Peter Wolfe (musician)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Peter Wolfe (Wolfman) | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Peter Wolfe |
| Also known as | Wolfman |
| Born | 1968 Maidstone |
| Origin | Kent, England |
| Genre(s) | Indie rock Alternative rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, Songwriter |
| Years active | early 90s - Present |
| Label(s) | Beyond Bedlam |
Peter William Wolfe (born 1968 in Maidstone, Kent) (more commonly known as Wolfman) is a poet and a musician of the band Wolfman and the Side-Effects. He is also a friend and the rumored corrupter of Pete Doherty. From time to time Wolfman and the Side-Effects support Doherty's band, Babyshambles, and used to support The Libertines.
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[edit] Life and career
Peter Wolfe was born in Maidstone in 1968. Not much is known about Wolfe's mother, except that she left when he was four years old. The lyrics of the song "Wolfman" imply that Wolfe's "mother was a junkie" and his "Dad drank Special Brew". It is likely this refers to prescription medication that was widely used by stressed mothers at the time however, Wolfe's father, a carpenter, was indeed an alcoholic (though he has been sober for many years.)
Wolfe left school with no O-levels and he became a plumber. At 18 he moved to London, and for a short while shared a flat with Shane MacGowan.[1] In the early '90s he moved to a flat in the Blackstock Road and worked on his career as a musician. However, Wolfe was "relentlessly unsuccessful."[1] In the late 90s he moved to New York and later to Paris, where he published a book of poetry. When he returned to London his marriage was divorced, which led to heavy drinking and suicide attempts.
In 2001 Peter Wolfe met Pete Doherty in Islington. They formed a relationship ever since mostly based on songwriting. Wolfe about their relationship:
| “ | He turned up at my flat and started hanging around saying he was in a band. He's a great fucking person. Sometimes really awful but sometimes very kind. Maybe he was the first person to look at me through eyes which didn't say, "This guy's a cunt." [1] | ” |
In 2003 Wolfe recorded "For Lovers" together with Doherty. Wolfe had written the song in the mid 90s and recorded a demo with his old school friend and musical collaborator, Julian Taylor. Doherty altered the words to one verse, and musicians in Wolfe's band, "The Side Effects", along with producer Jake Fior made other changes to the arrangement for the single recording. The single was Wolfe's biggest success as musician, reaching No.7 in the UK charts. Despite the success of the single, which was nominated for a prestigious Ivor Novello Award for songwriting,[2] the pair received relatively little money. Rumours that the publishing rights were sold for "a small amount in a pub"[3] are unfounded as in reality the rights were shared amongst the musicians who worked without pay on the recording. This did, however, give Wolfe some media attention and increased his fanbase.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Singles
- "For Lovers" (2004) #7 UK
- "Napoleon" (2004) #44 UK
- "Ice Cream Guerilla" (2005) #60 UK
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Lynskey, Dorian. "Big bad wolf", The Guardian, 2004-11-19. Retrieved on 2007-06-29.
- ^ "Geldof to follow up Live Aid and 'turn the world'", The Guardian, 27 May 2005. Retrieved on 2007-05-12.
- ^ Binelli, Mark. "Over the Edge with Pete Doherty", Rolling Stone, 24 March 2006. Retrieved on 2007-05-12.
