[peel] The Future of the Peel slot

[David Jansen]

> I know he is probably as upset as the rest of us but i haven't seen or 
> heard any tributes from David Gedge yet...

David Gedge of The Wedding Present and Cinerama said (in the news 
secition at http://www.scopitones.co.uk ):

  "We are shocked and distraught to hear the news. Aside from the fact 
that he presented the most challenging and entertaining program on the 
radio, as everyone who looks at this web site already knows, he was a 
huge influence on my life and musical tastes. Both Sally and I have 
gotten to know John and his wife, Sheila, well over the last twenty 
years and can honestly say that we'd be hard pressed to name warmer, 
nicer people. Our thoughts are with her and the family.

"He will be remembered for the huge number of great artists that he 
brought to the attention of the listening public. He was not a 
careerist and he was not affected by marketing campaigns. If he liked 
records, he played them on the radio. As a result, you heard music on 
his show that you would not hear anywhere else. His passing has a 
created a void in British culture.

"I've rarely missed a programme since the late seventies; if I've ever 
been away, friends have taped it for me. I'm so used to hearing his 
voice that it feels like I've lost a member of my own family. I know 
many people will feel like that. John's show was much more than just a 
radio show. This is an unbelievably sad day."

Simon Cleave simply added: "It's the end of an era".