I'm Busy Making Money for Peter Gabriel Concert

I'm starting to dread my trip to Leipzig, Germany later this year to attend a Peter Gabriel soundcheck and concert.  I'm not dreading the plane flight, the language barrier or the music -- it's paying for it all.  Earlier this year, I needed fillings in 3 front teeth.  Unknown to me, my goofy health insurance no longer covered fillings in the front teeth.  I wound up having to shell out $100 per tooth.

Coupled with the sudden increase in food prices, pet food prices and my health insurance premiums (yes -- the same damn company that would no longer cover fillings in my front teeth -- ALL HEALTH INSURANCE COMPANIES ARE EVIL), my bank account is severely drained.  I've been working hard to try and afford this trip.  Unfortunately, most available work is low-paying, so I'm back to churning out large quantities of web content, including (I kid you not) how to be a financial dominatrix.  (Look it up.)

Things I do to see a Peter Gabriel concert.

Image nicked from the web somewhere.  It may have something to do with being a financial dominatrix; I don't know.  I'm kinda hoping he lives in Leipzig.

Bye Bye Meeks Genesis Cafe

Back in the late 1990s, there were shovelfuls of websites and fan pages devoted to Peter Gabriel and/or Genesis.  I had one of them but it went down after I ran away to the UK because of a mental breakdown.  Anyway, just about all of those websites are gone.

Here's another one to add to the list -- Meek's Genesis Cafe.  The site owner but this announcement up today on Facebook:

I would like to take a moment to say goodbye to the Genesis Community as I know it. It really is time for me to gracefully decline. There will no longer be Meek's Genesis Cafe on FB or anywhere else as my radio will also close soon. If ever I do come back it won't be for Genesis Only..I would like to thank those who have been so supportive of me (not always easy) through the years. I have built many relationships that I would like to keep so if you want to continue those relationships (you all know who you are) https://www.facebook.com/michael.carzo . Everything will be closing shortly...carry on.

This was a real quality site and it has no substitute.  It's a sad day for Peter Gabriel and Genesis fans.  I guess it's back to where we were in the 1980s where we just sat in our rooms and imagined stuff about our favorite man and our favorite band.

EDIT: The site may be back.

Peter Gabriel at Mission Control & TED

Peter Gabriel was recently at NASA headquarters, where he talked to three astronauts up on the International Space Station (pictured).  An 11-minute film of the exchange is up on Peter's Facebook page, where the four Gabriels play happy families why the astronauts talk a bit about zero gravity, building with water and Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Peter is still on his year-long sabbatical.  According to his Facebook page, he spent his birthday in Mexico. 

He is now in California for the TED conference thingy.  I've never understood what the big deal was about TED (people go up on a stage and talk for 20 minutes in front of an audience.  Ooo.  Ahhh.)  but occasionally there's a gem of a talk, such as the one done in February 2002 by evolutionary biologist and bestselling author, Richard Dawkins.  Even Peter's talk in 2008 couldn't get better than that.

An article about Peter at this year's TED conference round table called "Interspecies Internet" appeared on TED's website.  Peter apparently is concerned for elephants and bonobos, but has no concern whatsoever for horses (since a couple of years ago (around the time of the Melbourne Cup fiasco) he admitted that he frequently bets on horse races.)

ANYWAY...

(Now comes the bit about me, so if you're only reading this for PG news, you can go now)

While Peter's off, I'm working as hard as I can.  I had a nice little nest egg saved for my trip to Germany later this year to see PG in concert, but then it was mostly wiped out from my most recent trip to the dentist.  Turns out my health insurance no longer covers fillings to front teeth and since they decided not to inform me of this change, I had work done on three of my front teeth.  Perhaps I'll just sleep on a park bench in  Leipzig instead of staying at a hotel.

As well as working for my Mom, working for my pets and working for my clients, I'm also trying to make a go of my blogs, all of which have been recently updated.  They are:

• ReasonsNotToCommitSuicide (about mental illness and mental health)
• Dreaming of Peter (about sleep and dreams)
• Why Van Gogh Matters ('cause he does, dammit!)

