Left on the Web

John Peel

I recently finished reading the biography "John Peel - A Life In Music " by Michael Heatley. I knew he was a special man, but thanks to this biography I now know that he was responsible for introducing an insane portion of the music I listen(ed) to to a large audience.

My first encounter with John Peel was through the Peel Sessions by Autechre, and later again those by Boards of Canada. I found that an extensive list of artists had done Peel Sessions, and so gathered from that, that John Peel was a special person. Someone who knew his music.

Over the time, through several sources, I found out bit by bit some more information about John Peel. But I never realized the extent to which he helped create the music scene we live in these days.

This biography helped me understand this. It gives an overview of John Peel's amazing carreer, from pirate radio up until his last moments of radio, and everything in between. The list of artists and bands that he decided to play on the radio who became huge afterwards is enormous.

What an amazing man that must have been. I recommend this biography to anyone who has any love for modern music.