The Life and Times of Peter Green
updated 28 April 2024
 Pearl Jam debut at #2 in Australia with Dark Matter. |
April 15thJust before I woke up I had a dream about Neil Finn. Which is a first. We were in our Woodface deco apartment at East St Kilda and I say "what are you doing in my apartment". He replies "I write the best songs here and I'm stuck with this new one called 'Do or Die'. I look towards the bathroom and say "well what about Deborah Harry"? Of course Deb Harry walks out of the bathroom sits and goes "I can help". She starts singing -" I hear hell bells a tolling, help is on the way. It's not a chemical romance, it looks like Judgement day". She stands and departs. Neil smiles. Next a few minutes of us filming a video clip in the deco bathroom and Neil fixating on a sink plug that has an ancient coil retractable plug. He opens the green glass small window and outside destroyed buildings of Gaza or Ukraine. He looks so sad and walks away saying "I just can't do this". Ok how weird is that dream!!! I'm not sure what would have happened next as the recycle truck outside woke me up.Midnight catches another forest rat this afternoon, a few now. None in our house etc but we do live in a National Park so you get such things in the wild bush areas. Time all you rats moved elsewhere. Rat Cat on the loose. Tonight at 8.00 PM I'm having a pre-record chat with David from 3MDR. The Split Enz "Murder" video started up here on top of Mt Dandenong so I thought it only fitting that the last bit of promo that I did was for the Mountain District Radio, local. It's a fun chat, David knows his stuff. It ends up being a long one about 45 minutes so the poor bugger will have to do some serious editing. I really enjoyed this one. I'll Let you know when hit airs-it will no doubt be archived. April 16thEvery morning we say to each other "Morning Brad Pitt" because Mark and myself look so much like Brad (cough). Yes juvenile jokes, we can't help ourselves So I stuck up this reject Brad Pitt mirror that I found at charity on MG's bathroom mirror. So when he is shaving he will look more like Brad. I'm in my bedroom and I hear Mark crack up laughing…we are such silly boys. Humour keeps people young. Too many grumpy old men in the world already, imagine being a grump every day of your life-no thanks.April 17thAndy White announces his one off Melbourne show. Back at Merri Creek Tavern at Northcote. June 6th and tickets are mere $17.00. It's a wonderful intimate room and last time a passionate audience. It may well sell out, so grab your tickets here.Markys Youtube Wednesday goes up , and it's that talented Neil Finn & band. Performing "Pineapple Head" any the Apollo Theatre in Manchester on my birthday-May 11th (2001). I do like Neils voice on this live version. Hope you do too. Happy Birthday to Split Enz Noel Crombie. I call but have feeling he is still in New Zealand. I'm hoping the Finns and clan take him out for a slap up birthday dinner. Noel Crombie at 71! Someone puts my photo up when we met Noel as teenagers. It was taken at the Telford Lodge. Noel was washing the stage costumes. He was really kind to us kids from the ‘Gong and we were so excited. I took a couple of snaps, I always had my camera with me in those days. April 18thI'm working on my Apple computer in the office and Marky on his. Midnight climbs up and keeps trying to copy us and tap on the keyboard. So I go into the Archives and drag out the ancient Apple Powerbook 150. Released in in 1994. It looks so tiny and Midnight happily taps away on the keys like she is sending an email to her kitten buddy's. This powerbook was what writer Chris Bourke used to write his Crowded House "Something So Strong" book on all those years ago.Back at the charity today, a really good day , I cleared all the book/cd/dvd/bluray/vinyl/games stock into my Book Cave area. A guy comes up and told me he loves the Book Cave, comes in twice a week now and buys items, the best charity area ever. That makes me smile, it certainly has a vibe. I call my mechanics and Kel tells me my car part has arrived so I'll drop the car in tomorrow. Yay, finally. April 19thI am up very early as the mechanics opens at sunrise. The poor Red Beast grumbles and hiccups all the way to Monbulk. I leave it and go for a 45 minute walk while they install the new part. By waiting I save $580. So very happy about that. I sit and have a coffee at Empire and some shopping at Woolworths. The sun comes out and dozens of noisy sulphur crested cockatoos fly over. I'm back and the car is ready, it will take a few days for the little Holden computer to reset itself but its purring along at around 90% feels good and such a good repair price.I call into Hair for the Hills and get a nice short hair cut & quick dye job, hopefully so I can do some Winter swimming. I like my hair short when swimming. The girls at H.F.H are fun. The Tortured Poets Dept ,new Taylor Swift album is out at 2 PM. Wow, will the streaming of it break the internet? I ask my 10 year old niece what she is buying today, I ask her if it's the new Pearl Jam album. LOL. Like all the other 10 year old nieces we know it's T.S. April 20thI hear from Trudi and she sends me a cool snap from Hawaii. Hmmm