The Life and Times of Peter Green
Archive: 7 October - 20 October 2024
 "Halloween on the Green" (with Peter Green) LOL. October 27th. |
October 7thBoth Mark and myself are still sniffy, fluish. We test for Covid but all good, it still hasn't gotten us. I squeeze a lot of local oranges , pump our bodies full of Vitamin C.I get to mind both Finn and Charlie (the dogs) today while Ingrid and Mark are getting coffees. These 2 dogs bring me such joy. Playing in the office today Bruce Springsteen "Magic". It did well in Australia way back in 2007. #2 Nationally in Australia but #1 in Melbourne. Bruce scored an Aussie gold record for this one. A million seller in America. I don't have a lot of Springsteen records but I really admire and like him. "Magic" is like my Neil Young "Living with War". It will probably never be many peoples favourite Springsteen record but it's one of mine. A nice bit of music as backing for this diary moment. As I sit here sipping my coffee at the bakery on this grey day, I think of the 2nd Springsteen song on "Magic". "White roses and misty blue eyes Red mornings, then nothin' but grey skies, A cup of coffee, a heart shot clean through,Jacket you bought me gone daisy grey-blue…" October 8thI had a dream around Paul (Hester) last night. It was strange I knew he was dead. I didn't say it but he must of gotten my look. He says to me "It's all ok, I just thought I'd drop in and say Hello". We were both sitting on an old railway sleeper in an out of control garden, full of blue bells and yellow buttercups. Both of us swinging our legs back and forwards. We talk and at the end he leans over slowly and gives me a cuddle. We don't say anymore but the sadness wells and I wake up with tears in my eyes. It stayed with me all day. Every so often Paul pays visit to my dreamland. I'm ok with that.I go to the charity and my friend Deb says how much she loved our Crowded House video from The Palace (Melbourne) that were filmed in 1991. Paul comes to the front and the band does a great version of "Italian Plastic. You can view it here. Happy Birthday to my friend Nicole. She's still a youngster, 33. We have a cake and fun. I chat to Ros about Halloween on the Green. Which is on October 27th at the Ferny Creek Reserve. Mark and myself are looking after the band stage, so I'll dig out my Wilfred the dog suit. It's such a magnificent event. Come along and say HI. October 9thI'm thinking of putting up some of the "Forest" set from Crowded House's "Fall at your Feet" as backing on our Halloween stage. I need to air it and make sure it's in good condition. The weather keeps changing up here so I have to get the right day.Homemade Lasagne for dinner. YUM. October 10thThere was this beautiful red orange sun this morning. I drive down the mountain like I am heading straight into the sun. I put on my Ray Ban wayfarer glasses. My Joe Cool in the Red Beast heading into the rising sun look.The charity busy today, the Book Cave doing some good business for the Salvo's. I sold the Millennium Flacon and two 100 year old books. "Pals Annual for the boys of Australasia". Some vinyl arrives and every record sells within 10 minutes. I'm excited as I score a mint condition of Hush's "Get Rocked" vinyl from 1974. I look inside the gatefold and find a signed Hush photo-signed by Rick,Keith and Smiley. It still needs Les's signature. Mark and myself loved Hush. They rarely ever played Wollongong. We had front row seats for one show and the bastards cancelled the gig. This record was hit for them, peaking at #9 and earning them 3 gold record awards. Anyway I am excited as is Mark when I arrive home with "more bloody vinyl". I saw some cool footage on interior designer Iris Apfel.. What an amazing character she was. She died just a few months ago aged 100. A friend Chris bought me "Accidental Icon -Musings of a Geriatric Starlet" book. It's very cool. Great photos of Iris. October 11thWell happy 50th anniversary Skyhooks with their debut album "Living In The 70's". The band and record that changed our lives forever. In the morning I work on a collage of the record and Mark on not one but 2 video/audio clips. Two unreleased songs. One of Skyhooks rehearsing at lead singer Shirleys parents house. Shirl had only been in Skyhooks for 4 weeks and done 11 shows. He shouts out this is the last song, to his parents and 2 sisters who are hiding out in the kitchen listening to their son's new band. It's a cute moment. The second is an unheard demo of the the title track. The folks at Noise 11 run an article on it and various people pick up the anniversary and link. Both videos have our highest day one numbers on Youtube for the year. The Skyhooks Facebook readers rejoice in these rarities