The following words come not from me, but from an old school friend (Terry Burrows aka Yukio Yung) who knew Peel personally, and was one of those 'alternative' musicians who benefitted directly from JP's open approach to popular music.
"I don't think I've ever felt so sad at a "celebrity" death. (Even if he'd
baulk at the term.)
Peel was responsible for introducing me to so much new "obscure" music, so
much of which has become a fundamental part of my life. The same is true for
a significant number of listeners over the past 30-odd years.
He played lots of my own stuff when I first started releasing music (there's
a snippet of him talking on my album Tree Climbing Goats about Jackie
Charlton from when he first played Jung Analysts) - and in those early days
having someone play my music on national radio acted as a massive
ego-boosting spur. A lot of major names and an absolutely huge multitude of
nobodies like me, might well have just given up without support like his.
His attitude taught a lot of impressionably aged creative types that trying
to make great music was what it was all about; not working to a commercial
goal.
Yeah, he was a nice bloke - and often used to send us notes when we'd sent
him something he liked. When my friend John Bowers was trying to get the old
Albion Mills avant garde scene up and running in about 1980, Peel used to
phone him up to find out what was going on - and usually ended up nattering
to his batty old Mum for about a half an hour.
His influence on generations of subsequently influential British musicians
was massive. And his death symbolizes the final nail in the coffin as far as
interesting, challenging, progressive independent music on mainstream radio
goes. As long as Peel was there you knew where you could go for a quick and
easy fix of something new... something that wasn't being peddled by the
industry; and if you were working in the margins, you knew that there was
someone you could send your music to who could possibly expose you to
listeners who would get what you were trying to do. That process dies with
Peel. The music will still be out there but it will be a lot harder for
artist and audience to learn about each other's existence so conveniently.
Peel's death is not only really sad but one that will have seriously
negative repercussions on the whole world of "alternative" music.
Yesterday was a poor day indeed."