Peter never really wanted to be an actor and usually passed up the few chances he had. At one point, he was urged to audition for the role of Pontius Pilate in Martin Scorsese’s film The Last Temptation of Christ. Peter read for the role in a stiff and commanding voice and was told to come back later and to practice being more casual and like himself. Peter left and went to the washroom, where he ran into a “notable screenwriter and director” (302) who was masturbating and calling out the name of actor Bibi Andersson. Peter decided that acting definitely wasn’t for him, and left. David Bowie ended up playing the part of Pontius Pilate.

Peter received an offer to do a duet with Aretha Franklin, and while he was honored, he refused at first because he couldn’t see how it would work. Others convinced him to do it, and he flew to Detroit for the recording session. Meeting Aretha was initially anxiety-inducing, and she spoke in a British accent, which Peter learned was her Joan Collins imitation. After the initial recording session, Aretha warmed up to Peter quickly, and they began joking together. They also talked about King Curtis and Sam Cooke, whom Aretha called her first love. In 2005, at a tribute concert for Cooke, both Peter and Aretha performed. Everyone thought Aretha would perform “A Change Is Gonna Come,” but for some reason she refused. For this song, all the performers joined in, including Aretha.

Peter notes how challenging the creative process can be and how much more fulfilling it often was for him to collaborate with other artists. He collaborated with Tim Mayer on several songs and always found that Tim improved on what he (Peter) started. Peter also collaborated with and befriended Will Jennings, who on their first meeting invited Peter to drink through the night with him. They discussed music and poetry. Will and Peter wrote several songs together.

During a lunch, Peter spotted actor Rod Steiger and approached him to compliment his work. Rod went into a tangent about the lack of credit he receives for all his historic roles and lamented the depression that kept him from pursuing many of his goals throughout his life, saying, “It’s too late for me” (316). This became the title of one of Peter and Will’s songs. Will was always humble, and when he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2006, Peter found him sitting by himself outside, reflecting and already thinking about what song to write next.

One of Peter’s most significant collaborations was with Merle Haggard, a “reclusive, moody, unpredictable, and legendary singer-songwriter” (318) who was initially difficult for Peter to reach. He fought to get in touch with Merle and eventually was introduced through a tour coordinator named Frank Mull. Peter met Merle on his tour bus, and they immediately began discussing the various versions of Merle’s recent recording. Merle and Peter generally agreed on what sounded good and what didn’t, and Peter wanted to do a duet for “It’s Too Late for Me” with him but didn’t have the chance to ask.

When he saw Merle again, he pitched a song, but Merle made no mention of wanting to record it together. Peter was left wondering if Merle was just going to use his song and leave him in the dust, but he stayed optimistic and set up a makeshift studio for a tour in Boston, hoping Merle would come to record the track. Eventually, Merle showed up, and the recording was exactly what Peter hoped. Afterward, Peter hung around as Willie Nelson, Ray Price, and Merle smoked cannabis. When Peter hears “It’s Too Late for Me” now, it reminds him of the long and winding connections that make up music history and compel creativity within people.