Photo 2 by Anne Thorkelson; photo 3 courtesy of Written In Our Hearts on Facebook.
"My little sister doesn’t even think of me as her brother any more — she thinks of me as a TV star.” - Peter Tork, TV Guide, 1967
“I read in one magazine that Peter thinks I don’t think of him as my brother any more, I think of him as a star. Well it’s true I think of him as a star, but I do think of I’m as a brother too and a very nice one. Peter is the kind of person I’m sure every one who likes excitement would like to live with. He likes to play guitar a lot and will do most of the things you want him to. If you want to get him a gift, Peter likes good books, and groovy shirts like the one on the cover of ‘Last Train to Clarksville’ single. Peter is good at imitations like W. C. Fields. […] He can do Donald Duck too.” - Anne Thorkelson, 16 Spec, Summer 1967
“Peter ran away from home twice. This happened when he was three years old and lived in Detroit. The first time, he ran away from home to get out of going to nursery school; the second time, he ran away to go to New York. He didn’t make it that trip, but he finally did many years later. [...] Peter’s very first ambition was to dismantle our phonograph, and unhappily he did with great speed and great thoroughness. Peter’s first job was as a paper boy. None of us, including Peter, remember how much he made. He was always liberal when it came to money — and he still is. Peter loved to start clubs when he was growing up. He founded the Wild Goose Club in Madison and the Tiger Club in Mansfield Center. In the Tiger Club, all the members had code names Peter’s was ‘Phantom Tiger’ (P. T. — get it?).” - Nick Thorkelson, The Monkees: Here We Are (1967)
“Peter likes people around him. His old house had been too small to accommodate his many friends and acquaintances, so he had decided to buy a bigger one. The new house is almost too beautiful to describe, but I’ll try. Peter’s home sits on the side of a mountain, facing the valley, and on a clear day you can see all of Los Angeles from his terrace. It’s a truly breathtaking view. The shrubbery surrounding the grounds and the pool is a sort of desert brush, and there are orange and lemon trees growing on the side of ‘his’ mountain! The inside of the house is something else again. There are a total of 14 rooms, seven bathrooms including a sauna bath — and there are five fireplaces! Peter had one room made soundproof for those loud jam sessions musicians are known to have! During our two-weeks visit with Peter (which, by the way, was our first trip to California), we had a wonderful time. There was never a dull moment. We had barbecues on the patio, pool parties, and we went just about everywhere! Peter took us to Disneyland for an entire day, to the famed Coconut Grove nightclub, to Whiskey A Go Go, and we even went dancing at the Factory — a private club where all the stars hang out! But, of course, the nicest part of the whole trip was being able to spend so much time with Peter. The days seemed to just whiz by, and pretty soon it was time for us to leave California and go home. The last thing I remember was Peter shouting, ‘See you all soon!’ — as we boarded the plane that would take us back to Connecticut. After a few weeks, everything returned to normal. Then, late one August night — the eve of my 16th birthday, to be exact — my sister Anne heard a noise in the driveway. She went to the window and saw a strange car pull up. Before she had time to wonder who it was, out popped Peter! What a surprise — and what a birthday present! Peter was so exhausted after his trip from California that he fell asleep on our living room couch — moments after he entered the house! The next morning at breakfast, Peter was the first to wish me a happy birthday. Then he told me that his gift for me — a bright red MG-TF sports car — would be arriving in a few days! That nearly knocked me for a loop, and I couldn’t believe my ears! In Connecticut, we are allowed to drive at 16 years of age — and needless to say, that car was the greatest birthday gift I ever received! But Peter had a couple of additional surprises in store for us. He was wearing a beautiful silk shirt which he had especially made in Hollywood. And since my brother Nicky and I admired it so much — he reached into his suitcase and gave us each one! Anne was right there with her handy camera to take pictures of ‘The Three Musketeers’!” - Christopher Thorkelson, 16 Spec, Summer 1969
