Dance, dance, dance to the radio ~ John Peel 1939-2004
I've occasionally wondered just how upset I'd be when John Peel died. I don't think I've ever thought that about anyone who wasn't a favourite musician of mine or someone I actually know.
It's impossible to exaggerate the influence the man had on my taste in music. As a teenager growing up in a small town in North East Scotland pre-world wide web there just wasn't any other way for me to hear new music. Through John I discovered The Fall (of course!), Big Black, the Jesus and Mary Chain and many more.
I even remember wishing he were my dad, and then feeling really guilty about because, well, I love my own dad, and deciding it would still be really cool if he was my uncle or something instead.
I can't remember when I first heard of, or heard, John but my abiding memory of the Peel experience is of being about 16 years old and listening to his show in the dark with my clumpy great headphones on, and taping the whole show to edit later for the stuff I actually liked. Which was most of it, really. I'd remix the tapes into "John Peel mixes". I've still got a few, although some have been lost, or loaned out and never returned.
I didn't listen to him quite as religiously as that after I left home but I'd still tune in occasionally over the years and latterly I'd even listen to him on Home Truths on a Saturday morning. I thought he had years in him and I just took it for granted that I'd be listening to his voice for many years to come.
There was something very warm and cosy about his voice, perhaps just because of the associations it had for me of being huddled under my duvet, safe at home, but I don't think so.
Unfortunately I now know just how upset I'd be if John Peel died, and that's very upset indeed.
swisstone has come up with a splendid idea for a tribute, vote for your all time favourite Peel songs in the LJ Festive Fifty. I just loved this one too, reported in comments on awatson's post. Me, I'm off to listen to the Fall.
It's impossible to exaggerate the influence the man had on my taste in music. As a teenager growing up in a small town in North East Scotland pre-world wide web there just wasn't any other way for me to hear new music. Through John I discovered The Fall (of course!), Big Black, the Jesus and Mary Chain and many more.
I even remember wishing he were my dad, and then feeling really guilty about because, well, I love my own dad, and deciding it would still be really cool if he was my uncle or something instead.
I can't remember when I first heard of, or heard, John but my abiding memory of the Peel experience is of being about 16 years old and listening to his show in the dark with my clumpy great headphones on, and taping the whole show to edit later for the stuff I actually liked. Which was most of it, really. I'd remix the tapes into "John Peel mixes". I've still got a few, although some have been lost, or loaned out and never returned.
I didn't listen to him quite as religiously as that after I left home but I'd still tune in occasionally over the years and latterly I'd even listen to him on Home Truths on a Saturday morning. I thought he had years in him and I just took it for granted that I'd be listening to his voice for many years to come.
There was something very warm and cosy about his voice, perhaps just because of the associations it had for me of being huddled under my duvet, safe at home, but I don't think so.
Unfortunately I now know just how upset I'd be if John Peel died, and that's very upset indeed.
swisstone has come up with a splendid idea for a tribute, vote for your all time favourite Peel songs in the LJ Festive Fifty. I just loved this one too, reported in comments on awatson's post. Me, I'm off to listen to the Fall.