Hawaii would be nice, sunshine. Yes please.Coffee and catch up with Andy (White) today- fun. We both talk about Blondie and swap Blondie stories. Blondie play the Festival in Melbourne today. Both Andy and myself created fanzines as kids and both our fanzines had Blondie in them. Weird eh. We watch "The Lesson" and I love the way it was filmed and the script was great. That one should have won a few awards. We both enjoyed it. April 21stGrey and overcast, you can tell Winter is on its way. The leaves still have not covered Ailsa Craig, most still sitting in the trees golden and sunset red, a tiny bit of wind will send them down like natures confetti.11 years ago today the amazing Chrissy Amphlett from The Divinyls passed away. I feel so lucky to have the time with her sitting on the balcony at the Greville street, Prahran house just chatting. I am kicking myself that I didn't take a photo of us, it all felt too fan boyish to do so. As time goes on the main stream appreciates her more and more. I think she scared a lot of people, I like that. My kinda gal. So since the Split Enz "Murder" video we seem to have a lot of directors and video producers contact or wanting to be on my Facebook page. It's all a bit odd but also exciting. Maybe thats why I got the news that " The Adventures of Priscilla" (Queen of the Desert) will have a sequel. Mostly the full cast- Hugo, Guy and Terence are back. I get scared of sequels as a lot are horrid but have total faith in Stephen Elliott as Director as he has his finger on the pulse. But how can anyone beat such wonderful lines like "That's just what this country needs: a cock in a frock on a rock". I'm taking the recycle up to the bin and Midnight catches a forest mouse. She scared the hell out of it but didn't kill it, or even injure it (well mouse mental trauma I guess!!!) so I put it in box and took it for a walk. We are lucky, considering we live in a national park, we've never had mouse or a rat inside. I think the cats have managed to keep such things away. The only thing that freaks Midnight out are the cockatoos. They scream at her. April 22ndMaddison is at my Mums, playing the new Taylor Swift vinyl on Mums record player. It's probably the first bit of vinyl played on it in years. I avoid asking Mum what she thinks of Taylor Swift. After all this is the woman who broke Blondie in Australia.I buy an Anzac pin from the Olinda bakery and encourage a few others to do so. I detest war but have absolute respect for the Diggers and their families. Different times. A really lovely text from Enz drummer Mal Green on the "Murder" video. It was almost an essay, and a really nice way to start the day. April 23rdFlying Foxes or some huge bats are in one of our trees in the evening-i hear the swoop swoop (it's in his kiss?) when they fly over my head when putting items in the recycle bin. Giant wings just above my head. Dracula? It's probably not the best time to watch "The Last Voyage of the Demeter". It's based on a single chapter of the Captains log from Bram Stokers classic 1897 "Dracula" story. It was ok, not great just ok.It's nice to finally be able to call in and have one of Lachies coffee's in the morning on the way to the charity. We always have a fun morning chat. The charity was good today, a full day for me. I had Tamsin and Rory help clean the shelves of the Book Cave. They only grumbled a bit but once they got going we managed the entire thing in a record seven minutes. It looks good-I packed it with books,cds, blurays, games and dvds. The crew I work with were mighty as always. Good people. Australia has the worlds highest rates of rooftop solar per capita. 1 in 3 homes now. Very happy the Albanese Labor Government are focusing on more solar panels being made in Oz. Tindo here make great panels. April 24thAnd speaking of solar. All of that sunshine and our panels are doing the business. Our electricity bill for three months was (drum roll) $31.88. How magnificent is that.Today was weird though, lovely sunshine, 10 minutes later bucketing down, sun again and more rain. The weather gods were having some fun. "The Making Of Murder" ticked over its 1800th view. 1800 people getting to see me in Puppet teacher mode. LOL. I grab Marky and we explore the shops at Olinda. I take him for some cheesecake and coffee at Olinda Cafe and our friends Charlie and Alison join us which is really great. Nice couple-we like them. I see Inflation has dropped again- 3.6%. Unemployment low too- not bad. Of course Dutton the dud will waffle on with his usual fear mongering. Mr negative-he offers nothing. The Liberals should replace him as Opposition leader. I text Sis and MIM and wish them all the best-a 3 day Mother Daughter cruise-really some chill out time for them. This is exactly what my Sister needs. Hope they have fun. She sends me a photo of them wearing the t-shirts they were given "I don't give a SHIP, it's a mother/daughter trip!". Cute. Markys Youtube Wednesday and I LOVE this. The band performing "It's Only Natural" but it's them also playing "Quinn the Eskimo" (The Mighty Quinn) and even a bit of The Cures "Friday I'm in Love". This one you will love. April 25thI'm awake at 6.00 am. I have to get to the local