John Peel Lecture

The John Peel Lecture is an ongoing series of talks by noted figures in the music industry, and are intended to give an insight into the state of broadcasting into the 21st century. The lectures have been organised by BBC 6Music and have all been broadcast on air and recorded on video.

Lecture 1: Pete Townshend
The first artist invited to give a lecture was Pete Townshend of the Who: even though he admitted that he and Peel were not close, he was apparently more than happy to deliver it. "'I am honoured to be invited to deliver Radio 6Music’s John Peel Lecture. Through John's shows I first heard artists like the Jesus and Mary Chain, the Undertones (and) the Proclaimers before they had record contracts. John didn't just listen to music, he played it on air and let his audience decide. He was a listener first, and an activist second, and I am happy to have a chance to honour him and examine how his legacy might extend into the future.'" The lecture took place at the Lowry Theatre, Salford on October 31st 2011 and was introduced by Tom Ravenscroft. Townshend's theme was, "Can John Peelism survive the Internet?," examining the impact the Web has had on the kind of music that John championed.


 * Guardian: full text of the lecture
 * Christt.com: blog post giving an objective view of the Townshend lecture
 * The View From The Spaghetti Factory: a negative reaction to the lecture

Lecture 2: Billy Bragg
The following year, Lauren Laverne hosted the second lecture, which was delivered at the same venue by Billy Bragg. He commented: "'John Peel gave me my first big break in return for a biryani and he was always hugely supportive of my work. He was a complete hero to the music industry and I'm delighted to be asked to speak at the event in his honour.'" Bragg's theme was how pirate DJs and ideas became mainstream, and was followed by a Q&A session with the audience. The text of the lecture included his own views on the Government's plan to scrap GCSEs.


 * BBC 6Music: video of Bragg's lecture
 * Guardian: overview of lecture content
 * Audioboo: post-lecture interview with Bragg

Lecture 3: Charlotte Church
The third Peel lecture will be delivered in Salford on October 14 by opera/pop singer Charlotte Church and will focus on the representation of women in music. 6Music's head of programmes, James Stirling, said that the lecture "encapsulates the opinionated spirit of 6Music." It will be made available as a free download and Church will discuss the subject matter on Radio 4's Woman Hour.