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Oceanside Pier, thirty seconds

Saturday, April 8, 2017

David Peel, rest in peace

David Peel has passed on. He was a hippie anarchist legend in New York City when I was a kid and I managed to brush up against him once or twice.

A friend of my pal, the late Douglas Monroe, word had it that Peel would paint the cockroaches in his lower east side tenement with fluorescent paint and watch them scurry around the ceiling while tripping. Bug trails.

I met him at a pot march up fifth avenue, way back when in the early 1970's. The Yippies had rolled a forty foot joint and we carried it on our shoulders up the street to the base of John and Martha Mitchell's apartment where David did his usual shtick.

David handed me a snare drum and asked me to play a roll while he shpieled. I told him that I was a horrible drummer and he passed it to a guy who was possibly even worse than me. No matter. David couldn't play either. Got my picture in Time Magazine for that one. Think Dana Beal was there too.

A real character from a bygone era, one that will never be matched for energy and fun. Glad I was there to witness. Bye David.

1 comment:

Chip said...

Awesomely influental character. Sad to hear of his passing.