Type O Negative's Steele takes odd path to find peace, quiet 
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<br>PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Peter Steele says he wants what everyone wants
- ''peace and quiet and happiness,'' as he puts it. But he's picked a really
tumultuous, crazy way to achieve those things by being the singer and bassist
for a rock band - the provocative quartet Type O Negative. 
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<br>He thinks financial independence will help him reach his goal. 
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<br>''I just want enough money to live off of, have my little house and
my pet wolves and any woman who would have me and spend the rest of my
life with her,'' Steele said. ''This is a challenge for me - to attempt
to make something out of myself without anyone else's help.'' 
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<br>So far, he's succeeding. Type O Negative has released its fourth album,
''October Rust,'' on the heels of its predecessor, ''Bloody Kisses,'' which
went gold. The new album continues in the tradition of ''Bloody Kisses''
in its sweeping Gothic sound. 
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<br>Delicate, evocative keyboards are undercut and shredded by gravelly
layers of guitar. TON's music can be profoundly beautiful or profanely
goofy and they're equally adept at both. 
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<br>Steele is most interested in what he called ''the psychological foundations
of tones.'' 
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<br>''I've always analyzed music from a psychological point of view, like
why does this passage invoke such sadness? What is going on? Is it the
tempo? Is it the passion of the players?'' he said. ''I pick everything
apart and I analyze it and then I apply it to the songs that I write.''

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<br>Steele uses the basso range of his singing voice only sporadically
this time, saving it for moments of drama or humor. But his speaking voice
is very deep with a heavy New York accent. 
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<br>He's a many-faceted guy; he can be so sexually explicit in describing
his songs or his motivations that he makes you blush. He talked about the
nude layout he did for the August 1995 issue of Playgirl. He insists he
did it for the publicity; the rest of the band gave the proposal thumbs-up.

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<br>''The money was not the issue,'' he said. ''I was not getting off on
it; I was actually quite mortified, but I got used to it. It was a job
- sometimes you don't have to like your job, you just have to do it.''

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<br>He also can make you feel genuinely sorry for him, especially when
he talks about his childhood. He has five older sisters. 
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<br>''I was introverted,'' he said. ''I had no friends, simply because
I felt that I could not make a worthy friend. 
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<br>''I always felt like a burden to my parents. ... I also really wanted
to please my parents, especially my mother. ... I just felt extremely uncomfortable
with myself and I always felt like I was in the way.'' 
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<br>That theme crops up repeatedly in Steele's lyrics. For all the songs
about forbidden trysts with fantasy ''spirit lovers'' (''Haunted'') and
campy threesomes (''My Girlfriend's Girlfriend''), there are ones about
the pain and emotional devastation he's felt when real-life relationships
fail (''Die With You'' and ''Burnt Flowers Fallen''). 
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<br>His rampant sexuality is often laced with vulnerability and insecurity;
in ''Love You to Death,'' he desperately asks, ''Am I good enough for you?''
as if he's afraid to hear the answer. 
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<br>He delves into Celtic mythology on the pastoral ''Green Man,'' which
deals with the cycles of nature. The title also refers to his nickname
from his days working for the New York City Parks Department. 
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<br>Mythology from many cultures peppers his writing. 
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<br>''I am definitely proud of my ancestry, which is Icelandic and Russian,''
he said. ''There is not too much written about Slavic mythology, because
there were so many different tribes and they were so violent.''
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