John Peel

John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (August 30th 1939 - October 25th 2004), more known under the professional Pseudonym of John Peel , was a Disc-jockey, organizer radio and British journalist .

Famous for the extraordinary panel of his musical tastes and his various boobs with the antenna (like reading a vinyl at the bad reading rate), John Peel was one of the most popular DJ and most respected with the the United Kingdom and in the whole world. He had a great influence, not only on the manner of making radio, but also on the evolution of musical genres like the Pop, the alternative Rock, the Hip Hop and the Music Dance. Organizer on Radio operator BBC 1 since the launching of the chain in 1967, it remained there until its death. It was then the last " organizer historique" of this radio.

Beginning of career

Left for the the United States in 1960, at the 21 years age, to work there in a producer of Cotton which made deals with his/her father, John Peel will practice there many trades, of which Informaticien and Journaliste, before taking down in 1961 an employment in a radio of Dallas where it presents a night emission. It becomes, into full thereafter Beatlemania, official correspondent of the group for another station. He works then on various other radios through the United States, in particular in California, which he leaves in 1967 to turn over to live with the the United Kingdom.

Radio operator London

On its return in its native land, it finds an employment in named pirate radio station Radio London , where it animates midnight at two o'clock in the morning the emission The Perfumed Garden (name perhaps inspired, in spite of the denials of the interested party, by an erotic book celebrates at the time). Changing its name into John Peel, it becomes one of the emblematic voices of the station, passing its favorite discs intersected with poetry which it reads itself.

Under the shock of its discovery of the last whole opus of the Beatles, Sergeant Pepper' S Lonely Hearts Club Band , Peel is immersed then - carrying its listeners with him - in the scene Hippie of the time, passing from many discs inécoutables elsewhere: blues (Howlin' Wolf, Lightnin' Hopkins, Elmore James), of Folk Music (the first Bob Dylan, The Incredible String Band, Donovan) and groups psychedelic more avant-gardists of the moment: Coils, The Doors, The Mothers off Invention, Country Joe and the Fish, Jefferson Airplane, Pink Floyd, John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers, Cream, Marc Bolan, Captain Beefheart…

The songs are intersected with spoken passages, often on a very personal mode, calls with peace and the love and discussions with the listeners, who massively send poems, letters or discs to him. The topics approached are those of the " revolution musicale" in progress, and are sometimes sulfurous: " happenings" hippies, arrest of the Rolling Stones for possession of Drug… contents very far away from the diurnal program of Radio operator London.

After the disappearance of Radio operator London in 1967, The Perfumed Garden survives until mid- 1969 in the form of a column in the newspaper underground International Times , whose Peel ends up moving away.

Radio operator BBC 1

During the closing of Radio operator London , on August 14th, 1967, John Peel joined the team of the Pop station of BBC, Radio 1 , which must start to diffuse the next month. Contrary to the pirate radio stations, which emitted discs uninterrupted, Radio 1 must yield with the requirements of the trade union of the musicians and also diffuse orchestras playing " live" in the studio. An occasion for Peel to accommodate with the antenna its favorite groups.

Peel gets rid quickly of the other DJ that one imposes to him, and as of February 1968, it presents only the emission Top GEAR . The program lasts until 1975, where it is replaced by the emission named John Peel quite simply. Peel will make these programs a window for its eclectic musical tastes, sometimes against the opinion of the leaders of the chain, even of the listeners: it is in particular mainly responsible for the introduction to the radio of styles such as the Reggae, the Punk or the Hip-Hop. Scorning the radiophonic constraints, Peel passes for example in entirety the album Tubular Bells of Mike Oldfield and supports, inter alia, the English groups The Fall (which will play 24 times in its emission!) and Cocteau Twins, going until passing a whole face of an album of the latter without any cut!

In 1969, Peel creates a new night emission, The Night Ride , which seems to take again the things where The Perfumed Garden had left them. Presented like an exploration program musical, The Night Wrinkles diffuse Rock'n'roll, Blues, of Folk Music, classical music, but also of the exotic musics resulting from the files from the BBC, readings of Poésie Beat, interviews… The emission, which tries to illustrate the creativity and the freedom of the scene underground, does not like everyone, and in particular not the direction of the BBC, which removes it at the end of 18 months, in September 1969. Peel turns over then to the traditional format of the emissions of the time, mixes diffusion of discs and music " live" , format which it will not leave any more.

Regarded as a true guru by certain young people hippies, Peel, 10 years old than the majority of them, however feels badly at ease with them. Its savage belief in the ideal hippie will be transformed later into rancour, when it realizes of the treason of many its leaders.

In the Years 1970, Peel continues to clear new musical territories: it is the first to diffuse the song God Save the Queen of Sex Pistols, which makes scandal in December 1976, one month after having passed " Anarchy in the UK" , which is banished waves the very same day! It also causes the controversy while diffusing in entirety and without authorization the album Desire of Bob Dylan, for which Capital Radio operator had however obtained exclusiveness! He will reiterate this challenge at the recording companies several times, including in 2003 by diffusing songs of the album Elephant of the White Stripes before her official exit.

Introducing during its emissions of multiple original concepts, Peel also defends of many groups in the most varied styles: Rock'n'roll, Pop, Punk, Reggae, Classical music, but also Hardcore, Electro or Death Metal. It leaves very few unexplored styles, among which the industrial Musique and the Free Jazz. Many groups affirm today owe him most of their career. One finds among them artists as recognized as T-Rex, David Bowie, The Faces, Bolt Thrower, The Sex Pistols, The Slits, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Fairport Convention, Pink Floyd, The Clash, Napalm Death, Carcass, Extreme Noise Terror, The Undertones, Buzzcocks, Gary Numan, The Cure, Joy Division, The Wedding Present, Six By Seven, Def Leppard, Pulp, Ash, Orbital , The Smiths, FSK and Trumans Toilets, The White Stripes…

Peel animated emissions on Radio 1 during 37 years, until its death in 2004. 37 years during which it recorded nearly 4000 sessions with 2000 different artists. The last piece which it passed was " Time 4 Change" , extracted the album No One' S Listening Anymore of the group Klute .

He died suddenly at the age of 65 of an heart attack the October 25th 2004, during holidays with Cuzco with the Peru.

External bonds

free downloading of compilation-homages to John Peel
Minisite on John Peel
'' Home Truths ''

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