and our record company….well they don't appear to do anything. Terrible-the band that saved Mushroom Records ignored by the record company. Well we won't forget this groundbreaking release and what it means to us and many others. Long live the mighty Hooks.October 12thI wake up way too early. Yawn and zombie walk around the house with Midnight.I spend the morning thanking people and replying to the thousand or so messages around Skyhooks "Living in the 70's". Nice. Something special about music lovers adoring a band 50 years later. I save a peacock from being hit by cars on the tourist road. I look up from my coffee and there he is, walking down the road. I know there are two wandering around the Tourist Rd this week. He lets me pick him up and I escort him to the green zone next to the vets. He stands in front of the Vet sign and I take a photo for Moss the Vets and their Facebook page. He turns around in the green zone and walks up the steps to the local pub. "Too early for beer" I yell Mr peacock as the pub is still closed. He about faces and streaks off into the forest. Silly bird. October 13thThe suns out so I mow a bit more of the east lawn. Marks done some, we are just doing bit at a time.Our Skyhooks FB page has 14,056 "likes" now and 229 new followers from the last 24hrs. To think 50 years ago no one would have thought about the internet or Facebook or Youtube. It keeps the bands history alive and music fans love it. I don't mind putting in the time for our beloved band. October 14thI mail off our Council voting form. We both just write 1,2,3. Belinda Groovy gets our #1. I still remember her at the oval during the disaster coming down and offering help.I get my bowel test results back, all negative so that is good. I love that the Aussie Government offers these tests and it's all free. Easy to do and a tiny piece of mind. It's late at night and I check on both of our recent Skyhooks videos have 1401 views, the exact same number for each of them, now that is weird. Snuggle on the couch with Mark and watch SBS/ABC streaming. So many incredible shows. October 15thCall into the petrol station for fuel and a coffee. My Wild Bean coffee isn't working this morning, feeling sleepy at charity. Nicole and myself move some stupidly big couches for a man who is ill and can't do it. I think I pulled my shoulder out a tiny bit. Ouch. No energy all day long, maybe I've been burning the candle at both ends.George Negus dies at 82. I loved his work, one of the best veteran journalists in Oz and great foreign correspondent. I met George at one of the Music Award nights, he always made you feel at home. Nice bloke. I crash in Marks bed for 2 hrs when I got home, he makes me a sandwich and I sleep . October 16thI start buying Christmas presents. The first , two Swami Mystery Talking Boards. Great prices and Morrissey's Ouija Board song is floating about in my head.I have a handful of there Halloween on the Green posters and buy some blutac and visit the local shops and see if they will put a poster up in their windows. 99% say YES even several who never do , So I appreciate it, I'm sure half just because I asked. So thank you to : Olinda bakery, Where the Wilde things Are, Mountain Wholefoods, IGA Olinda, Indian by Nature, Kelly's Tavern, Hair for the Hills , Olinda Pizza and Olinda Post Office. I have one poster left so attach it to the back window of the Red Beast. NSW Pittwater ByElection is coming up. Would love for Independent Jacqui Scruby to win. The ByElection happened after Liberal MP Rory Amon went to jail for child molesting offences. Throw away the key I say. Markys Youtube Wednesday now up and today's the fabulous Finn Brothers,. I filmed this at QPAC in Brisbane in February 1996. Performing a beautiful version of "Many's The Time". You can enjoy it here, and thank you Marky for your tireless efforts. October 17thI buy 2 very cheap things at the charity today. A cool new reddish wig for possible Halloween use and a giant Sloth toy which I will sneak and leave at Enz bassists Nigel Griggs door and pretend I didn't do it, so shhhh Mums the word. He loves his Sloths.At 6.00 AM Midnight coughs up her first ever fur ball. It had to happen, she is so hairy. I call into Olinda Pizza and put up the Halloween on the The Green poster (thank you Duncan) and buy a family size pizza for dinner. Gotta support those who support what you do. We stay up way too late, I think I have exhausted Marky. I only sulk a little. I am a night owl when it suits me. October 18thWell some wild weather has arrived in Melbourne. It feels far more like North Queensland today. I'm in shorts and a giant Canadian police coat. I was catching up with Andy White but we both blew it out as the