Peter Capstick, bartender

[C.W. Richter]

I was in Vietnam 1959-60 and didn't see any conscripts around then. There were some mean looking Frenchmen in Saigon, probably stay-ons from Dien Bien Phu. Charlie was around though.

born in 1940, he was too old to be a common soldier in most of VN ('65-75). by then, he had gone to college and off to work as a stock broker and then to Africa at age 30 (1970). He def saw some bush wars, but no mention of military in his bio. He did leave college a year early, like some other friends that were lured away by the military (i.e. dental school trainee turned evesdropper/translator/transcriptor of the middle east in E Africa,) and spent time in S. America, so who knows? He may have been escaping a war...Ask his wife!

 

[Rare Breed]

Can someone refer me to the Sundra article that alleges Mr. Capstick was merely a bartender? I have heard of the article but have been unable to find. Thank you.

Two people got me to Africa; Robert Ruark and Peter Capstick. Admire both so very much!

 

[Red Leg]

I posted this on the other Capstick thread. I think it bears repeating.

An interesting comparison for those writers suffering from Capstick envy is Ernest Hemingway. His wonderful book "Green Hills of Africa" is based upon is first safari in Africa with his wife, Pauline Pfeiffer, and Philip Percival. You may rest assured that it generally follows Papa's adventures in East Africa in1934. But no one has ever remotely considered scrutinizing each and every event to see if it was exactly as he experienced it, a bit embellished in the telling, or heard around the campfire from Percival. Certainly, much of that actual experience and campfire material flowed into the "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber." I think both writers had a passion for telling a story well and truly (that is to make you Hemingway fans chuckle ) as opposed to "truthfully." Neither was trying to produce an affidavit. I think they both succeeded admirably.

 

[Cervus elaphus]

born in 1940, he was too old to be a common soldier in most of VN ('65-75). by then, he had gone to college and off to work as a stock broker and then to Africa at age 30 (1970). He def saw some bush wars, but no mention of military in his bio. He did leave college a year early, like some other friends that were lured away by the military (i.e. dental school trainee turned evesdropper/translator/transcriptor of the middle east in E Africa,) and spent time in S. America, so who knows? He may have been escaping a war...Ask his wife!

I read on another site he was special forces which means he may have been in VN early. Nothing concrete and don't think it really matters, we're not looking for faults or blemishes.

 

[Deleted member 53080]

Mr. Capstick is solely responsible for kindling my interest in Africa initially while Sports Afield and Sporting Classics rekindled it little more than a year ago. No one among my immediate family or friends to date have the slightest interest in Africa, let alone been there, but my father is and always has been a voracious reader with a broad range of books on the shelf. He had several of Capstick’s and Corbett’s books that I started reading around age 10 or 11, maybe sooner. IMHO Capstick was an excellent author in his own right and I will +1 the J Frank Dobie quote from earlier in the thread. With a grain of salt in hand Mr. Capstick is an incredibly entertaining and enjoyable read.

 

[C.W. Richter]

I read on another site he was special forces which means he may have been in VN early. Nothing concrete and don't think it really matters, we're not looking for faults or blemishes.

There are some gaps in his bio and he did used to wear a beret while hunting. He was very modest and well spoken in person. Who knows? Maybe! I bet Jeff Rann can tell some stories about him, as they hunted together in Botswana (on one of his PG/DG hunting videos). Elephant cropping might have been code for some alternative occupation??

 

[Cervus elaphus]

There are some gaps in his bio and he did used to wear a beret while hunting. He was very modest and well spoken in person. Who knows? Maybe! I bet Jeff Rann can tell some stories about him, as they hunted together in Botswana (on one of his PG/DG hunting videos). Elephant cropping might have been code for some alternative occupation??

There was mention of Capstick in the Green Berets. Was the beret he wore while hunting green?.

 

[C.W. Richter]

TR got me to Africa. Read his books, visited his home and that of his first US Forest Service chief Gifford Pinchot whose estate is near me. They started the Nat Park Service, primarily out of the need for wildlife conservation and hunting regulations. The others just entertained me w/ stories, and unlike Hemmingway (writer 1st, African hunter 5th) Capstick was first and foremost a Hunter of Africa. His style was more telling it like it is, talking about preparation, equipment, but making it interesting as well with the way he tells a story. His storytelling is 2nd fiddle to Hemmingway (as that was Papa's primary function!) I believe that he was a cropping officer, as I've seen him make two great hits, in succession, using a 577 double in one of his videos (I don't believe it was a 470.) The recoil and flames were incredible in slow-mo, and his body rippled badly at the shot.

 

[C.W. Richter]

There was mention of Capstick in the Green Berets. Was the beret he wore while hunting green?.

Hmmm...either black or exceedingly dark green and I do think it has some metal decoration on it. It's on VHS-which i've been meaning to hook up and watch...

 

[Velo Dog]

'Son is considering taking his 1st dentist job in AK (as they are in-demand, the pay is high and he can hunt as a resident,) but he/we are concerned about the high crime rate. He wants us to take a trip and check out each major city....They don't make 'em like him anymore, but I am still worried about the whole deal.

