Peter Steele facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Peter Steele
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Steele performing in 2007
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| Birth name | Peter Thomas Ratajczyk |
| Also known as | Pete Steele Lord Petrus Steele The Green Man |
| Born | January 4, 1962 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Died | April 14, 2010 (aged 48) Scranton, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1979–2010 |
Peter Thomas Ratajczyk (born January 4, 1962 – died April 14, 2010), known as Peter Steele, was an American musician. He was best known as the lead singer, bass player, and songwriter for the gothic metal band Type O Negative. Before Type O Negative, Steele was in the heavy metal band Fallout and the thrash metal band Carnivore.
As the frontman for Type O Negative, Peter Steele was famous for his tall height (6 feet 7 inches), deep bass voice, and a dark, often funny sense of humor. His song lyrics were very personal, talking about love and loss. Steele said that Black Sabbath and the Beatles were his biggest musical inspirations. He is remembered as one of the best hard rock and metal frontmen of all time.
Contents
Early Life
Peter Thomas Ratajczyk was born on January 4, 1962, in Red Hook, Brooklyn, New York City. He grew up in a Catholic family. His father was from Poland, and his mother had Scottish-Irish roots. Peter was the youngest of six children and had five older sisters. His father fought in World War II and later worked at a shipyard.
Peter started learning guitar at age 12. Six months later, he switched to playing the bass guitar. Even though he was naturally left-handed, he played right-handed bass guitars. This happened because a left-handed bass was too expensive at the time. So, he bought a right-handed bass and taught himself to play it.
Steele went to Edward R. Murrow High School in Brooklyn. He worked for the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation until he started touring with Type O Negative in 1994. His job involved park maintenance, driving large vehicles, and eventually becoming a park supervisor. Peter often said his time working for the parks department was some of his happiest.
Musical Career
Fallout and Carnivore (1979–1987)
In 1979, Peter Steele started the heavy metal band Fallout. After Fallout broke up in 1982, he formed the thrash metal band Carnivore. With Carnivore, Steele wrote songs about different topics like religion and war. Carnivore released their first album in 1985. In 1986, Steele also wrote lyrics for some songs on the hardcore punk band Agnostic Front's album Cause for Alarm. Carnivore released their second album, Retaliation, in 1987 before splitting up.
Type O Negative
Formation
Steele formed Type O Negative in 1989 with his childhood friends Josh Silver, Kenny Hickey, and Sal Abruscato (who was later replaced by Johnny Kelly). The band was first called "Repulsion," but they had to change it in 1990 because another band had the same name. They then used "Subzero."
Peter had a tattoo idea of a minus sign inside the number 0. This was meant to be the Subzero band logo. But after finding out another band was already using the Subzero name, Steele thought of "Type O Negative." He heard a radio ad asking for donations of type O negative blood, and the name stuck.
Slow, Deep and Hard and The Origin of the Feces (1991–1992)
Type O Negative's first album, Slow, Deep and Hard, came out in 1991. The album mixed the thrash sound of Carnivore with doom metal. Steele wrote the music in one night after a relationship ended. The songs were about heartbreak and feelings of revenge.
When touring in Europe for Slow, Deep and Hard, Steele faced some misunderstandings. Some people thought his humor was serious, and his sarcasm was sometimes lost in translation.
In 1992, Type O Negative released a "live" album called The Origin of the Feces. This album pretended to have a hostile audience and a bomb threat. This was a way to show some of the real-life reactions Steele and Type O Negative had received on their European tour.
Bloody Kisses, October Rust and World Coming Down (1993–2002)
In 1993, Type O Negative released their very popular album Bloody Kisses. This album mostly focused on themes of romance, love, and death. The song "Black No.1 (Little Miss Scare-All)" was a tribute to gothic subculture and a goth girl Steele had dated. Steele also used songs like "We Hate Everyone" and "Kill All the White People" to address critics and clear up any false ideas about the band. Bloody Kisses became a Platinum album and made Type O Negative a very important band in gothic metal.
Type O Negative released October Rust in 1996. This album had a richer, more melodic sound than the last one, but kept similar themes in its lyrics. Steele wrote most of the songs for October Rust while on tour. Steele also designed the Vinland flag that first appeared on the October Rust album cover. This flag showed many of Steele's interests and his heritage. The song "Green Man" had two meanings for Steele: it was about the Celtic spirit of nature and his time working for the parks department. Kids there called him "Green Man" because of his green uniform. The song "Red Water (Christmas Mourning)" was about his father's death. October Rust later became a Gold album.
Steele was dealing with personal problems while recording World Coming Down in 1999. This album sounded heavier and was very focused on death. Steele sang about losing loved ones in songs like "Everyone I Love is Dead" and "Everything Dies." He also talked about difficult feelings in "Who Will Save the Sane?". Steele found it hard to perform these songs live because they were so emotional.
