Peter Wolfe
Encyclopedia
Peter William Randall (born 1968, Maidstone
, Kent
, England
) changed his name to Peter Wolfe because of his admiration of Desmond Wolfe the alter ego of Withnail from the cult film, Withnail and I. He is also known as Wolfman. He is an English
poet
, and a musician
of the band, Wolfman and the Side-Effects. He is also a friend of Pete Doherty
. From time to time, Wolfman and the Side-Effects support Doherty's band, Babyshambles
, and used to support The Libertines
.
, and for a short while shared a flat with Shane MacGowan
. In the early 1990s, he moved to a flat in the Blackstock Road
and worked on his career as a musician. However, Wolfe was "relentlessly unsuccessful". Throughout the 1990s Wolfe was regularly in and out of the major recording studio
s (Island, EMI, and Sony), but failed to secure a recording contract
. He later moved to New York, before moving on to Paris
, France
.
In 1998, Wolfe published a book of poetry (and one short story) called Pornografika. Though the book is now out of print, some of the poems can be found on Wolfe's Myspace
and Facebook
accounts.
in Islington
. They formed a relationship 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".
In 2003, Wolfe recorded "For Lovers
" together with Doherty. Wolfe had written the song in the mid 1990s 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 record producer
Jake Fior made other changes to the arrangement for the single recording. The single was Wolfe's biggest success as musician, reaching #7 in the UK Singles Chart
. Despite the success of the single, which was nominated for a Ivor Novello Award for songwriting, the pair received relatively little money. Rumours that the publishing rights were sold for "a small amount in a pub" are unfounded, as the rights were shared amongst the musicians who worked without pay on the recording.
On 12 July 2008, Wolfe joined Doherty on stage during his solo show at the Royal Albert Hall
and they performed "For Lovers" together. Wolfe's appearance on stage however did not meet critical acclaim. According to one critic the song was "sabotaged" by Wolfe's out-of-tune vocals. On 16 March 2009, Doherty's solo album, Grace/Wastelands
was released. It featured "Broken Love Song", a song co-written with Wolfe. A picture of Wolfe talking to Doherty and a painting of Wolfe appeared in the album art.
Like Doherty, Wolfe has had a long-standing addiction to heroin. On 28 September 2010, Wolfe was charged with possessing and supplying cocaine, whilst Doherty was charged with possession, in a police investigation into the death of filmmaker Robin Whitehead, a member of the wealthy Goldsmith family. On 20 May 2011 he was sentenced to one year imprisonment, which was later reduced to eight months on appeal for two counts of possession of cocaine and one count of supplying cocaine linked to this episode.
Maidstone
Maidstone is the county town of Kent, England, south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town linking Maidstone to Rochester and the Thames Estuary. Historically, the river was a source and route for much of the town's trade. Maidstone was the centre of the agricultural...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
) changed his name to Peter Wolfe because of his admiration of Desmond Wolfe the alter ego of Withnail from the cult film, Withnail and I. He is also known as Wolfman. He is an English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, and a musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
of the band, Wolfman and the Side-Effects. He is also a friend of Pete Doherty
Pete Doherty
Peter Doherty is an English musician, writer, actor, poet and artist. He is best known musically for being co-frontman of The Libertines, which he reformed with Carl Barât in 2010. His other musical project is indie band Babyshambles...
. From time to time, Wolfman and the Side-Effects support Doherty's band, Babyshambles
Babyshambles
Babyshambles are an English indie rock band established in London. The band was formed by Pete Doherty during a hiatus from his former band The Libertines, but Babyshambles has since become his main project . Babyshambles has released two albums, three EPs and a number of singles...
, and used to support The Libertines
The Libertines
The Libertines were an English rock band, formed in London in 1997 by frontmen Carl Barât and Pete Doherty . The band, centred on the song-writing partnership of Barat and Doherty, also included John Hassall and Gary Powell for most of its recording career...
.
Early years
At 18 he moved to LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and for a short while shared a flat with Shane MacGowan
Shane MacGowan
Shane Patrick Lysaght MacGowan is an Irish musician and singer, best known as the original singer and songwriter of The Pogues.-History:...
