PETER STEELE Remembered By Brooklyn Commissioner Of Parks

Before Peter Steele began touring the world as the frontman of the goth-metal act TYPE O NEGATIVE, he held a job with the New York City Parks Department driving garbage trucks and dump trucks and steamrollers.

Julius Spiegel (pictured below),Brooklyn Commissioner of Parks, remembers Steele in the following way:

"I remember Pete Ratajczyk [Steele's real name] not at all like the dark character some of the blogs have portrayed, but as a very hard-working, sweet and respectful guy, always eager to please. Even after he had achieved notoriety, he would visit us, occasionally even coming to our hokey dinner-dances, just to reminisce. He often joked (at least I thought he was joking) about coming back to work at the Parks Dept."

In a 1997 interview with Circus magazine, Steele spoke about his pre-TYPE O NEGATIVE career. An excerpt from the chat follows below.

Circus: So what did you do before you started touring around the country busting up cafeterias?

Steele: I used to work for the Parks Department in Brooklyn. $40,000 a year.

Circus: Did you enjoy your time with the Parks Department?

Steele: I loved it. Outside all the time, however I was passed over for a promotion because I'm a white male. That's made me a little bit irritable. I don't mind taking orders from people who score better than me on the civil service exam, but when someone's giving me orders because they're female, handicapped or they have more of a tan than I do, then it gets my testosterone level up. I have a little pride.

Circus: So what were your duties with the Parks Dept.?

Steele: Every day was different. I drove garbage trucks and dump trucks and steamrollers. Pretty much anything that had to be done in the park — I was the guy. Including picking up human feces and anything that can come squirting or spewing out of the human body. All for $15 an hour. My motto was "Slobs equals jobs." Do what you want, because you're giving me a job.

(Thanks: Ian Christe)