Actor, activist, author, musician, singer-songwriter Peter Coyote is
one of the Bay Area’s favorite luminaries, a charter member of the
“I could live in Hollywood but choose not to” club that also
includes Sean Penn, Danny Glover and Robin Williams. Coyote was born
Robert Peter Cohon in Pennsylvania in 1942, and migrated west to
pursue a Master’s Degree in Creative Writing from SFSU in 1965.
In San Francisco, he became involved with the SF
Mime Troupe, which performed radical political street theater.
During the Summer of Love in the ’60s, he became a co-founder of The
Diggers, an anarchistic group that supplied free food, housing,
medical care and music (by Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane and the
Grateful Dead) to many of the city’s homeless.
It was during this time that he adopted the name
Coyote. His candid memoir of that time, Sleeping Where I Fall, is
now in its seventh printing, with a chapter from the book winning
the Pushcart Prize for Excellence in Nonfiction. He also wrote,
directed and performed in a play, Olive Pits, which won an Obie
award.
From 1975 to 1983, Coyote became a member and
later chair of the California State Arts Council, which provides
public funding for arts projects. He shifted from stage to film
acting in the late 1970s, and achieved recognition for his leading
roles in ET: The Extra-Terrestrial, and Jagged Edge. His work to
date includes 90 films, as well as featured roles in many television
series. He’s provided voice-over narrations for over 120
documentaries and 16 audiobooks. A practicing
Buddhist, Coyote lives in Marin County with his attractive wife,
Stefanie Coyote, executive director of the SF Film Commission. He’s
the father of a grown daughter and college-age son. We spoke to the
actor by phone just as he returned to the Bay Area at the end of the
summer.
Jennifer Raiser: We’re glad to catch you at
home. Where have you been this summer?
Peter Coyote: I just got back from fishing with
my son at Henry’s Fork of the Snake River in Idaho. My son and I are
“technical fly fishermen.” We watch the fish feeding, and pick a
specific fish that we want. Then we study the hatch, the insects
that the fish are eating; we match our fly to the hatch, and then go
after this one fish. You have to present your fly exactly for it to
take — you can go four hours or more to get a particular fish. And
then you release it. It’s the Ph.D. of fly fishing.
How can you tell you’ve caught the right fish?
They make a certain sipping sound at the surface. The fish on
Henry’s fork are extremely educated; they’ve been fished a lot, so
they’re not easy to fool.
So what did you catch?
We caught rainbow, brown, cutthroat. We’ve been doing this every
year since he was six. I was a half-time parent; the first year I
had him for a month in the summer, and thought, “What am I going to
do with a six-year-old?” So we lived outside for a month and roughed
it. Now that he’s in college, we can get in eight or nine days
fishing every year. Do you always fish the same
river? The last several years we’ve gone back
to Henry’s Fork Lodge; it’s really upscale. We’re fed really well
and have excellent guides, and it’s not roughing it at all. It’s run
by Nelson & Patsy Ishiyama, both extremely devoted fly fisherpeople.
Do you get to spend time with your daughter, too?
My daughter is married, and delivered my first grandchild this
January, a girl. Being a grandfather is fabulous. I didn’t know how
I’d feel about being a grandfather, but when I heard the news I got
this warm honeyed feeling in my stomach.
When will you start taking her fishing?
It’s probably better that she starts walking first! But yes, as soon
as she’s ready, I’ll take her. I’ve noticed that women tend to fly
fish in a way that’s distinct from men, a way that I prefer. They
work the graceful fly rod with a form I admire. They understand that
catching is only part of the experience of being on the river, of
appreciating the scenery, of the whole continuum.
You’ve just finished filming in Canada. Did you get to fly fish
up there? No, when I’m working, I’m pretty
much committed to just work. I was filming Resurrecting the Champ
with Samuel L. Jackson and Josh Hartnett. It’s written and directed
by Rod Lurie. I got to do a real character cameo. I play an old,
crippled-up Jewish fight promoter. It’s very, very different from
what people are used to seeing me do, and I love that.
What other work have you been doing?
Well, I’ve been doing a cable television show called
"The 4400" —
it’s a high I.Q. science fiction show on the USA Channel. I was also
doing "Commander-in-Chief"
with Geena Davis playing the first woman president. ABC fired Rod
Lurie, who created it; the new guy they hired drove it off the air
in 15 weeks. The way they let it go was really sad. So right now I’m
at liberty and looking for a TV series. It’s kinda nice to show up
at the same place every day, and the income is more dependable. I’d
like to use a series to stash away a little bit of getaway money.
Where do you want to get away?