. In the early 1990s, he moved to a flat in the Blackstock Road
Blackstock Road
Blackstock Road is a major road in north London, England, running from Seven Sisters Road south westerly to Highbury. It runs along the border between the London Borough of Hackney and the London Borough of Islington...
and worked on his career as a musician. However, Wolfe was "relentlessly unsuccessful". Throughout the 1990s Wolfe was regularly in and out of the major recording studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
s (Island, EMI, and Sony), but failed to secure a recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
. He later moved to New York, before moving on to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
In 1998, Wolfe published a book of poetry (and one short story) called Pornografika. Though the book is now out of print, some of the poems can be found on Wolfe's Myspace
Myspace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
and Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
accounts.
2000-present
In February 2001, Wolfe was the subject of a film documentary commissioned for The Other Side on Channel Four in the UK. The half hour film titled, The Greatest Unknown Rock 'n' Roll Star was directed by his old friend, filmmaker Andy Lee, who later worked for a year as Wolfe's manager (2006–2007). Later in 2001. Wolfe met Pete DohertyPete Doherty
Peter Doherty is an English musician, writer, actor, poet and artist. He is best known musically for being co-frontman of The Libertines, which he reformed with Carl Barât in 2010. His other musical project is indie band Babyshambles...
in Islington
Islington
Islington is a neighbourhood in Greater London, England and forms the central district of the London Borough of Islington. It is a district of Inner London, spanning from Islington High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the area around the busy Upper Street...
. They formed a relationship 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".
In 2003, Wolfe recorded "For Lovers
For Lovers
"For Lovers" is the debut single by Wolfman featuring Pete Doherty. The single reached No. 7 in the UK singles chart. Rumours that the pair received relatively little money , having already sold the publishing rights for a small amount in a pub are unfounded as in reality the rights were shared...
" together with Doherty. Wolfe had written the song in the mid 1990s and recorded a demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
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 record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Jake Fior made other changes to the arrangement for the single recording. The single was Wolfe's biggest success as musician, reaching #7 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. Despite the success of the single, which was nominated for a Ivor Novello Award for songwriting, the pair received relatively little money. Rumours that the publishing rights were sold for "a small amount in a pub" are unfounded, as the rights were shared amongst the musicians who worked without pay on the recording.
On 12 July 2008, Wolfe joined Doherty on stage during his solo show at the Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
and they performed "For Lovers" together. Wolfe's appearance on stage however did not meet critical acclaim. According to one critic the song was "sabotaged" by Wolfe's out-of-tune vocals. On 16 March 2009, Doherty's solo album, Grace/Wastelands
Grace/Wastelands
Grace/Wastelands is the debut solo album from Babyshambles frontman/The Libertines co-frontman Peter Doherty. It was released in the UK on 16 March 2009, with the single "Last of the English Roses" preceding it by one week...
was released. It featured "Broken Love Song", a song co-written with Wolfe. A picture of Wolfe talking to Doherty and a painting of Wolfe appeared in the album art.
Like Doherty, Wolfe has had a long-standing addiction to heroin. On 28 September 2010, Wolfe was charged with possessing and supplying cocaine, whilst Doherty was charged with possession, in a police investigation into the death of filmmaker Robin Whitehead, a member of the wealthy Goldsmith family. On 20 May 2011 he was sentenced to one year imprisonment, which was later reduced to eight months on appeal for two counts of possession of cocaine and one count of supplying cocaine linked to this episode.
Singles
- "For LoversFor Lovers"For Lovers" is the debut single by Wolfman featuring Pete Doherty. The single reached No. 7 in the UK singles chart. Rumours that the pair received relatively little money , having already sold the publishing rights for a small amount in a pub are unfounded as in reality the rights were shared...
" (2004) #7 UKUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... - "NapoleonNapoleon (song)"Napoleon" is the second single by Peter Wolfe. Unlike "For Lovers" the ratings for "Napoleon" weren't all that positive. Especially Wolfman's singing was in the center of negative criticism and was described as "mo-no-tone ratatat". The single reached number forty-four in the UK Singles Chart....
" (2004) #44 UK - "Ice Cream GuerillaIce Cream Guerilla"Ice Cream Guerilla" is the third single by Peter Wolfe. Even though the release wasn't a total flop, "Ice Cream Guerilla" was the least successful single by Wolf. The single reached number sixty in the UK Singles Chart....
" (2005) #60 UK