"Finding PG on TV is something of a
myth." said a PG fan a long, long time ago in a galaxy far,
far away. Well, even though he isn't what you'd call a TV kinda
guy, he has had his share of television moments. Unfortunately,
most of those appearances occurred before any of us here was aware
of the Web and did not think to make a recording (for sound samples)
or transcripts. So, most of these PG TV reports are strictly from
memory (so don't hold this page to any extreme accuracy.) The
good news: More to come!
The Tonight Show With Jay Leno
Aired: the day after the 1993 Grammys.
Overall impressions: PG appeared extremely uncomfortable throughout the entire interview as it seemed Jay Leno couldn't utter a few sentences without mentioning those damn snails in the "Digging in the Dirt" video. Jay also kept joking about everything and laughing at things that were not meant to be funny.
Highlights:
Performed "Digging in
the Dirt" and "Washing of the Water" with Branford
Marsalis on sax on the latter. Might have been the first time
he performed either song live.
Impersonation of a broken record--
Jay: You're going to do another song for us tonight? PG: Yes.
Yes indeed. Jay: Right after this commercial break? PG: Yes. Yes
indeed.
Peter was telling Jay about
the strict rules at his alma mater, Charterhouse. Any Genesis
fan knows that Charterhouse is not a particularly fun place. Anyway,
PG talked about how you weren't supposed to have any radios or
record players at the dorms, and that when school officials came
around, all the students rushed around hiding their radios under
beds and whatnot. Jay laughed at that part and said, "That's
funny!" and PG didn't say anything but just looked as if
to say No it wasn't. It wasn't funny for me at all at the time!
PG helped out with the opening
sketch where Jay held a mock Grammys ceremony. Peter just escorted
the odd assortment of award winners (including one guy in drag)
off the stage.
Jay Leno presented a special
post-Grammy show prize to Branford Marsalis: a chance to banter
with a world-famous comedian (Leno), permission to play sax for
Grammy winner Peter Gabriel, and a years supply of Turtle Wax.
Jay asked PG how he could stand
having snails crawl across his face for the filming of the "Digging
in the Dirt" video. PG replied, "I just imagined that
they were the lips of a beautiful woman." This proves that
either Pete has a more vivid imagination than previously thought
or has encountered some mighty sloppy smoochers in his time.
The Late Show with David Letterman
Aired: The a few days before Woodstock II
Overall impressions: PG appeared more relaxed with David Letterman than with Jay Leno, but only slightly. The problem here was that David Letterman kept interrupting PG to make little comments, which illustrated why PG usually does not fare well with hosted TV talk shows.
<editorial>A wise-cracking comedian with a A strong personality will almost always overshadow a soft-spoken cerebral artist like Gabriel. Between Letterman and Leno, PG needs to show up to such shows wearing a sign that reads "Handle With Care" so the host will take a hint. </editorial>
Highlights:
Peter did a stunning performance
of "Red Rain."
Peter told a story about how
he and and band got arrested on tour for looking suspicious whilst
standing in front of a bank (don't ask...this is something of
an urban legend. There are five different versions of this story,
and Tony Levin's version is completely different than the version
than the one Peter told Letterman. So who you gonna believe?)
Anyway, PG is talking about getting arrested (and jailed!) and Dave is constantly interrupting by saying, "Yep. You were busted. Going up the river. In da big house!..." when apparently someone in the control room (one of Dave's guys? From PG's band?) decided to have some fun and set off a very loud and realistic police siren sound effect. For just one moment, PG looked very startled and panicked as he looked around as if he was expecting someone to "get" him. Dave assured him it was just someone in the control room. PG just relaxed and said wryly, "Perfect timing."
Before PG's performance, Letterman
asked band director Paul Schaffer what song Peter would be playing,
Schaffer just said, "Ummmm...something that has to with rain.
Him standing in the rain or something like that." To this
Dave said, "Paul, you should really consider coming to rehearsals."
Saturday Night Live
Aired: April 10, 1993 (Thanks for the info, Cristy!)
Overall impressions: PG was musical guest and Jason Alexander was the host. PG did not appear in any comedy sketches, which was actually good because despite Alexander's excellent sense of comedy, the *writing* behind the sketches was extremely bad on that particular installment.
That's a shame, because if the show's writers had their act together, they could have come up with some good comedy material for Gabriel. Deiter from "Sprockets" would have been good, ("Shock my monkey, Peter!") and having a musical guest *and* a host with two first names each would have been a great opportunity for a "Guy by the Copier Machine" sketch. And think of the Dana Carvey's Church Lady in a interview with Gabriel...
Church Lady: Who was it that came up with misusing the sacred first book of the Bible as a name for a heathen rock band? Could it beeeeeee Satan?!
PG: Um, no...actually it was our first producer, Jonathan King.
Rowdy Genesis Fan in Studio Audience: Same thing!
Highlights:
Peter performing "Steam"
(with some majorly weird choreography) and "In Your Eyes".
The two promos that Gabriel
recorded with Jason Alexander, one of which goes like this:
Jason: Hi I'm Jason Alexander and I'll be hosting this week's Saturday Night Live with musical guest Peter Gabriel.
