The book I read last is "John Peel, Margrave of the Marshes" by John Peel and his wife Sheila 'Pig' Ravenscroft first published in 2005. John Peel' s posthumous autobiography was well under way by the time he died(2004) of a heart attack in Peru at the age of 65.

He is the most famous and most influential DJ in rock history. Brian Eno said ,"John Peel qualifies as probably the most important single figure in the British music industry for the last 48 years." 

John Peel first introduced UK BBC radio listeners to reggae, punk, electronic dance music, death metal and hip-hop. He played Pulp before Britpop, and Nirvana before grunge.

T-Rex, David Bowie, the Faces, the Sex Pistols, Fairport Convention, Pink Floyd, the Clash, the Buzzcocks, the Cure, Joy Division, New Order, Orbital, PJ Harvey, the Wedding Present, Def Leppard, Pulp, Robert Wyatt, Brian Eno, the Smiths, Captain Beefheart, the White Stripes and The Fall, the band of which he owns the most records, have all credited Peel as a major boost to their careers. Until Peel's dead Don van Vliet aka Capt.Beefheart (one of my all-time favs) was his personal friend! Peel listened to everything, and he played only what he liked. He also invited bands to record Peel Sessions, giving some great groups like the Smiths, The Fall, New Order their first, raw, exciting studio time.

The book has two halves: his own story of his school days and national service followed by his wife Sheila's report of his subsequent career and family life.

Although he was a shy and quiet man, there are many stories about awkward encounters with the likes of Mick Jagger, Bryan Ferry and Neil Young and a lots of anecdotes.

Subjected during a television appearance to a duet between Aretha Franklin and George Michael, he remarked on camera, "You know, Aretha Franklin can make any old rubbish sound good, and I think she just has."

"In case you’re wondering who this funny old bloke is," John Peel told the expectant young Britons watching him on TV’s Top of the Pops, "I’m the one who comes on Radio 1 late at night and plays records made by sulky Belgian art students in basements dying of TB."

When John and Sheila's children left home for university, he sent them "ddddcare packages" of CDs, "each bearing a handwritten label. One might read, 'Here's one I think you'll like.' Another would be, 'Here's one I think you should like.' Inevitably there would be one marked 'Here's one you should pretend to like to annoy people.'"

In the 1970s Peel played tracks from Robert Fripp and Brian Eno’s No Pussyfooting backwards by mistake. The only one who realized this mistake was Eno himself!

One evening in 1983, Peel remarked on the air that he would "murder someone right now in exchange for a mushroom biryani." Billy Bragg, who had just self-released his first single, bought a biryani, walked to BBC headquarters, told the receptionist he was delivering food to John Peel, and then offered Peel the vegetarian meal in exchange for a promise to play Bragg's single that night, which Peel did -- at the wrong speed.

I didn't expect that Peel was even such an original and humorous writer! It's a witty, informative, sad and in places hilariously funny book. A great read!