Arthur Turovh Himmelman

aka: "Peter's Cool Uncle" or "Uncle Sonny"


[IMAGE of Peter]
photo credit: Rebecca Wolf
The Fine Line
Minneapolis, MN

Occupation: Consultant that assists coalitions (organizations of organizations) across the country seeking to address community issues such as creating living wage jobs, providing affordable housing, increasing access to health care, and reforming public education.

Favorite Sussman Lawrence and Peter Himmelman songs and albums:

Favorite Live Moments:

When Peter first started playing with Sussman Lawrence, they played at a local club called Duffy's. By that time, his father David had been diagnosed with cancer and was experiencing the ravages of the disease and the treatments for it. Nevertheless, David would still attend as many of these club dates as possible. When Peter played, I would often turn to watch David's reaction. David's face would be filled with a constant smile. He loved Peter so much and was enthralled with what Peter was doing. I truly believe that Peter's music was flowing over and through David with deep healing power. I will always remember Peter healing his father with the joy and power and his words and music.

Then there are the countless moments when Peter would take his concerts on a "magical mystery tour" as the Beatles used to say. He would combine story telling, humor, and spontaneity in ways that transformed what were already great rock concerts into miraculous vaudevillian circuses. Everyone knew that they were experiencing the rarest synthesis of talent and playfulness and were in the presence of a great entertainer. Peter allowed us to be kids again by bringing pure joy into our hearts giving us permission to go back home again to those times when our hearts were filled with wonderment.

I also will always remember Peter singing Untitled very simply yet with incredible power and conviction. It still sends chills through me.

Were you a little brother or big brother to Peter's father?

David was my big brother in the best sense of that term. David was 16 when I was born, and my brother Murray (who lives in Seattle) was 21. My sister Frima was 11. David was fearless (a Marine and a bouncer when I was young) and, when I was a little kid, he made sure nobody messed with his little brother. Peter and I still talk about how much we both looked up to him.

Peter has mentioned you many times over the years when he tells us the story behind "Woman with the Strength of 10,000 Men." How did you know Susan, and why at that time, did you decide to bring Peter to meet her?

I met Susan through a friend named Larry Kegan who also was a life-long friend of Bob Dylan. Larry, who passed away at 60 on 11 September 2001 (yes that very terrible day), was a quadriplegic as a result of a diving accident at 17 and a subsequent driving accident as a passenger in a car in his 20's. Larry was working with Susan in an effort to bring people out of long-term care institutions back into their homes. I tried to assist Larry and Susan with their organization, Minnesota Home Care Advocacy Network, when I was a senior fellow at the Humphrey Institute.

I knew that Peter would admire what they were doing, and that he would enjoy meeting Susan (he already knew Larry). When I took Peter to meet Susan, she could only communicate by moving her eyebrows that were connected to a computer. She would pick letters out to make words. It was very inspiring to see her; I used to call her an Olympian of the Spirit. Peter wrote Woman with the Strength of 10,000 Men after that visit, and we went back to "audition" it for Susan. I think we were both nervous when we watched her listen to it because she was always very frank in her responses. When the song was over, we looked at her computer screen. She had typed, "I love it!" It was a great moment to share with Peter.

I get the feeling that you and Peter were very close when he was growing up. What drew you to each other?

You will have to ask Peter what drew him to me. I was drawn to Peter because I sensed that he was an Old Soul. This quality made it easy for me to talk with him and share ideas on a person-to-person basis rather than as an adult to a child, or even uncle to nephew. Even at a very young age, Peter was able to consider deep questions, to understand irony, to enjoy the mysterious, to love the absurd, particularly the absurdly funny. We became good friends who saw much of life in the same way, although Peter was already far more able than I to share his perceptions in highly creative ways. I just enjoyed his company immensely.

What was Peter like as a kid and a teenager?

In many ways, he was much like he is today, of course, without the depth of knowledge, commitments, and responsibilities he has sought and accepted as an adult. The essential Peter was already there, however. He was a seeker of knowledge, extraordinarily creative and amazingly talented, extremely funny, and often mischievous. I think he enjoyed his life a great deal because he was already greatly shaping it to his own specifications when he was a teenager. For example, in 10th grade, Jeff Victor and he were the only white members of Alexander O'Neil's band, (Alex was associated with Prince and went on to success in his own career). It was a serious, funky African-American band, but Jeff and Peter (nice suburban Jewish boys) made it as band members. It was way cool. I heard them at a concert where Jeff, Peter, my date, and I were the only white people in the room.

Early on, it was also clear that Peter was very tenacious. This quality, which seems to be essential to very high achievement, also could be difficult as he became a young adult when Peter let it cross over into an excessive need to control others and into bouts of self-indulgence and self-absorption. Fortunately, Peter's self-deprecating humor is a very effective healing tonic for such offenses.