So Much for the Peter Gabriel Channel at Suite 101

Well, last week I blogged about the new Peter Gabriel Channel at the new Suite 101.  It was going to be a great new resource for Peter Gabriel fans. (Note: PG Channel is now off line.)

I wrote too soon.  Yesterday, the head honcho at Suite 101 has decided that the site will get rid of all channels and, in March, no longer will accept new articles.

It goes to show that when life gives you lemons, split 'em in half, douse them with hydrochloric acid and mash them into someone's face.

Happy Fuckin' Valentine's Day

So, it's Valentine's Day again and I'm alone again, naturally.  Well, except for me and my Peter Gabriel fantasies, anyway.  Or Peter Gabriel with Stephen Fry fantasies.  Hey, I'm more mature now, so the fantasies have to grow with me.

Here's one of the best songs ever written about love, "Crazy" by Willie Nelson, who originally was going to entitle the song "Stupid."  When it comes to love, crazy = stupid.

Happy (Early) Birthday to Peter Gabriel

Peter's 63rd birthday isn't until Wednesday, but I look to be incredibly busy that day, so I'm doing the annual PG birthday post now.  Peter and his family are currently on a trip round the world, but Peter is scheduled to do another TED talk next month, so he'll either need to be in California then or will Skype it in. 

Since there was a slow-down in PG news and in orders from my clients, I took the down time to start writing again over at the revamped Suite 101.  Articles devoted to (mostly) the same topic are now grouped under "Channels."  I am the Channel Manager for two channels so far -- The Guinea Pig Channel and the Peter Gabriel Channel.

Unfortunately, Suite 101 is still in beta testing (and has been since October 2012) so they are not allowing any new members to write articles or even comments as yet.  As a result, I am (blush) the only member of the two channels that I manage.  I have to write new material for Suite, so I cannot just cut & paste one of my numerous articles on either topic elsewhere on the Internet.

Right now, there are a whopping two (count 'em -- TWO) articles in The Peter Gabriel Channel.  My personal goal is to add an article a week to the channel, but since the pay is almost nonexistent, I may not be able to stick to this goal.  As of now, the two articles are:

• Why is Peter Gabriel So Slow?
• When is Peter Gabriel's Birthday?

Let 'em eat cake.

Picture Problems with Blogger & Peter Gabriel to Talk at TED

Unfortunately, I can no longer upload images from my hard drive onto this blog or any of my Blogger blogs.  I can still add images, but they have to be links from other websites.  This sucks, because most of the Peter Gabriel images I place on this blog are uploaded from my hard drive.  This means that until this issue is resolved, my blog posts are going to be a bit bare.

I suppose I could write Blogger about this, but currently I have the flu (along with about 99.9% of the American population) and can't be bothered.

Anyway, Peter Gabriel is still on vacation and knowing his luck, he has the flu.  Hope he doesn't though.  Staying home with the flu is nightmarish enough without having the flu while going on international flights.  If he does have the flu, chances are good that he will have mostly recovered by the time he appears at the big TED conference in Long Beach, California in late February to early March of 2013. 

This will be his second TED appearance.  Image above is from his first talk back in 2008.  What do you want to bet that he'll give the exact same talk?  TED talks only last about 18 minutes and the odds are really good that it will go up on TED's YouTube channel, so unless you live within driving distance of Long Beach, it's not worth forking out the dosh to go.  Yes, I know other people give talks during the conference (Bono is currently scheduled to speak in 2013) but, quite frankly, who cares about them? I know PG loves these TED conferences, calling them "brain food" which goes to show that he never went to college or university. I, on the other hand, suffered through four year of higher education and consider sitting through a series of lectures about as pleasant as having a Japanese beetle fly into my ear.

Peter has also submitted a song for a benefit album, Home Recordings, Vol. 1 being put together by his daughter Anna's charity, The Voice Project.  PG submitted to a phone interview with Rolling Stone about the charity and the album.  I guess interviews do not count as "work."  I'd sure as hell count it as work -- whether I was the interviewer or the interviewee.  But then again, that's me.

