A CLASSY SLICE OF ROCK'N'ROLL PIE
WAITING ON THE MOON, by PETER WOLF
WAITING ON THE MOON. Artists, Poets, Drifters, Grifters, and Goddesses. by Peter Wolf.
Here's one of the best rock'n'roll biographies in years, intelligently written by one of the most charismatic frontmen in music. Peter Wolf took centerstage with the legendary J. Geils Band through countless hits and a dozen critically acclaimed albums in the 70s and 80s. One of Rocks great showmen, we easily went toe to toe with Mick Jagger, Roger Daltrey, or Freddie Mercury. Yet do people know that Pete Wolf was married to Faye Dunaway when both were in their prime? When Dunaway was filming hits like Chinatown?
With Waiting on the Moon, Peter Wolf classes up the rock-bio genre. He writes with an elevated style and a literary bent. This is not a rock book about drugs or chicks or smashing hotel rooms. This is an eloquent exploration into the art, music, fashion, and poetry of the 60s, 70s and 80s. Peter Wolf is a smart guy who didn’t need a co-writer; he keeps this respectable, never sensational. It’s a rock book devoid of scandal, shock and temperamental conflict. Therefore, it’s refreshing and different.
For the most part, this is an episodic story where Wolf provides intimate vignettes about his friendships with many important influencers in the 60s and 70s. Incredibly, the list includes Tennessee Williams, Muddy Waters, filmmaker David Lynch, the Stones, Andy Warhol, Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Merle Haggard, Alfred Hitchcock Julia Child, Sly Stone, Aretha Franklin, Martin Scorsese and of course Faye Dunaway. Oh. And Marilyn Monroe!
Peter Wolf became his own self-made star. Growing up in the Bronx he moved to Boston as a teenager to attend art school. His passion for painting veered into music and he became an all-night DJ for a small Boston radio station. He had enough musical taste to promote then-unknowns like Van Morrison and Dylan. He took a deep interest in the Blues and from there, one of rock's stellar careers was born.
Pete Wolf's tales take a classy approach for every individual. He’s not here to smear people, but to uphold the artistic contributions of the likes of Dunaway, Mick Jagger, or even poets like Robert Lowell. Another artist who takes this literary approach might be Patti Smith, the New York singer and Beat poet, who writes in a similar vein. (She has a decent Substack.)
I was lucky one weekend in the late 70s in Washington DC, where we saw Wold lead the J. Geils Band, live. Pete Wolf was captivating. The band was in its finest form, and there's no question Wolf was the equal to such superstars as Elton John, Springsteen, or Robert Plant. Peter Wolf was that good. Saying that, a pure J. Geils fan might be disappointed with this book. There's little mention of specific songs, the ups and downs of the Band, how they opened for the Stones and filled the largest arenas in their heyday. Nor does Wolf go into why the Band eventually kicked him out. He avoids details as to how his marriage to Faye Dunaway crumbled, choosing instead to stay congenial and highbrow.
You read Waiting On The Moon because it’s an actual joy to not have to go searching for deep meaning. You read Waiting On The Moon because of its simple well-crafted storytelling. The value in Waiting On The Moon is how Peter Wolf can paint a portrait of a person, various snapshots across musical and cultural lines. It’s well written, easy to read, you've heard of everybody he mentions, and there’s an original spin to each. Nice book. Here's the Amazon link.
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THANKS to the new readers, thanks to the sharers and passers-on.
Btw, it came to my attention that Ereadernewstoday.com featured my bestseller, CHIP ROCK and the FAT OLD FART in their Christian Reading category as the Book of the Day on June 23rd. It reached Number One on Amazon’s Christian Reading as well. Hooray! It's featured on this page, I understand.
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Enjoyed the review! Most people have no idea how interesting Wolf is as a person and artist. He has led an amazing life. So glad he wrote this book, every page was a delight. Waiting On The Moon is my current #2 best rock n roll book of 2025. Loved it!