Voting Station

John Peel

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Radio Personality

The Resume

    (August 30, 1939-October 25, 2004)
    Birth name was John Robert Parker Ravenscroft
    Died in Cuzco, Peru at 65
    Served in the British National Service (1957-1959)
    Began his radio career in America (circa 1960)
    Hosted a late night R&B show on WRR, in Dallas, TX
    Hosted 'The Perfumed Garden' broadcasting on offshore pirate station, Radio London (1967)
    Host on BBC's pop music station, 'Radio 1' (1967-2004)
    Famed in America for his 'Peel Sessions' recordings in which musical acts recorded live in the BBC studios
    Hosted syndicated show 'Peel Out in the States,' which he recorded for American broadcasting (1993)
    Hosted 'Home Truths' on BBC Radio 4 (1999-2004)
    Won Sony Broadcaster of the Year (1993)
    Won Sony Gold Award (2002)
    OBE (1998)
    Member of the British Radio Academy Hall of Fame

Why he might be annoying:

    He said due to the popularity of the Beatles being British helped secure a position at WRR.
    Shortly after he was hired at Radio London, the station shut down as the government outlawed pirate radio.
    He had a tendency to make blunders during his broadcasts. He would play records at the wrong speed, forget band or album names, or get sidetracked and mumble incoherently.
    He deliberately played 'Teenage Kicks' by the Undertones twice in a row.
    He feuded with Radio 1 DJs Tony Blackburn and Simon Bates.
    He generally kept his distance from the artists and bands he invited to record for his show.
    He was asked to have breakfast with the Butthole Surfers, but he freaked out over that idea.
    He referred to his wife Sheila as 'The Pig,' because she snorts when she laughs.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He had a broad range of musical tastes, especially in genres such as punk, reggae, hip-hop, drums, bass, techno and death metal.
    He was especially supportive of up-and-coming and obscure acts, and he would play demo tapes sent to him from around the world.
    Many of his 'Peel Sessions' ended up being released on recordings.
    He was a voice-over artist for TV documentaries and advertisements, but he refused to work on ads for products that he didn't use.
    He was voted DJ of the Year by Melody Maker eleven times.
    He got the 'Godlike Genius Award' from the NME (1994).
    Transworld paid him 1.6 million pounds to write his autobiography (2003).
    Bernard Sumner of the New Order said, 'If it wasn't for John Peel, there would be no Joy Division and no New Order.'
    He died of a heart attack while vacationing with his wife in Peru (October 25, 2004).

Credit: Ooooh Missy


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 4 Votes: 25.00% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 6 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 4 Votes: 25.00% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 5 Votes: 80.0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 5 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 9 Votes: 77.78% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 8 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 15 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 20 Votes: 80.0% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 19 Votes: 57.89% Annoying
    In 2009, Out of 27 Votes: 48.15% Annoying
    In 2008, Out of 28 Votes: 57.14% Annoying
    In 2007, Out of 76 Votes: 60.53% Annoying
    In 2006, Out of 106 Votes: 48.11% Annoying
    In 2005, Out of 259 Votes: 49.42% Annoying
    In 2004, Out of 340 Votes: 41.18% Annoying