UK Decay

[werewolf]

John Peel RIP

John Peel has died at the age of 65, while on holiday in Peru.

It cant be estimated the loss to the British and world music scene
John Peel had worked on Radio 1 for nearly 40 years, before that
it was the Pirates!

"This trully is the end of an era- an absolute tragic loss
I am absolutely gutted" steve spon

More info on the bbc websiteGo there

The flags here at UK Decay Communities are now at 'half-mast'

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[paulrabjohn]

that's so sad. saw him doing a dj set this springtime and he looked really well. really depressing news. p

[smurfglass]

Well i cant say anything that has not been already said,i am absolutly gutted i have listened to peely since the Perfume Garden days and he more recently converted me to radio4 LOL everything i listen to is as a result of J.P some of which i may well have never ever heard of without his influence bless you Mr Peel and thank you for the tunes were all gonna miss you.

[Ian Lee]

The best. Ever. A TOP HUMAN BEING...it's like losing a close friend.....

I'll take you back to Sunday 2 March 1980. The Nags Head, Wollaston, Northants. UK Decay did this gig in front of Peel, who was DJing that night. I think this pub in a small Northants village was owned by friends of Peels' at the time, and UK Decay were there to try and get a session on his show (someone correct me if I'm wrong). Well, the band did get the session- broadcast on Tuesday 29 April 1980, repeated on Wednesday 27 August 1980- and a second one at a later date. There was a coach trip from Luton organised to the event. I went there with 18 others from LB (my diary says !)

During the course of the evening I went up to Peel and asked him to play a record by The Fall- on hearing this, he said "ah, The Fall- most certainly" or words similar. He then, as well as playing The Fall's latest single (Fiery Jack) gave me half a bottle of white wine to finish off.
(Despite meeting him twice again, briefly, the last at Glastonbury Festival in 1997, I never did get round to giving him a drink in return !)

A number of people- uh, including me- had their name read out on the John Peel Show the next night after the gig. UK Decay played the same venue on Sunday 18 May (without Peel; the day Ian Curtis died). I travelled to this gig with the band in their van ! (I went over to Luton a lot during 1980- slept overnight at John Street a number of times after missing the last bus - thanks, folks !)

I've now found some (poor) photos I took at the gig, including one of Peelie.. I'll send them via email to Werewolf when I can.

Luton Town supporters club President Nick Owen (current BBC 1 Midlands Today presenter) was a close friend of John's youngest brother, Alan at Shrewsbury (public) School. Nick interviewed John a number of times.
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In a world of universal deceit, to tell the truth is a revolutionary act. Surely it is the way to progress- after all, if one tells the truth, one is sure, sooner or later, to be found out.

[Steve Spon]

I am writing a 'John Peel' tribute for the forthcoming newsletter
on behalf of UK Decay. I just thought I would get out a couple of thoughts for the time being.

I am deeply saddened by the tragic loss of John Peel ‘Peeley’ as he was affectionately known.

The ‘Peel Show’ was like a beacon of light, bringing exciting new music to the nations listening public against a background of bland ‘pap’ and ‘dinosaur’ ethics, prevalent in the music scene in the late 70’s. ‘Peeley’ was the first DJ on the BBC at a time when there wasn’t any real competition, to broadcast ‘Punk’ and ‘New Wave’. I would record his shows onto cassette and play them back on the cassette whilst driving round the midlands doing my van-driving job. I recall driving round the industrial ruins of Corby whilst listening to ‘The Falls’ ‘Industrial Estate’ or the ‘Human Leagues’ ‘Circus of Death’ at full volume, these tunes and more made me feel alive and relevant and I probably wouldn’t have left that driving job and form a band, had I not listened to the rich variety of music that ‘Peeley’ played on his show.

In my opinion the guy deserves a State Honoured Funeral, not only has the man gone, but a whole musical culture has gone with him. It is indeed the end of an era in British Musical culture. Speaking to a guy who runs a record label in Los Angeles only a couple of weeks before his death, he said how lucky we were to have the BBC and the likes of John Peel to broadcast ‘daring and radical’ music. For out there in the ‘endless city’ with ‘endless AM and FM radio stations, there is not one drop of anything other than the mundane dross to listen to!
John Peel RIP you will always be loved and remembered

[Guest]

... as Andy Kershaw said.

[Guest]

[Mike]

Bye bye John
We'll meet again one day.