BBC Radio DJ: John Peel has died

[Guy_Montag]

Not sure if this means anything to you Americans, but for my British chums.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/3955289.stm

[Kathy in Cambridge]

1. Oh the Peel Sessions

:-(

Sad....

[GeorgeBushytail]

23. Favorite Peel Sessions? Mine: Magazine, Babes in Toyland

I used to listen to his morning show on my bus ride to school in the late 60's. I was an Air Force brat in England and loved the guy.

He was one of the good ones.

[Skittles]

32. HEY GBy!

I was an Air Force brat in England too! My mum is a brit.

[GeorgeBushytail]

34. I went to Central High School 67-70

And Bill Clinton gave the speech at my graduation. He was at Oxford then.

What's your story?

[Skittles]

36. I lived all over England

one of the high schools I went to was Upper Heyford ('71).

[truthisfreedom]

37. babes?

Lori came to my last party and brought 3 beautiful women and a geranium as a housewarming gift. oops, not the women, they were just there to have fun. did any other Minneapolis bands make it onto John's show?

[GeorgeBushytail]

40. Not sure

My faves were:

Suicide Commandos, Suburbs, Wallets, The Blue Up?, Tetes Noires

Name some more.

[jdj]

44. YES! I have the Babes in Toyland Peel Sessions CD.

Awesome!

[LibLabUK]

2. Oh dear...

That's a real shame.

[Pert_UK]

3. A very, very, very sad day.....

Glastonbury will never be the same.....radio has lost one of the most knowledgeable, nicest, most talented, original, unique talents it has ever had.

Seriously - I'm welling up here.

Here's one to you, John...

:toast:

Thanks for the good times.



:cry:

P.

[Sideways]

4. John Peel Introduced Me To The Smiths

I been a Peel fan for over 20 years. What a fucking loss.

[peekaloo]

5. Growing up in Florida I looked forward to Sunday nights' radio

broadcasts......The Peel Sessions opened up my ears to a lot of great music otherwise ignored by most commercial radio. Of course free form FM was still alive back then and Peel's show was a gem.

R.I.P. Mr. Peel.

[legin]

6. Damn

:cry:

[Wat_Tyler]

7. FUCK!

[a_random_joel]

28. What he said...

[Howardx]

8. damn first greg shaw and now peel

so many good peel sessions:(

[Name removed]

38. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[ClassWarrior]

9. A true broadcasting legend.

When I was in London back in the 80s, there was a minor dust-up over this on-air Peel comment: "When England was a kingdom, we had a king... when we were an empire, we had an emperor... and now that we're a country, we have Margaret Thatcher."

Sweet.

24.

[peekaloo]

12. Very clever man.

:toast:

[Pert_UK]

10. Some comments on his life and work:

Seriously, I'm crying here at my fucking desk at work...

"James Dean Bradfield, lead singer of the Manic Street Preachers, paid tribute to Peel. He told BBC News Online: "It was because of him I got to hear some of the most obscure but influential music I ever heard.

"He was a lifeline to hearing music I would never have hear otherwise. The service he provided was getting to hear music that you couldn't buy in Cardiff. He was a portal to a whole new world.

After announcing Peel's death on Radio 1, the station played his favourite song, Teenage Kicks, by The Undertones. "

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/3955289.stm

" "What Peel's always done is to reach out across the airwaves and make people feel part of something bigger than themselves."

Barney Hoskyns, The Independent "

In 2002:

"Veteran BBC broadcaster John Peel has won a top prize at the prestigious Sony Awards for British radio.
The 62-year-old presenter for Radio 1 and Radio 4 took the honorary gold at the annual ceremony, for his years of championing bands.

Judges awarding the prize to Peel said: "Across four decades of broadcasting, his championship of music that is both new and different has set the style for which he's become best known.

"He can claim an unrivalled record of 35 years of broadcasting for Radio 1 - along the way his unmistakable voice has cropped up, at one time or another, on all of the BBC's networks including the World Service." "

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/1964063.stm

In 2000:

"The broadcaster John Peel has been awarded an honorary degree in music by the University of Liverpool.

The 61-year-old disc jockey - a former pirate radio star and a BBC Radio 1 DJ since the station's launch in 1967 - was honoured for his "outstanding contribution to music". "



http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/1076070.stm

60th birthday party in 1999 and OBE in 1998:

"The BBC is marking broadcaster John Peel's 60th birthday with two theme nights dedicated to his career.

BBC Two will be showing an evening of programmes on 29 August (1999) while Radio 1 will be offering its own tribute two days later. Peel, who is 60 on 30 August, was one of Radio 1's first DJs when the station launched in 1967.

Over the years he has cemented his reputation as the champion of alternative rock and pop music by playing bands such as The Smiths, The Fall and the Undertones when no other DJ or radio station would touch them...

More recently, his Radio 4 series Home Truths - which invites listeners to discuss their family and lifestyle experiences - has won a clutch of awards, including three prestigious Sony Radio Awards. He can also be heard on the BBC World Service.

Last year Peel received an OBE, while in 1997 Prime Minister Tony Blair said: "John Peel is truly a radio legend."...

One memorable incident saw him threaten to "come round and break wind" in viewers' homes if they did not buy one of the records featured on the show. "

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/421840.stm

[Wat_Tyler]

11. I know how you feel. This is a huge psychic blow.

[SheWhoMustBeObeyed]

13. Here are BBC Radio pages for posting tributes and messages

See here, at bottom of page:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/news/altnews/041026_john_peel.shtml?rhpimage

It's very sad news for Britons and music fans alike.

R.I.P, John Peel.

[mr_hat]

14. Grew up listening to John. I'll have to get my Old Grey Whistle Test

dvd out tonight. RIP.

