On this day in 2004 the news broke that beloved DJ John Peel had died of a heart attack in Peru whilst on a working holiday. Peel of course was more than a DJ, he wrote columns for newspapers, presented Home Truths on Radio 4, was like part of the furniture on live tv broadcasts like Glastonbury and also an occasional presenter on Top of the Pops.
In addition to his Radio 1 show (he was one of the longest serving DJ's on the station dating back to 1967), Peel broadcast as a disc jockey on the BBC World Service, on the British Forces Broadcasting Service (John Peel's Music on BFBS) for 30 years, VPRO Radio3 in the Netherlands, YLE Radio Mafia in Finland, Ö3 in Austria (Nachtexpress), and on Radio 4U, Radio Eins (Peel ...), Radio Bremen (Ritz) and some independent radio stations around FSK Hamburg in Germany. As a result of his BFBS programme he was voted, in Germany, "Top DJ in Europe".
Here's the final show that John Peel broadcast for the BBC from his home (Peel Acres) on 14th October 2004 featuring a session by Trencher.
When Punk arrived on the scene John Peel was quick on the uptake playing the many of the bands from America associated with Punk/New Wave like the Ramones as early as May 1976 when he played Judy is a Punk and the night after played three tracks from the debut album by the band, The Runaways, Richard Hell, Suicide, Pere Ubu, and The Fast. He was also the first DJ to play New Rose by The Damned, (I'm) Stranded by The Saints and Anarchy in the UK by the Sex Pistols a full week before it's official release. He played artists on Stiff Records (playing Nick Lowe's So It Goes five shows in a row), had The Vibrators as the first Punk band to do a Studio Session followed in December by The Damned's first session that was broadcast one Friday evening as part of a spotlight on the whole Punk Scene (not that all the music he played as you will hear below was actually "Punk").
The Punk Show
10th December 1976
Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!
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