Tony Blackburn v John Peel

[Tooting Gull]

I always hated Tony Blackburn. And now this from his soon-to-be-published autobiography 'Poptastic: My Life In Radio' about his late Radio 1 'rival' (must be read in a Smashy and Nicey voice):

“The music John Peel tended to play was without exception completely awful. I mean, ELP? Extremely Loud and Pretentious. Err, no thanks. Led Zeppelin? Lead balloon, more like.

“Here I was waking up the nation with the most uplifting sounds, and there was John, bless him, at the end of the day sending them to sleep with a load of old codswallop dressed up as something clever and arty.

“I sincerely believed in Radio 1 as the nation's jukebox and yet there was Peel every night playing the most ungodly racket imaginable by the oddest characters he could find.

“I always felt his programme was out of place on Radio 1. Teenagers wanted pop music, and I didn't think Peel's show catered for them. I casually mentioned that in an interview one day, and he never really forgave me. From that time on he saw me as the devil incarnate.”

 

[Bob!]

I think Peely will be remembered and revered long after Blackburn has popped his clogs.

 

[Hiney]

From that time on he saw me as the devil incarnate.”

And the rest of the country sees you as a complete TOSSPOT Blackburn.

Prick

 

[Diatribe]

Blackburn's always been an absolute cock.

He threatened a friend of mine when he was 13 (my friend that is, not Tony Blackburn). He and someone else were outside of a post office, and saw Blackburn inside. They started saying out loud "It's Tony Blackburn!" in their best Tony Blackburn voices. He storms out afterwards and shouts at them, telling us never to shout his name in public. And threatening he would to 'lay them one' whatever that means.

That aside he still doesn't deserve to even mention the great man.

Tony Blackburn = Wanker

 

[Cian]

I think Peely will be remembered and revered long after Blackburn has popped his clogs.

Precisely.

 

[Jam The Man]

It's quite funny reading it to be fair. Blackburn - though clearly nuts - actually does speak for a lot of people who just don't get what John Peel did. It all depends on whether people like the mechanics and science of music or just want to enjoy a harmless pop song.

IMHO Blackburn does have his place in radio folklore - though to vastly different reasons than Peel!

 

[Brixtaan]

I think Peely will be remembered and revered long after Blackburn has popped his clogs.

I doubt he discusses this possibility in his autobiography, which will be owned by a fraction of the people who own Margrave Of The Marshes.

 

[Icy Gull]

The man is so unprofessional we had a running saga every morning for months of how hearbroken he was when his wife decided he was too big a twonk to continue to live with him. Quite possibly the most cringeworthy early morning radio ever, only rivalled by Simon Bates's love drivel a few years later.

Peel did play an awful lot of absolute shite but there was always a gem or two in there and he was the launchpad for some musicians who would never have been heard.

Tony Blackburn for the Teenyboppers and Peel for the older quite probbaly stoned audience is my memory.

 

[Gully]

John Peel has had a stage named after him at Glastonbury to showcase up and coming acts, something he championed on his radio show when he was alive...Tony Blackburn on the other hand is named after a miserable northern town, who got the raw deal?

 

[Tooting Gull]

IMHO Blackburn does have his place in radio folklore

'The bloke who sat next to Arnold the Dog'.

 

[Yorkie]

It's quite funny reading it to be fair. Blackburn - though clearly nuts - actually does speak for a lot of people who just don't get what John Peel did. It all depends on whether people like the mechanics and science of music or just want to enjoy a harmless pop song.

IMHO Blackburn does have his place in radio folklore - though to vastly different reasons than Peel!

Summed up well. There was no station that catered for pop music except trying to get Radio Luxembourg during the evenings and the fading in and out of transmissions.
Then the pirates (Caroline and London) started with people like Blackburn and changed teenagers lives completely. My Dad forbade me to even listen to pirate radio because he reckoned he would get arrested for it!! Finally the BBC got the picture and Radio 1 started with Blackburn at 7am (and Arnold the dog) playing what we wanted to hear.

John Peel took this revolution one step further but there shouldn't be any rivalry between the two (or their fans) because they catered for different tastes entirely although using the same medium.

Edited to add that I took no notice of my Dad and still listened to Caroline on my little transistor radio that used up a battery a week.

 

[Icy Gull]

Johhny Walker and Emperor Rosko managed to play decent music and not be complete buffons likeBlackburn though

 

[Yorkie]

Emperor Rosko was my all time favourite. I have a CD of one of his shows. I even named one of my cats after him.

 

[Tooting Gull]

I think the “Led Zeppelin? Lead balloon, more like,” is the stand-out comedy line. You can just hear Alan Partridge coming out with something like that.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Blackburn had the most god-awful breakfast show imaginable. He was the one who personally forced me to listen to the Today Programme on Radio 4 from when I was 12 - imagine how emotionally traumatised that made me - instead of rational conversations on the way to school about the merits of various number ones - mostly involving the blonde v the brunette in Abba (personally I would have favoured either at that stage) - I was forced to try and understand Ted Heath and Harold Wilson debate about the merits or otherwise of joining the Common Market.

At least Peel some stuff that was listenable to (so long as you turned it off and pretended to be asleep while he played interminable Fall tracks)

 

[dougdeep]

I always hated Tony Blackburn. And now this from his soon-to-be-published autobiography 'Poptastic: My Life In Radio' about his late Radio 1 'rival' (must be read in a Smashy and Nicey voice):

“The music John Peel tended to play was without exception completely awful. I mean, ELP? Extremely Loud and Pretentious. Err, no thanks. Led Zeppelin? Lead balloon, more like.

“Here I was waking up the nation with the most uplifting sounds, and there was John, bless him, at the end of the day sending them to sleep with a load of old codswallop dressed up as something clever and arty.

“I sincerely believed in Radio 1 as the nation's jukebox and yet there was Peel every night playing the most ungodly racket imaginable by the oddest characters he could find.

“I always felt his programme was out of place on Radio 1. Teenagers wanted pop music, and I didn't think Peel's show catered for them. I casually mentioned that in an interview one day, and he never really forgave me. From that time on he saw me as the devil incarnate.”

I disagree with virtually every word, Peel was great at what he did and Radio one was just a poor copy of the Pirate stations.

 

[NMH]

Timmy Bannockburn (Peel's given name for the Osmond-wannabe turd) played utter utter GASH, and repeated the same dreck every hour. Nothing challenging, everything sappy and corny.

I want to fart down TB's snorkel.

 

[NMH]

I think the “Led Zeppelin? Lead balloon, more like,” is the stand-out comedy line. You can just hear Alan Partridge coming out with something like that.

Ermm..... that's how they were named, when John Entwistle remarked about the stellar name for the band "The New Yardbirds" - "that'll go down like a lead zeppelin" (paraphrasing and exaggerating on the common analogy 'a lead balloon')
Blackburn is repeating it back to front like he's educated, but only inviting scorn from the people (most people) who know better.

He's an old woman, and his weepy announcement on PRIME TIME RADIO for his wife to come back to him, was THE singular most cringeworthy moment EVER on radio.

 

[Questions]

Peel was a boring scouse twat.

Give me good old Tony and his side splitting dog Arnold anyday.

 

[desprateseagull]

would blackburn have been so controversial, if he hadnt got a book due out?

poor show man- i wont be buying it (wouldnt anyway)