones kinda guy! (OK Mark is a bigger Stones kind of guy- he is after all Keefs long lost son). Keef:"I am your father Mark.......no I can't back that up"
Enough you all cry!
June 11th
Call the Finn-tour entourage- see I just can't keep away- Sydney rocked tonight- just what Neil needs before he plays the dreaded Twin Towns.. my memory of TT is purple hair and oldish people....but I guess they buy tickets and are entitled to enjoy Neil Finn just as much....I'll be purple haired one day (ok maybe tomorrow).Stumbled across an article on Arthur Tress- he is an amazing photographer- his career spans 50 years ...if you see any of Arthur's photo books grab them- he is exceptional. I could look at his work for hours.
Tania calls so I invite her to dinner, she seems a bit down. Jake comes along and he's ok, ok he had the odd moment where I did my "voice raising" bit...but he is a kid, so we tolerate it. Not impressed how he preferred Marks squirrel drawing to mine...ok mine had flying goggles (aka Rocky) and Marks had a really cool tail...but my Nasa rocket won hands down........ and Jake's is on the fridge.
Discovered a really good fake internet name for chat rooms and "spinning" on the internet, really liked it- it was on the X-files....no not telling just dug it so I've added that one to my small list of alias's. The X-files is a fountain of fun things overflowing with oddities for people like me! I still love this show and David is in town this week....can't believe he did that shitty movie. "What was he thinking".
June 12th
Stuart drops in a whole pile of HUSSY full colour postcards. They came out really well, get this weird urge to target peoples mail boxes around Prahran, St Kilda, Windsor, Sth Yarra area.....will work out my battle plan. A good excuse to do some walking for exercise.The book of the month for me is Taschen's TATTOOS book by Henk Schiffmacher. Really cool shots and I love the Tattooist woman on the front few pages.... Taschen have a website (don't we all) www.taschen.com You might find some fun stuff there (I haven't looked yet). I love all the fifties tattoo people...what style.....what weird glasses!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Any book that starts out with..."As an art form, the tattoo is as ephemeral as life itself"......gets my thumbs up. This book was also so cheap, three pounds at one of those English discount book stores.
June 13th
Amanda sends me an email from the road so that goes up on the website...nice to read someone else's words instead of mine for a change.Head outside and rake up leaves and fill the compost bin (again). How many leaves can a tree have?????
Head out for my first two hour postcard drop....fee strange at first, sometimes I taunt houses who have NO JUNK MAIL...signs on their boxes. Well I think Hussy is surely a work of art and this lovely postcard is a gift from my heart to the people of Prahran (grin)....so in it goes...I skip madly down the street hehehehe...mad Gryphon goblin on the loose. Strange people avoid me like I am the strange person.....do they think I'm a street person being paid 50c per hour to distribute Hussy postcards at midnight?
I head to Becci's and surprise her in the alleyway.....makes me a nice cuppa tea and I hide a postcard in her freezer (its the little sister thing... Jj is the same...bad boys playing tricks). Nice to have a chat though I do open up the doors of my mind a bit too much (no not drugs...is that all you guys think of?). Finish the last pile of cards and arrive home- passionate.
June 14th
Raining when I wake up, very snug in bed, too disciplined to sleep in, what a bummer. Call accountants and get paid a few days early, fax off invoices to various bands and start on the Finn mail-out. Stuart calls by to get bits and pieces and accept the corrections.A Bardot male fan wins Tiffs Cowgirl hat...Tiff attracts many male fans!!
Work all night and miss Mark Lizotte at the Hard Rock...was hoping he would of at least called but he sounded flat out.
Do some start work on the Crowded House dvd project...still not sure if this will happen, there are proposals etc etc takes time......I tell Alice in NZ that I don't want to put hours in everyday if it's going to be knocked on the head by the new management company- she understands totally.
June 15th
Train to city- the grey rain clouds are hanging around. Do you notice how much smaller Melbourne looks against the grey and clouds. Looks very deserted.....Check Vali's studio, clear the messages, her land lady leaves 13 messages in a row- her memory has gone.....sad. Studio is like an empty cave without the artist, determined to send her a letter this week.
