#peter doyle

Peter J Doyle

Portrait One

I send you my love and so long for the present. Yours for life, dear Pete (and death the same).

Whenever I’ve heard or read about Walt Whitman, it’s usually in relation to one of three things.

He was one of America’s greatest poets.

There are many high schools named after him.

He was gay.

Well the first two may be true, I was surprised to read that Whitman himself asserted his heterosexuality.

Walt Whitman came from a family of 9 children. At a young age, he quit attending formal school and worked as an office boy for a law firm. Next he apprenticed at a news paper, learning various tasks from typesetting to running the printing press. Over the years, worked and wrote for various papers, eventually stating his own publication in 1938.

He wrote a novel in 1852, and a self-help guide in 1858 (about beards, nude sunbathing, comfortable shoes, and eating meat). His best known work is “Leaves of Grass” first published in 1855. But he continued to revise it and republishing it until his death.

Although it’s assumed that Whitman was gay based on some of poetry regarding the love of men, the issue has been debated. At least one contemporary critic of “Leave of Grass” thought so - he called Whitman guilty of “that horrible sin not to be mentioned among Christians”.

Over the years, Walt Whitman had many friendships with young men, often living together. But Whitman himself, as if to assert his heterosexuality, claimed he fathered six illegitimate children. But Uranian lovers? (Uranian was a 19th century slang for homosexual). Among the possible candidates:

Bill Duckett - Duckett worked for and/or living with Whitman for a number of years, even returning later in Whitman’s life to become his driver. Whitman described their friendship as "thick".

Harry Stafford - Whitman met the 18 year old Stafford when he was 57. He stayed with Stanford’s family after recovering from a stroke. Their relationship was described as “intense” and it is said that Whitman gave him a ring which was passed back and forth during their stormy friendship.

Peter Doyle - Whitman met Doyle in 1866 while Doyle was a horsecar driver. Whitman call him his “rebel soldier”. The two were closes friends for most of the rest of Whitman’s life. In 1895 (3 years after Whitman’s death) Doyle described their first meeting: “We were familiar at once—I put my hand on his knee—we understood. He did not get out at the end of the trip—in fact went all the way back with me." (As an aside, Doyle was said to have attended the same theater as Lincoln was he was assassinated.)

Oscar Wilde - after Wilde visited the United States and met Whitman in 1882, he said: “I have the kiss of Walt Whitman still on my lips."

Edward Carpenter: in 1924, English poet describe a sexual encounter with Whitman when Carpenter was young. The details transcribed in the journal of Gavin Arthur, Carpenter’s disciple.

Studio albums

Mr Uddich-Schmuddich Goes To Town (1982)

Law Of Nature (1984)

Ghosts Of An Ideal Wife (1985)

EPs, Singles

1980: Laughing Clowns; Sometimes, The Fire Dance....

1981: Theme From 'Mad Flies, Mad Flies'; 3

1983: Everything That Flies...

1984: Eternally Yours; Just Because I Like / Crystal Clear

Live recordings

Photos, vids, album cover art, gig flyers...