i'm currently halfway through John Peel's semi-autobiography - Margrave of the Marshes - it's very sad because his contribution suddenly ends midway through the book, he's obvioulsy just died, & his wife's memories of him take over. a massive shame because JP must have had some incredible stories to tell.
he certainly had a big influence on me, i listened pretty regularly between say 1987 & 1992 - and then intermittenly afterwards - i even briefly met him once, when he was DJ-ing at Manchester University & he played a request for me - after i joined the queue of students asking him for the latest smash by The Flatmates, The Darling Buds, The Wedding Present or whoever was fashionable in the indie-schmindie world at the time
i think the last time i listened to him was one dark, stormy night as i drove through the wilds of Yorkshire - his voice the equivalent of a warm cup of cocoa but the music a mix of joyous African guitar bands, death metal & probably a modern day Flatmates type schmindie band in session
a genius & despite there being many great internet radio stations out there now - WFMU & KCRW to name but two, nobody comes close to the man.
it was finally a bit warmer today & the thermometer even broke through the freezing barrier this afternoon & climbed to +1C !! We went for a walk up to Grotto Canyon - which is basically a towering canyon with a frozen river (at this time of year) running through it, it was very picturesque but the frozen water was treacherous & at times we were emulating the Olympic speed skaters from the Olympics during our walk back down & out - not the most comfortable experience with a 25lb baby strapped to your back
it's about time i put some fresh tunes on the radio player - i have been listening a lot recently to No Roses by Shirley Collins - Collins was a Hastings born folk singer, who made a number of essential albums in the late 60's early 70's - she married one of the guys, Ashley Hutchings, who founded Fairport Convention.
No Roses is a much loved work of hers - the two tracks i have put up are quite different stylistically - the first track - The Murder of Maria Martin - telling the story of a ne'er do well condemned to hang upon a tree for murdering rather than marrying his girl - the song contains both an unintentional reference to a fairly famous British Soccer club & I guess the inspiration for the name of an excellent contemporary British folk group....
the second one - The Little Gypsy Girl - could be seen by the musically challenged (!) as rather corny in a fiddle-dee/morris dancer manner, but me & my 16 month old daughter absolutely love it & after a few listens I defy anyone not to hum it every now & again! The problem with folk music is that it is seen by many as at best, twee. I blame The Two Ronnies - who sent up the genre ad nauseum in the 70s. Yet this music is our heritage & while it is OK to love the traditional music from other nations (Celtic, Bluegrass, Cuban etc etc etc) - our musical heritage is frowned upon - however the stories told in these old songs are a direct insight into the long-forgotten lives of ordinary men & women from our fayre land. Open you ears...........
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