h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

"These are just some names that have Peel to thank for their careers, David Bowie, Joy Division, New Order, White Stripes, Pulp, Blur, Marc Bolan, Captain Beefheart, The Fall, The Smiths, U2, Nirvana, The Velvet Underground, Roxy Music, Rod Stewart, Pink Floyd, The Sex Pistols, The Ramones, The Buzzcocks, The Clash."

You can't in all honesty say that. He was responsible for many bands breaking when they did, and there's a pretty good argument for the idea that *some* bands wouldn't have made it if he hadn't played their record on his show or had them in for a session, but the idea that Captain Beefheart, The Ramones or Bowie would be working in a factory somewhere now instead of being major music names is really not on.

In 1975 and 76, before Peel got his teeth into punk, there was a bunch of young kids working at the same place I did. I was still listening to Genesis and Pink Floyd and Curved Air at the time, so I got a ribbing from them as a boring old fart, and they kept trying to persuade me to go and see their music - The Clash, The Sex Pistols, The Damned. In 76 they tried to get me to go along to the Punk Festival at the 100 Club - The Pistols, The Clash, Subway Sect, Siouxsie, The Damned, The Buzzcocks, Chris Spedding and the Vibrators, and Stinky Toys. I didn't go, but I wish the hell I had, and I've no doubt that some of those names would still have made it without John Peel... it would have just taken a bit longer and gone a different route.

John Peel was without a shadow of a doubt the most important broadcaster in British popular music, and had been for the last 30 years or so, but his influence on the careers of some people is being exagerrated out of all proportion.

yep, I could have pahsed that a bit better, but they would not have been as big as they were without Peel