Peter Wolf - Come As You Are

Peter Wolf remains one of the more interesting characters in rock and roll, although we are still a bit sad about his untimely departure from the J. Geils Band -- but more on that later.

Wolf (given name: Peter Blankfield) was born in New York City and moved to Boston to attend art school at Tufts University.  His first roommate?  David Lynch. (Yes, seriously.)  While at Tufts he got into the Boston music scene, which in 1968 led to a job at the new FM rock station in Boston, WBCN.  Wolf became the first nighttime DJ on BCN, going by Woofa Goofa.  However, he soon left the radio station to focus on making it as a rock star with the mighty J. Geils Band.

We've previously posted two great videos from the J. Geils Band - "Love Stinks" and "Come Back," both of which were off the successful Love Stinks LP.  The band's next album, 1981's Freeze Frame, became a #1 album, but a rift in the band soon developed over their musical direction.  Wolf wanted to continue with a more blues rock sound, but the rest of the group favored a more pop/dance direction.  As a result, Wolf left the group in 1983 and ventured out on his own.

"Come As You Are" (no, not the Nirvana song) was the lead single off the 1987 LP of the same name.  It became a hit, reaching #15 on the charts, though it would be Wolf's last top 40 hit.  The video is a tribute to a Bobby Van dance routine from  the 1953 movie Small Town Girl, and is a hoot - typical high energy Peter Wolf.

Cool trivia fact:  Wolf was married to actress Faye Dunaway from 1974-79.