My Fishes' Log

Since Peter Gabriel's on sabbatical, I can't blog about him so I'll blog about this:

I got a Christmas present for my tropical fish.  Let me back up -- I was at the pet store anyway getting dog food, fish food and presents for the dogs, so I thought, "Oh, what the hell" and got a present for the two tropical fish in the 20 gallon hexagon aquarium my Dad gave me.  I didn't get any presents for the goldfish.  Heck, that would be too weird.

Anyway, I got a hollow, aquarium-safe log.  It's marketed for bettas (also called Siamese fighting fish) but my common plecostomus, Mr. Big Fish, is getting a kick out of it. too.  He likes to chew on it and push it about the tank surface, ramming it into the walls, the heater and so on.  Dragon, the betta that the log is supposed to be for, sometimes swims inside if it and stays there, tooling around his territory in his log-tank.

But so far, it seems to be Mr. Big Fish enjoying the floating log more than Dragon the old, blue dragonscale betta.

And it shows you what my generation is like when I see that log and can't stop thinking

"All kids love Log!
What rolls down stairs alone or in pairs
    Rolls over your neighbor's dog?
    What's great for a snack and fits on your back?
    It's Log, Log, Log!

    It's Log, Log, it's big, it's heavy, it's wood.
    It's Log, Log, it's better than bad, it's good!
    Everyone wants a log! You're gonna love it, Log!
    Come on and get your log! Everyone needs a Log!"

every single freaking time that log floats into view.  I have tried to stop the song from entering my head but so far, no good.  The song is not to be denied -- a tidal sound wave of epic proportions that will smash down any resistance.  It's only been 8 days since I gave the little log to the fish.  Let's see how long I can last before I finally toss the thing out so I can finally look at my tropical fish tank in peace.

So, anyway, this is what life for me is like right now while Peter Gabriel takes his sabbatical.  If he decides to extend it, I'm going to be really pissed off.

Past and Present

Boxing Day is my Independence Day.  On this day in 2004 (same day as the Asian Tsunami, coincidentally) that I left my abusive boyfriend for the final  time.

Since then, I've felt the past chase me similarly to how  the horse is chasing the dog in this picture.  These two are just playing, but you get the idea.

I know that after so many years, my ex is not going to come after me (that would take valuable time away from drinking) but I still feel as if I have to keep a watch out for him wherever I go. 

Anyway, back to my usual Peter Gabriel-flavored blog posts next year.  In the meantime, you can check out my new Vincent Van Gogh blog, Why Van Gogh Matters.  Thanks and have a stress-free New Year.

Denmark Date Back To Front 2013 Tour

Danish Peter Gabriel fans have probably already bought their tickets for 28 September, but just in case you haven't, here's the link to Ticketmaster Danmark.  There may be more dates available in the New Year, but who knows? 

And did you know that Denmark has an official website?  How cool is that?  Even America doesn't have it's own website.  Sure, there's an official site for the American government but that's not the same thing.  No wonder Americans don't know what's going on most of the time -- we don't have one definitive official website for US.  Wouldn't that be great?  Can't you just imagine it?

American: Hey, what's going on?

Another American: I dunno.  Let's check the website.  (Checks.)  Ahh, here we go!

Anyway, now that Peter is taking a year off to travel the world, I thought I'd start another blog.  (No, I don't know how I made that connection, but never mind.)  Why Van Gogh Matters is a Vincent Van Gogh fan and reference blog.  The blog isn't exactly ready for prime time yet, but hopefully it'll get rolling along smoothly soon. 