(Laughs) I haven’t figured that out yet. It’s harder to get away now
that Stef is so busy on the Film Commission. This is the first time
we’re not able to travel together whenever we want.
I know you’re passionate about this area. Why do you live here
instead of Hollywood? Well, I love the
weather; I love the fog, the chill, the coolness, the moisture.
Second, I love the Bay Area because of its small size. The
small-town feeling makes it very easy for artistic people of all
kinds to bump into each other. It’s no accident that Pixar got
created here; all Steve Jobs has to do to speak to George Lucas is
pick up the phone. And I love that it’s a writers’ town. It has a
history of thought and communication, of wit and humor. It’s a real
city that’s defined by geographic outlines, with the Bay on one
side, the ocean on other. It’s got a comprehensible outline, whereas
L.A. does not; it sprawls from city to city to city. I get tired of
discussing the film biz when I’m in L.A. I want to scream, “Anybody
out there reading a book?” When do you have
time to read? I read on location all the time;
I buy books like candy. I’ll read four or five books during the
course of a movie. I do it as a way of keeping my energy in between
takes, so I’m not telling jokes and stories. It’s a way I retreat.
What books are you reading right now?
I just finished Greg Palast’s new book. It’s called
"Armed Madhouse: Who’s Afraid of Osama Wolf."
He’s an American reporter who writes for The Guardian in
Britain. He seems to come into contact with purloined documents that
people mysteriously drop on his desk. And I just read a book by
Antonia Juhasz, a brilliant woman, called "The
Bush Agenda: Invading the World one Economy at a Time".
It’s a very disturbing book about how the U.S. military is being put
at the disposal of America’s multinational corporations.
What the hell is the other book that I’m reading? I’ve a mind
like a stainless steel colander…. Oh, here it is,
"Imperial San Francisco" by Gray
Brechin. It’s a great story of water grabs, land grabs, corporate
and political alliances in San Francisco’s history.
Those sound pretty serious. Are you reading anything for fun?
Well, for fiction, I just finished reading "A
Fine Balance" by Rohinton Mistry. It’s
kind of a big, sprawling Dickensian novel about India; very moving.
I seem to be on a kick for reading third world literature.
Let’s talk about your own writing. Your book laid it all out: the
drugs, the communes, the activism, the liaisons... .
I’m comfortable with everything I said in that book, in fact very
proud of it. It’s being used in a number of university courses in
1960’s studies. I don’t pretend it’s a universal document of anyone
else’s experience. The more personal the document, the more
accessible it is to others. I’m amazed
that it’s still in print. It’s sold around 50,000 copies so far.
That’s much more than people expected. Most books sell around 3,000
copies. You’ve got a lot going on. How do you
divide your time? Divide? Oh golly; depending
on how hungry I am, I may take whatever comes in the door. In the
last two or three years, most of my work has been for TV. It’s not
unhappy because some of the best writers are gravitating toward TV.
Now you’ve got The Sopranos, West Wing, Deadwood, Weeds, Six Feet
Under, The Wire…all great.
Have you written anything for TV?
I sold a pilot for TV that didn’t get made, as most of them don’t. I
work with Silvia Peto — a brilliant writer in Seattle. We’ve had
more than our fair share of interest, but things didn’t go our way
on that one. I’m working on a screenplay, a fictional rendering of
my book. I’ve written eight screenplays, but they haven’t been made
into films yet. I’ve also written a lot of
political essays for blogs; I’m a writer who makes his living as an
actor; I like that I don’t have to write for money, I can write what
I want.
You became a movie icon later than most
leading men. Any advice for aspiring actors?
The film business is a young man’s game. Most stars are in their
early 20s. I was extremely lucky to get leading roles in my late 30s
and 40s, but in short order, I was out of the demographic. They say
you get three shots at leading man. If your films aren’t making
money, you’re relegated into the pool of character actors. I’m not
at all bitter. At least I got my shots. I gave my youth to something
else. That’s the long and short of it. What I took away from myself
from the perspective of acting, I gained in experience.
I might add that the situation’s a little different in Europe
where I seem to have a lot more prestige and importance. The body of
work I’ve done is respected; I’ve been on the cover of just about
every magazine in Europe. I speak French and Spanish; I like being
there. I’m like a dog — I go where I’m petted and fed. Last year I
did two films, "Le Grand Role"
and "Bon Voyage",
in French. When my son graduates from college, I’ll probably sell my
big house in Marin and get a smaller one here and a small place over
there.
Where’s “over there”?
Probably Paris, where I love the cultural life. My office is the
Café de Flore; I go every day between 11 and 1 when I’m in town. The
word gets out, so people stop by to see me. My other favorite
hangout is Allard, a very old-fashioned French restaurant.