[sendero]

15. A legend...

.... and there is basically no equivalent in the US.

[Wat_Tyler]

17. It is impossible to overstate Peel's contribution to rock music globally.

Absolutely impossible.

[Pert_UK]

16. Obituary here:

"The broadcaster, John Peel, was the champion of British rock music. For nearly 40 years, his late-night Radio 1 programme led the way in promoting new acts, from David Bowie, through Joy Division to Lamacq.

John Peel was, at first sight, the antithesis of many of the bands he loved. Balding, bearded, softly - if hilariously - spoken, he was more like a favourite uncle than a rock fan. "

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/3955369.stm

[Englander]

18. Fuck.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/alt/johnpeel/index.shtml

[RogueTrooper]

19. I'm heartbroken

:cry:

[Maiden England]

20. oh no! how sad

condolences to his family

[kysrsoze]

21. This is terrible news. Probably the best radio music show there ever was

I've got a bunch of Peel Sessions stuff. Orb Peel Sessions basically got me into IDM music. Sad.

[Gregorian]

22. He helped to influence the music in my life.

I feel very lucky to have been able to hear some of his shows. The music he brought into my life was and is still one of the most important facets of my life. I'm sorry to have this loss. Like the 90's, I wish Mr. Peel would return. But that's life. Memories.

[PlanetBev]

24. My God, did this ever jog my memory

I first heard of this guy 40 years ago. I had a friend in Dallas who used to talk about him all the time. Having a British DJ in America at that time was so exciting, as it was in the middle of the British Invasion. He was still going by the name Ravenscroft in the mid-Sixties.

[Wat_Tyler]

25. Yeah, he was in Dallas when Kennedy was shot.

[BigBigBear]

26. Introduced Tangerine Dream to the world

For that alone, thanks.

[Democat]

27. Very sad day for music

:(

[fedsron2us]

29. Another good man dead

and a whole chunk of my life passed with him. This leaves me feeling old and very sad. Even my Mum was upset. Peel had the integrity that is so sorely missing in todays media. We will never see another like him.

[Voltaire99]

30. RIP, John. (n/t)

[Skittles]

31. RADIO CAROLINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OH IT BRINGS BACK MEMORIES. When I was a child in England I heard the BEST rock 'n roll from Mr. Peel!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[sweetheart]

33. He was so "real"

A lotta DJ's "try" so hard to entertain whilst on the air.

John Peel was a pure natural... and he never ceased to introduce
music that was original and brilliant. His love for music rubbed
off that i loved hearing him, before i knew who he was. I asked
a friend who that DJ was with all the outstanding tunes, the
older guy with the record player who says things like "That sounded
better at the other speed."

A while back, he played an australian WW1 protest folk song that
was scratchy and totally penetrating. I always wondered what it was,
and with John Peel's departure, a unique and rich love of music
alass meets its end.

God bless him and those who loved him.

[Matilda]

35. Ah, that's sad.

I remember "Orange" Peel from the days of my youth living in London.

Gently funny, good music.

[Dirk39]

39. John that's not fair...

Hello from Germany!
I used to listen to his programms, when I was about 17 2 days a week for hours, while one of my friends did record about 300 cassettes with his programms.
He introduced me to Joy Division, he introduced me to the Fall, he introduced me to the Gang of Four and last but not least he introduced me to Reggae and Dub.
There are only a few things I enjoy in live and Mr. Peel did show me some of them.
Dirk

[ArnoldLayne]

41. Also helped make Syd Barrett's early Pink Floyd in 1967

well known not only in their home base London but all of England and Northern and Western Europe. One of the first to play Pink Floyds first hit single Arnold Layne hence my nickname is originated from. :hippie:

[JawJaw]

42. LEGEND

good little obit on last night's 'Newsnight' programme.

including what is probably the first and last interview with Mark E.Smith on Newsnight !!!!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsa/n5ctrl/tvseq/newsnight/newsnight.ram


(about 19 mins in, after Florida vote scam item)

[muriel_volestrangler]

43. Yes, Mark. E. Smith was not exactly the greatest interviewee

should we be charitable and say he was overcome with grief? Thank god they had the guy from The Undertones to turn to as well.

[muriel_volestrangler]

45. WORK IS KILLING ME,PEEL TOLD DJ

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=14804846&method=full&siteid=89488&headline=work-is-killing-me-peel-told-dj-name_page.html

Fellow DJ Andy Kershaw revealed the 65-year-old, who suffered a heart attack on Monday, said his hectic radio schedule was affecting his health.

He claimed: 'The last time I saw him, he looked absolutely worn out.

'We went to a cafe near Radio 1 and I said, 'John, you look terrible'.'

Kershaw said Peel replied that the shifting of his Radio 1 slot combined with his weekly Radio 4 show Home Truths was killing him.

Kershaw added: 'He felt he had been marginalised.'

and from The Times:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1332266,00.html

BBC hits back at claim that Peel died of overwork

The change was made to give a wider audience to new specialist music shows. Critics suggested that Peel’s more “awkward” music was being shunted to the early hours in a push to secure younger listeners. However Peel had agreed to the changes after a meeting with Andy Parfitt, the controller of Radio 1.

The Times understands that Mr Parfitt was so concerned at the allegations made by Kershaw that Peel’s studio producers were asked yesterday if he had made any complaints to them. They said that he had not. BBC executives were furious with Kershaw, a former Radio 1 DJ who considered Peel his mentor. One said: “It is extremely distressing that Andy should say this. John was fully supportive of the changes — he even said that the late finish meant clearer roads when he drove back to East Anglia.”

Peel rejected the option to pre-record his Radio 1 shows, broadcasting two programmes a week live from London and the Thursday programme from a studio at his home.