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

From John Lee Hooker to Van Morrison to Bob Dylan, Pete Wolf was surrounded by geniuses. But how much do we really know about what these legends were like - how they spoke, their small kindnesses, what they did when they thought no one was watching? In sharply observed portraits, Peter illuminates the humans behind some of the most famous personas of the twentieth century.

 

In doing so, he adds a necessary and compelling layer to our perception of these giants - whose achievements and failures are often one-dimensional in the eyes of the American public. Peter receives comments from Edward Hopper on his paintings, falls in love with Faye Dunaway, befriends his hero Muddy Waters, and sings with Aretha Franklin; Marilyn Monroe sleeps on his shoulder, Alfred Hitchcock serves him tea, and Bob Dylan gifts him a pair of his pants.

 

These intimate encounters don't just shed light on celebrities we think we know; they also tell Peter's own story, both public and private. Told with affection and humor, Waiting on the Moon is an appreciation of the genius, the wisdom, the charm, and above all the humanity, of certain American stars and dreamers like Peter.