My Dinner with Peter (or "I Dined with a Monkee")

I'm still thinking about Peter Tork tonight. So, I thought I'd share one of my favorite moments with him.

October 3, 2010 - Greenport, NY
     Peter played a small, private event at Sandpiper Ice Cream (I was running sound). After the show, Peter, the store's owners, Paris Stachtiaris & Jessica Nilsen, Jessica's daughter Alley and I went out for a late dinner. As we were sitting around the table making small-talk, there was a small lull in the conversation. During that silence, the overhead music in the restaurant was playing Elvis Presley's cover of "Until It's Time For You To Go". (Most Monkees' fans are well familiar that in 1965, under the pseudonym of "Blessing", Michael Nesmith recorded the song for Colpix records.) As the song played, I looked across the table at Paris. He looked back at me. We both looked at Peter, and then back at each other. Nobody said a word, and after a few seconds, Peter breaks the silence and says "Michael Blessing...". We all laughed out loud, and I said to Peter, "One of us! One of us!". In that moment, he stopped being a Monkee, and showed me that he was also a "Monkee Fan". It was such an incredibly candid and spontaneous moment. 
     The rest of the meal was filled with loud laughs as well as Peter asked if any of us had seen the movie "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story". Of course I had, and we talked about that for a bit. He mentioned that he saw it before he had seen "Walk The Line", saying "I couldn't watch the real story ["Walk The Line"] with a straight face."
     After dinner (which contained other stories I'll save for another time), we drove back to the ice cream store to retrieve his instruments. We offered to help him multiple times, and he always refused, preferring to carry his own gear. When everything was loaded, we all walked over to say goodbye. He gave me a big hug, thanked me for my work, and said "Let's do it again soon, my friend".
     I wouldn't consider Peter to be a "friend" of mine. But the next few times I saw him, he remembered my name and shook my hand warmly. 
     Over the past 25 years (or more) of my life, I've had the honor and good fortune to meet many celebrities (the other 3 Monkees among them), and musical heroes of mine. But I will always remember the day I spent with Peter Tork as one of the most special.

He will be missed
(Your Humble Narrator with Peter Tork - October 3, 2010)

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