I hope he moves here.
Detailed PM Sent.
Cheers.

 

[Cervus elaphus]

Hmmm...either black or exceedingly dark green and I do think it has some metal decoration on it. It's on VHS-which i've been meaning to hook up and watch...

There is a lot of vitriol about PHC on other forums, disecting the minutiae of his chequered life. Frankly my dear I don't give a damn, he brought excitement and adventure to African safaris. I have met authors in NZ who were heavy into embellishments and others that borrowed other's hunting tales - so what?. Can you imagine a dull and boring Lion hunt going like this "Loaded gun, went out and shot Lion, came back and had several Gin & Tonics, went to bed". Yeah that sure is exciting. I have written articles for fishing mags and hyped up the thrill of hooking into a big fish on light gear, and authors like Zane Grey who said things about fishing NZ's mighty Tongariro river as "“Far away Tongariro! Green – white thundering Athabasca river of New Zealand! I vowed I would come again down across the Pacific to fish in the swift cold waters of this most beautiful and famous of trout streams. It is something to have striven. It is much to have kept your word.” stirring stuff. I've fished the Tongariro river many times and still do when I can, it is all that and more. However I digress.

 

[C.W. Richter]

There is a lot of vitriol about PHC on other forums, disecting the minutiae of his chequered life. Frankly my dear I don't give a damn, he brought excitement and adventure to African safaris. I have met authors in NZ who were heavy into embellishments and others that borrowed other's hunting tales - so what?. Can you imagine a dull and boring Lion hunt going like this "Loaded gun, went out and shot Lion, came back and had several Gin & Tonics, went to bed". Yeah that sure is exciting. I have written articles for fishing mags and hyped up the thrill of hooking into a big fish on light gear, and authors like Zane Grey who said things about fishing NZ's mighty Tongariro river as "“Far away Tongariro! Green – white thundering Athabasca river of New Zealand! I vowed I would come again down across the Pacific to fish in the swift cold waters of this most beautiful and famous of trout streams. It is something to have striven. It is much to have kept your word.” stirring stuff. I've fished the Tongariro river many times and still do when I can, it is all that and more. However I digress.

LOL Zane Gray's summer home is just up the river from where I live at the juncture of two Rivers. I also had the pleasure of visiting the island in the Pacific Ocean where he lived off season.

 

[sambarhunter]

Bartender or bullshitter?

 

[sureshot375]

Honestly, I have very little concern for the veracity of Capstick’s works. I started reading them when I was in elementary school In the early 90s around the time when my dad took his first plains game Safari to South Africa. I have a very distinct memory of reading Death in the Long Grass in math class tucked in behind the broader pages of my math book. Capstick lit a fire in me that was life changing. I’ve been to Africa a dozen times since then and you can still catch me daydreaming about double rifles and the smell of the bush.

I don’t know how many copies of Capstick books I’ve purchased and shared with others over the years.

The works stand on their own, not as a rigid account of factual events, but as a stories of adventures in wild places. As inspiration.

This is all kind of a fancy way to say that I don’t give a damn if the man was a waiter at Applebee’s, I’m a fan.

 

[R.M.C.]

I thought I'd resurrect this thread because I just started reading Death in the Long Grass . Its great, I can definitely relate to him being a young boy in America with big dreams of going to Africa for adventure. The neighbor kid and I tried to build a boat to sail there when we were around seven years old, never got to set off on our voyage from the farm in Pennsylvania lol. I couldn't care less if every detail is bullshit or happened to someone else. Capstick is a hell of a writer regardless.

 

[Tiger2001]

PHC’s books, particularly his “Safari the last Great adventure”, fascinated me from the 1980s and long before the internet and forums such as this one. Who cares if he embellished or borrowed stories? What author hasn’t? He rekindled the campfire so to speak for many thousands of Africa fans and deserves the credit for doing so. He left us all far too soon and he was only in his early 50’s. I’m that age now a I realize how young that is!

 

[Jeffrey]

Show me a PH who’s a poor bartender and I’ll show you a PH in need of professional development.

 

[ducmarc]

Most books read like a college math book.he could have wrote like that and not sold a copy.but the fact he was a character and wrote like that gave the world a chance to read his or someone else's adventures.think of all the good stories that never get written and lost forever

 

[R.M.C.]

Just finished death in the long grass. My only bitch about is it wasn't long enough lol

 

[baxterb]

I have been doing some random research and ran across a few things about Capstick.

First is a rather tangential mention on what looks like a social page in a Louisiana newspaper. It mentions a book Peter Capstick wrote called "Death in the Long Grass" and how wonderful it is. The kicker here is the date of the newspaper... 1964. Try to figure that one out? I can only guess this person had read Peter's working manuscript and mentioned it as a courtesy? No idea. You'll note it wasn't until 1977 DITLG came out. Kudos to Peter for his persistence.

Second is, while many claim he was a bartender and got his stories - no one can seem to prove that, however, Peter was, in fact, a real estate agent.

Oh, and he studied general and abnormal psychology at UVA. That tells me he probably didn't know exactly what he wanted to do when he grew up. ;-)

Three cheers to Peter.