Gypsy
Pete - Biography
Gypsy Pete was
born at an early age, in some town with an unpronounceable name containing
way too many consonants, deep inside Hungary. He is not a true Gypsy in
the sense of being one of the Rom, but he is, on his father's side, descended
from old Hungarian nobility who can trace their ancestry back to the Huns.
Gypsy left Hungary
at age 10 when the Russian tanks rolled on Budapest, and during his childhood
has travelled throughout Hungary, Russia, Transylvania, Rumania, Germany,
and later Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile, Brazil, and Mexico, and has lived variously
in Austria, Spain, Portugal, and Argentina, finally emigrating to Canada
as a seriously "troubled" teenager.
Excluding a nine
month stint in a reform school Gypsy was an honors-student, excelling in
English and Art, at least until Grade Nine - when he discovered, in rapid
succession, girls and Harley Davidson motorcycles, and by Grade Ten he
and the school system had parted company with extreme prejudice. He then
gravitated to the post-beatnik/pre-hippie bohemian biker lifestyle and
drifted around Canada, the US and Mexico in a drunken haze, being creative
and largely broke.
In 1967 he, along
with thousands of others, descended on Vancouver, British Columbia, for
the "Summer of Love" and somehow, much to his chagrin (and under a different
name), wound up being a "Hippie Spokesman" and Counter-Culture icon. He
had also discovered recreational drugs at this point so a trip to San Francisco
in the mythical Summer of '67 can be proved only by photographs: Gypsy
has absolutely no recollection of the trip past Blaine, Washington until
coming to in a wine store on Haight a month or so later.
Gypsy spent the
rest of the 60s and early 70s alternating between Vancouver and Toronto
still being very much involved in both the biker and the counter-culture
scene, got married, had a lovely daughter (Ursula Sabreanna) got divorced,
developed an interesting cocaine habit, kicked it, went back to college,
developed and interesting Methedrine habit, kicked it, and moved back to
Vancouver, where he drank a lot, met a woman, and attempted quitting both
the biker and counter-culture lifestyles and his various addictions. He
sought professional help. As a result he was, in short order, addicted
to the whole spectrum of mood altering drugs, tranquillizers and sleeping
pills, except now he had a LEGAL habit. The next 10 years are a drunken
and stoned blur, but he somewhere along the way moved to rural British
Columbia, had another lovely daughter (Shandrea Tabatha) whom he walked
out on when she was 5, but whom he's made friends with again recently,
and after unsuccessfully trying to conform to the "straight" lifestyle
he once again went back to the biker scene.
At age 35 and on
Welfare Gypsy looked in the mirror one day, scared himself, and uttered
those immortal words once crooned by Peggy Lee: "Is this all there is?"
He cold-turkeyed on all drugs and got his drinking under control, and,
being artistically inclined since a very early age, in short order learned
the art of tattooing, which opened a whole different world for him. At
the same time he once again resumed his interest in his twin loves of photography
and writing, which combination landed him a position with Outlaw Biker
magazine.
Gypsy, having already
visited every Province in Canada, spent the next several years touring
the United States practising his tattoo art and photography, still part
of the biker lifestyle, eventually visiting every State and living in Denver,
Colorado and then the Savannah, Georgia area for some of the best years
of his life. (In Savannah he became a charter member of the Scum Of The
Earth Motorcycle Club).
A short return
to Canada to tattoo in Calgary, Alberta for a year and Gypsy was off to
Oahu, Hawaii, where he lived for 3 years, then back to Canada again where
he has been ever since.
After a stormy
4 year "relationship from hell" he's single and determined to stay that
way, and retired from the biker scene (He's now a "usedtabe", the opposite
of a "wannabe"...) He now owns the Immortal Ink Tattooing & Piercing
Studio in Nanaimo, British Columbia, where he's devoting his time to creating
masterpieces on flesh.
Gypsy now spends
his spare time (HA!) working on his Website, which, with any luck and barring
the Apocalypse, will be ready for public viewing sometime in early 2000.
And on writing a DOS-based BBS DoorGame for Remote Access, called Desolation
Boulevard, which is extremely twisted but is an exercise in futility since
the online BBS is gone the way of the Dodo Bird, but it's a fine
exercise in futility. And also working on a new, as yet unknown and
unsanctioned Clan (The Lilim: Children of Lilith) to fit into the White
Wolf "Masquerade" live action role-playing universe. And just recently
returning to his poetry and fiction and writing in general. (Thanx, Alys!)
And, much to his amazement, (and amusement); recently his photography has
been slowly emerging from an expensive, yet harmless hobby, into something
else to the point where he's just had offers to buy some of his prints.
(Some of Gypsy's photos may be viewed at www.tokyophoto.com). Now that
the spark has been re-ignited Gypsy will be submitting many more poems;
meanwhile he awaits reaction to these most anxiously!
And just for the
hell of it and to strike fear in hearts of politicians everywhere: Gypsy
is running for Mayor of Nanaimo this November. He doesn't really expect
to be elected but plans to have a whole lot of fun just being a candidate!
(C) Copyright 1999
GYPSY PETE
All Rights Reserved
