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John Peel.
1939 - 2004
BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel died of a heart attack on a working holiday in Peru on Mon 25 Oct. So much more than what is considered a disc jockey, he was a true lover of music. Considered a broadcasting legend in Britain, he presented a unique and unprecedented range of new and old music in his three shows each week. Peel's influence has stretched across the globe through his support of unknowns who then took off (New Order and Pulp just two examples) and more recently through his shows becoming available on the BBC World Service and the internet.
Perhaps best known in Australia for his Peel Sessions, live sets recorded on his show, a small percentage have been released of the astounding 3000 contained in the BBC archives; an indication of the breadth of talent he championed, as well as the idiosyncratic and keen tastes that have shaped the face of rock music: Sid Barret, PJ Harvey, Half Man Half Biscuit, T-Rex, Pulp, Joy Division, the Smiths, Melt Banana, Jimi Hendrix, Orbital, Extreme Noise Terror, Culture, Laura Cantrell and Ronnie Renald (a Kiwi yodeller/whistler Peel tracked down by travelling to New Zealand to invite him to record a session for the show) to name a few.
They are but a part of the incredible legacy he has left, one of the reasons he was awarded an OBE in 1999 for his services to music and loved by multitudes of fans.
When I lived in Britain and discovered his show it was a revelation that quickly became an obsession. I was surprised and impressed that this bloke, in his sixties, was still playing the most exciting array of artists, encouraging bands to send in demos and recordings, when he received hundreds each week, always announcing his desire to get through them all.
He spent 6-8 hours each day listening to records and discs, making lists for his shows, arranging for folk to come in and play live on the basis of what he heard.
I still lament my taped copy of the White Stripes live session from mid-2001 going missing, not realising I was part of a nation wide tradition of taping Peel sessions on shitty tape decks. He was the first to play The White Stripes in Britain; he did so because he was drawn to an album cover in a Dutch record store, listened and liked it. Later 'Elephant' was embargoed until the record company said he could play it; he didn't need to explain that irony to his listeners. Then there was the unforgettable Low session that had such low levels at one point the backing tape kicked in and disrupted the brilliant near silence of the band. Peel's avuncular, slightly more bemused than normal voice cut in as if woken from a trance. He was humbled by the great music he played, and his privilege in being able to play them on the radio, freely admitting to tears when he heard his famously favourite song, Teenage Kicks by The Undertones.
For every one of those artists he played who made it big, got to do a live session or were mentioned on his show, there were hundreds who were inspired to start a band or whose ears were opened to what music can really be.
He is survived by his beloved wife Sheila and four children.
Narelle Walker
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