From: Carl Barimore (carl_at_stirtloe.fsnet.co.uk)
Date: 2004-10-27 22:27:06
It's the main story on every TV station in the UK and Radio 1 has virtually
ground to a halt- which shows how much this DJ will be missed in the UK. I
listened to his radio show on and off for years and he played so many
styles, all jumbled together, that on an average show you would be
garuanteed not only to hear new artists, but to be introduced to whole new
music genres you'd not heard before.
A lot of the praise is being directed at the efforts John Peel made to break
new guitar bands, and the debt that so many big groups owe to him, the most
recent being the White Stripes and Franz Ferdinand amongst others. But I
think his main strength was the way he demonstrated that there was good
music to be had in ALL genres and styles. I first tuned into his show as an
indie fan, and ended up being converted to hip-hop, blues and drum'n'bass.
The tributes suggest he was always searching for the next big thing, but in
reality his quest was for the next GOOD thing, and so he would repeatedly
play artists he knew would never have any commercial appeal, just to make
sure that people had the chance to hear them.
From a broadcasting perspective, he leaves behind thousands of hours of
top-notch music shows, with unique live sessions from 100s of artists,
spanning a 35 year period. I hope that the BBC will put all these out on the
web eventually, as they must comprise a unique history of pop music from its
early days in the 60s.
Try and hear some of John Peel's shows if you can, I think the BBC streams
the most recent ones on the radio 1 website.
----- Original Message -----
From: Velanche <velanche_at_charter.net>
To: Acid Jazz Mailing List <acid-jazz_at_ucsd.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, October 26, 2004 7:27 PM
Subject: [acid-jazz] John Peel Travels To A New Music Heaven
>
> http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/news/altnews/041026_john_peel.shtml
>
> I can't say that I knew his work other than some of the prized "John
> Peel Sessions" releases. I wish I knew more about him when he was
> alive, but it seems that he's left a vital impact in underground music.
> Legends do that.
>
> V.
>
>