March 21, 2013
 The
2013 American Documentary Film Festival in Palm Springs
will be honoring Peter with their "Making a
Difference, One Film at a Time" award. Having
narrated more than 170 documentaries over his career, he
has earned a special place in filmmaking. His most
recent documentaries include Ken Burns’ “The Dust Bowl”,
which aired on PBS in November, and “1962 U.S. Open:
Jack’s First Major”, which aired last summer.The award
will be announced at this year's Opening Night but,
unfortunately, scheduling conflicts prevent him from
attending in person. Peter previously won a news and
documentary Emmy in 1992
for his narration of the PBS series "Pacific Century".
Last
year Peter joined the filmmaking team as narrator for
Rick Beyer's documentary "The Ghost Army". The
film made its world premiere earlier this month during
the Opening Night of the 6th Annual Salem Film Festival
in Massachusetts. The 68-minute documentary chronicles
the astonishing true story of the 23rd HQ Special Troops
during World War II. A handpicked group of American GI’s
undertook a bizarre mission: create a traveling road
show of deception on the battlefields of Europe, with
the German Army as their audience. They were officially
known as the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops, but
became known as The Ghost Army. From June 1944 to March
1945, the unit of artists and soldiers staged 20
battlefield deceptions, beginning in Normandy and ending
along the Rhine River. The deceivers used inflatable
rubber tanks, sound trucks, and dazzling performance art
to bluff the enemy again and again, often right along
the front line. In their spare time, they painted and
sketched their way across Europe, creating a unique and
moving visual record of their war, one that would be
kept secret for 50 years. The film will be shown on
PBS on May 21, 2013.
Besides
being an actor, writer and film narrator, Peter is also
a countercultural visionary whose ordination as a Zen
Buddhist priest has led him to an examination of the
limits of human intelligence. Though our applied
intelligence has resulted in incredible innovations
(tools, technology, science), Peter is concerned with
the unintended consequences of advancement: violence,
war and destruction. On May 21st at the Lafayette
Library in Lafayette, CA, he will be giving a talk
called "The End of Intelligence", in which he
addresses the ills of society.
March 5, 2013
Shout
Factory has officially announced and detailed its
upcoming Blu-ray release of director William Dear's "Timerider:
The Adventure of Lyle Swann" (1982), starring Fred
Ward, Belinda Bauer, and Peter Coyote. The release will
be available for purchase online and in stores across
the nation on March 19th. Lyle Swann (Fred Ward) is a
champion off-road racer who accidentally gets zapped
into a time-travel experiment and sent 100 years into
the past. Later he runs afoul of American outlaws Porter
Reese (Peter Coyote) and his henchmen, Carl (Tracey
Walter) and Claude (Richard Mauser), who steal his
motorcycle. Swann must outsmart the local cowboys and
submit to the desires of a beautiful outlaw woman
(Belinda Bauer). Armed with only his wits and a map from
an Exxon station, Lyle Swann must survive the Wild West
and get back to his future.
February 23, 2013
On
February 20th, Peter and his wife attended the SF
screening of "Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel".
Captured through the lens of her granddaughter in-law,
Lisa Immortado Vreeland, the film chronicles Diana
Vreeland’s fantastical life, which revolved around
fashion, big ideas and unbridled imagination.The
screening, hosted by Mark Rhoades and sponsored by
Banana Republic, brought A-list style aficionados. The
evening began with a festival cocktail party. The first
photo shows Peter and his wife with Lisa Immortado
Vreeland.
January 9, 2013
Last
month a new poster book was published called "Art of
the Dead" by Phil Cushway. The coffee table book
tells the story of poster art through the Grateful Dead,
which frequently partnered with artists, and offers a
chronological evolution of the art from the band's
beginning in 1965 through Jerry Garcia's death in 1995.
The book includes interviews and profiles of the
decade's biggest artists, including Rick Griffin,
Stanley "Mouse" Miller, Alton Kelley, Wes Wilson and
Victor Moscoso. It also offers essays, including one
by Peter. The book is in four-color throughout,
featuring iconic and rare images as well as extensive
“process” material, including sketches, original art,
blue lines, film, and printing plates that show how the
art was created. Ultimately, the book makes the case
that poster art is truly an original form of American
fine art.
The
Houston Zen Center has invited Peter to participate
in two upcoming events on February 1 & 2, 2013. The
Friday night gathering will include brief dharma words
and an informal reception. On Saturday, he will conduct
a Mask Workshop as a benefit for the Center. Since the
workshop is limited to 20 participants, tickets are no
longer available.

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