FLEETWOOD'S AXEMAN RETURNS

IT all went horribly wrong for Peter Green in 1969.

At that point he was one of the most respected guitarists in the world,
revered by the likes of Eric Clapton and B. B. King for his original blues
style.

His band Fleetwood Mac had had a string of hits such as Albatross, Man of
the World and Need Your Love So Bad. He was young, wealthy and famous.

The London-born guitarist's downfall was the drug LSD. Green became one of
many '60s acid casualties, in the process renouncing his fame and fortune,
giving most of his money away and urging other band members to do the same.

It was the beginning of a 26-year career hiatus. After quitting the group
in 1970 he spent many of the following years in psychiatric care - often
receiving intensive drug treatment or electro-shock therapy. When not in
hospitals, he lived with his mother, where watching television was the
extent of his association with the entertainment world.

"A mouse had a better time than I was having," is one of his more colourful
recollections of his lost years.

Since 1995, however, Green has been back playing guitar with his band the
Splinter Group, and while by no means enjoying the level of success he once
had, he is able to show audiences once again just why he is rated so highly.

The band has released seven albums in as many years, with music that
combines blues, R&B and rock.

Fellow band member Nigel Watson describes his once-famous colleague as
someone with "a genius feel".

"Over half of my life I've listened to him and he never ceases to amaze
me," he says.

In some ways Green is a shadow of his former self. He talks in short
nervous bursts that are sometimes difficult to decipher. His enthusiasm for
playing, however, is obvious.

"It's getting there," he says. "I'm getting to enjoy it. My playing has
improved because I've put a lot of time and hard work into it."

Green, 55, is about to show audiences in Sydney and Melbourne the fruits of
that hard work.

He admits, however, that he has - quite literally - trouble with being in
the spotlight, one of the lingering symptoms of his post-LSD condition.

"I do actually feel pressure from the lights. Spotlights I could do
without, but it is fun to be playing again.

"It's hard to imagine when you start playing guitar that you would ever
stop, but that's what I did," he says. "I'm very grateful for the ability
to learn again."