John Peel

[vivacian]

It's 15 years since he died. I was too young for him to have been the musical influence he was to some, but I loved listening to him on Home Truths. I was genuinely sad when he died.

Then there's the stuff about unprotected sex with young teenage girls and the 15 year old he married and shortly divorced. No suggestion that he sought out children or was abusive but every suggestion that he exploited his position to have sex with young teenagers and didn't take any responsibility for their safety. It was a different time in the 70s and 80s, but they were still girls.

So, I wonder how others process this, and similar, situations.

Yeah its gross. And totally hypocritical that he is still bloody eulogised when others have quite rightly been hauled over the coals. He died in the nick of time before we started to wise up to the truth of abuse.

Read his autobiography - that will put you right off him. The way he talked about his 'conquests' was awful

He did sought out children

He was an adult at the time and he was abusive as they were children so too young to consent he knew this

he is no different to many others but he was respected for his knowledge of music and was considered cool - it makes us feel uncomfortable as he wasn’t someone we wanted to dislike

It was all in plain sight as it so often he wasn’t ashamed he delighted in his dirty old man role unfortunately he died before his actions were challenged

How did he marry someone who was 15-is that legal?

Didn’t know any of that, kinda makes me wonder why he’s got a tent at Glastonbury fest.

fedup21 It was in Dallas, TX, so I assume it was legal. Doesn't make it any less unsavoury though. He was 25. Poor Shirley ended up killing herself in later life.

He was a drug user who didn't scruple to sexually abuse and exploit young girls.

Not quite as skanky as Savile but equally lacking in morals.

It was also seriously creepy when he repeatedly cited Teenage Kicks by the Undertones as far and away his favourite record of all time.

It's no big mystery what teenage 'kicks' referred to. Feargal Sharkey was 19 when they made the record, so nothing dramatic there; but John Peel was almost 40 at the time it was released.

In isolation, you could give him the benefit of the doubt and think it must just have reminded him of his own teenage years, 20-odd years previously, but along with everything else we know about him - massively creepy.

There's definitely a hierarchy of public 'acceptability' when celebrities' proven or very likely abuse/taking advantage of children emerges, depending on how good they were at what they did: John Peel, highly-acclaimed, hugely influential DJ & Michael Jackson, groundbreaking songwriter, singer, musician and performer Vs Gary Glitter, naff glam-rock has-been and Jonathan King, purveyor of rubbishy novelty records.

Elvis Presley was 25 when he met and started dating Prescilla, who was 14!!

Charlie Chaplin was 29 when he dated a 16 yr old Mildred Harris.

No-one ever talks about them either.

He was a fucking creep! So was Bowie and a lot of the 70s so called 'rock heroes'. It's sickening

Add Jerry Lee Lewis, Bill Wyman, Don Johnson and umpteen other rock/pop/Hollywood stars to the list, Venus

However, they're not in the same category as predatory adult males who set out to serially exploit and sexually abuse young girls, young boys,
and much younger children.

After he met and married Sheila (when he was about 35) his behaviour appears to have been beyond reproach, before then certainly not acceptable by today's standards.

I admit as someone who is very grateful for many of the musicians whose music I have greatly enjoyed, without John Peel I probably would never have been able to do so, that is does present a dilemma.

As for Teenage Kicks, I don't agree with the assessment above. It reminded him of being a teenager, I think.

I met him a few times in the late 60s/early 70s when I was a teenager and thought him generally unpleasant, arrogant and rude.

But surely "young teenagers" are children op, making sex or relationships with them abuse?

In the US, with parental consent, you could marry at 13/14 (and still can in some states I believe) and it was even considered socially acceptable as late as the 50s-70s. When they say it was a different time that’s what they mean. We can’t use modern standards to judge that era because these girls would not have been like 13/14 year olds today - most would have been preparing to marry young.

But surely "young teenagers" are children op, making sex or relationships with them abuse?

Yes, I was mindful of my language as I work with teens and the preferred language for a 15 year old would be “young adult” big I thought that would be inaccurate in this context.

And “teenage” would include 18/19 year olds, so I went with “young teen”.

I didn’t know any of this, thanks for opening the discussion. I am appalled by it and the fact they have paid such homage to him at Glastonbury. Don’t get me started on Gary Glitters song being used in The Joker movie. I think it’s a case that of some of society think of the contribution a person made to popular culture before they got exposed and so they ignore the uncomfortable later truth about that person. What about the uncomfortable truth that the groomed, coerced and abused have to face?

I feel exactly the same about David Bowie OP.

I think the fact that the 70s were such a different time with women being seen almost as second class citizens ,appears to be used as a handy sort of excuse to overlook predatory male behaviour . Very young and naive girls with a "crush " on celebreties, being taken advantage of and almost expected to feel "grateful" is frankly appalling !Positive Vibez Didnt realise David Bowie was like this ,was there some sort of cover up do you think?

How did he marry someone who was 15-is that legal? In many US states there is no age of consent if the couple are married, in some states marriage 'emancipates' the minor, so your stroppy teen can get themself magically to adulthood by marriage.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_marriage_in_the_United_States#Demographics

It was also seriously creepy when he repeatedly cited Teenage Kicks by the Undertones as far and away his favourite record of all time

For you, apparently. Possibly John Peel thought it was his favourite record, and that was it.

TBF, Teenage kicks is one of the best records of all time.

I think I'm in a place were a person can do bad things and that doesn't mean they can't also do good things, but it's the middle ground of venerating the person despite the bad where I feel really uncomfortable.

John Peel tent, John Peel building... it's so tasteless and dismissing of the victims' experience.

He was cool and knowledgeable about particular genres of music so that makes it OK innit.