http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/3955289.stm Very sad. He was a really nice man with fantastic taste in music.
I'm sorry to hear Peel died. The guy gave credibility to a lot of good but unknown bands. A true friend of indie rockers. Perhaps, as a tribute, we could run a thread about our favorite peel sessions.
Sad to hear about John Peel. He gave a lot of bands such as U2 and the Undertones their first airplay on radio.
John Peel Dies The influential BBC DJ, who broke too many acts to mention here, died in South America of a heart attack today. BBC Story RIP
It's difficult to calculate the influence this man had my (and most of my friend's) music development. I don't know anybody close to me who doesn't have at least one Peel Sessions ep/lp. The bands he brought from out of the shadows and the many forms of music he championed will serve as a testament to his legacy. My band was fortuante enough to have done a Peel Session in the early 90s, one of our best recordings in fact, and I always took that as proof that maybe, just maybe we weren't completely terrible. He'll be missed.
I thought of you immediately when I heard this. Bummer. (About John Peel, not about thinking of you.)
a sad day indeed,he'll most definately be missed by all thank's for the cracking bands and the memories john...
Growing up in Liverpool I would listen to John Peel every time I could. He was a legend and will truly be missed. The bands he broke are too many to mention and his influence on countless fans and future bands is immeasurable. He was always "ahead of the curve" and just knew great music when he heard it -- no matter the genre. He will truly be missed.
They just played his favorite song, Teenage Kicks by the Undertones, as a tribute on a Belgian radio station while I was listening.
A friend sent me this link from the Independent. It contains quite a few short tributes from Jarvis Cocker, Damon Albarn, Elvis Costello, etc. It just reinforces the incredible service this guy provided out of pure love. Really a huge loss. http://news.independent.co.uk/media/story.jsp?story=576417
Very similar article below, on tributes. http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/news/altnews/041026_john_peel_tributes.shtml I didn't have a chance to post about it yesterday, but I was in a bar last night in NYC with two Brits in town on 'oliday, whose only reaction when they heard was "gutted, mate, gutted.". I don't have anything to add to that really, except that the brits and I talked about the bands he helped for the next 20 minutes, and the word "legacy" doesn't begin to describe what he left behind. I am not English (obviously) and never got the chance to listen to him all that much aside from the BBC radio free player, but he was a legend. They weren't the same type of DJ (and this is a loose comparison), but odd that he and NY's Scott Muni went so close together.