The Life and Times of Peter Green
Archive: 3 May - 16 May 2010
May 3rdAll the May birthdays are rolling out...Suuz is today- have a good one! They really are endless and our friend Fran is about to give birth and yes another may baby to add to the birthday total. Well it is the best month to be born, isn't it!Our friend Alison turns up for some cake and tea and to collect her collection of Juke magazines that I borrowed to track down live dates for the Crowdies book. Always good to see her, she never really changes, a nice constant in our life. 'Saturday Sun' is in the iTunes Top 200 chart- NZ at #165, Oz at #132... not massive but I guess after the free download offer people didn't expect all that much. I think Crowded House will become an 'album sales' band like most. I start work on transcribing some interviews always a long process but it has to be done. May 4thWe head off to Prahran today to see our doctor. We are the first people to get Yellow Fever shots at the Prahran clinic, they don't even know how much to charge us. I get a tetanus booster for us both too, mainly because it's long over due. It's always funny to return to Prahran, I spend quite a bit of time watching people and so few look happy, some look down right miserable. They need to travel and see how good they really go have it. We call in for coffee at the Market Cafe and see Kris and her Mum, such a warm welcome, Kristina looks stunning, she is such a beauty- each year she just blossoms- we've known her since she was about 15.On the way home we visit my travel agent and hand over passports for Kenya VISA's and travel insurance and all the extra bits and pieces just to have it out of the road. Feels good to get that stuff done. By the time we get home the whole day has been wasted and my Yellow Fever 'fake flu sets in. It's all part of it..Mark thinks I'm imagining it, my aching bones tell me otherwise- meanwhile he is fine. May 5th6 weeks till Kenya... excellent. Our ex Crowdies crew guy and just nice bloke Geoff Lloyd turns 60 today and I'm in full fake flu mode, only work half a day so not in party mode. He probably wont forgive us but I cant even drive at the moment let alone party on.How funny-Leonard Nimoy from Star Trek unveiled a statue and told residents to 'Live long and prosper' in the Canadian town of Vulcan , I love those little news snippets. I get the email that Tim is performing 2 shows in America on his way to England, one in LA one in New York. Dates are on www.frenz.com/timfinn/ news page. Nice that some Finn fans in the States get a chance to see him play. I have a strange reaction tonight, for an instant I had a massive mood swing, like really angry just wanted to smash this big serving plate that we had, even bellowed at lovely ol' Marky, no idea what set this off life is pretty good. I could actually feel this strange anger building inside me, it all came zapping out when I flicked on the kitchen light and 2 of the light globes exploded into pieces sending glass everywhere around the kitchen... and suddenly I was fine. What a freak I am, still at a loss to explain what that was all about. But my body obviously let it all out......in one big bang! May 6thThe UK election is underway, as per my last diary I still think it will probably be a hung parliament. It looks like England's voting system is rather archaic, so many people couldn't vote, hell they even ran out of voting cards.I hear from the guys that the upcoming Crowded House album will indeed be released on vinyl, I expected it to be but really delighted that it's 100%. The vinyl loving fans will be stoked. The weather is brisk up here, ok damn friggin cold. This morning the whole mountain was covered in fog and Mr Fox and family were about but the girls were locked in their pens nice and safe. I hear the Liberals want to put a bounty on killing foxes. Yeah I totally get the damage they do but there is a part of me that loves them.... I'll be hiding all the foxes in our wine cellar in case the Libs ever get in- not their fault they were born foxes. I can think of some Liberal politicians I would rather shoot first way before the foxes. Bang! Mr Abbott straight between the eyes! May 7thOrder Bec's present from the wonderful Blue Baldur people. I know they wont arrive in time but she'll enjoy them. I'll give her some other bits and pieces till they get here. We give the kids next door the spare copy of Avatar and the Fantastic Mr Fox. You get those standard DVDS with Blu Rays from some company so they make nice giveaways- and our neighbours kids are great... they'll enjoy them. I sit and have some tea with J&J next door and nice to chat. My Yellow Fever has subsided but I think Mark is now having some full on reaction..he aches its like he has some super flu. He looks sick- and finally he believes I actually was. I make a good nurse ("Nurse Green report to Ailsa Craig-Level 2").I snip the tops off some of the plants that have gone to seed and tidy up the yard..this is after wading through 4000 emails. There are only so many you can reply to before feeling fried. We do our best. May 8thHappy Birthday Bec. I give her a call she is off to see The Cult, I'm playing nurse.... she'll have a good time. I open up one of my old archive boxes and find my Cult metal tin , it was some limited edition for an early album-thought Bec would like it just to put things in...it's all black and shiny! Very CULT!Today I work