Just to draw your attention to a rather interesting article on the Guardian's website about the late, great John Peel and our fascinatoin with the DJ. Whilst some people view him as a national treasure, the article debates whether he was in fact just a man doing his job better than all the other Radio 1 DJ's.

Though BBC Radio has broadened it's horizons with the addition of digital stations such as 6 music or 1 extra, it is arguable to say that Zane Lowe, Steve Lamacq or Tom Robinson have had the same impact as John Peel did. It is also interesting to argue that with these broadening platforms, maybe the introduction to new music is through dedicated shows such as Bruce Dickinson's Hard Rock show, Fabio & Grooverider's drum & bass show or the Huw Stephens introducing show and the idea that John Peel introduced all sorts of new music was simply because there wasn't the space on the airwaves to have all these specialist shows. We have also become much more aware of these new specialist shows through the wonders of podcasting; the ability to listen to the DJ's top picks at our own convenience has surely boosted the notoriety of the DJ's without necessarily boosting the live listening figures of the shows. It would be interesting to see a comparison of the number of live listeners between John Peel's show and perhaps the Colin Murray show which is for me, a wonderful insight into new music, broadcast at a similar time as the John Peel show was. However, through the power of podcasting, Colin Murray is reaching a large audience and consequentially, offering his artists increased exposure. It would be interesting to see if Ricky Gervais or Russell Brand could compete in the podcast charts if they were up against a Peel podcast.

I remember listening to the Peel show sitting in the car waiting to pick up my sister and hearing an obscure, sparse electronic track, followed by a heavy metal song. It was this complete disregard for theme or direction that made Peel's show such an eye-opener. It was his familiar voice and wonderful coined phrases that have left him open to such repeated impersonation - they do say that imitation is the greatest form of flattery...

It is now four years since Peel joined the great decks in the sky and this has been accompanied by yet another book. I'm just about to start reading his autobiography which was finished posthumously by his wife and as such, should be the closest account of the great man's psyche. I'll let you know if it's as good a read as I expect it to be.