We had a (nice) surprise visitor to the office this afternoon...no not the large echidna again..though on occasions his hair has resembled one! The one and only Noel Crombie.

We escaped to the kitchen for a cuppa and somehow our thoughts returned to Atlanta (of all places).

Infamous city that one- Paul leaving the Crowdies, Phil departing the Enz, myself wanting to hit someone with a big plank (long story)... but Noel told another one- which had us in stitches (and almost himself on the night...)

The night (well one of 4) of the Great Southeast Music Hall (Feb '77) Atlanta arguement..something else happened...and not sure if this was ever reported.

As the set ended, Noel approached the front of the stage in full Noel attire ...but failed to notice a hole and loose board. So his foot lodges and Noel cartwheels off the stage ...and eventually crashes down on his knee! (Ouch) Of course the (small) crowd probably thought it was part of the act (Noel does remember applause and calls to "do it again")!!!

Meanwhile backstage while Phil and Tim are going for it- Noel has finally been taken to a hospital- his knee majorly swollen (he could just get the stage costume off....otherwise he'd have to wear it to the medical centre). After injections (and needles full of blood removed) he was given a walking stick and finished the final few dates in this state.

After Noel left I just had numerous thoughts and visions of him crashing off the stage people just thinking 'oh that's just Noel'.... and yeah he gave me his blessing to report this other Atlanta bit of Enz history...

Gryph

Thanks for sharing that with us. Poor Noel - how painful that must have been.

ouch!
it would have been really funny if noel had told it to me!
its funny how the rest of the band just dont seem to notice that noel was hurt(they probably did but not completly noticing)

Noel's a bit of a sausage.

I'm now wondering whether he's related to me. If I can fall down it or in it, step on it, be trodden on by it, be run over by it or fall off it, I do.

Glad he was okay after all, but even more glad that Tim and Phil just got on with what really mattered.

Poor Noel! That sounds really painful...and like something I would do. Luckily there are no holes in the floor at my work...I have enough bumps and bruises from just walking into stuff!

Ouch! That really must have hurt!

Thanks for sharing, PG!

quote:

Originally posted by gryphon:
As the set ended, Noel approached the front of the stage in full Noel attire ...but failed to notice a hole and loose board. So his foot lodges and Noel cartwheels off the stage ...and eventually crashes down on his knee! (Ouch) Of course the (small) crowd probably thought it was part of the act (Noel does remember applause and calls to "do it again")!!!

Now, I know I should not laugh at others' misfortune...but I can't help it! The mental image I have from this description is just too funny!

Yeah we were all the same (and Noel) just laughing- when he tells the odd Enz historical moment it can be just so funny...and this was so Noel.

I just picture Phil and Tim etc having their angry moment while Noels biggest worry was 'how the hell am I going to get out of this costume and get to hospital".....

There must be a few other Enz moments like this not reported on.....! (:

Gryph

Great story, Gryph...very Noel and very Enz! (Also a bit sad that it was going on while the Judd/Finn partnership was dramatically exploding in the same building).

A book detailing "on the road" stories (publishable ones!) and photos would be a good idea.

Oh, poor ol Floss. I'm sure he got an extra hug off his mum.

Do love these stories Gryph, thanks for sharing.

Oh thank Noel....he took the trip!
P

quote:

Originally posted by gryphon:
I just picture Phil and Tim etc having their angry moment while Noels biggest worry was 'how the hell am I going to get out of this costume and get to hospital".....

I bet he was more worried about the costume! "They're not going to cut it off of me - I'm not sewing a new leg onto this thing!"

quote:

I bet he was more worried about the costume! "They're not going to cut it off of me - I'm not sewing a new leg onto this thing!"

Perhaps this was the source of inspiration for the 2008 tour costumes.

quote:

quote:

I bet he was more worried about the costume! "They're not going to cut it off of me - I'm not sewing a new leg onto this thing!"

Perhaps this was the source of inspiration for the 2008 tour costumes.

I don't think I know the ones. Did they feature tear-away trousers, like pro basketball players or male strippers pretending to be cops?

Hey, now there's an idea for a Split Enz touring getup!! Not all cops, though. That's too easy. They could each have different motifs going on. Neil would be the cop, for instance, and then each other band member would be something else. Tim as a sailor, maybe, and then Eddie as some sort of rough and rowdy outback/cowboy sort, and Nigel could be a hardhat riveter type, and then the drummer could be something like a tough-guy biker...something more "outsider," like that. And Noel could be an Aborigine on walkabout! Collectively, the range of their costumes would serve as a tribute to the diverse spectrum of antipodean manliness! It would be similar to what they've done with costumes past, homaging a range of different artists for instance.

I mean...that's assuming the very idea isn't offensive. Ahem.

ANYHOW - that's a great story, Gryphon! It seems likely that the unbelievable true story of Split Enz will never fully be told...which is fine, since we can always look forward to hearing little gems like this from time to time.

Poor Noel.

It seems that he can laugh about it now, but I bet it hurt like the blazes at the time.

I went a bit pale when I read that needles full of blood were removed from his knee

I think Tim and Phil missed their real vocational calling - they'd have made a great pair of doctors.

perhaps the inspiration for Neil's Souvenir song

"Each night I would fall
Right off the stage
No bones to break"

:-)

I don't think Neil needed Noel's "trip" for inspiration for those lines.......Neil is plenty good at falling (including off of the stage) himself

When i first read this thread heading, i thought Noel had been at the old blotting paper ,trying to relive the '70's.

Poor Noel. Glad he can laugh about it now. Sounds like a not to pleasant Enz Tour experience. I imagine Noel made the walking stick a very useful stage prop.

Thanks for sharing the memory Gryph. Hope it ends up in the yet to be written definitive history of the Enz.

I am at home sick with a bad cold.
Mom showed me this to make me feel better.
It kind of made me sicker but it kind of made me laugh.

I guess this proves that even the Great Noel Crombie makes mistakes too.

Really icky about the blood though.

Sorry to hear it Charlz - feel better!