on all the receipts for our tax/BAS. Boring but I move through them fast. We spend so much on postage. Some fans are so generous little postage donations of stamps, especially from the USA have kept us going. Just marvelous when people think of us. It really keeps us going. I'm sure there will be a stage where the postage kills us and we cant do it anymore- so huge thank you to the people who send us the odd stamp. It makes a difference believe me, especially USA postage. May 9thMothers Day so give my dear old Mum a call- she loved her flowers and for once they didn't go astray.I speak to a friend of ours today and he sounds drained and tired. Tells me Phil Judd phoned him 3 or 4 times at 2.30-3.00 in the morning, just horrible and usual nasty crap. Its equally annoying as our friend has a young kid and family and they really don't need to be woken up by that bozo at that hour of the night to receive some of his venom. I tell him to unplug his phone and hopefully he'll just go away, or seek some legal advice like we have done. I have to say at least he has stopped hassling us, it was either stop or get legal to do it or simply punch him in the head (opps). Violence is always #3 on my list. Crowdies climb to #3 on the Today Show All Time Favourite band voting, Skyhooks make the top 20 list too so thats always nice to see. The fans got them to #3...amazing. What an army we have. May 10thSpeak to the office in NZ, and some bits and pieces arrive via email..just stuff I need like photo images and all that.I also get another call, Judd ends up in court today- gets a year jail! So I guess he wont be phoning and hassling anyone (opps). It's not related to our friend being hassled just other stuff, 'stalking' covers a wide range of crimes these days and because of the previous conviction I think it means he broke parole. It's complicated I'm sure. It still feels weird writing this, and I am left wondering how he can keep on fucking up his life...and he just cant see what he has done wrong. Oh that's right everyone else is to blame, I forgot. Just kind of sad, pathetic and his own fault, not sure how sorry I can even feel for him after all of this, though the kind side of me does try- but when someone calls you a faggot, leech , scum etc the sympathy jar starts to be a bit empty. I do hope he gets through it and like we have said many time, changes, I truly don't think he will. A Judd fan reminded me that I said on line that I had this feeling in my gut that it was going to get worse... sadly i was right. I just wanted things to improve for his familly and his son.... and yeah even Judd...but it has to start with him. I spend an hour signing copies of TRIP the 4th diary book. I get sidetracked by the photos in it, I do love the little diary books. I'm so glad all the fan-collectors enjoy these as well. I'm always happy to sign them, my pleasure. May 11thYeah my birthday, happy birthday to the old fart- that's me! Thank you for the emails, presents and so many best wishes. Phone calls all day , it was amazing, I loved that all our friends just made the effort and called- things like that make a huge impact on me, I could feel the love. The first call was around 7.00 from Benny who just arrived back from John Butler tour- the first time ever that anyone has beaten my Mum with being the first birthday phone call. I was bleary asleep and god knows what I said- were you really singing Happy Birthday in Hungarian? Marky and Banshee sneak in with some chocolates..... just a nice morning. I drive to the general Store to grab the mail and the girls run out with a huge birthday cake covered in sparklers- I was lost for words (how rare is that!!!!!). Only at Kalorama ....wow. Dr Chiro was next and they were just as amazing and I was given all this organic hair conditioners and goodies.....I love birthdays!Sadly though on the way I spotted a black cat on the opposite side of the road that had been run over, I think i saw a red collar like Banshees, so I decide if it's still there on the way back I will stop and see if there is a number on the collar and call the owners with the terrible news. While I was chilling with my acupuncture needles all I could think of was the dead cat.... so on the way back I keep an eye out and there it is. I park the car on the edge of the mountain and walk up..oh..not a red collar that is it's TONGUE (gross). No collar at all no tags. Somehow apart from the initial impact, cars and trucks have avoided squashing it..... I start to walk back to the car and I have a thought. It's bad enough the owners finding out their cat is dead but by the time they find it, it will surely be pulped into some goulish mess...so I make the decision to move it off the road, to the side. If nothing else it might be microchipped and the dead animal collector does scan them...... and also while it still looks ok the owners can bury it intact. So picture me looking rather gothic in black, mohair jumper , doc martens etc, with two sticks moving this cat. Cars are going past "Oh look honey an aging Goth with his pet dead cat"..... I move it to the side of the road and head off. Some sort of good deed on my birthday I guess...poor kitty. Mark is really sick so I simply cook us dinner, I wouldn't drag him out to a restaurant while he is so bad. I open up some truly wonderful presents (I think I have emailed everyone!) It's sad but I do love opening present boxes....I had