Waiting on the Moon: Artists, Poets, Drifters, Grifters, and Goddesses

Peter recounts a missed opportunity to potentially create a film soundtrack for Alfred Hitchcock. A friend and well-known agent arranged a meeting with Alfred at his home, and Peter made sure to be early. The man himself greeted Peter and took him to the living room, where they discussed various paintings on Alfred’s wall. Alfred continually offered Peter a drink, but Peter was determined to make a good impression and insisted on having only tea. When he left, he had the strange sense that he had done something wrong. Years later, he found out that Alfred’s wife allowed him to drink only in the afternoons if he drank with a guest. Peter felt like a fool but reminded himself of the Hitchcock quote, “It’s only a movie.”

In 1974, the J. Geils Band toured with ZZ Top, and then Peter went to Bel-Air to spend time with Faye. She was hired to star in Roman Polanski’s Chinatown but was not his or the producer’s first choice for the role. She felt unwelcome during filming and pushed Polanski’s patience as much as she could. At one point, she and Peter went to Polanski’s house to try and work things out with him, but the talk didn’t seem to go anywhere. At one point during filming, Roman Polanski pulled a hair out of Faye’s head because it would not sit in place. She walked off the set, causing drama and chaos. Faye was upset that night and wanted to talk to costar Jack Nicholson about it. She and Peter went to Jack’s house, where Faye disappeared upstairs with Jack and never came down. Peter was sure she was sleeping with him and left to go back to the East Coast.

Peter felt more at home and at peace back in Cambridge. He saw an Everly Brothers show and listened to their rehearsal beforehand, during which they played songs by The Beatles. The next day, a friend, William Alfred (a playwright and poet) invited Peter to a dinner, where Peter saw Cal (Robert Lowell), a renowned poet whom Ed Hood first introduced to him. Cal was moody, pensive, and difficult to read. At one point he asked Peter what he considered the great American novel, and after many drinks, Peter couldn’t remember the name “Moby Dick.” Thankfully, William’s house was filled with clocks, and they all chimed at that moment, saving Peter from humiliation. Peter saw Cal several more times throughout his life.

The Record Plant was a multi-floor recording studio in Manhattan that many well-known musicians of the era used. Peter was there recording an album with the J. Geils Band when he met Harry Nilsson. Harry saw Peter walk by and remarked that he looked like a Ringo wannabe, and Peter made an equally sharp retort. The two men seemed to instantly understand one another, and Harry invited Peter to hear him play in the studio. Afterward, Harry invited Peter to his favorite bar, along with his friend John Lennon. Peter spent a couple of days with the two men both in and out of the studio and found it difficult to keep up with their wit and antics. He indulged in cannabis with them, despite rarely smoking it, and while he had fun, he knew it was something he shouldn’t keep up for long.

Faye came to Boston after the Chinatown filming, and she and Peter made amends. They received a pair of necklaces from a friend that had an anchor with two fish, symbolizing “faith, hope, and charity” (201). Peter accompanied Faye to the set of her next film and spent some time in Hollywood. At one point, he mailed out postcards but unknowingly put them into a prop mailbox on a movie set, and they were never sent. Faye stayed sober for a while, and those times were happy for them both, but Faye started to worry when Peter prepared to go back home. She asked him to marry her, and despite his hesitation, he agreed. The wedding took place at a courthouse and was followed by a lavish party with endless alcohol in supply. After the party, Faye passed out in the limousine, and Peter and the limo driver had to carry her inside. They placed her on the couch, where she lay sleeping and unaware of the world. Peter stared at her and wondered if this was what his life would now be like.

Peter received a shipment of two cases of fine wines from the record label, but he preferred cheaper wine and called the distributor to exchange it. The distributor was shocked and asked Peter several times if he was serious, but Peter was certain he would rather have more wine than less of it. The two cases of fine wine translated into fifty cases of cheap wine, and Peter was proud of himself. He was also excited to tell Faye about it.

Faye spontaneously took Peter to London to meet famed director George Cukor (My Fair Lady), and they spent the evening chatting in the hotel room, eating, and drinking. George remarked on how he found it strange that people fixated on Marilyn Monroe despite the fact that he was never even able to finish his film with her. Later, in the hotel bar, Peter and Faye ran into Peter Sellers, and he invited them to his place. There, Faye asked Sellers to reenact his Dr. Strangelove role, and he happily did so. After several drinks, Sellers insisted on driving Peter and Faye back to their hotel despite their advice that they should take a cab instead. On the road, Sellers did his impression of an “American driver” and drove on the wrong side of the road, nearly crashing into an oncoming car. After dropping off Peter and Faye, Sellers continued his Dr. Strangelove impression as he drove away.

Peter has had a long-time relationship with the Rolling Stones, both professionally and personally. The first time he met them, he was working in a record store in New York, and Brian Jones asked for recommendations on where to buy rhythm and blues albums. In 1971, Peter noticed Mick Jagger at one of his shows, watching the band perform. In 1975, the J. Geils Band performed as an opening act for the Stones in Memphis, and it was the largest crowd they had ever performed for. At the end of the tour, a massive party was thrown, and Peter decided to go to the beach. Faye warned him that he was inebriated and couldn’t swim, but Peter assured her that he would be fine. He went for a short dip and then back to Keith Richards’s room, where he fell asleep in the closet. Panic ensued when no one could locate him and Faye was worried he drowned.

The J. Geils Band went on several more tours with the Stones over the years. In Ireland, Peter drank his first real Guinness with Mick, and Keith Richards was always friendly and welcoming. Peter admires Mick’s discipline and his ability to get up early every day to rehearse. While in Ireland, Peter got to sleep in Slane Castle (which sounded fun but was torturous). For the big concert, a deal was made to prevent any possible Irish Republican Army (IRA) attacks, which were frequent at the time.

Peter used to shop in the same fish market as Julia Child and was friends with the owner. At one point, she invited Peter to a special dinner at Julia Child’s house. Peter knew that Ed Hood was a big fan and couldn’t wait to tell him about it. Julia Child served a special wine created by two of the most prominent wine houses at the time, followed by clam chowder and coleslaw. Afterward, she announced that there wasn’t much for dessert, and everyone was flabbergasted. On the way out, Peter overheard other guests discussing where they should go for dinner.

Peter attended the 25th anniversary of A Streetcar Named Desire, starring Faye Dunaway and Jon Voight. He happened to sit next to Tennessee Williams (the playwright) and found it amusing how Tennessee laughed at all the jokes, irritating others in the audience. Peter had several more opportunities to spend time with Tennessee over the years and always found his wry wit entertaining. One of Tennessee’s later plays, The Red Devil Battery Sign, was not as well received as his earlier work. When Peter met up with him years later, he could tell that Tennessee was sullen. Tennessee had recently renounced himself as a ghost of his former talent. Peter had recently divorced Faye, and he and Tennessee found solace in watching the ocean together.

In 1979, Faye left Peter in Boston and went to New York to stay in their apartment there. Peter went to New York to see his father because he was ill, and called Faye after going to the hospital. Faye seemed unsympathetic and disinterested, and Peter decided to go for a drink. Afterward, he went to the apartment and was told he wasn’t allowed in, so he snuck in the back. His key no longer worked in the lock, so he hurled himself through the door and found Faye with a photographer named Terry O’Neill. Terry ran to the bedroom and locked the door, and Faye yelled at Peter to leave. She tried to fake concern and tell him she would work things out with him, but Peter was already angry. He began smashing Terry’s cameras and lenses and then left. He later attempted to work things out with Faye, but it was hopeless, and they divorced. Months later, Peter walked past Faye and Terry on the street, and they didn’t even notice him.