They treat their legendary radio DJs pretty well over there in the old UK: over 300 concerts took place — including a Joy Division-only set by New Order — Wednesday and Thursday to mark John Peel Day in honor of the BBC's late, great radio man.
Anyone who has ever programmed a radio show based upon their own taste and instincts, anyone who has ever shared music with a friend would love to have the kind of influence, reception and longevity of the great Peel, who died at 65 of a heart attack while on vacation in Peru last October 25. Over the last 40 years, he likely exposed more people to more new music than anyone else on earth.
In addition to the concerts, BBC Radio 1 broadcast a six-hour tribute program Thursday night to commemorate the anniversary of Peel's final show. At Wednesday's kick-off show, which also featured Peel faves The Fall and Super Furry Animals, New Order frontman Bernard Sumner told the crowd at the Queen Elizabeth Hall that the band's former incarnation, Joy Division, would have got "nowhere" without Peel's support. Pulp singer Jarvis Cocker said Peel provided his musical education and inspired him to "make music my life."
Peel joined the BBC's Radio 1 in 1967 and did his late night music exploration show there for the rest of his life. In the early days Peel championed acts like T-Rex, David Bowie, Captain Beefheart, and Pink Floyd, as he did throughout his career, by giving them studio-time to record legendary "Peel sessions."
In the early-1970s, John Peel moved away from the mainstream rock of Jimi Hendrix and The Who to the dramatic art-rock of Roxy Music, and then in the mid-'70s to punk. Bands like the Sex Pistols, The Clash, and Buzzcocks paved the way for new Peel discoveries like Joy Division and the Undertones, whose "Teenage Kicks" was his all-time favorite single.
The 1980s brought further joy, most notably in the form of The Fall and The Smiths, both refreshing counterblasts to the typically bland fare of the charts. He also gave an early session to Nirvana, in 1989, and a more recent discovery was The White Stripes. Peel was in a Dutch record shop when he saw their first CD on import and bought it on a hunch.
He championed all forms of "alternative" music and led the charge for punk, reggae, hip-hop, techno, drum 'n' bass, and more extreme music like, say, grindcore.
"People say, what's gonna be the next big thing?" Peel once said. "But the pleasure for me is in not knowing. I like to be taken by surprise myself."
Article comments
1 - Michael J. West
As an American, what's interesting about John Peel to me is that we have no real equivalent over here. There is no one figure who brought underground and alternative music to the American masses; maybe it's just that the U.S. is too big and regional, or that there's no nationalized radio/TV. Whatever; point is, it's hard for Americans to grasp, but John Peel was truly a major force and is as influential in pop evolution as most musicians.
2 - Webbie
If it wasn't for Peelie I wouldn't be here. Seriously.
I'm not a musician, I wasn't in any of the bands that John Peel played on his show. But I used to listen to his show late night, every night during the week (before Radio One started fecking about with his schedule.)
Hearing Peel's anti-DJ approach [just play the records] to the job inspired me.
But listening to the bands that he played especially inspired me.
Now twenty years later I am married and living in the USA and good friends with one of the bands that John discovered all those years ago.
Never saw that one coming.
Peelie - wherever you are.
Cheers mate.
3 - Eric Olsen
MJW, probably the closest we have is someone like Dr Demento - so that's a pretty extreme difference!
very nice tribute Webbie, and congrats!