Needless to say, anyone who is anyone in music yesterday paid tribute to John Peel, who died, aged 65, after suffering a heart attack while on holiday in Peru. Expressing shock at his sudden death, and full of praise for his 40 year radio career, among the tributes were the following:
Feargal Sharkey: "John was the single most important broadcaster we have ever known. In the autumn of 1978, something happened that was to change my life forever - John Peel played Teenage Kicks on the radio for the very first time. Today, it just changed again, forever."
Thom Yorke, describing John as his "inspiration" since the age of 14: "Who am I going to listen to now? I'm thinking about you. Thanks John Peel."
Damon Albarn: "I will miss him deeply. I want to send my heartfelt sympathy to his lovely family. John's memory will never be forgotten because he had the spirit of music in him."
Jarvis Cocker: "In a world that is becoming ever more homogenised and pre-programmed, John Peel stuck up for the 'sore thumbs' of the music scene and I really can't think of anyone who could have done it better or who's going to do it now he's gone."
The Manic Street Preachers' James Dean Bradfield: "It was because of him I got to hear some of the most obscure but influential music I ever heard. He was a lifeline to hearing music I would never have heard otherwise."
The Smith's Johnny Marr, speaking on the importance of the sessions he included on his radio show: "We would try out new songs on the sessions and these often were the definitive version".
Joy Division / New Order's Bernard Sumner: "If it wasn't for John Peel, there would be no Joy Division and no New Order. He was one of the few people to give bands that played alternative music a chance to get heard, and he continued to be a champion of cutting-edge music throughout his life."
Tributes weren't just limited to the music industry. From the world of broadcasting, fellow Radio 1 DJ
Steve Lamacq told reporters: "He was groundbreaking for me. He just broke the rules the whole time. He did things that just weren't done. He was a maverick and he got away with it. You have to have trust with a DJ, and everyone built that trust with John."
Former Radio 1 DJ Liz Kershaw described Peel as: "the least musically snooty person we know", adding: "He was utterly sincere in what he was doing, not because he wanted to be famous but he though he was on a mission to bring stuff to people's ears. He really did trawl through mailbags of demo cassettes. That's why we had Pulp and T-Rex, because he'd been discovering bands like that since 1967."
Elsewhere, a spokesman for Tony Blair said the prime minister was "genuinely saddened by the news", adding that: "His view is that he was a unique voice in British broadcasting and used that voice to unearth new talent and different subjects and make them accessible to a much wider audience."
Michael Eavis, meanwhile, announced that he was renaming Glastonbury's new bands tent the John Peel Stage, telling BBC Somerset Sound: "It's very appropriate because it's all the sort of music that John would have chosen - and he was the lad that always knew which band was going to make the gradeî.
What can we add that hasn't already been said? I must admit, I only occasionally listened to John's radio show, but I always slept better at night knowing he was filling six hours of Radio 1 airtime each week. It was testament to his abilities, passion and knowledge that Peel managed to survive so many revamps at the BBC's flagship pop station, and much kudos to Radio 1 for realising that, whatever the fad of the month might be, Peel's show was unmovable. It is because of people like John that is has always been undeniable that, whatever you think of daytime Radio 1, its specialist shows play a crucial role in the development of music culture in the UK.
But let's not forget that John Peel wasn't just special for his genuine passion and eye for new music talent - he was a truly great broadcaster. We're a cynical bunch here at CMU but yesterday, even though none of us ever knew John, there was real sadness at the news of his death. He was one of those radio presenters whose personality meant that, just by listening to one of his shows he became a friend. That fact was truly demonstrated when he began presenting Radio 4's Home Truths - even without the music he could build a large loyal following of listeners. Peel's passion and eye for new music was undeniable, but not completely unique. His ability to share that passion through a trusting relationship with his listeners is why John Peel's death is a tremendous loss to both British broadcasting and British music. We're missing him already.