More Dates to Back to Front 2013 Dates

There are now so many dates for Peter Gabriel's 2013 Back to Front tour that I can't keep up.  Remember, the latest dates are usually announced first on Peter's official Facebook Page before his official website.  Anyway, here are the latest dates (at least, the latest that I know of):

Sep 30th 2013 - Ziggo Dome - Amsterdam, NL
Oct 07th 2013 - Forum - Milan, IT

Date	Venue	Location	VIP Packages	Regular Tickets
01/10/2013	Forest National	Brussels, BE	On-sale 11th Dec	On-sale 14th Dec
08/10/2013	Arena Geneva	Geneva, CH	On-sale 11th Dec	On-sale 13th Dec
10/10/2013	O2 Arena	Prague, CZ	On-sale 12th Dec	On-sale 13th Dec
15/10/2013	Bercy	Paris, FR	On-sale 12th Dec	On-sale 14th Dec

Whoops

EDIT:  I had to delete a few posts from 2006 because of problems with the new template and my free photo limit at Blogger.

I tried to update this blog's template and it hasn't gone so well, as you can see.  I've somehow lost most of my sidebars.  Story of my life.

In other news, I'm going to Leipzig again next October for a Peter Gabriel concert.  I'm getting so tired of this freakin' house that if I know there's a vacation from it in the near future, my head will refrain from exploding.  My Mom asked me if PG was going to do a different show for the European Back to Front tour than he did this autumn in North America.  I looked her right in the eyes without blinking and said, "Yes."

PG will be playing Vienna as well as the UK and Germany in October 2013.  If I had known he would do Vienna, I would've went to Vienna instead of Germany.  No offence, Germany.  I've just never been to Vienna, home of the Spanish Riding School and the incredibly beautiful Lipizzaner stallions (pictured.)

Not that I will have any energy left over from the 12 hour trip, the soundcheck and the concert, and thinking up a lie to tell Mom about PG's show when I get back.  Silly me to think of looking at anything else other than Peter, I know. 

Meanwhile, Peter is goofing off with his family until about September of next year.  No news as to whether any Lipizzaner stallions will be involved. 

Peter Gabriel Tickets for 2013 Go On Sale This Week

 

European fans begged and PG listened.  Tickets go on sale this week for Peter Gabriel Back to Front concert tickets (including VIP packages from 300 pounds and up) this week for concerts in October of 2013.  At least PG isn't retiring completely as I'd feared.

Check out Petergabriel.com for all of the details.  So far, only 4 dates have been confirmed.  From PG's oficial website:

"The following dates will be going on sale, with more dates around Europe to follow:

Oct 21st	O2 Arena	London, UK
Oct 22nd	O2 Arena	London, UK
Oct 24th	Hydro	Glasgow, UK
Oct 25th	MCR Arena	Manchester, UK"

Dates for Germany will go on sale this Saturday, 24 November at 9am GMT:

Oct 11th 2013 - Arena Leipzig - Leipzig
Oct 13th 2013 - Schleyer-Halle - Stuttgart
Oct 16th 2013 - ISS Domeb - Düsseldorf
Oct 18th 2013 - O2 World - Hamburg
Oct 19th 2013 - O2 World - Berlin

Good luck!

Image is stolen from Rolling Stone's pic of PG's show at Jones Beach, New York in 2012.

I'm 43. What the Hell Happened?

I turn 43 today. Whee.  One year more than the answer to life, the universe and everything.  It didn't help that earlier this month I read The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger and discovered that one of the main characters dies at age 43. 

When you hit 43, you pretty much know how the rest of your life is going to wind up.  Most importantly, the rest of my life will in no way resemble Peter Gabriel's.  And we all secretly want to be Peter Gabriel, don't we? 

When Peter Gabriel turned 43, he was rehearsing for what would be his most acclaimed tour so far, the Secret World tour.  He'd already earned more awards, fans and gold albums than a boatload of most other artists.  He already had two lovely kids, at least three homes and one incredibly lovely studio (Real World Studios.)  At the time he was single, but already had more sexual partners and offers from future sexual partners than the population of some island countries. The image accompanying this post shows what he looked like when he was 43.

