we have had response from an Australian and an American and a Yorkshireman.
there is a fundamental cultural difference between most English people, Americans and Australians about manner of adressing people with politeness [even more so back in the seventies and eighties]. Yorkshire people are renowned for calling a spade a bloody spade
However the folk media at that time, Southern Rag in particular with the lampooning of Peter[ as Elmer P Bleatty] did not help his career , i believe he tried to make the best of it by laughing at himself , but[imo] it was a disaster for his musical career.
I realise it was meant as a joke, but a joke that indirectly was partly responsible for his lack of work and his depression and his sad death, i say partly responsible, he had suffered from depression before.
Nobody should feel guilty, and his memory lives on through his recordings, his work on the transports etc