What are your favorite hangouts closer to home?
My all-time favorite restaurant anywhere is Chez Panisse. Alice
(Waters) has raised the bar high for everyone. I’m a long-timer at
the Hayes Street Grill in the City, and we go to Jardinière after
the Symphony. I like the Slanted Door; I like Yank Sing on the
corner of Broadway and Stockton: it looks like a dive but it’s
great. And the Ocean restaurant way out on Geary. I’m in the city
two or three times a week. And then there’s Frantoio and De Angelo’s
in Mill Valley, and Sushi Ran in Sausalito.
Do you get special treatment because you’re
well known? (Laughs) I don’t cause a ripple.
Sure, I’ll see people do a double take or whispering, but most
people leave me alone. I’m not at the age where women are signing
their underwear and sighing. Do you listen to
music?
I listen to music all the time, but I can’t
listen to music with words when I write, so I have a lot of
classical music. I was just with Dmitry Sitkovetsky, a violinist and
conductor who’s played with the SF Symphony. He gave me two CDs of
his father, Julian Sitkovetsky, playing Bach partitas and Mozart and
Tartini.I’ve got four days’ worth of music on my iPod. I’m a big
bebop fan, also into bluegrass. I like people who write and sing
their own music as opposed to big pop stuff. I like…here I’m opening
up my iPod.… I’m a huge Dylan fan; then you know Dylan’s heir as
singer-songwriter is Springsteen. Tina and Molly O’Brien are two
great singer-songwriters from the folk world. I’m also a big gospel
fan. I love Jessie Winchester, there’s a blast from the past, and
James McMurtry, who’s Ira Mcmurtry’s son. Sleepy John Estes is one
of my favorite blues singers. And I listen to Diana Krall, Cassandra
Wilson, Emmylou Harris, John Prine, Ray Charles — I don’t know how
many Ray Charles albums I’ve got.
You’ve done over 70 voiceovers, mostly for
environmental and political nonprofits. Why?
It’s my form of income redistribution; I take money from commercial
voice-over jobs, then I do dozens and dozens of pro bono
documentaries that are never going to pay me. I can do several a
week. Sometimes I’ll make a deal; I’ll do it free, then if it gets
sold, you can pay my fee. My name can help some nonprofits get
credibility with potential funders.
Your voice is so resonant; some people say
you’re “the new Henry Fonda.”
There’s never going to be a new Henry Fonda. He
was a unique and fabulous actor; I’m flattered that people compare
my voice to his. And besides, he’s got children whom I know and
respect who definitely don’t want to hear me called the new Henry
Fonda. Your website says your “greatest
addiction” is fixing your 1964 Dodge Power Wagon that you’ve owned
for three decades. Is that what you drive?
Hey, life changes. I sold it on the morning of my daughter’s
wedding. How’s that for a Freudian event? Now I drive a motorcycle
every day, and I have a Prius for foul weather. When that lease is
up, I’m buying a Volkswagen and will run it on biodiesel.
What are you blogging about right now? I’m
very involved with politics. The two issues I’m most concerned with
are the integrity of the vote and getting corporate money out of the
election cycle. For voting machine
integrity I work with a group called Voter Action, started by a
bright businesswoman named Holly Jacobson. It’s fueled by local
lawyer Lowell Finley whom I met during the 1996 Democratic
Convention. We sued the Registrar of New Mexico over fraudulent
actions in 2004, so the governor accepted our case and banned voting
machines. We’ve got local lawsuits in 14 other states. Look, if you
can’t trust the integrity of the vote, you don’t have a democracy.
And if you don’t have trust, the country never coalesces behind the
winner. There have been serious suspicions of fraud in both of our
past two presidential elections. The country has never healed, which
is why we have these really corrosive red state and blue divides.
What about corporate political contributions?
You need wealthy corporations to have a wealthy country. I’m not
against corporations in general, but most corporations have so much
money and power, and one simple unconflicted goal to maximize
returns for shareholders. Now you have a
situation where the corporate sector wants to have a say in the
political sector. No politician can get elected without corporate
money, so no Democrat or Republican can speak to issues that
corporations don’t like, such as higher wages, consumer safety,
federal elections…. Until the
taxpayers pay for elections and we prohibit corporate fundraising,
we’re in the thrall of these corporations to make our public policy.
And until our public airwaves are turned over to public debates
during election seasons, we won’t have an informed electorate. With
our current system, I’m watching my country turn into the richest,
most powerful third world country on the planet.
 [ The
Official Peter
Coyote Web Site ]
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