John Peel - did he just die???????

[Thomcat]

I so hope not, I missed the start of the report on radio 2 but then they gave a tributre to his life.

Did he die, oh i so hope i'm wrong

[donnie]

'Sir' Mark Thatcher's title is hereditary I believe. I agree the system is all wrong, and what about 'Lord' Jeffery Archer? who'd want to be a Lord if it meant rubbing shoulders with snakes like him!

[bundle]

agree tinker, but hopefully soon Sir M will be in clink and Peely is playing on the big mixing desk in the sky...with kenny dalglish posters all over the wall

[marthamoo]

I like the idea of naming a stage after him at Glastonbury. When dh told me last night I said "oh but what if they put cr*p acts like Beyonce on it - 'cos they have all kinds of rubbish at Glastonbury these days?" but he sys it's only for new bands - phew! I think JP would be back to haunt them if they allowed Ronan Keating on his stage

[Tinker]

Letter in today's Indie pointing out the ludicrousness of the honours system when it is Sir Mark Thatcher and John Peel OBE

[bundle]

dh said to me last night that the licence fee was worth it just for having John Peel for as long as we did, because he ignored playlists and made people think about music, even if some of it was a bit bonkers and played at the wrong speed...

[Uhu]

I think we underestimate the far reaching effect that John Peel had on music in our society. It was he who first championed the likes of Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie, Sex Pistols, The Undertones, The Smiths as well as new music (to the UK) such as reggae and hip hop before they were picked up by the mainstream media. He truly has influenced many people in this country, whether they know it or not, because music does lay a part in many peoples lives.

May he Rock on in Peace .

[binker]

thanks for redirecting me nasa - this is such sad and awful news - was really shocked. A lovely man who will be greatly missed.

[bundle]

[nasa]

here her sofiames. The list of bands that he was responsible for unearthing is endless.

[Marina]

I'm sorry, I've always thought that man was a grade A loon, Tink. Feargal Sharkey was far more sensible on the BBC News. And nice to see ITN doing a fond short feature too.
we have divided our Sat morning listening between Radios 4 and 2 for some time now...

[Tinker]

How embarrassing was Mark E Smith on Newsnight? Gurning away.

[SofiaAmes]

I think it was also front page news because he was truly influential in the path that music has taken. Before MTV and digital radio, there wasn't really much choice in broadcasted music. John Peel was the only way that music other than the top 20 could be heard. As a university student in the usa, I bought every record that he recommended and was introduced to lots of music that I would never have even heard of otherwise.
I actually met him and had dinner with him many many years ago and thought he was a totally charming, down to earth man.

[mothernature]

So So sad I can't belive he was 65 though, he will be sadly missed.

[hoxtonchick]

i'm really sad about him dying. he was a pretty good spokesman for people with diabetes as well as being wonderful on the radio.

[moongirl]

i've just read this--how awful.

[bundle]

agree marina about the r4 psyche, and he was regarded as one of our own, probably their biggest sure-fire name. i suspect R3 and jonathan ross will get even more refugees now on a saturday morning.

[Marina]

I would also guess that most people in charge of news programming at the Beeb are "our" age - mid thirties to mid forties - and like all of us, grew up listening to John Peel, often under the bedclothes with the lights out. Dh and I are both miserable about it and that lovely post from LunarSea was the final straw!
He'll be so badly missed. Teenage Kicks has always been a fave of mine (love the Undertones full stop) but I'll always well up when I hear it now.
Glad in a very bittersweet way that although he was a long way from home Sheila was with him. My first thought when I heard he had died abroad was for her and the kids and how far apart they would have been.
We have a William too and he is showing steady signs of also being a "Slacker's Slacker".

[ScummyMummy]

I expect AK is v upset and looking for someone to blame. JP definitely struck me as having a melancholy/depressive side to him sometimes and it may have just been a figure of speech.

Tinks- eek! I bet Busted wasn't one of JP's favourite bands.

[Tinker]

Yes, noticed that. Very pointed.

Had to explain to my little girl that Teenage Kicks isn't, in fact, a Busted song

[bundle]

did you notice the dig at the end about R1 putting his show on later & later and him saying to andy kershaw that it was killing him?

[ScummyMummy]

Ikwym, bakedpotato and tinker. I reckon it was because other broadcasters loved and respected him so much that they got a bit carried away. Understandable, though I think he would have {blush]ed somewhat. Or maybe they were responding to the public interest- Eddie Mair said that the level of emails/calls they were getting at the beeb was pretty much unprecedented. JP was obviously very widely loved. I enjoyed hearing Teenage Kicks on R4 too, bundle.

[yurtgirl]

Message withdrawn

[bundle]

ikwym bakedpotato, but so nice to hear teenage kicks on r4.

[Tinker]

Yes, it was the top story on Channel Four news - did wonder whether it really should have been

[Lonelymum]

God just seen this! What a shock. He was such a nice, genuine bloke. Have to go away and think about this now.