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My LAST WRITES for David Peel
I knew David Peel far better than most, having been in his band and observing him for over 20 years. Peel's "cult of personality" fans, deceived by his phony posturing and superficial appeal, deny or excuse his antisocial conduct. Some of those I have recently spoken with that knew him better than most agree he had a "dark side." This included being the gay Bill Cosby of punk rock - a SEXUAL PREDATOR on vulnerable young guys! Some, like our guitarist Greg, he made into virtual slaves. Greg lived with him for some time as his personal go-fer. I have two witnesses to the fact that late one winter night, after being SEXUALLY ASSAULTED by Peel, Greg fled his place leaving behind his guitar and leather jacket, which Peel kept. Greg feared Peel so much he actually moved to LA to get as far from him as he could.
Peel involved himself with Occupy Wall Street not because he believed in the movement - he did not; he was a closeted right-winger - but to be a center of attention and meet many young guys. At gigs, Peel sometimes filled the stage with guys that couldn't even sing or play an instrument and had to fake it. Why? To impress them and make them feel indebted to him - he told them in effect he could make them a Rock Star if they just did as he wanted. The gay Bill Cosby of punk rock!
Peel was a hypocritical, two-faced traitor to both his phony left-wing and closeted right-wing values. He was a nasty, egocentric loudmouth, always desperate for attention, living in a rent-controlled 5th floor walkup slum with the bathtub in the kitchen and no shower. He was as cheap as Ebenezer Scrooge and just as cruel, though he undoubtedly had a good income from royalties and possibly a million dollars’ worth of Rock memorabilia - including original artifacts from John Lennon, who he had manipulated and exploited to establish his career in music. This self-proclaimed "Rock Star" was too cheap to eat anything but junk food, and even boasted about getting food stamps! He died by slow suicide - his horrible red meat diet, lack of exercise, tobacco smoking, alcohol drinking, stress, and very late hours destroyed his heart - the organ alone; he had no other "heart" to speak of. Just one example of his malicious nature is that often when he saw me speaking with a woman he came over and remarked, “Mick, how’s your wife?” I could have kicked his ass right there, but he would have run whining to the cops. I’m a man of peace and need no crude violence; I use my superior mind to even the score.
Peel was NO MUSICIAN. He could not really sing, had a loud grating voice, and only knew a few guitar chords. He never evolved beyond his early minimalist punk style, and most of his later work seems a self-parody. If you’ve ever heard his song “Hurricane Sandy” you know how bad most were. He never covered others’ songs because he lacked the vocal range and flexibility of style needed to do so, and of course he alone always had to be the center of attention. Peel was a one-trick pony!
Peel was a SCAM ARTIST. One of his favorite swindles was to go to a restaurant with a group of people, eat, then leave before paying his share of the bill. I was selling my then-new self-published book of poetry and songs for $5, just to cover my costs, and he expressed interest by asking me to autograph one “To David Peel from Mick Davis.” He took it and just said “thank you,” knowing that if I insisted on payment he could just give it back and with that dedication written in it, it would be unsalable to anyone else. Unbelievable pettiness and trickery were his trademark! It was Peel’s conning the then-naïve John Lennon into connecting him with Apple and Electra Records, and into mentioning his name in the song “Sometime in New York City,” that gave Peel his music career. His treatment of band members? Tyrannical and abusive is an understatement, though he respected me more than others after the fight incident related below. He was a control freak that tried to run your life. He got paid for many shows but nothing ever went to the band - the most he ever paid me was a small bag of pot he probably obtained for free. He relied on band members for free transportation and wouldn’t even chip in for gas! I once drove him back to his slum from a Woodstock Reunion gig, and he stiffed me for the gas and tolls! “Yuh - yuh - you had to come back to the city anyway, didn’t you?” I’m sure he was paid well for that show too.
Peel was VIOLENT, and NO Hippie! He has been seen slapping around his wimpy go-fers, and is reputed to have PUNCHED PATTI SMITH for stealing a song - as if she needed to! Once, while on the road to a gig somewhere near Philadelphia, he PHYSICALLY ATTACKED ME. I quickly stopped him using a minimum of force when I could have legally beaten him into a coma and been done with him. Sometimes I regret my compassion in sparing him that - if I knew then what I know now about him, I certainly would have been more harsh. He respected me far more after that incident! He was a bully with vulnerable wimpy guys, but a coward with strong ones. Poor Greg witnessed Peel’s assault and dared to speak up: “You started violence!” His Master cracked the whip with, “Uh - uh - another word out of YOU and YOU’LL NEVER PLAY IN MY BAND AGAIN!” The timid little go-fer immediately shut up and fell in line.
I am grateful for the REAL friends that uphold my belief that human nature, despite the likes of Peel, is basically good. Those that harm others, other than in self-defense, are crazy - but are not seen as such by this society's low standards of sanity. Peel is reputed to have been incarcerated in a psychiatric hospital after John Lennon’s assassination. He should have been kept there!
I've said my piece about this pervert and will now move on. My purpose has been to burst the balloon of Peel's false image and let people know the truth; he should be seen and remembered as he really was. Is there any revenge motive to my exposing him? Perhaps - but I could have forgiven him if he ever had sincerely apologized for his unjustified back-stabbing acts against me, especially those that ended my playing in his band. As is typical of the sociopath, he was never able to take responsibility for his malicious acts no less apologize for them.