PG: Hi there!
Jason: Hosting Saturday Night Live is really great for me...for once I don't have to be taking orders from Seinfeld! I get to be the boss! I finally get to be my own star!
PG: Jason, will you get me a glass of water?
Jason (dejectedly): Yes, Mr. Gabriel.
PG References in TV Land
These are either references, use of PG songs, or short appearances of PG on TV.
Miami Vice: several PG songs were used throughout the series. (contributed: Jeff Linakis.)
Homicide: "No Self Control" was used in a very climatic chase scene.
Townies: in a promo, three characters talk about what they would like to do with the last 30 seconds of their lives. The first and second come up with their last wishes. The third woman says, "I want to be having sex and eating raw cookie dough while listening to Peter Gabriel's 'In Your Eyes'." (found by Laura Moss)
In an episode of Cheers, Fraiser's fianceé, Lillith, completely out of her regular character, arrives at the Cheers bar drunk after she attended a rather wild bachelorette party...in the arms of a male stripper. The stripper drops Lillith off and leaves, to which Lillith pleads, "Don't leave me Randy!" Randy leaves anyway and Lillith mumbles, "I'll never be able to listen to 'Shock the Monkey' again without crying."
Mystery Science Theatre 3000:
From left, Crow, Mike (couldn't find one with Joel)
and Master Gabriel Impersonator, Tom Servo
In an episode called The Pod People, there is one scene where an alien makes toys and stuff fly around a kid's bedroom. This effect is created by frame-by-frame stop-motion photography, to which Joel says, "What is this? A Peter Gabriel video?" And the 'bots respond "Someone ought to hit that kid [an incredibly bad actor] over the head with a [sings] sledgehammer."(Contributed by Capt. Zero)
In another episode, there's a sketch in which Joel tries to teach the 'Bots improvisational theatre. Our cast consists of the following characters (descriptions lifted from the MST3K Amazing Colossal Episode Guide):
In "The Brain That Wouldn't Die", a woman laments the fact that she no longer has a body (don't ask.) To this the Tom Servo notes, "You can always get a job in a Peter Gabriel video." (That comment doesn't make much sense to us, either.)
Anna, big time PG fan and MST3K watcher has a few more PG sightings: "When a character asked for someone to hand him a sledgehammer, Tom piped up with a 'BA-da-da-dum-da-DUM' version of the opening horn sequence to that song."
"I also just remembered that on one of MST3K's Japanese dubbed planet-of-the-apes-ripoff-style films, when one of apes gets knocked unconscious, Tom yelled out 'SHOCK the monkey!'"
Billboard Awards: Gabriel got to give a speech and present a special lifetime achievement award to Joni Mitchell. It was a very well-written, touching speech which was one of the highlights of the whole ceremony. He even got a laugh when he listed several artists who have been inspired by Joni Mitchell, and referred to Prince as "the artist formerly known as the artist formerly known as."
Party of Five: "Solsbury Hill" was played at the end of one episode.
The Commish: As reported by Anna, " On an episode of "The Commish" a couple years ago, when the Commissioner's son was running away with a girl who had just escaped from a mental institution (don't even ask!), 'Mercy Street' played in the background of one scene."
PG's World On Ice: Anna helps us out once again with this ref: "Peter Gabriel music has been used in figure skating routines by both Katerina Witt ("Summertime") and Oksana Baiul ("The Feeling Begins")."
Felicity: Songs "In Your Eyes" and "Here Comes the Flood" are used.
Brimstone: Gabriel has written the soundtrack for this one. Can't say much more about it as no one has heard it yet...
South Bank Show: Gabriel is featured on an episode of the South Bank show which shows Gabriel recording Security. Here's a write-up about it.
Chris Isaac Show:
More TV references to come...
Bonus Book Reference!
Hi to all you fantastic folks at The Hill!!
Just came across this little tidbit, via a friend who knows I 'm a PG fan(atic), and I thought you 'd like to know in case you already don 't.
Peter 's name appears in the novel "Walking to Mercury" by Starhawk (p. 256 in the edition my friend showed me). Seems the main character is on a trek through Nepal. She has just turned away a fellow trekker who wanted to get intimate, and is wondering if she's just missed a chance at conceiving the baby she wants. She wonders who is good enough to father her child. "God himself, maybe. Or possibly Bruce Springsteen." She indulges in a mini-fantasy about writing a letter requesting some of Springsteen 's uh, bodily fluids, then laments . . .
"If only there were a Famous Rock Stars Sperm Bank! She could have one by Bruce, a boy, of course, kind of rough and ready and good at fixing cars--Goddess knows, that would come in handy! And then maybe one by Peter Gabriel, a girl, sensitive and musical. And just to round things off and for old times ' sake, a pair of frizzy-haired Jewish twins with whiny voices by Bob Dylan."
If you decide to post this, feel free to leave out the Bob Dylan part. That 's just a little too scary.
Oh, and I had a good, hearty laugh over your "Swatch" posting! I have a small contribution for that, too. If you want to implement any of those ideas, I know a good watchmaker with delicate hands. Just contact me through the wire . . .
--laure