weather sucks and driving tip the Devils Elbow in flooding down rain might well wipe Andys car out. I sit with my friend Ian who hates Halloween and we debate it (in a a good way). HA.I work in the office with Marky for 3 hours. Our office is pretty cool and we both get a lot done. Every so often I email him , just to annoy him. He laughs at all the lame Trump images I send, especially the one where Putin is taking Trump as a dog for a walk. I drive to the supermarket before the storm arrives. We rarely have KFC but I have a $50 voucher so what the hell. Bad fast food moment. The nice gay chap at the counter gives me nothing but chicken breasts so thats really nice. Plus I find a giant potato and gravy included for free when I get home. Midnight obsesses over the KFC empty bag. She climbs inside it and falls asleep. Kentucky Fried Kitten anyone? October 19thI catch up with the one and only Andy White at 10.30. Great to see him and we chat and chat. Two hours later we are still at the bakery. Now he is doing a one off show at Merri Creek Tavern in Melbourne on November 14th. This is the only gig before he heads off overseas. He'll be gone for awhile, so try and catch this show if you can. It will be great.Here is some great live footage that Marky filmed of Andy at Merri Creek awhile back. Such a good song, we hope you enjoy it. I'm in kitchen and Midnight comes to the back door and makes huge fuss. I work out that she wants me to follow her so I do. Down the walk track we go. She sits next to some glossy leaves and meows at me. I lift the leaves and baby bunny is underneath . He looks lost and confused. She is so gentle, doesn't try to hurt him. The bunny lets me pick him up and he cuddles into my flanny shirt. I have the cat in the other hand and have to pick up my house keys with my toes. I put the cat in, get some shoes on. Before I take the bunny out, Midnight jumps on the table and gives him a little cat kiss on his head. I take the rabbit to a little green safe spot that I know of not far from my house. He is way calmer now, eats some grass and hops into the thicket. I know some people hate rabbits and I get why, but there is no way I'm going to kill this little creature just because he was born a bunny. The Kalorama oval down the road from our place is packed full of people. The "Roller Coaster run", trail running event is on. 500+ runners use local roads and then head into the bush tracks during the event. It starts at 8.00 am and finishes around 9.30 PM. Which is fine, we happily support such things but the guy on the microphone loves his own voices and is so annoying. I could hear locals in their back yards shouting out "shut the fuck up" which made us chuckle and other houses cheering and going "yeah shut up". It's once year so we all deal with it. No sign of it supporting any local charities on their flyer, maybe next time they should donate to the CFA or something, maybe they do? October 20thIt's grey again , the sun is trying to break through but failing. There is certain quiet at the bakery today. I'm at my table out front, I'm in the zen, peaceful chill out zone and it's nice. A rather handsome tree lopper buys me a coffee and sits for awhile. So that was ‘interesting'. I'm kind of glad I'm married, I'd be in so much trouble otherwise, end of day I'm in love with that best friend of mine. 100%. Pansy Visions "He's Trouble" starts playing on my phone, so I take that as an omen. HA! I go "well are you" and he smiles. Ok he is.Labor wins its 7th consecutive term in Government for the ACT. Canberra loves Labor. 23 years in power, so this will make 27. You'd think that after 23 years the Liberals would win. They kept bragging they would and Sky News kept hyping them but the Libs ended with egg on their faces. 2 independents will sit in the legislative assembly for the first time in more than 2 decades, which I think is a good thing. The QLD election is on next week, I'm not a fan of Liberal David Crisafulli. Mark calls him "Crisa-Full-Of-Himself".! It's a hard win for Labor, but Australian politics, anything is possible. I finish working on this diary update in the afternoon and try to find something to sign off with and fail. I can't wait for this USA election to be over. The U.S. elections go for such a long time. I think it's probably mentally terrible for supporters on both sides of politics, all of this waiting and media speculation is probably bad for many. Not long to go, Harris still the underdog but you never know , America might do the right thing again and say No to heinous old Trump. Hang in there and don't let the bastards win! (no idea who the bastards are but it sounds good), it sounds like something Hessie would of said. Love Life! PG |