shrine before sunrise (6.56). I grab the flowers from the bath tub, feed Midnight and out the door into a rain storm. The Red Beast shakes it off and rips through the mist. Like most ANZAC days I am the only one here at sunrise, they turn up at 9.00 am for the service now, older generations and people wanting to stay in bed, I get that. I keep thinking to myself as the train falls on me, the Diggers went through a hell of a lot worse so this is nothing. I give them a minutes silence and pop the Kalorama grown flowers on the shrine.Instead of home I decide a warm coffee from the bakery would be nice so I am the first in the door. They make me some breakfast too so that's really sweet. I chat to some of the early locals -they joke "early in your office today I see" …yes I'm such a regular they all say my "office" is the table out the front. They are probably correct, I get a lot of work done here. Home again and decide to climb back into the warm bed and the kitten joins me. I'm a bit worn out today so sleep on and off and stumble about the house getting a few things done. A bit of lost afternoon. I decide to make Mark a vegetable Korma curry for dinner, I find a few things in the garden but short of one or two so late afternoon I head back to Olinda. I have to wait for a veggie truck to arrive so in I go for a final coffee, two in one day-shocking. They lock the door after me so I sit in the warmth, while the girls pack up the bakery for the day. They are such hard workers and fun. I feel rather spoilt. So I was first in and last to leave. Chat to Miss Fen. tonight so that is always great. Dinner is nice and we head out to a friends birthday, not far away and despite the cold it's nice-plus they have a lovely warm HUGE fire going. It's going to be a late night I believe, at least the Red Beast knows how to get us home. April 26thVery little sleep but feeling good. We didn't drink too much so no hangover. We are boringly good these days. I grab Mark and we head to Eclectic at Olinda and do some shopping. We chat to the owner and have sone laughs. Mark buys a shirt and also buys me this really long Selenite crystal. It's rather beautiful and I just had one of those feelings I should have it.We cross the road and have a really wonderful lunch at Dudleys. We are both so full -it was delicious and warm inside compared to the miserable weather outside. The mountain is full of tourists today. The Selenite crystal is amazing. I just love what it looks like. For those who believe, it's the bones, teeth and skin crystal. Apparently helps inflammation and ease pain. I might put it next to my still aching heal from the Salvo's injury, help speed up the process- I'll try anything. My sister and MIM are a bit seasick on their 3 days cruise, rough seas and rain up the East coast. Poor things. April 27thARIA charts are in and as expected Taylor Swift #1, Pearl Jam #2. I am a bit shocked as I thought Taylor Swift would instantly go Gold if not platinum on sales but nothing yet. No doubt it will next week. I remember for several years with Crowded House we'd sell a gold records worth on pre sales alone. Maybe those days are over.Speaking of Crowded House, looks like the latest single is a non charter too. The last charting single was in 2007, sh*t 17 years ago!!! 7 non charters in a row, I'm guessing lack of radio airplay and also for most cases no cd single no vinyl 7 inch. So our wonderful collector fans are starved. Maybe they are an album band only now, but even the albums are in and out after 3 weeks. Something isn't "clicking" with the general public, the live shows get good crowds but they don't seem to turn over into consistent sales. Maybe I've cursed them NOOOOOOO!!! Well I hope not. I just find it weird. This band has such a good reputation but something doesn't seem to be working. Anyway I wish them well. A really lovely sunny Autumn afternoon, so I work with Marky by the front big gates. Mostly trying to clear out blackberries and I put in another passionfruit vine. We fill the green bin in about 3 minutes. We need probably 100 green bins to successfully work on the property. We have to stay on top of it, so easy just to turn ones back but down the track that is a nightmare for bush properties. You have to make the effort. April 28thI sleep well, is it the Selenite? I wake up and my heal is great. It can't be, it must be a coincidence.The weather is nice again. I am happy for my friend Ian at the Ferny Creek Horticultural Society as they have their big flower show this weekend and the weather just perfect. Good grief it's my birthday in 2 weeks, another year added on, I feel the same as I did when I turned 21. Still fairly healthy especially compared to many friends who seems to be in recurring pain and have problems. It will probably hit me all at once. Body parts will drop off, and I'll collapse into a heap of bones. Nah going to live till I am 112 and annoy the hell out of everyone. But only if Marky is with me, it's no fun alone. So enjoy life, it's way too short and such a fantastic planet that we live on. Just do one new thing a week it really will make you feel much better. All the best PG |
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