John Peel R.I.P.
Mood:
Sad
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Was out walking and listening to the World Service when I heard the news. JP died of a massive heart attack while on a working holiday in Peru.
For the last 24hrs practically every live TV and radio show has been running the story, interviewing friends, colleagues and fans, many shows receiving an unprecedented number of calls and emails. His picture was prominently placed on the front page of all of the 'proper' newspapers, with the exception of The Times.
At 65 I guess he had a good innings, but I think everyone would agree that he was one of the good guys and died too young. The amount of blog and forum posting on this subject is quite astounding, everyone seems to have a JP story from some point over the 40 years he was hosting his radio 1 show. Some stories pre-date even that era, Paul Gambaccini recounted a story from his early DJ'ing days in Dallas, Texas - he apparently encountered JFK while taking photographs, JFK on hearing his liverpool accent invited him to take some pictures, at one point John was taking snapshots standing on the car bonnet!(not sure of this story is true, but if it is then JFK would have been president at the time peelie was in Dallas!) Later on John was present at the press conference just prior to Lee Harvey Oswald being shot.
JP was truly a one off, the product of his upbringing, his self-deprecating, modest and caring personality, his presence on the music scene at the birth of rock'n'roll, and his subsequent involvement in the fledgling careers of more bands probably than anyone other single person in the history of music. He had accumulated followers from all over the world and I think many have been genuinely shocked to learn of his death, I know I was.
The friendly tones of John's voice coming over the airwaves late at night on Radio 1 and on Saturday morning on Radio4 will be missed by many. His absence from the music scene will leave behind a black hole. Yesterday PM Tony Blair paid tribute and today I hear that Micheal Eavis of Glastonbury festival fame will be permanently naming one of the Galstonbury stages after John, and no doubt this will be the first of many great tributes to come.
Sorry to see you go old friend.
For the last 24hrs practically every live TV and radio show has been running the story, interviewing friends, colleagues and fans, many shows receiving an unprecedented number of calls and emails. His picture was prominently placed on the front page of all of the 'proper' newspapers, with the exception of The Times.
At 65 I guess he had a good innings, but I think everyone would agree that he was one of the good guys and died too young. The amount of blog and forum posting on this subject is quite astounding, everyone seems to have a JP story from some point over the 40 years he was hosting his radio 1 show. Some stories pre-date even that era, Paul Gambaccini recounted a story from his early DJ'ing days in Dallas, Texas - he apparently encountered JFK while taking photographs, JFK on hearing his liverpool accent invited him to take some pictures, at one point John was taking snapshots standing on the car bonnet!(not sure of this story is true, but if it is then JFK would have been president at the time peelie was in Dallas!) Later on John was present at the press conference just prior to Lee Harvey Oswald being shot.
JP was truly a one off, the product of his upbringing, his self-deprecating, modest and caring personality, his presence on the music scene at the birth of rock'n'roll, and his subsequent involvement in the fledgling careers of more bands probably than anyone other single person in the history of music. He had accumulated followers from all over the world and I think many have been genuinely shocked to learn of his death, I know I was.
The friendly tones of John's voice coming over the airwaves late at night on Radio 1 and on Saturday morning on Radio4 will be missed by many. His absence from the music scene will leave behind a black hole. Yesterday PM Tony Blair paid tribute and today I hear that Micheal Eavis of Glastonbury festival fame will be permanently naming one of the Galstonbury stages after John, and no doubt this will be the first of many great tributes to come.
Sorry to see you go old friend.
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