| WHO WIGGLES?
02/21/03 THE CROONER (YELLOW) Greg Page sings lead on all Wiggles songs, drives the little red car (shoulder belt prominently buckled) and, when he's off duty, indulges in bags of lollies -- the Aussie catch-all term for candy. He's the tallest Wiggle at 6 foot 41/2, the youngest Wiggle at 33 and one of the two Wiggles who's married with children. Page grew up in a suburb of Sydney, got his first guitar at age 5, played piano, ukulele, trumpet, sax and accordion as a child, wrote his first song at age 13, and studied early childhood education at Macquarie University in Sydney. Offstage, his passions are cricket (check out his technical Web site, www.cricketcoach.com), his kids, computers and composing non-Wiggles music. After a show, Page cools off with a Coke or other soda. THE SNOOZER (PURPLE) Wiggles audiences continually jolt Jeff Fatt out of feigned slumber with cries of, "Wake up, Jeff!" The group handed Fatt the nodding-off role because he joined The Wiggles from the rock world -- and had no idea what to say to kids from the stage. If Fatt was sleeping, the other Wiggles figured, he wouldn't have to say anything -- and the children would gain an enjoyable sense of power from waking him. Fatt, 49, grew up on Australia's rural north coast. He shuns coffee and alcohol and eats an Asian-oriented diet heavy in seafood and light on fat -- until he hits the United States. Then he gives in to Krispy Kremes. Offstage, his passions are: boogie-woogie piano, Hammond B-3 organs, Booker T. and the MG's and riding his collapsible bicycle. His degree is in industrial design. After a show, Fatt cools down with mineral water. THE GUITARIST (RED) Murray Cook is The Wiggles' king of guitars, a guy who's gentle with children and focused on what they'll gain from a show. He's also a snappy dresser and Beatles nut who grew up in Orange, Australia, a rural apple-growing region. (The name is a display of ironical Australian humor.) He and his family live in Newtown, an artsy area of Sydney. Cook, 42, worked as a clerk in the government tax department before enrolling in the childhood education program at Macquarie University. He got top marks at school, making him a popular study companion. Offstage, his passions are: contemporary music history, his wife and two children, catching other bands while on the road and, when home, playing gigs in Sydney pubs. After a show, Cook cools down with a blue sports drink. THE EATER (BLUE) Want to make Anthony Field happy? Feed him. His food-lovin' shtick onstage mirrors his real-life love of food as adventure. Field, 39, enrolled at Macquarie University after a stint in the Australian army, where he played bagpipes in a pipes and drums band. After two years at university, Field spent two years touring with the Cockroaches, an Australian pop band with a pair of Top 10 hits. He and Fatt met in that band. Then it was back to Macquarie to finish his early childhood education degree. Field sings, plays guitar and drums, and loves performing and touring. Offstage, his passions are drinking good espresso, taking digital photos and working with them on his laptop, messing around with his own music -- and eating American pancakes and waffles. After a show, Field cools down with a green sports drink. -- Janet Filips |