Tuesday, October 26, 2004
It's very rare I get genuinely upset when a celebrity or otherwise famous person dies. The last time was when Ayerton Senna died in a crash during a race while the whole world was watching. He was something of a hero to me, and grand prix racing has never been the same since.Today though, I'm absolutely gutted.
John Peel is dead.
For those of you who haven't heard of him, he was a national radio DJ. An absolute legend who was around from the very beginning of Radio One, and the only DJ who played exactly what he wanted, unrestricted by dumbass playlists set by the producers and men in suits.
It wasn't just the music he played that made him great... it was his manner. He knew the music was more important than he was, so didn't let his ego get in the way of the show, and on the occasions when he messed up and got it wrong (which were many), he would sit back and laugh at himself. Listening to Peel was like listening to a favourite uncle, and even if you didn't care for some of the tunes he played, listening to the show itself was always a pleasure.
I grew up listening to John Peel... I'm 36, and he was *always* there. Many an awesome band who otherwise would have remained undiscovered and languishing in obscurity got their big break when he played them, and many others who never made it to the mainstream, found their niche with listeners like myself who prefer something a little different.
The music world is a far far poorer place today.
Steve 6:30 PM [+]
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