In contrast, as I turn 43 I'm 40 - 50 pounds overweight, single and will never, ever have kids because I like kids too much to let me be their mother.  The only awards I've won were for a dance contest when I was 4, a couple of blue ribbons at a small horse show when I was a few years older and the "Spread the Word about Knoji" contest earlier this year with this article.  You can count the number of sexual partners I've had with one crippled hand.  Sadly, Peter Gabriel has not been one of them.  I somehow missed his most promiscuous period. Now he's in his 60s and happily remarried and I'm fat and ugly.  Not that I ever had a snowball's chance with him, but that's not the point.  I should have at least had a chance to have a chance at him, dammit!

Also, on this date back in 1974 Peter Gabriel's swan song with Genesis was released, The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway.

Come to think of it, I never got a horse, either.  Unless I get freaking rich that's yet another dream of my youth going going GONE.

Hmmm.  Time to have a cuppa and some cake.

Peter's Father Ralph Parton Gabriel Dies

Peter Gabriel announced on his website that his father, Ralph Parton Gabriel, died on 9 November.  He was 100 years old.  Ralph was an engineer with five patents and was one of the forst persons to work on fibre-optic cables, which we take for granted today.  For a short while, a cow farmer who piped in music to the milking barn.  He leaves behind two children, Peter and his sister Anna, and his wife Irene.

Over the years, Peter would enjoy telling little stories about his father to interviewers.  Ralph liked to do meditation at train stations back when meditation was little known in England.  Back in 1999, Peter included a song about his father, Father, Son on the album OVO.

I grieve with you, Peter.

Lots of Peter Gabriel So Box Set Promotion Stuff on the Web

Peter Gabriel's long-delayed So special edition box set was finally released on October 22.  This means that Peter has been doing a sudden flood of publicity to flog the expensive mix of vinyl, CDs and DVDs.  For example, there is a positive but brief review from the BBC (which makes you wonder if the reviewer actually listened to any of the box set.) 

You can find the full list over at Peter's official Facebook page. 

Forgive me for being light on the snark over the individual reviews/interviews but I've been lucky enough to find a couple of new clients.  Freelance writing is a feast or famine business and right now I need to take advantage of the feast of work before another famine period sets in.

Let me wrap this post up by explaining about the strange image above and to the left of this sentence.  Peter has been saying that after the Back to Front Tour ends (and it did last month) he would "take a year off" to indulge on a round the world trip.  PG or someone in PG's camp posted an image from PG's computer screen to show that he is spending a little bit of time working in the studio before going on his trip for PG-only-knows-how-long-and-will-change-his-mind-at-the-last-second.  Apparently, the working title of this song is "God Song." Hmmm.

What's Goin' On?

Instead of my usual rambling, sarcastic blog post, I'm sticking up a picture of Peter Gabriel I found on Facebook. No reason; just feel like it.

For those Peter Gabriel fans who want a legal recording of any of the gigs from the recently ended Back to Front tour, they are available for pre-order at The Music.  And yes, I ordered one from the Philly gig.  It's set to go out on Halloween, so I should get it in time for my birthday.

Perhaps you've read about the Swedish study that links creativity with mental illness, especially bipolar disorder (which neither I nor PG have been diagnosed with.)  What hasn't been trumpeted in the popular press is another finding by that same study of 1.2 million anonymous Swedes -- that, out of all the creative arts (including scientists), those that are most likely to commit suicide are writers.

Yikes.  I wonder if that's how the term "deadline" got coined.

Nope -- Still Not Recovered Yet From Peter Gabriel Concert

Eventually, I will recover from the Peter Gabriel concert at Philly last month.  Either that or I'll get on better drugs. 

In the meantime, the Back to Front Tour has now ended and it seems a good time was had by all.  Actor John Cusak showed up at the Santa Barbara Bowl with a boom box to re-enact that bit from a hit movie back in the 1980s that no one remembers -- except for that bit with Cusak holding up a boom box as it plays In Your Eyes.

Peter is now on an around-the-world vacation for at least one year. Whether that actually pans out to one Earth calender year and not one Gabriellian year is anyone's guess.