Bic gives me a call and is about halfway through her album. She promises to mail me some new music so I'm excited by some Bic Runga new tracks. Miss the little gremlin...NZ can still be so far away.
Look for a Beani for Sharon (Finn) she took a liking to mine and we talked Beani etiquette ...mine suited her but it was a present from a friend so I couldn't part with it...just can't find one for her...yet.
June 16th
Did I do anything today....did those retched aliens steal a whole day? Give it back......June 17th
Have brecky with Mrs Allison today...she orders egg on toast I go for porridge...almost eat it all- much to Jamie's horror....We head to Xavier next and she gets some work underway for me (bless her). I tell her that Giles from Buffy also likes the Bay City Rollers music so she isn't alone.......
Send Spock some photos of myself to work his magic on...for the Akira cartoon drawing...I must not like them very much as I title them ugly.jpeg1, ugly.jpeg and (you guessed it) ugly.jpeg3.
he's finished the cover art for RARE and it goes in to be made into film early this week. We love his work.
June 18th
Check tattslotto and we didn't win, our $21 winning streak has ended! Head out tonight to our old stomping ground of East St Kilda- yes another Hussy Postcard drop. Head to Murchison street where the Woodface apartment is and the Finns old mansion....am amazed at how huge the pine tree is out front, we always plant a tree when we first move into a house, kind of a nature-ish ritual and this pine tree is now higher then the apartments- massive! I wonder what the locals will think when they get the postcard in their box and if they will remember us.Find a handbill near my car that mentions the Dalai Lama will visit Melbourne in May 2002...not sure what sort of "sign" this is but I make note of the month.
Get home from tonight's postcard adventure at 12.00- all this walking has made me very sleepy.
June 19th
Happy 39th Birthday Alison! Which also means we have been at this latest house for three years now- feels like home, probably the best house we have ever had.Neil plays Melbourne tonight- the Forum, which is in the heart of the city and fully revamped and painted. This show sold out quickly and loads of regulars attend.
I visit the dentist at 11.00 , have the "new" cosmetic tooth added and I now have to practice to "straighten" my crooked smile.....I want to show all my teeth! *grin* (literally). Wasn't painful but I do hate the sound of those grinding tools, I comment that someone should invent the quiet dentist tool and my dentists comments that someone should invent the quite patient!!!!!! The nurse gives me a few bottles of mouthwash, the perfect size for touring.
Finally get our booking for the Hotel at the Grand Canyon in July....it's been booked out so we were lucky.
catch up with Renee and she shows me the new "bag" she has made- an amazing shape and all patent leather- really cool- very impressed. Her little shop should do well, nice that she is being unique with what she is making (and selling). Go Renee!
June 20th
The second Neil Forum show, head in at 2.00 and soundcheck is put back till much later- manage to see the crew- who have missed me ($10 in the post for each of you)...they are a good crew. I am early so the cleaners lock me in the theatre with all the gear- the Forum has this incredible painted fire curtain...50's kitsch. Neil does a dedication of Love this Life on stage, really sweet...thanks to the person who sent the paper plane up with this on it. I love that song.I open Vali's studio for awhile, it's been very quiet- she is missed. Take home the bone and wood carving that John created for me- the girls only recently passed this on....one of those lovely things you find the right spot for in your home.
We finish watching the last episode in the X-Files Box set #3- what are we going to do now? We will have to get a life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
June 21st
Have a chat to Neil and Sharon today, nice. Sharon is flying back to NZ tomorrow, to be with the kids I guess and Neil heads on to Adelaide and Perth.Sophie Bardot makes the front cover of FHM magazine- an ok interview- nice and honest- don't think Sophie knows how to hype the bullshit that is common in interviews of today...she is just honest.
Hear from Mark Lizotte who is on the road, let him know that his website has had it's 9000th visitor. It's ticking over- he needs to get a new cd out soon- hopefully now that they have moved back to Sydney it will happen.