Peter always credits you as being the one to tell his parents that he wasn't going to be a doctor or a lawyer - that he was going to be an artist and a musician. What made you say that, and what was his parents' response to that?

By the time Peter was in sixth grade, it was clear to me that he was destined to become an artist/musician. I knew that he was not going to have a "straight" job such as being a lawyer, doctor, or businessman because, to borrow his phrase, the "mission of his soul" had already emerged coupled with Peter's talent, creativity, courage, and tenacious, self-determination. Also, even as a boy, Peter had a lot to say, and he could say it well. If you listened to him, it was easy to hear that he was going to be a great songwriter. Knowing this, I tried to show him that I appreciated and respected his remarkable qualities. I also tried to encourage him in any way I could, including introducing him to the music of Bob Dylan and John Lee Hooker among other musicians.

I am sure that, in the early years, David and Bev had concerns about my encouragement of Peter because my own path had been quite non-traditional (that's another story), and they knew that artists and musicians usually had to find their own way along very difficult paths in life. As Peter tells it, among my suggestions that caused some tension was when I told David and Bev that they should get him his own studio while he as in high school (he refers to it as an apartment) where he could work on his music. This kind of idea indicated to his parents that my thinking was very inappropriate/weird. However, as it became clear that Peter was on his way to becoming who he was going to be, David and Bev added their energy, love, and support to the "mix."

I remain in awe of Peter's lyrics. If recognition and awards in the so-called "music business" were given for the depth and significance of what a songwriter has to say, Peter would be far better known than he is now. Of course, in addition to serious topics, Peter's comic genius is truly amazing as well.

I recently heard a very old interview of Peter talking about the album and the song 'This Father's Day.' He told the story of the first time he played it for his family, which was on Father's Day, the last one his father would ever see. What were you thinking and feeling when you heard it?

I was still in shock and just beginning to accept/realize the incredible grief of losing my dear brother, David. Peter's tribute and love song to his father was so deeply moving that I was overcome (in a good sense) by my own feelings when I listened to it. Even to this day, the song brings tears to my eyes.

What were Peter, Jeff, Andy, and Al like when they were starting out? Did you ever think they would still play together many years later?

I thought they were pop stars! They had (and still have) tremendous energy, talent, and could light up any room with their music. I truly felt that they were as good as any bands that "made it." I didn't think much about whether they would play together in later years, although after Peter evolved from Sussman Lawrence, I knew that their relationship had changed. When I saw the four of them together again this June, they still brought me great joy. I realize I am somewhat biased and certainly not the kind of critic that they are of their own work. I just love to see and listen to them; it's as simple as that!

Who is the "song and dance" man from Russia that Peter refers to?

His name was Velvo, which means wolf. According to my mother's story, he was, indeed, a song and dance man who so charmed my mother's grandmother that she left her husband for him. This was quite a scandal, of course, for a small Jewish community in Russia at that time. Fortunately, according to my mother, another wife was found for my great grandmother's husband before she and Velvo left town together. I think someone still has the wonderful picture of him that used to be in David and Bev's home.

When Peter was growing up, did you ever think he would choose to get stricter in his observance of Judaism? When he began to change his lifestyle, did you think he would stick with it for the long run? Did he ever come to you to talk about it?

Not when he was growing up. Peter has told me he was not engaged by the ways that the family expressed its faith or practiced Judaism. I would certainly agree; this is very common for children growing up in suburban, middle-class Jewish families.

I would not describe Peter's evolution as a Jew as "changing his lifestyle." It is so much deeper than that phrase can begin to connote. Yes, on many occasions, Peter and I would discuss his studies and his growing commitments to Jewish life as he understood it. These discussions, which I greatly enjoyed and always found fascinating, indicated that he was making a life-long commitment. I had no reason to question this commitment based on what I knew about Peter's integrity and love for Jewish teachings. Even though he and I have different views on such matters, Peter's ways of "walking his talk" have earned my deep admiration and respect.

Have Peter's shows changed a lot through the years? What do you think makes Peter so special as a singer/songwriter/musician/entertainer?

In many ways, Peter's shows have been quite consistent. This is ironic because what is consistent about them is that you never know what will happen during his shows. Peter is truly live; each moment of each show can go to a new place, if Peter feels it is a good thing to do. While shows include some songs that are familiar, new songs are added, and completely spontaneous lyrics and music might emerge at any moment. As I have noted, Peter comes from the Vaudevillian tradition among others, which means he can "work a room" anytime he desires.

Peter is a giver of life to each moment he shares with others. He knows that life is to be cherished and blessed by our words and actions, even when it takes great courage to do so. He is so special because he trembles with the consciousness of the life he has been given to live, and the great gifts and blessings he has been given to share with the world.