The Life and Times of Peter Green
Archive: 24 August - 6 September 2009
August 24thI'm a bit flat today, the blues descend, all I need is a harmonica...'I've gotttt the bluessss'.! (Sing along readers). To make it worse a friend called and her dad died, so my intended helping them move is now delayed and a funeral on the horizon. I don't think that helped my dark cloud. I hate funerals as much as church weddings.I chat to Greg Skyhook and try to keep the 'project' motivated and heading in the right direction. I've taken some time off from the Crowdies book, mostly a bit fried and it's good to give it a short break. Will resume in a few weeks. August 25thAnother day another super storm. Wind, rain, hail and a romantic candle lit dinner. The power is out, but not for long and to be honest we only caught the edge of this storm, I think most of it plowed into those bayside suburbs.I think Lilly Pilly is closed, maybe they are having some time off, I just wish they would put a sign on the door letting people know- you drive to the place and it's closed up. You know you've just missed a really good coffee too. Play Neil Young's LIVING WITH WAR cd, it always makes my favourite top 20 albums list- just a well rounder of an album, with some great songs. August 26thI spend most of the day getting the cd mailers ready to go out for 7 Worlds II album. It's a big effort as people move so I double check addresses and such, all monies go to OXFAM for THE SUN CAME OUT (it's real name) so I'm making sure the fans who ordered copies via us get the two cd set, even if it costs us, it's a great one to support. There seems to be some confusion as far as all countries having the 2 cd released. I'm sure they would, wouldn't they? A second cd of fresh songs by amazing artists is surely a tempting seller. We'll at least get these out on time, maybe even a few days early which would be nice.www.frenz.com/neilfinn/ has a bit of info up- I love that cover art!!!!! August 27thI had an email from a book store in Europe today, wanting my diary books. I'm thinking of only offering them TRIP as Glamour is down to a mere 12 copies and I'd prefer readers of the diary or collectors of these little books to be able to get Glamour via us. I know Deb still has copies available via the merchandise area at the bottom of this website. Once the 12 go it has sold out, but I like that people don't have to pay insane prices on Ebay for them.Mark has inherited one thing from his Mum that drives us a bit nuts. The power to blow up light globes. He must carry some extra electrical charge or is not a very well grounded young man *GRIN*. He sometimes just turns on a switch and blows the globe, I'd say at least 10 times as much as the rest of the world, his mum is the same. Today was a classic, he didn't blow the globe, he blew it up, it exploded out of the socket in the lounge room chandelier!!!!!!! I'm sure it isn't a very exciting super power to have- being able to blow out light globes!!! I think he would of preferred invisibility to sneak into the girls locker room at school!!! Yieks!!!!! My best mate is a freak. I get my 6 monthly figures for Crowded House's RECURRING DREAM in Australia, we are 13,300+ before we hit 13 Platinum here (910,000 sold in Australia). I figure by May next year we should do it, depending on Christmas sales. When we hit that magic number it will mean Crowded House have the biggest selling Australian album by a group...ever!. Now that is cool. It just keeps on ticking over. I hear from our mouse pad people and they have a delay , still waiting on the special backing for the mouse pads (GRRR). The fans are patient, just some minor thing upsets the apple cart. August 28thI try to contact Tania but keep getting her voice mail, in the end I email. I have no idea if the funeral is on today. I've cancelled most of my day, just hoping she will call us. She's probably flat out... we'll just wait.I hear from Nick Seymour and he sends me some footage called CLAP of the guys in the studio, only a few minutes before, working on some small pieces of a song, just made me chuckle, nice that they make the effort to email when they are so flat out. I buy the final can of paint and finish the roof of my garage. So stoked that this is complete. I have our outside phone with me but no call on the funeral, I wonder if it is a private one? I almost hope so as I am not very good around funerals (who is?) at the best of times. August 29thWell Shirl from Skyhooks has been gone 8 years now, it does seem that long since he died in that helicopter crash- as time goes On I realize just how