John Peel
John Peel was a regular broadcaster for 37 years. Reuters

Saturday 25 October marks ten years since the passing of legendary BBC DJ John Peel.

Peel died after a sudden heart attack while on holiday in Peru, leaving behind a legacy of championing the underdogs of the Biritsh music scene, using his slot on BBC Radio 1 to promote the likes of Joy Division and The Smiths, helping them become the huge names they are today.

A beloved figure, Peel's name is still prominent in the music industry. Glastonbury Festival named a stage for up-and-coming acts after him following his passing and BBC 6 Music – the station on which his legacy lives on – holds an annual John Peel lecture on the music business.

To celebrate his life, we have gathered ten of his more memorable, funniest and most iconic quotes...

  • "I just want to hear something I haven't heard before."

  • "If Elvis were alive today, I think he'd really understand happy hardcore."

  • "I never make stupid mistakes. Only very, very clever ones."

  • "Somebody was trying to tell me that CDs are better than vinyl because they don't have any surface noise. I said, 'Listen, mate, *life* has surface noise."

  • [Around his 50th birthday] "I think my chances of making the Liverpool side are gone now. Might still be able to get a game at one of those London clubs though"

  • "I don't know what young people want to hear anymore. The first person who comes up and asks me for Bon Jovi risks a ritual disembowelling on stage... and that's a promise."

  • [On Billie Holiday] "I think she could have infused even Spice Girls songs with a touch of melancholy."

  • [On his Top of the Pops debut] "In case you're wondering who this funny old bloke is, I'm the one who comes on Radio 1 late at night and plays records made by sulky Belgian art students in basements dying of TB."

  • "Science will almost certainly never come up with anything as wonderful as the electric guitar..."

  • "I'll tell you what, y'know, I've not done this for ages, but I think we ought to hear that again, hold on...." [Plays Teenage Kicks again]

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