John Peel. Because he's worth it??

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Transworld Publishers (in the UK) have won the bidding war for John Peel's autobiography. The amount paid (1.6 million) makes it the third most expensive biography behind David Beckham and Margaret Thatcher. I'm not denying that John Peel has had an immense influence on the listening habits of music fans everywhere (myself included) but is his life story really going to be worth reading? What do you think? This is a man after all who spends a lot of time buying records, listening to records, sitting in studios, living in Ipswich, not the stuff of great books surely?

― Kim Tortoise, Friday, 25 April 2003 09:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Gogol, Dickens, Faulkner, Joyce -all the classics have an Ipswich scene or two.

― Nordicskillz (Nordicskillz), Friday, 25 April 2003 09:51 (twenty-two years ago)

the talking book will be worth it though. the voice the voice!

― gaz (gaz), Friday, 25 April 2003 09:58 (twenty-two years ago)

they should get julie burchill to ghost write it:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/weekend/story/0,3605,321755,00.html

― Robin Goad (rgoad), Friday, 25 April 2003 11:03 (twenty-two years ago)

i just cant wait for all the sordid details about his night of steamy passion with germaine greer

― stevem (blueski), Friday, 25 April 2003 11:04 (twenty-two years ago)

Actually lots of people in the music biz consider Peel a creep, not just Jules

― Dadaismus, Friday, 25 April 2003 11:06 (twenty-two years ago)

So much so that Radiohead wrote a song from his perspective.

― Lynskey (Lynskey), Friday, 25 April 2003 11:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Bbbutt the think of all the charming Mark E. Smith anecdotes he could relate!

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Friday, 25 April 2003 11:17 (twenty-two years ago)

OK then, so that's sordid celebrity trysts, underage shenanigans, suicide, 'schoolgirl of the year' and a seeming abundance of enemies and critics. Maybe I do want to read it now.

Am I right in thinking that he's never (or very seldom) met Mark E Smith actually?

― Kim Tortoise, Friday, 25 April 2003 11:26 (twenty-two years ago)

He has a funny anecdote about trying to engage Mark Arm in conversation. Mark made his excuses and left because he thought that Peel was "just an old man who was after his bottom".

― Nordicskillz (Nordicskillz), Friday, 25 April 2003 11:28 (twenty-two years ago)

Am I right in thinking that he's never (or very seldom) met Mark E Smith actually?

No, that is true. I think MES has gone on record as saying JP is an irredeemiable twunt. Which makes JP's infatuation with him all the more amusing.

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Friday, 25 April 2003 11:33 (twenty-two years ago)

didn't lester bangs have a similar problem with lou reed?

― Robin Goad (rgoad), Friday, 25 April 2003 14:18 (twenty-two years ago)

understatement of the year!

― jess (dubplatestyle), Friday, 25 April 2003 14:22 (twenty-two years ago)

didn't lester bangs have a similar problem with lou reed?

Yes but Bangs was more than a match for Lou on the invective front: can you imagine being verbally savaged by John Peel? Would you even notice?

― Dadaismus (Dada), Friday, 25 April 2003 14:31 (twenty-two years ago)

I want a Peel session now, John, or I will tell the world about you know what.

― Momus (Momus), Friday, 25 April 2003 14:40 (twenty-two years ago)

... you know what? Surely not procurement of sexual favours AGAIN in return for help in career development AGAIN!?!?!?

― Dadaismus (Dada), Friday, 25 April 2003 14:42 (twenty-two years ago)

Peel's life and career encompasses vast numbers of social and cultural changes which nobody who has lived in Britain since WW2 could have ignored, no matter how hard they may have tried. Such people's autobiographies will *always* excite great interest, I'd have said?

Odd how he shares an East Anglian connection with the only other Radio 1 DJ of comparable *all-round* (ie not just pop) cultural importance - Tim Westwood.

― robin carmody (robin carmody), Friday, 25 April 2003 19:55 (twenty-two years ago)

I can't say that I'll be terribly interested in the biography, and I don't much care how nice a man he is or how good he is to his family or any of that. But I've been listening to him on the radio for close to 30 years now, and he has played me countless wonderful and exciting and varied and surprising records over those years. I guess he's had more influence on my tastes and record collection than anyone, much as I have loads of stuff that he would never play. He's played a genuinely big and valuable part in my life.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Friday, 25 April 2003 21:44 (twenty-two years ago)

And Peel is prepared to concede that he has made mistakes in his life(cf his admission that Tony Blackburn was right and he was wrong re. Motown)

― robin carmody (robin carmody), Friday, 25 April 2003 22:55 (twenty-two years ago)

Has there never been a Momus Peel session then, even in the early days? I remember him playing Bad Dream Fancy Dress - Choirboys Gas but I suppose generally he wasn't much of an El records fan.

― Philippa, Saturday, 26 April 2003 12:59 (twenty-two years ago)

one year passes...

John Peel is 65 today, therefore he qualifies as an OAP.

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Monday, 30 August 2004 12:28 (twenty-one years ago)

A fiver he plays loads of Beatles records today.

― Chris Ott (Chris Ott), Monday, 30 August 2004 13:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Chris, I claim the fiver - Peel doesn't broadcast on a Monday!

Lammo is on Monday's http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/alt/stevelamacq/index.shtml

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Monday, 30 August 2004 13:15 (twenty-one years ago)

OAP = Old-Ass Person?

― VengaDan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 30 August 2004 13:16 (twenty-one years ago)

Old Age Person

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Monday, 30 August 2004 13:17 (twenty-one years ago)

I like my take better.

― VengaDan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 30 August 2004 13:24 (twenty-one years ago)

You're such an ass-taker.

― R.I.M.A. (Barima), Monday, 30 August 2004 13:32 (twenty-one years ago)

I meant in his darkest, most private moments. "I read the threads today, oh boy..."

― Chris Ott (Chris Ott), Monday, 30 August 2004 13:42 (twenty-one years ago)

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