June 22nd
Into the city again today- pay off the Amex card...doesn't it seem like I do that every second day? The Elevator lady at Vali's building told me she heard me on radio- I asked her if I came across as a wanker and she said no she really enjoyed the interview. (Her $10 is in the post too). Actually it's nice, the radio people apparently told Greville Books they liked having me on the show...We get our invites to Shane Gehlerts show at the Delsham Gallery 1185 High St Armadale Victoria. For any Victorians reading this who love art with a difference check out Shane's exhibit....July 4th-July 16th. 11am-6pm every day. His work is amazing, here is his website: http://www.outbackart.com.au/ Love those "mechanical macropods".
There is a message on the answering machine from the lovely Bic Runga. She's jumping on a flight tonight and heading to Melbourne for a quick shop, buy a sixties guitar and to hang out with us for a day or so. Am over the moon, have missed her. I'm sure some of you have met Bic- she's just so cool...and little and just a natural....her and a guitar...just works.
So I'm in the bath in the evening and I knew she'd call, everyone calls when I am in the damn bath.......I need a waterproof phone for Xmas. So we plan to catch up for breakfast and coffee.....tomorrow.
Watch the Xmen movie (again) on dvd....works well- Hugh is cool...good film work. Can't wait for the second one.....sleep....silent dreams of space in my head!
June 23rd
It's 9.30 and I'm reading in bed, phone rings and it's the Bic girl. Have a shower and head to the hotel, it's not far I can walk there. Give her a hug and a squeeze and we walk holding hands- she's one of those people that you are just glad to have in your life....like Santa Claus you just want her to stay for a bit longer....(but much slimmer and no beard ).Breakfast at Babble and she loved the food, off guitar hunting and she gets recognized, especially by the various kiwis that work in the guitar shops.
I think that Jj would know where the best 2nd hand 1960s guitars are , and I know that they will be at Dada's having breakfast. They are so we sit with Jj and Miss Renee....fun. Renee's bags are coming along at a fast and furious rate and it looks like the release date for the Vampire Lestat movie will be November. So her exploding vampire role will be on the screens in time for Xmas (Go Renee).
We head to a few more stores and then off to Albert Park to the Guitar Emporium..... Kevin from LLT use to have an office area upstairs.... and they have some pretty funky guitars...
Cake has to be next (oink oink)...ok Bic is good and I eat cake. I've parked illegally but made the car totally invisible with a cheap witches trick (and a bag of wishful thinking)....so no parking fine. Decide to take the scenic route home and drive via the bay. All the sailboats are out, so I pull over so we can sit in the sand.....I watch the waves roll up and say how boring it must be to be reincarnated as a wave!
Call Uncle Hessie when I get home as I really want the Bic girl to see and visit his home studio while she is in town.....so we are both heading around to see him tomorrow. I didn't know that Bic and Paul have never met, Paul has the vibe to play drums at the moment so you never know where this meeting of Runga/Hester may lead.
Went to show Bic the Hussy window display and I forgot that today was the last day...so the Judd painting is no longer in the window...but Greville Books still have a few copies left.
On a final note the Frenz.com Auction is coming up..... it's a once a year chance for fans to show some support for the Frenz.com domain. All monies raised goes into paying the costs of the Frenz.com site (ok Deb explains it better than I do). So head to: http://www.frenz.com/auction.html Various items will be up for auction......Famous for 16 Minutes has surrendered one of only two "work" books for the next book BANG. It has all notes and various bits and pieces scribbled all over it- basically it's our work in progress rough- so the lucky bidder gets the worked version of BANG. It's the pre-first edition!!!!! (Thanks Rosemaree for your contribution).
Finally, we leave for Sth America in a month, if anyone wishes to order one of the final first editions of HUSSY on credit card (via this site) you have 4 weeks to do it. Nothing will be sent out for a month so this is probably your last chance to CC order it. Head to the merchandise area.
Best/Worst for the Month
Fave Food-Crispy M&M's
Fave Book-Tattoo's (Taschem)
Song-Into the Sunset (live) OR anything off The Smiths Best Of...1
Fashion-Renee's new bags.
Hate-Nasal Hair and white rabbits that chew up power cords.
Love-new tooth
Cute Moment-Cosmo asleep on Mark.
Fave DVD- Buffy & X-Files Box sets.
On line so I'm just going to send this one in as it is...... is everyone happy?
Peter