John Peel: Top 10 Quotes of Iconic BBC Radio DJ On the 10th Anniversary of His Death

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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"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]

"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."