Waiting on the Moon: Artists, Poets, Drifters, Grifters, and Goddesses

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of mental illness, substance use, addiction, sexual content, and death.

Peter Wolf opens his memoir by commenting on the “conceit” (xi) of writing a book about himself, and he then makes it clear that the story he tells is really a story about other people and how his interactions with them shaped his journey. Throughout the memoir, he describes his life as a series of complex interconnections. He notes that the book itself was born out of encouragement from others—friends who believed that his experiences and connections were worth documenting. Some relationships were brief yet powerful, like his early exposure to Louis Armstrong and Bob Dylan; these figures left artistic and personal imprints on him. Bob Dylan’s long rant in which he stated, “[T]ruth, if it exists, is something YOU have to search for YOURSELF” (51-52) became a personal motto for Peter as he navigated fame, music, and his personal life. In his early life, his father’s deep love for music influenced Peter’s lifelong devotion to artistic expression.

The memoir describes many encounters that feel almost serendipitous: Van Morrison, for instance, appeared at a rehearsal one day looking for gigs and eventually became a collaborator and friend, embodying the spontaneous nature of so many of Peter’s most impactful bonds.