the best day thanks everyone. May 12thI head into the office early and continue clearing the Emails. I get some from Neil and Sharon for my birthday- sweet. A few more calls too.We go to Mountain gate to do the banking, I get my hair cut short and dark, I like it, some hidden tints of red make it all shiny in the sun, whenever we have sun again. As I'm getting it snipped radio is playing not one but two Crowded House songs, after that Skyhooks with 'Ego" ..how funny I just smile. I pick up a box from the post office and Jan has sent some more of her remarkable cards - lovely one offs- very cool. Back in the office for the rest of the day, the ends of my fingers ache from Emails. May 13thWell the Conservatives have moved into No. 10 Downing Street, I hope it's a good thing for England. Time will tell I guess.We have these odd mosquito net wraps for our hats to keep the malaria ridden mosquitoes at bay when we are in Africa. I keep calling them the Bushmans Burqa. As long as they work... I spend some time transcribing some of the Neil interview for the next mail out. May 14thDo to the drive to the accountants to drop in our BAS. She asks me about Skyhooks reforming, I realize later on its the cover band SLYHOOKS - the Tribute Show as they are in Melbourne soon. They'll probably get some decent crowds, a few friends are going.The press call around the Judd in jail stuff, I pretty much say 'no comment' enough has been said about his mess. I did hear a rumour that the mother and the girls he stalked might be on a NZ tv show, not sure if that is a reality. It never ends. The Blu Ray player is being annoying, just waiting for Mark to throw it out the window! Eventually it works (Phew). I'm getting addicted to a Star Trek Play Station game, it's hard though those damn Romulans keep kicking my arse, each game I do improve and then exhaustion sets in and I start losing. Earth and the Sol system has been over run many times thanks to my lack of command with my starfleet ships. Sorry readers you are all Romulan slaves!!!! Hmm I wonder if all of this game play will bring back my carpal tunnel, if that doesn't the now 5000 emails will. May 15thMark wanders in my bedroom and tells me that at 7.30 the old dead tree on the neighbours property next door fell down and is now lying across our circular drive way! I pull on my Deadwood tv show fleecy top (given to me by some gorgeous woman in NYC) and go out to move as much of the fallen tree as possible. It's not too bad I clear the drive way, the neighbours can saw and take it all away. It dawns on me I am wearing a 'Deadwood" fleecy top clearing dead wood. I need a coffee...everything is funny when I wake up early.... not!I have about 12 really good mates coming up this evening to celebrate the birthday. I'm going out of my way to keep this simple- basically a pizza and drinks night. It's perfect, no complications , so relaxed and really fun. I just adore these people and I am left just feeling really good. I did find a wild marijuana plant in the forest so I have a bag of pot. So a few joints are rolled. Hell the wild stuff is strong. We so rarely ever have a joint it's kind of nice with the big open fire going (hey all that dead wood to burn)... wine and god knows what other drinks- Rosemaree has created some alcohol (I picture her with her own brewing still in her kitchen)..she does point out it looks like she is giving me a jar of a urine sample but it is actually alcohol!!! More presents.... Jen and Merl and Matty give us this vibrant pink grass plant and a stone rock hard Rooster for the chicken pen. Of course that leads to endless 'hard cock from my 2 lesbian friends' jokes..... so immature..ok I am. Bec a voucher to create a one off book of my shots from Africa, Trudi $ for a filter for the new camera .... book vouchers and funky egyptian cat from Stella and Laura. The Pizza man gives us some Pizzas for free "heard it is your birthday" and as I drive back from the shop with Trudi we realize the whole of Mount Dandenong is packed full of tourists-thousands of cars everywhere..... every restaurant full. I'm sure Melbourne city is empty...they are all up here. Greg Skyhook arrives and hands me a Billy Idol Live Blu ray...yey.... Idol looks the same. Pool is played, the Buddha statues covered in fairy lights and candles hang in lanterns throughout the house. Warwick helps me get more wood from the garage and was way too happy and took a nose dive off the top step, somehow did the perfect forward roll whilst carrying the wood container and escaped the fall unscathed !!!!!! Impressed with that one and not sure if he would remember it next day. Some of us danced well kind of, some of us lost at pool but really a great night- thank you my marvelous mates! I even blew all my candles out on Rosemaree's funky cake. I think it's 4.00 in the morning when we finally go to bed. Excellent night!~ May 16thI get little sleep, Banshee glides up to me and cuddles in, she's happy all those strange people have gone home. I make the effort climb out of bed let the chickens out and roll the rather full recycle bin out for pick up. Tidy up the house, it's not too bad but way too many empty bottles. I clear some emails and heaps of thank you's for a fine night. I get an email from Neil , and wish him all the best for the upcoming UK tour dates.Lovely day on top of Mount D, sun shining so I'm off to recharge and enjoy it. All the best PG |