[Tom Giffey]

Hi all,

During my three-state, four-concert, five-day Oils sojourn, I meant to ask one of the band members about the cow. Unfortunately, my mind usually went blank when I came face-to-face with them. (The only thing I could think to tell Peter was that he wasn't as tall as everyone says. I'd estimate that he's about 6'4", about an inch taller than me. He confirmed that he was of a "reasonable height.") I asked my father, who spent many years in the cattle business, about the cow, and he said it likely had some Brahman blood (not uncommon for a hot climate like Australia's, since Brahmans are from India).

On Tuesday I asked Rob a couple of pressing questions while he mingled with fans after the Milwaukee concert. First, I asked what the deal was with the black-and-silver platform shoes that are always in front of his drum kit. He said that when the band proposed moving him to the front of the stage for a series of songs (for which he uses his stand-up kit), manager Gary Morris said Rob would have to wear high-heeled shoes because he's shorter than the rest of the band. Rob said this was one of the stupidest things he'd ever heard, but he bought a pair of shoes anyway. He claimed to have tried to play the drums while wearing them, but said he encountered trouble operating the pedal. (I hope he was kidding about that last bit!) Anyway, the shoes ended up touring with the band, not as footwear but as stage decorations.

I also asked Rob about the sign that says "Don't feed the rats or pigeons" in English, Hebrew and Russian. Apparently it belongs to Bones. "If you understand that, you understand Bones' sense of humor," Rob said.

Speaking of Bones and signs, I made one for him Tuesday which read "Bones: Don't spit!" As has previously been mentioned on the list, Bones' girlfriend is from Milwaukee. At one of the Chicago shows, Powderworker and uberfan John Montgomery told me that the girlfriend had warned our favorite bassist not to spit on stage because her parents would be at the show. When I held the sign aloft during "King of the Mountain," Bones gave me a look that was a combination of amusement and shock. According to Indi, Peter looked like he was ready to laugh and nearly missed a line of the song. Later, Bones took the sign from me, showed it to Rob (who laughed), then unsuccessfully tried to prop it up on stage. Near the end of the show, however, he spit on the stage. I waggled my finger at him mockingly and he shrugged his shoulders and mouthed "just once." For my efforts, Bones tossed a stick at me at the beginning of the encore. 

That's all the nostalgia I can handle for now!
Tom

---------- Original Message ----------------------------------
From: "Jim Stanley" <jim_snappa@hotmail.com>
Date: Fri, 26 Oct 2001 21:13:39 +1000

>Anyone know the signifigance of the Golden Calf image? I remember seeing an 
>image like that on the Oils site, and I gather it's on the tour posters in 
>the States? Must be something biblical..
>
>Jim.
>
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