impossible it is to replace him as a lead singer....which also means today is my sisters birthday. I call her nice and early. Mag shop are totally hopeless and mess up my subscription present, I vow not to use them ever again, their website is totally shit. For weeks I've put off giving Banshee her multi worm tablets, I just know her claws will slice and dice me and she'll probably throw the tablet back up. But today I decide to try, and she is brilliant, no fuss no freak out and all done in 20 seconds. I didn't think anything would work, that horrid paste stuff made our last cat Hairball froth and she spat it out, I broke the tablets up into small bits and hid them in her food and she chewed her food and left the small specks of tablets-Hairball fought it all the way- but Banshee just swallowed her pill like a raver at a dance party taking an 'E'. Totally impressed and not scars on my hands- good cat!!! (PHEW!) August 30thNice article on Neil and 7 Worlds project in the PLAY section of the Herald Sun. I'm hoping people will get behind this album, seeing it benefits OXFAM.I speak to Tania and I think her message service is flipping out- she never got my numerous messages, I wonder how many others she didn't get? Work in the garden today, pick some vegetables from the vegie patch, I'll have to dig up my potatoes soon, they seem to be everywhere. It's incredibly calm outside today, loads of birds and quite a few bee's buzzing around, doing their thing. I sigh...I love it. August 31stOur friend Alison turns up for some cake and coffee. She also has armfuls of old Juke, beat and Tv Scene magazines to help with my gig research for the Crowdies book. I do find two adverts from the first few Crowded House shows in Victoria. One Mark is stoked with as he remembers going to this Crowdies show but no one else remembers the gig. Only about 30 people went...I was away .... anyway we find the advert so he wasn't insane after all. It was the third show Crowded House had ever done...so very early days.I just wish Mark would of taken his camera along for those shows.I send Greg Skyhook our Suzi Quatro tickets, the wedding is on that weekend so we can't make it and he gets to take 2 mates along with him instead of us! Destined never to see Suzi Q! As time goes on those seventies icons grow far and few, especially those who still put on a good show. Reports are still coming in that Victoria's water minister has gone missing on a hike at Mount Feathertop, the weather has turned to misery, snow sleet etc. I hope they find him, it's a horrible area to go missing in. September 1stHappy birthday Laura (Bingy Bingy Bingy!!!). have a great day.We see that they have opened up the case on Brian Jones death, not sure what it will achieve after all this time. I think the death bed confession of the guy that lived at the house pretty much said it all. We do an edit of 'Saturday Night' from the Myer Music Bowl 1975 for the Skyhooks website, such an insane concert, it's the hysteria that The Beatles received, so over the top. It's nice to see Tim Holding get rescued, alive and well, he looks ok considering he has spent several days and nights in sub zero temperature. Dickhead Liberal Bernie Finn (he's the bad Finn of the clan *GRIN*) is so nasty about it- as someone said, if bernie went missing no one would care- too true. September 2ndDrive to KNOX today, they have a San Churro's chocolateria in the complex now...spanish chocolate and coffee, and of course the super popular Churros.... which Mark always thinks taste 'strange'.The '7 Worlds' documentary premieres on Foxtel tonight. Good old MAX channel, it came up night well- should be a good -promotional tour. I'm amazed how Johnny Marr looks different , not sure if it's his hair or just good skin care! Nice to see Angie in the background too. I've avoided watching it till now, so it was nice to sit back and chill and enjoy it. I spot the sheet music stand we gave Neil for christmas (from Abbey Road studios) in his private music room area. It looks great, nice to see it is being used. Some bad news from Cathy.... makes me sad and a bit angry at the world. Dinner is spinach cannelloni , one of the best batches I've made..think it's the few homegrown vegies and herbs that went into it. We watch ioUSA (IOUsa) amazing, every American should watch this..... incredible. Mail out more THE SUN CAME OUT cds, we've been sending them out a few days early, so they are in transit. September 3rdWe have breakfast at Lilly Pilly and are told they have now sold the business so it is changing hands- the new owners are Kerry & Marco. It freaks