In the early 2000s, Steele made guest appearances on other artists' songs. He sang on "Just Say No To Love" for Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi's album Iommi in 2000. In 2001, he was on "Cross the Line" for the Biohazard album Uncivilization. In 2002, he appeared on "Descent" for the Doro album Fight.
Life Is Killing Me and Dead Again (2003–2010)
Type O Negative released Life Is Killing Me in 2003. The songs on this album talked about self-pity, strong emotions, death, and religion. In the title track, Steele shared his thoughts on the medical profession. "Nettie" was about Steele's mother, and "Todd's Ship Gods (Above All Things)" was about his father. "The Dream is Dead" was about how hard it was for Steele to celebrate Valentine's Day because it was also the anniversary of his father's death.
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In 2005, Type O Negative left Roadrunner Records. Steele had never been happy with their contract. There were rumors that Steele had died after the band's website showed a tombstone with his name and the dates 1962–2005. But this was just a joke related to their new record deal with SPV Records.
In 2006, Steele brought back his band Carnivore with new members. They played at the Wacken Open Air festival that year.
Steele's last recording was on the 2007 Type O Negative album Dead Again. He said this new album felt less sad and more positive than their earlier work. The album cover shows the Russian mystic Rasputin, a historical figure Steele admired. "Tripping a Blind Man" was about a difficult time Steele went through when his family helped him get professional support. "Halloween in Heaven" was a song about rockstars who had passed away. Steele's final live performance was on Halloween night in 2009, in Detroit, Michigan.
Further Appearances
Television and Film
Steele appeared as a guest on talk shows like Ricki Lake, The Jerry Springer Show, and The Howard Stern Show. In 2003, he had an acting role in an episode of the TV series Oz. He also appeared in the films Dirtbags (Armpit of Metal) (2003) and Bad Acid (2005). Steele was also featured in the 2011 documentary Living the American Nightmare.
Personal Life
Peter Steele was very tall, standing 6 feet 7 inches (201 cm), which gave him a powerful stage presence. However, he admitted to feeling nervous before performing. He was also known as a friendly, funny person who was kind to his bandmates and other bands he toured with. Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi described him as "a big, tall, and very, very nice guy."
Outside of music, Steele enjoyed lifting weights at home and on his tour bus. He also liked reading science books and was interested in European culture. Steele enjoyed working on his house and was interested in architecture and civil engineering. He also worked on his cars, including a custom 1985 Pontiac Grand Prix. Steele loved cats and had several as pets. He even wrote the 11-minute title track of the Bloody Kisses album about the death of his family cat, Venus, who lived for 17 years.
In 2005, Steele was out of the public eye for a while. There were rumors about his health, but the mystery was solved in a 2006 DVD interview. Steele briefly mentioned that he had gone through a difficult time and received help. He later confirmed he had been dealing with feelings of paranoia. Steele sometimes wore a prison uniform on stage during live shows, making light of his past experiences.
In a 2003 interview, Steele said that he sometimes felt very sad or had strong mood changes, and he believed this was linked to the types of songs he wrote. He explained in 2007 that music helped him express his sadness, anger, and frustration.
In April 2007, Steele shared that he had become Roman Catholic in recent years, after many years of saying he didn't believe in God. He explained that after going through big changes in his life, he started thinking about what happens after death and hoped there was a God.
Steele's biography, Soul on Fire – The Life and Music of Peter Steele, was written by Jeff Wagner and released in 2013.
Death and Tributes
Peter Steele passed away on April 14, 2010, at the age of 48. His death was caused by sepsis from diverticulitis, though it was first reported as heart failure. Before he died, he was planning to write and record new music. The remaining members of Type O Negative decided not to continue the band without Steele. Johnny Kelly said, "When Peter died, Type O Negative died with him."
Tributes
- On November 21, 2011, an oak tree was planted in Prospect Park in Brooklyn to remember Steele.
- Many bands have dedicated songs or albums to Peter Steele, showing his lasting impact on music. These include Necrophagia, Voyager, Lacuna Coil, Moonspell, Biohazard, Swallow the Sun, Meridian Dawn, Danzig, Starset, Pallbearer, Trivium, Oceans of Slumber, and Jessie Frye.
Discography
Fallout
- Untitled 7" single (1981)
Agnostic Front
- Cause for Alarm (1986) (Writer)
Carnivore
- Carnivore (1985)
- Retaliation (1987)
Type O Negative
- Slow Deep and Hard
- Origin of the Feces
- Bloody Kisses
- October Rust
- World Coming Down
- Life is Killing Me
- Dead Again
Guest Appearances
- Power and Pain (Backing vocals)
- Iommi (Vocals & bass)
- Uncivilization (Vocals)
- Roadrunner United (Vocals & keyboards)
- Fight (Vocals)
- Songs of the Witchblade (Vocals)
See also
In Spanish: Peter Steele para niños
