By Jasmine Zhu ’22 News Reporter
Peter Berle ’20 has made a name for himself at Mercersburg Academy as prolific filmmaker and, most recently, a musician. Screenwriter, director, cameraman, actor, composer, lyricist and producer all in one, Berle hasn’t received any professional training but set out into the unknown with enthusiasm and gusto. He does not utilize fancy equipment either; Berle records almost all his music in his room and some of the videos were shot by phone. “I just focus on making stuff that I like, and I like that I can make it to the best of my ability,” he says.
Growing up surrounded by his bad’s various instruments, Berle taught himself to play guitar, bass, and ukulele. He enjoyed playing covers of his favorite songs, and that joy extended into the birth of his very first piece “Lonely Ghost” in July of 2018, an acoustic pop song with an electronic touch. One year into his first musical creation, Berle’s style transitioned to hip-hop/rap tracks. “I saw rap as having the ability to convey raw feelings without melody,” Berle explained. Mr. Fisk, which dropped in August 2019, is a straight alternative-rap album, with some acoustic guitar incorporated at times.
Mr. Fisk shares the story of the supervillain for which the album is named, Wilson Fisk. “Wilson Fisk is a pretty evil dude, a dark character, but he has a soft spot in his heart, that deep down he really just doesn’t want to be that way.” In his 14-track album, Berle gives a voice to different parts of himself, as they talk, debate, and fight with each other, which allows these voices to inform the complexity in Mr. Fisk’s identities. “I want to play up the idea that everyone has aspects of themselves that they don’t like. And so I thought in certain songs I could let out that part of myself, and have this other part of myself as well, this part that doesn’t like that part, to go out and fight for dominance.” By taking an honest look at himself, Berle invites his listeners to do the same.
Berle plays with several non-traditional musical elements in Mr. Fisk. The coughing in the last track of the album, “Sincerely, Fisk,” as well as the creaking and thud of a door hints at a farewell to an aspect of Fisk’s Character character. (Another example would be the song “Hi” from the EP PITY PARTY, on which Berle used crickets’ sounds in place of a regular backing track.)
Long before his exploration into music, about six years ago, Berle produced his first video in the form of a five-second comedic piece. To inform his work, Berle watches works of all genres as a way of experiential learning — everything from comedies to dramas, from Hollywood blockbusters to Korean films. Over time, he has naturally developed the habit of discerning what serves a good story and absorbing what he will later put in his own work. Peter occupies two worlds — as a viewer and a sharp-eyed critic. He applies the talent to the broader world beyond movies, examining music and literature to inform his videos. According to Berle, comics usually do an excellent job presenting fight scenes in very limited frames, so he studied those fights in preparation for filming his short video hey, can I borrow a pencil (starring classmates Will Allen ’20 and Davis Anderson ’20).
Along with hey, can I borrow a pencil, four of the estimated sixty videos that Berle has created can be found on his YouTube channel. These include the rap music video dedicated to “Our Bud Will,” “Quarters,” and “Harry and Barry.” This last series follows “lovable goobers going on adventures” from a silly skateboarding ride to a complicated murder case. All shot on the Mercersburg campus, Berle blends his humor and theatrical touch with his affectionate fellowship with his roommate, Anderson.
Berle admits that Mercersburg’s busy schedule and small community present some challenges to his artistic process, especially when it comes to filming, as it involves both more time and more people than in his musical works. “I’m grateful for good friends on campus, friends who understand and will be there to rely on,” Berle says.
Despite college applications being in full swing, Berle is determined to make time for his art. He’s currently working on his next album and looking forward to some possible collaboration. An innovation he has in mind is to film one single music video that spans the length of the entire album. With some pretty good ideas from Berle and Anderson, “Harry and Barry 3” is soon to return.
Berle’s artistic vision is simple yet powerful, “I want to make stuff I feel good about and people enjoy as well, something people connect with.”
Berle plans to major in film in college. Adopting the stage name “Headtrip”, he is heading forward on his journey and will continue to use his artistic conversations to challenge the world.
(Access Berle’s videos on his YouTube channel, Peter Berle, and his music via the artist name “headtrip”)