...a story continued...
		Though my college career at the University of Washington was short lived I did experience a few epiphanies. Besides losing my virginity to a really beautiful older woman {I was 18 she was 21!} I also met Carlos Castaneda in my Drums of Rhodesia class taught by Professor Garcia {apparently a good friend of Carlos'}. Another class entitled Philosophy of Religion, taught by the late Professor Adrian Siegler, was actually a musical quartet that met 2-3 times a week, in the 3rd floor faculty lounge of the philosophy building, which overlooked the cherry blossom trees in the quad. We were: guitar, flute, cello & dumbek. A beautiful experience. Several years later when I was dropping out of UC Berkeley, I read an article that reported, that Adrian, had been discovered frozen to death, in a full lotus posture, in one of his out-buildings on his 40 acre homestead, on the Olympic Peninsula. He was a mentor for me in many ways. ............. After 3 years I returned to L.A. and became a bartender at Doug Weston's Troubadour during the final years of it's hey day {1971 to 1974}. `This morning my bowels were moving Like frozen margaritas. And though I could not argue That this feeling was quite soothing, I think that if I'd had the choice, Of how to spend this happy hour, I would have ordered whiskey sours.' {6} During the Troubadour years I reunited with my brother to form a 5 piece group called The Voonderband! It was a very original fusion band inspired and informed by many of the acts coming through the club at that time: Miles Davis, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, George Duke, Larry Coryell to name a few. I wrote most of the material for the group and played electric slide on my Strat [which had belonged to Paul Barrera of Little Feet]. My brother played lead guitar and sang. He was bad! In the late 70's I returned to acoustic guitar and have remained a loyal devotee since. See website link below for more info and pics. The '80s found me in many settings: zen monastery, kibbutz, India, Australia, New Zealand, and a year in London: teaching, recording & performing as well as studying Indian music {and adapting my studies to slide and fingerstyle guitar}. Before leaving London in 1987 I sent a 4-track demo, unsolicited to Dave Stewart {Eurythmics}. I had heard that he was open to that and that he had an appreciation for slide guitar. After I left London I thought nothing of it; but a year later I received a call while then living in Boulder, Colorado from his office in London. I was informed that Dave had been trying to track me down for a year. This led to several meetings with him, Tom Petty, David Rappaport, and Harry Dean Stanton. Dave hooked me up with his production company to work on a project for BBC 4. The show was derailed prematurely because of the suicide of a key team member. In Colorado I cooked French cuisine for 2 years with Chef John Bizzarro while working about 35 hours/week on my first album Red Horizon, soon to be re-released [see wyrks in progress.] I returned to L.A. and stayed until 1989. `At night I lay beneath mosquito nets, Listening to the sounds of tabla, And voices singing fervent bhajans. I picture sacred cows Moving through the streets of Nagar. And observe as memories surface From other lives.' {7} I went back to Colorado in 1989 where I spent the next 2 years living in the Loveland-Fort Collins area as well as Estes Park. I returned to India (1st trip was in 1979) for 3 months in 1993. This 2nd trip to India was one of the most important times of my life. Upon leaving India I came back to Northern California via London, Grenoble, South Carolina and New Hampshire. .................. In Mill Valley CA I watched over an elder artist for almost 2 years, named Ann O'Hanlon. I have strong memories of sitting with her in the evening before putting her to bed. I played guitar while we were surrounded by dozens of her masterful paintings. She was a deep listener. `As mastery is a process, And not a place where I arrive; The best part of coming of age, Is leaving it behind.' {8} Returning to the scene of the crime {L.A.} in 1996, I then hunkered down and have stayed put since {except for a 5 month return to Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, between the recording of Indian Summer & Horizontal}. I've been here: practicing, composing, teaching, recording, performing, and occasionally writing poetry. The 110 MB of music [roughly 2 hours] offered on the free downloads page, is my contribution to the world of listening. Please enjoy it. It represents the past 20 years of my creative process. Best Richard Peikoff January 2005 `No man`s an island. Sleeping on my waterbed, Sometimes I wonder.' {9} Poetic excerpts from `how i spent my nervous breakdown'. Copyright 1993 rpeikoff
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