When the news re John Peel dying came out last week, it was a pretty big shock and bum-out to everyone who loves discovering great bands and the power of radio to inform and inspire; but I couldn't bring myself to do another 'goddamn death dedication' here just a couple weeks after Johnny Ramone & Russ Meyer. Then my friend David Bassin (who by the way, does a great weekly electronica/funk-jazz/etc. radio show on KUSF San Francisco, available anytime on Live365.com), sent the following message as an e-mail to friends:
Last Tuesday around 7am, I sat down at the computer with my morning coffee and checked the news. I froze when I read the headline, "John Peel: Dead of a Heart Attack at 65." One of my heroes was gone and it was an unexpected shock. I went to work and fought to maintain my composure the only way I knew how - by keeping as silent as possible. I got home that night and began prepping for my show, but then I lost it. I sat down and thought about the man who had meant so much to so many and I remembered this story:
A little over 20 years ago, I was working for the U.S. arm of Rough Trade, the fiercely independent British indie label. One of my counterparts in the UK office would often send me cassettes of John's radio programs and I would listen to them over and over, absorbing the new sounds, John's droll sense of humor and of course, his legendary "Peel Sessions."
Prior to traveling to London in 1983, I sent John a letter expressing my interest in meeting him during my trip. The night we arrived, I turned on the radio and was thrilled to be hearing him live for the first time. I called the Radio 1 switchboard and the receptionist said, "John never takes calls while he's on the air, but I'll check." A minute or so later, he picked up the phone, we chatted briefly and he invited me down to the BBC. A day or so later, I showed up at the studios and when I entered his office, I found John seated in a chair, opening a stack of packages that rose nearly to his chin. "I'm sorry," he said, "I'd get up, but I'm just too tired." We laughed, chatted for a few hours and he later hooked me up with one of his producers, who ran off copies of the New Order sessions that had recently been recorded. That evening, I sat in with him while he did his show, all the while a little awestruck.
What impressed me the most however, was his generosity and enthusiasm for the music he introduced to his audience. He wasn't trying to be "the king of all media" - he was just a man who loved his work and loved sharing it with others. When the BBC began live streaming over the Internet, I would listen to John's shows as often as possible and was delighted to hear that he hadn't changed a whit. The music was still exciting, often aggressive, unlistenable and stood out from the other BBC DJs (with the exception of Gilles Peterson), who were charged with playing the sappy pop and top-40 dreck of the moment.
As the years passed, John's airtime on Radio 1 was increasingly marginalized as the station sought to fill the evening hours with more of the same commercial programming that ruled the rest of the dayparts. He began a Saturday morning program on Radio 4 called "Home Truths," that dealt with family life, animals, hats and more. He passed away while on holiday in Peru with his wife at his side. John exemplified everything that I and many others working at non-commercial stations have aspired to in our DJ careers. We seek to educate and entertain - not with our egos, but with music that we love and wish to champion. If we are privy to a few perks along the way, that's cool, but it's more about "the nod" - the listeners who call because they can't wait for the break to know what it was you just played; the letters and e-mail thanking you for making a difference in their lives, even if it's only for a moment; the people who recognize your voice in a record store and introduce themselves as long-time fans.
That's why John did it. In his own unique, humble way, he changed the face of popular music and helped to launch the careers of many a pop star that might never have made it, were it not for his support and airplay. He was my hero and heroes are hard to find. He will be deeply missed.
The Radio 1 and Radio 4 sites are filled with tributes from friends, colleagues and fans and there are several shows dedicated to his memory that can be streamed via RealAudio. I urge you to visit them before they're gone.
Recent Comments