Mark out as he worries that the quality will drop. Hopefully not, what will we do without Mattys excellent coffee? It's the kick start for our day. People ask how we manage to do so much in our lives- it's Matty's coffee...really.I spend days getting cd mailers addressed for Tims ' Anthology' cd (in October) i'll be ready to go when this is released, so really just a case of boxing up all the stock. September 4thI'm not sure if Neil is back in New Zealand yet, he sent me an email from the studio where they are doing the final work on the new album, so it must be getting close to being finished (as far as the recording side goes, and mixing I guess?). He seems to of been away from home for awhile now. It will be good to hear some of the final results of the new material.The mid week from the UK has 'The Sun Came Out' in the mid-thirtys, I still don't believe it will end up that high on the UK charts- charity albums , etc are confusing for many people especially all new songs. I know the fan base will support this, for all the positive reasons but the general public always seem to be a bit cheap around such releases. I told Mark I don't think it will debut in the Top 40, maybe just outside the top 50, I could well be wrong. I stock up on extra food, Marks Mum and Allen arrive on Monday, so the in laws for a few days, which is ok as I dig them. Plus it's nice to cook some larger meals. Friday special for dinner, actually Friday special twice, tasted delicious both times. September 5thI break my own rule and work in the office for a short period- just a tiny bit of catch up. It's such a brilliant Spring day I want to be out in it. I put in plants and flowers and mow and cut and snip and stack and fill the wheelbarrow and give nature a small thrashing!!! The cockatoos are pissed off that I didn't feed them and 2 nasty ones decide to rip the new flowers out of their pots. I know who you two are (as I wave my fist to the skies).have a chuckle at a new shampoo tv advert that starts 'Can you imagine life with out split enz (ends)"! Made me grin. Hmmm no not really I can't...... I carry my bag to the bedroom as I need to pack my gear for this wedding, plus mark is filming it, in HD, so Mr and Mrs Yeti will look glamorous ! Queensland here we come. September 6thWe decide to make a sunday drive to Nunawadding. Call into the JB store and there is Wendy working hard behind the counter- I didn't want to disturb her too much, she looked flat out-said high, she must of chuckled that we were buying all their 7 Worlds II and Liam Finn eps ...gotta support the guys! On the way home we call into Hahndorfs which have moved down the road at Montrose... the new place is great, it's huge. Coffee and truffles on a Sunday-life is hard!!!I come home and find the UK chart, The Sun Came Out debuts at #58 in the Uk Top 200. Vac and do spring cleaning and no it's not because one of our mums is visiting- ok partially it is!!! I make several trips to the garage and carry in the wood, I leave the huge mirror ball spinning while I cut some more, our garage looks like the Kalorama Disco..... I make attempt some serious dance moves while swinging the axe. Almost sounds sexual- 'Oh baby I call out ...here is my axe of love' (I'm sounding like Chef from South Park!!!). We watch DOGS IN SPACE on dvd, it's the first time on DVD..the bonus documentary disc is brilliant , captures so many punk bands of the time. I though Nick Needles was a better actor then Michael Hutchence in the movie. Nick was in a band that we managed for about 3 days!!!! called The Curse. For those who have WINGS OFF FLIES go to page 26 of the book and there is a shot of John and Nick playing live in The Curse at the Crystal Ballroom in 1983. The doco also has early footage of The Boys next Door with Nick Cave and (now deceased) Tracey Pew (page 20 of Wings Off Flies). The dvd company Umbrella released it (nice metal dvd case) really a cool time capsule, and enjoyed the bonus footage as much as the movie itself, in some ways more. Australian punk era...! The Ballroom was such a crazy mishmash of a place, a scene within a scene..... and that insane spring loaded upstairs dance floor. I loved the Interview with Roland who penned the song SHIVERS before joining Boys next Door.... such a classic and Nick Cave's cheesey (though brilliant) vocal made the song into something that it wasn't previously..... I love those lyrics :' my baby's so vain, she is almost a mirror, and the sound of her name, sends a permanent shiver down my spine...' Of course the single did nothing (we bought it!). Arghhh memories... Take care PG |