For nearly 30 years, John Peel, lest we forget one of the last generations of British people to do National Service, broadcast a show on British Forces Broadcasting Service, hereafter to be referred to as BFBS. He followed a long lineage of broadcasters whose shows were transmitted to servicemen: Alan Freeman, Kenny Everett and Tommy Vance were among his contemporaries on the network, which began broadcasting in 1943 and remains in operation today, with a wide number of services throughout the world.
By 1992, Peel had had a weekly show going out on BFBS for 20 years, primarily being transmitted in the German part of the network. In keeping with his shows for other European stations, the shows featured no sessions, but plenty of records and stories. In keeping with, what Peel always referred to as "my domestic programmes", there was also plenty of worry in the background over Peel's future on the station. In this show, he thanked the German listeners for getting the programme back on to its old timeslot after it had been moved, leading some listeners to write to him asking whether the show had been discontinued.
His cold from his holiday at Center Parcs continued to bother him, but nevertheless he had enjoyed observing the comical lengths people had gone to in order to protect their hairstyles on water slides. One track which didn't make my cut was Tumbleswan by Jacob's Mouse. According to the music papers, the band had been arrested for trying to steal the No Fish Shop Parking sign.
The selections from this show came from the full 2 hour programme. I was unable to find...
Cords - Such a Fool - and I can't tell you anything about the track as the recording was taken down. I can remember them requesting Peel play a track which I initially included but later dropped...
Rapeman - Inki's Butt Crack - yes, it's allround funster Steve Albini and friends with a musical joke based on Mendelssohn's Hebrides Overture from Fingal's Cave and in keeping with most musical jokes, it's a tedious bore. Peel anecdotalised about his usual beef with Rapeman in that he loved their music, but hated their name so much that he had once declined the opportunity to offer them a session as he couldn't face saying, "Here's another track from Rapeman" four times in a night.
For Winston the Ferryman.
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