Who's Who: Eric

-- of Himmelheads on Yahoo!


[Image of Peter]
photo credit: Ellen
Great American Music Hall, July 2001

Favorite PH Song: tough one. probably How Did It Come Down To This
Favorite PH Album: easy one. Flown This Acid World
Favorite PH Live moment: another tough one. when Peter interrogated my girlfriend & I at a concert, then did a song about us would be one. But probably my favorite was hearing his best one-two punch of improvs: "Spawning Salmon" followed by "Weasel" at the Backstage in Aug. '96. I don't think I'd ever laughed so hard...

How I first got into Peter...

Well, sometime late in '92 or so, I started hearing Peter's music on various AAA stations, and I really liked what I heard--sort of an organic, roots-rock sound (ala Tom Petty--but with better vocals), with nicely literate lyrics. So in approximately 1993, I bought "Flown..." and it nestled in with the many other hundreds of cds that I own. I really liked some of it, but I can't say that it immediately registered with me. I (foolishly) passed on seeing him in the fall of '93 in Seattle (I even have the calendar somewhere with "himmelman?" written on the day), but when he came around in '94, I decided I should really think about going.

The decision was helped along because on the day of his club appearance, it was announced that he was doing a free live gig in one of the parks downtown. So I went out for a long lunch from work, with recorder in hand (as it always was for gigs in those days). I got to the park right as the band was getting ready to play and then listened as Peter (& the whole "Skin"-era band) launched into The Star Spangled Banner. "This is how we always start our shows," said Peter, and just as I was starting to think how bizarre that was, it dawned on me that it was a joke. He started it "straight" but quickly started toying with the melody, doing his best Whitney Houston to extend/mangle the notes, and so forth. I'd never seen anything like that.

I'd also never seen anybody interact so cleverly with the crowd, talk so much, or create impromptu songs on the spot. I was just blown away. Perhaps the highlight of the show was when a homeless guy started to rave about Greg's playing on How Did It Come Down To This. I, too, had never seen a band that seemed so "tight" and "loose" simultaneously--I remember thinking ahh, this is what Springsteen must've sounded like in the early days. Anyway, at some point, Peter asked the guy what he wanted to hear, and the homeless man responded The Wind Cries Mary. So, Peter stepped back. Kristin took the lead, and they did a respectable cover of it. I was so amazed by the show that I completely forgot to flip the tape at the 45 minute mark, so I (sadly) never got the last bit of the hourlong performance. I never did that when taping any other act, but I've had it happen many times with Peter--or he's played so long that I've simply run out of tape...

But I was hooked immediately. I headed back to work, grabbed another cassette and taped his on-air appearance that afternoon, and then told my girlfriend we HAD to see his show that night. That was on May 26th, 1994 (and mingling through the crowd that evening was the same homeless man from the afternoon--I can only guess that Peter gave him a pass for the show). I've since seen Peter several times in Seattle:

Regarding how I decided to start the Himmelheads Yahoo! message board:

In the spring of 2001, I came across Yahoogroups, where people could create their own "fanclubs" or discussion groups about whatever topic they chose. Although I was a member of the original PH mailing list--Gematria--I realized that the Yahoogroup format allowed one the opportunity for a searchable archive of messages, as well as a place for limited mp3s and alternative methods of message delivery (messages as they're delivered, a daily digest, or for those who get too much email, just a place where they could read 'em). Because of the added functionality, I thought it would be worthwhile to start the Yahoo! message board. As someone who has moved out of Seattle and no longer lives in an area where Peter tours, I only wish that either the himmelheads list or the gematria list would see more discussion-- It's been much "quieter" lately, and I would love to discuss Peter's great music and live shows with other fans.