John Peel's Festive 50: Classics and Duds.

What's weird is that — in the MANY back- and-forths on the defn and the worth of "indie" — JP's surely shaping role doesn't come up a lot more often.

Is he like this "phase you go through" as a teen/post-teen? I listened to him EVERY NIGHT for three or four years (c.77-c.81) + plus taped Festive50s for another four (?) years. Then one day just stopped listening forever. (I'd find it easier to defend him if he weren't omnipresent in OTHER areas of media and broadcasting.)

Speakin as an Amurrican (and one who came o' age during the indie/alt explosion of 90-94'ish), I can testify that even across the sea something about Peelie seemed "important." You knew he was this cool old geezer on the BBC who played all these amazing bands you'd never hear on U.S. radio, at least outside of the college burlesque circuit. (Obviously manifesting itself on our side of the pond with a whole mess of indie labels [or bootleggers] releasing their band's Sessions.)

I'm sure that if the Internet had been as pervasive back then, I would have been avidly checking his playlists (or listening to the broadcasts) every week. Now that I have that opportunity (and I'm outta my teens) I don't. So maybe that lends a little cross-cultural creedence to Mark's theory. (Note: I've always been a bit of an Anglophile though, so my experience may not hold true for all Amurrican indie kids.)

I actually taped it (well minidisced) this years, and yeah, picked up on lots of great stuff. It saves you from concentrating the rest of the year, because the other listeners can decide for you which of those created-in-30-seconds-in-Cubase-by-accident abstract electronic wibbles/novelty folk singers/obscure indie/The Fall records is actually as good as he makes out. I accidentally erased the best part though (Cat Power's Wonderwall, Cuban Boys' Vinyl Countdown etc).

I've only ever listened to him once, and wasn't impressed. My life has otherwise been John Peel-free, excpet all his stoopid adverts.

Quick side question for all: Who outside the great white north remebers who did Brave New Waves before Patti Schmidt?

From my dusty pile of BNW tapes, ca. 1993:

"So I remember the first day I applied for this job. I was a penniless immigrant with nothing but a dream and some snazzy Cuban heels. But this was the white-bread Eighties, and the first thing they told me was, 'With a name like Carlos Mendoza, it'll never fly.'

They said: 'We need something less ethnic, like Brent Brandon, or Brad Brentbury, but not so teen idol. Something outrageously WASP-y, like Bam Brentury or Barry Brentberry, but not so fruity sounding.'

Then I said, as if in a dream: 'Brent Bambury.'

There was silence, and then, tumultuous applause.

And now here it is nine years later, and you know what? I've heard Cuban heels are back in."

I'm beginning to listen quite regluarly again. Still the same old chucklesome self, still the records played at the wrong speed, still not able to decipher every obscure record label/band name, still bumbling, grumbling.

His hand overs to Mary Anne Hobbs can be quite funny when he goes off on some rambling tangent, some reminiscence and you can hear her thinking: 'errr... '.

His R4 show Home Truths is the perfect, calming way to start a Saturday as well.

Been listening on and off for ooh nearly 20 years now and I have to say he's probably as good now as he's ever been.
Still don't know what he sees in Hefner, Half man Half Biscuit but rest of time he's well on the case. It's a pleasure to listen to a real fan who can still get excited by stuff rather than some one who's just interested in trying to get on TV (which he seems to do quite naturally).
Something no one says is what a funny broadcaster he is, not in the Mark'n'Lard fancy a brew, funny voice stuff but just his dry, laconic storytelling. I think I'd probably listen to him even if he just played Stereophonics (or perhaps not).

Same here, Mark. Really liked listening to him but it's difficult now because my tastes have diversified to areas that he doesn't cover. I heard him about a month ago and it seems a bit predictable somehow. So he'll go on to a really repetitive dance track (it goes on forever), then today's trash metal and dancehall.

But I have to say that he still plays terrific music and I wouldn't be lisstening to music in general if it wasn't for some of the really inspired music he played.

"phase you go thru" sounds a bit dismissive: it wasn't meant to be. It's kind of like he's rock's or pop's Loyal Opposition, and you graduate there first, once you start to get curious abt what "else" there might be. But it wd seem a bit comfortable just to STICK with him.

mark s, your description of your Peel Experience matches mine almost exactly. Four years of solid listening (84-88) before I started drifting towards other bands and musics that he wasn't into.

I still listen to the odd programme, but find it hard to reconcile my present apathetic curiosity regarding Peel as opposed to those formative, teenage years when I hung on practically every record and session he broadcast.

Although, it'll still be the saddest day when Peel disappears and Radio 1 can stamp its jackboot heel of depression in the form of Lamacq's execrable Evening Session onto our faces forever.

This is interesting: Us pasty indie kids nowadays listen to Lamacq first, decide he's crap, then move on to Peel for new stuff that isn't yr bogstandard indie. Maybe this way Peel will retain more listeners? (Although, obviously, he's starting to get on a bit.) And his being immensely funny would help with that, I'm sure.

Bill

Alex T always sings "The Day That John Peel Dies" whenever he hears Hefner's "The Day That Thatcher Dies", though this is more a comment on that being the day when Hefner get no more airplay.

1939-2004 Never to be replaced or bettered. Even I do'nt love music as much as he did.

Now Tom's post back in 2001 there seems all too apt!

And he didn't outlive Thatcher, actually. :-(

GEEK LOVE by BANG BANG MACHINE number one in John Peel's Festive Fifty 1992, is my favourite record of all time.
I used to do a little BBM fanzine called BANGMAN.
In touch with BBM'S Steve Eagles.
www.dreamsmith.moonfruit.com

I taped a few of them off the internet a few years ago. (Being an American, I've never actually heard the show over radio airwaves - only over the internet.) I enjoy the 9 or 10 that I've heard. I think I was disappointed by 2002's list, but that was the only one.

peel's birthday today.

have a bunch of these of varying quality (1985 top 20 was the first). bit of a lapse again in the middle (mainly due to being at Home for christmas during the broadcasts and just not having the capability to record them). maybe i'll post a couple of top 10s on october 13th if i can find the webspace.

there was a few doing the rounds on newsgroups last year - 84, 85, 86 i think. some were compilations made from the list but a few were the broadcasts.

search: '86 and '89!