From: "Mr. Hayes"
Subject: My p4p show experience/ review 10/21/96 Columbus, OH, Newport Music Hall
Date: Wed, 06 Nov 2002

When P4P was going to play Columbus, I was supposed to have an interview with Steve for jane’s xine. I had set it up with one of P4P’s co-managers, um....... Paul V. No one ever really knew his last name. He’s the “devil” on the cover of the “Sadness” single– the cat with the beached hair. Anyhow, I got to the Newport at about 11 AM (walked from my apartment) and they were doing load in. The tour manager, Curly Jobson (there is tons of shit I can never remember in my life that I need to, but 6 years after the fact that name just jumped out of the gray matter and his email addy was jobslider@aol.com. Unbelievable!) was supervising, I introduced myself and he said ‘Yeah, Paul just sent me a message. Come back about 5 or so.’ Elated, I left.

At 5 PM I brought my “crew”. I figured I’d tell whoever they were photographers– it was me and 3 other people. Hawk (neighbor) Sara (friend) and someone from the old Jane’s list (Mike, I think). Hawk and Sara both had cameras, I had a video camera for the interview. When we got inside, we were poking around, checking things out. I think I shot some footage of the Newport at that point. When Curly saw the video camera, he immediately said “Turn it off!” due to the fact that the band was getting ready to do sound check.

They sound checked Orgasm, which was great because they didn’t play it during the show. It was beautiful, melodic, trippy– unbelievable! Perry was off to the side of the stage talking to Matt Hyde (the sample guy) so he didn’t do his vocals, it was a completely instrumental Orgasm. It was just the four of us in the audience part of the Newport and those 3 very talented musicians up there playing their hearts out.

No, I didn’t tape it, and yes, I’m still regretting it. Just like the time I was in LA and Eric Avery invited me back to Motiv studios where he and Biff were working on the first Polar Bear record. That of course, is a completely different story.

Anyhow, I never did get to interview Steve at that point, though we talked to everyone after sound check. Mike Watt was filling in on bass, as you all know. We talked for a while (on camera) about the local music scene.

As a sub-plot to this story (though not necessarily for that reason) I had bought Perry a bottle of wine that cost roughly $40 or so. Red wine, older than I was.(I was 21 at the time) I even went to a “wine store” for it. When I gave it to him he was completely amazed– I guess he was getting a lot of stuff from Gallo of Sonoma or whatever, but he seemed genuinely happy. He gave us all after show passes because of it, too.

We took photos with everyone, even took some black and whites during the sound check which turned out pretty well. They had to head off for dinner, as did we. We went and grabbed something to eat and came back to the show. I was thinking I’d do the interview after the show.

I remember Perry saying something about putting a link on our site to the upcoming webcast Halloween Show that P4P was going to play at the Mayan Theater in LA– I didn’t let him finish and told him we already did. He seemed impressed. This was only a few days before Peter’s official public acknowledgment of testicular cancer. The tour was cut short right after the show. I think I even have the press release somewhere.

You know, it was my second time seeing P4P (Twisted Xmas in Chicago in 1995 being the first) but I wasn’t really impressed. I mean, they sounded good and everything but it wasn’t a life- changing experience. I felt moved more by the sound check then I did by the actual concert. Everyone cheered to what Perry said, regardless about what we said. OSU had won the Rose Bowl the year before, so he made some gratuitous football comment. To be honest, I couldn’t really understand what he said. The show was sold out, and the Hall was packed with a bunch of idiots who weren’t really P4P fans. That was depressing. We never did do the interview after the show. That’s okay, I got to talk to Steve 2 years later and I still have his phone number. :)

Mr. Hayes



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