To soften the blow, Real World and Guitar Center is holding a killer contest where the winner gets an all-expenses paid trip to tour the studios.  More details here.  And no -- you don't get to meet PG.  He's on vacation, remember?  You do get a great trip and a lot of cool merchandise.  I'm not entering because I don't know if I'm allowed back in the UK.

In the meantime, music lovers can check out Crackerize, where rap song lyrics are translated into middle-class WASP English.  Apparently you can win cool merchandise there, too.  Due to the nature of rap lyrics, the site is for folks over 18.

You can also check out some great (and some merely good) music videos over at Pinterest boards such as Music Videos or My Favorite Music Videos (put together by yours truly.)

Recovering from Peter Gabriel at the Wells Fargo Center

Yea, I even hath givest in to temptation and doubted, but I have verily regained my faith in Peter Gabriel.  Say hallelujah, somebody!

The soundcheck and concert on 9/21/2012 at Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Center turned out to be a lot of fun and much more musically interesting than I expected.  There were about 100 people at the soundcheck, so no chance of meeting PG this time around. 

But bassist, blogger and photographer Tony Levin (PG's preferred bassist) did an extra-special something for fans.  He started this habit years ago, so it won't be news for long-time Tony Levin, Peter Gabriel or King Crimson fans.  Tony takes photos during the performance and often takes audience shots.  Personally, I think if you are in the same frame with Peter Gabriel un an untouched image, it counts as getting your picture taken with PG.

Tony put a whole page of his Philly concert experience up on his long-running blog. Papa Bear Records.  I'm in a few of the shots.  I was wearing my raven T-shirt (until Sledgehammer started, then the shirt was tossed off) because my nickname on the web since 1998 used to be "rraven" (yes -- with two "r"s) My favorite photo is one of PG standing at the mike and my face can be seen a little below his black-clad buttocks.  There's an epitaph.

More details after I recover.  And -- miracle of miracles! Praise Peter Gabriel! -- I picked up a couple of new clients and I've been too busy writing to go into a longer concert review now.  Rest assured, any readers having tickets to Peter Gabriel's Back to Front tour are in for a treat.  Be sure to bring at least $40 in spending money if you want drinks and a program, though.

Peter Gabriel's Back to Front Tour Kicks Off in Canada

Peter Gabriel's Back to Front tour to celebrate some year's anniversary of the release of So launched last night in Quebec.  There have been a lot of leaks and spoilers about the tour, but I'm not going to write any here.  One big change is that opening act Ane Brun was cancelled because of sudden illness.  She's apparently been replaced with a newly-hired PG backup female singer.  Personally, I would've preferred no opening act, but I'm weird that way.

Free Ticket Giveaway By Real World

This was announced on PG's Facebook page last week, but the link wasn''t working so idiot me thought I'd been blocked from entering as I'd been blocked from commenting.  (Yeah, I smell the sarcasm -- like PG's staff has so little to do that they know who I am. I'm fully aware of that, thank you.)

Anyway, there are only three shows as prizes for the sweepstakes -- Boston, Red Rocks (Colorado) and the Santa Barbara Bowl in California.  You are responsible for your own transportation, accommodation, sanitation, etc-ation.  I entered for Boston and fully expect to lose.  You're welcome, Eventual Lucky Bastard Winner!

This Is the Picture

Holy hand grenade, Batman!  With Quebec City down, this means that I've only five more days until attending Peter Gabriel's soundcheck and gig at Philadelphia. Well -- hopefully attending, anyway.  This electronic ticket thing is nerve-wracking.  I've also started a new medication this month which makes me sleep about 13 ours a day (yes day -- I'm up most of the night now. Hmmm.)

Usually, anyone purchasing a Peter Gabriel soundcheck/concert/T shirt package gets all of the info about when to show up and what identification to bring and what not at least a full week before the gig. Not this time. Well, at least the paranoia on concert day should keep me wide awake.  That and the migraines.  Oh, it'll be a swell time.  Nothing like a throbbing migraine at a rock concert to get intimate with one's own mortality.  I think that was a line cut out from Shakespeare's first draft of The Tempest.