Pete called his sister one day and told her he had a need for a dentist. He told her he had a problem with two of his teeth and needed to see a dentist about this - but he didn't know any dentist who could help him with this problem. So Pat gave him her long-time local dentist Dr. Wasserman's phone number because he was close to our home and located near Avenue M in Brooklyn. Pete didn't exactly disclose the "tooth problem" he was having, and Pat didn't ask.
But then about a month later, Dr. Wasserman called Pat very perplexed. He thanked Pat for her recommendation to her brother Pete, but he worried about Pete. Dr. Wasserman said he didn't understand the new world of rock and roll, but he understood that Peter wanted to do something to his teeth that the doc didn't understand why.
Now, Pat just assumed that when Pete said he had a tooth problem, he was talking a cavity (though up till his 20s he had never had a cavity). What she didn't realize was Dr. Wasserman's call was more about fear of what Pete's mother or sister would do to him if he carried out Peter's request for FANGS to be implanted into his mouth.
But, ultimately, not only did Dr. Wasserman end up creating fangs for Peter, he was thanked on a future album, which he proudly displayed in his office, until he retired.
As for Peter's new fangled fangs, well, it was a shock when he first showed them to us. Actually, we were eating together, and when he smiled, I saw the fangs and I reach out and touched one and let out a scream. . He smiled wildly, did his nervous laugh and growled. Then thrashed his teeth and said," For better to eat you my dear" (referencing grandma and the big bad wolf). I wasn't there when he showed his mother, but I can only imagine the look on her face that he would do something so permanent to his teeth.
For years, Dr. Wasserman referred to Pete and the family as the vampires because in his mature mind, he couldn't understand why anyone would want fangs. To Wasserman's dental credit, he had to be convinced to create the fangs. Peter told him he had spoken to several other dentists and he couldn't find anyone who would do it.
Oh my! One of my friends had that done, but his now ex-wife's father was a dentist and was used to strange family with odd obsessions! I can only imagine back then. Would have paid good money to see the dentist's face when Peter made his request.
ReplyDeleteInteresting info. I guess it would be hard, especially for a dentist that knows your family to go ahead and do it anyway. Cool story!
ReplyDeletelmaooo..so love your Peter stories...even though I didnt know him...and damn it wish I could have..makes me miss the big guy. your family did a good job of raising him up to be just about everything a MAN should be and he is very missed still.wish I could turn back time so somebody could have gotten to him in time and saved him. soo wish that everyday hes gone.the world just doesnt seem the same without him.
ReplyDeleteya know I have a bit of story about my brother and I and the dentist...when we were little I used to take pretty good care of my teeth and my brother didnt and what really urked me was when we had our annual checkup he had no cavities at all and I did. I was so not a happy camper the rest of the day about that.he was like grining from ear to ear about it and I so wanted to smack that smile off his face. but I didnt..wanted to though...lol.
hope you all are doing ok over there and that things are going ok.your all on my mind and in my thoughts everyday.
hey I have a question..I purchased a few Type O cds and a couple have like no sound at the begining of the cd and was wondering if Peter made them that way or if I got a couple of bootleggers? if anybody knows on this let me know Id greatly appreciate it. thanks.the cds I got were the least worst of and october rust.
I can so see him doing something like that though to mess with our heads..lol.bet hes up there laughing about that right now.lol. was just wondering on that.
hope the rest of the guys are doing ok..when ya see them let them know that they are also being thought of.bet they miss Peter everyday too..even though its been over a year.give the guys our love and support and hope they continue on with what makes them most happiest in their lives.
anyways another good story and thanks for sharing it with us..you all take good care and stay safe.
Peters dentist all adding to the legend of the Ratajczyk family. There's worse thing to be called than vampires...thats something to be proud of...it keeps unwanted people away. My family is known as the neighbourhood weirdo's. Our first christmas in our house a neighbour gave us a frozen chicken and I had to tell him we were vegetarian and dont eat animals..but if you have any babies or virgins we will gladly eat them! Yes we are the crazies but good hearted crazies.
ReplyDeleteI love Peters fangs. So they are not filed teeth, are they caps? You used the word implanted? Does that mean he had his teeth removed and fangs screwed in?
Dr Wasserman's 15 minutes of fame thanks to Peter.
Lovley story! I guess it must have been a chock when he suddely had fangs... Earler I heard he lost some teeth in an motorcycle accident and then he put in fangs instead? Well, I guess there are a lot of rumours around Peter..
ReplyDeleteGreat story! It was nice of Dr.Wasserman to do peter's teeth. Thank you for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteAnd finally it's revealed....only Peter could get away with those fangs and make them a part of his unique look!!! By the way, I have to ask...was Peter ever supposed to be a part of THE SURREAL WORLD( I think) reality show several years ago? I thought I had heard a rumor about this.....thanks again for all these great stories!!!
ReplyDeleteLove it! Dr. Wasserman rocks! I can't picture my dentist doing that but I think I will ask him next time I go in! Just to see the look on his face. Peace.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you posted this story. I've often wondered what made him decide to get fangs!
ReplyDelete@Brenda, yes, those CDs begin with those tracks intentionally :)
ReplyDeleteBill
Dr. Wasserman, doing Vampiric Dentistry since 1700. Lol! That's a GREAT STORY!!! P.S. I was wondering the same as Gayle, if his fangs were caps or filed down to look that way? Thanks again. (-)
ReplyDeleteUnique Peter was unique. And this is just another example. A gift from God for us to behold for just a short time. We are all individuals and we need to embrace that in each other. The good guys like Peter what a joy to have. Fangs well that is so Peter and we loved it. The videos of him, prceless. We miss him every day. Thank you again for sharing. Any chance of any new unreleased music coming out for TON?
