John Peel is dead and though I've never met the man personally, I own several of his sessions (yeah, those Strange Fruit CD's and LP's back in the day), I listened to some of his broadcasts and when I went to the UK, I did the pilgrimage to BBC HQ to see his work environmnet. He was one of the reasons I got into radio and one of my inspirations to get into Rock Internacional and unknowingly his eclectic and broad musical tastes and excellent choices in music inspired me to create Frecuencias Alternas.

There are very few DJ's and stations who are willing to take the risks he did in his choices of music to share with the world. Too many saps wasting wavelength and time broadcasting music that offers nothing to no one. His death yesterday makes me mad because while the Ashlee Simpsons of the world are lip synching their way to whoredom, many true talents are ignored because they don't fit whatever the majors want you to hear. He discovered and showcased lots of talent that otherwise wouldn't be heard. That takes guts, commitment and a genuine love of music.

In my own small part I wanted to write this to honor someone whose body of work on behalf of the struggling artists was not in vain. Rest in peace, Mr. Peel. If there's a heaven above, you belong there.

Love, honor and respect,

JERG