As there seems to be no set date this year for John Peel Day, several events have declared whatever day seemed right. I celebrated John Peel Day on Thursday, October 16, 2008. How? I listened to Roger Miller‘s Robin Hood (Walt Disney) Soundtrack album, mainly the opening cut, Whistle Stop. This was on an original copy of the LP from 1973 on a Fisher-Price Sesame Street record player from about the same era. Why? Because the melody of Whistle Stop, sped up by quite a bit, was the basis of the Cuban Boys “Cognoscenti Vs Intelligentsia”, which was a surprise hit nearly a decade back, mainly because Peel played it an awful lot. The surprising thing is that it was apparently his most requested song ever. Sadly it later became the basis for something called the hamsterdance and presumably inspired Crazy Frog and similar wrongness. So, here is my little bit of Peelness, always unsafe at any speed, The Cuban Boys on Top of The Pops:
Some John Peel Day Events:
October 9 – The Prince of Wales, 101 Dunlop Street, Little India, Singapore
October 11 – Plug ‘n’ Play, Milford Road, Reading
October 16 – Vivaz Venue, Scarborough UK
Dandelion Radio’s Festive Fifty
BBC Radio 1 Keeping it Peel page