ReplyDeleteI thought Pete's fangs were damn sexy. Not that he needed them, mind you.... *sigh*
ReplyDeleteHi Darcie--
ReplyDeleteAh ha--so they weren't filed down like I'd read/been told. That sneaky little devil--tooth problem! I wonder how many of you would've tried to stop him if he'd told you what he wanted to have done?! This is great!
Love & Gratitude--Patty P
P.S. My dentist recently informed ME that I have
'ground all my teeth down' (no doubt I did it in my sleep--I had NO idea) and they should be capped. That's half the battle. I wonder if he would give me a few fangs!
Only one word: Fangbanger! haha ;)Thanks for sharing... but too bad these weren't his real fangs.♥
ReplyDeletePeter had cavity-free teeth, so the dentist wouldn't extract, file down or cap, but built the 2 fangs with porcelain, slowly, layer by layer. For years to come Dr Wasserman would ask me about Pete's fangs with concern, shaking his head back & forth with every answer. ...Pat
ReplyDeleteGreat dentist...they looked pretty natural to me(I had at least 2 friends who REALLY had teeth like that, no filing or caps, just really sharp canines!)Now the whole "I had a good dentist" comment on the After Dark DVD makes sense!
ReplyDelete~Jessica B.
His eyes is goin' crazy!
Deletelove this story. I as well am having my entire mouth modified to have an entire mouth full of vamp teeth. even having my jaws broken and bone graphs. I knew Peter had vamp teeth as well but not to the extent I want to go. so now I possibly convince my dentist Im not so crazy :)
ReplyDeleteAnd I read somewhere that Peter's teeth were actually filed down. they were not caps...is that true?
ReplyDeleteIt makes sense that those fangs had to be built up slowly, shaped. To Pete's credit he didn't tend to flash them much. In fact, it seemed like he mostly hid them when speaking. Aesthetically, they did suit him, however, and from this story it seems like he knew it would work that way.
ReplyDeleteA small percentage of people in the alt/goth subculture have had bicuspid augmentation and sculpting done, and it's generally a more subtle look. Pete's fangs were clearly not meant to be subtle, and I have a certain respect for the zeal involved in such a decision. Dr. Wasserman must be a truly excellent dentist! Not only did he do a beautiful job of sculpting them, he double-checked with family first to make sure it was okay. Truly professional!
...also...
ReplyDeleteTo Anonymous about jaw-break/bone-grafting: Sounds painful and expensive, and these days they don't so much graft as add prosthetics to bone. Not sure what your location is, but the one place in the US you could likely get that done would be Southern California.
Frankly, as a content 100% factory-orginal-woman, I find seeing obviously severely altered people here in SoCal, daily, a little disturbing, but it's their decision and if you want to alter yourself it's your right to make that choice. Recommending Orange County, where cosmetic dentistry and surgery are available on almost any retail corner.
I liked Pete's fangs a great deal. They were very tastefully done. Urging you toward tasteful choices as well.
lol..wonder how many times or if at all he bit the sides of his mouth with them things in..lol..and I bet when he bit his own tongue it hurt like a bitch too..lol.still they looked good on him.not many can pull it off.
ReplyDeleteoh and thanks Bill for letting me know on those cds..I laugh everytime I play them..lol. so typical Peter...lol.cant wait to see my familys expression on their faces when I stick the cd in while on a quick road trip..lol. Im so gonna probably start laughing and Peter probably will be too up there.
so missed he is..alot still. oh and I have an idea..while watching our local news they said that the red cross is running really low on all blood types and to go and donate if ya can and I thought of Peter...specially when they said they needed type o negative blood, so I think in honor of Peter we should all go and try and doante as much blood as we can to the Red Crosses in your areas.and have them dedicate and be in honor of Peter and Type O Negative. call your local red crosses and see if you can donate. and donate if ya can. Im gonna try too even though Im a type 2 diabetio.
anyways just a thought that came into my head while watching and listening to the news footage about it.just make sure you eat a bit of something before you go and donate.
anywho..hope everybody takes care and stays safe.till the next blog...lol.laters for now.
Uncle Peter was before his time as usual, look at how many vampire stories are on TV, books Twilight SERIES....I couldn't believe he did that....what a rebel and trend starter..
ReplyDeleteHi girls--
ReplyDeleteWHAT?!?! Peter--CAVITY-FREE?! I'm jealous! I grew up drinking well water, so I have had cavities all my life. :( I even have about 6 root canals (I've lost count), and I still need 1 or 2 more. Thanks again--
Love & Gratitude--Patty P
I loved his fangs!!!! They were part of what first caught my eye!
ReplyDeletegreat story ! i love the fangs
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot for the story. I remember reading an interview with him which he talked about his fangs. He said that while he was driving one night, the car Peter was behind suddenly stopped or slowed down which caused Peter's car to hit that car slightly. Then the driver gets out of the car, Peter (thinking that they'll have an argument) opens the window, then turns down the radio and when he turns his face to the window, the guy hits his mouth with a hammer. :S Then the guy runs to his car and escapes leaving Peter in shock. Peter gets hit in the left dogtooth and he decides to replace it with a fang, so the right one has to be replaced as well. I don't remember where the interview was from but I have it in a word file in my archive. (I used to collect any interview I could find on the internet, I have more than a hundred probably). Maybe he wanted to hide the fact from the family thinking that you may worry about him, I don't know. That would be really touching. In any case, the fangs looked like they were real. :)
ReplyDeleteMert
My friend told me about this 10 years ago. I just searched online to see if it was really true, I guess it was. I wonder how he found out?
ReplyDeleteDid he ever meantion the name Sephira or Malachi(Malachias)? Random question for sure but its... kind of important. If anyone knows comment. Please.
ReplyDelete