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Pink Voyd's drummer, Tony Caliendo, came across an opportunity he couldn't pass up: the chance to buy the original pig that Pink Floyd took on tour.
"We got this pig in Chicago," Tony says. "He was born and bred on Pink Floyd's 'Division Bell Tour' in 1994. One of our old managers told me that somebody was selling this pig. I contacted him and pounced on the opportunity to buy it. But we had some trouble actually getting the pig, because at the last minute the seller dedided not to send it. This was after we had sent the money! It was an issue."
"So I had a lot of work in front of me to get that pig. But I huffed and I puffed and one month later, we got the pig. Then we spent $5,000 just to fix it! This was just to sew the pig back to working shape. We hired a guy who was an actual parachuter to do the job, because the pig is made of parachute material. But it's old. It's so big that it has to have seam tape along every seam, and the seam tape was coming off because of the age."
"So I hired this parachuter, and he looked like he came out of Toy Story. I thought he was going to show up with a little sewing machine and a table. I thought that was going to be it. But no. This guy drove out to us with a truck full of equipment, like he was going to build a house! He worked here diligently for a week. He sewed and sewed that pig. He even took out some of the old parts of it that were rotten, and put some new material."
But the pig has a history in New England, the home base for Pink Voyd, and site of the next few shows. Tony says, "The pig actually has some fame locally. There's a balloon inside the pig that allowed the original Pink Floyd to put helium in it. Then they tied ropes to the side and pulled it across the stadium. But one time, during the Pink Floyd tour of 1988, the pig got stuck at Foxoboro Stadium, right here in Massachusetts. It was up on a line and deflated partway. People from the audience could jump up and touch it and were tearing pieces from it. So the riggers had to climb it the tightrope and release it, because it was just dangling there in the middle of the stadium and creating a bit of a scene. Now that's audience participation for you."
How Pink Voyd uses the pig is a big secret, says Tony, "But it's great. We just look at it and our hearts start pumping, quick, and it gives us so much energy to perform."
When it's not being used, the pig is treated like a king. Tony says, "The pig is living in an anvil case that's the size of a big amplifier or drum kit. We spent a lot of money on just the case to transport this pig, because we just can't afford to have anything happen to it. So he's living in luxury and ready to come out like a rock star."
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It's still in the works but you may be able to come out and meet and touch the pig this Saturday 4/25 at the festival in Amherst Town Common all day before the show at the Mullins Center. For videos, band merchandise, and to buy tickets see www.pinkvoyd.com.
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