Germany

Germany (German: Deutschland), officially the Federal Republic of Germany (German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland) is a federal parliamentary republic in central-west Europe. It includes 16 constituent states, covers an area of 357,021 square kilometres (137,847 sq mi), and has a largely temperate seasonal climate. Its capital and largest city is Berlin. With about 81.8 million inhabitants, Germany is the most populous member state of the European Union.

Links To Peel
Peel maintained a close connection with Germany through his broadcasts on BFBS, BBC World Service and various German radio stations, as well as by regular personal visits. One perhaps unexpected result of his locally heard shows – all in English – was that he regularly finished high in German polls for top radio DJ. In October 1992, he presented his Radio One show live from Berlin as part of a public service campaign for young people on work and travel in the EU.

The country was also a regular source of music for Peel, from the first Krautrock and Kosmische Musik records of the 1970s until the 2000s. German band Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle (FSK) did seven Peel sessions between 1985 and 2000, the most by any overseas artist. German music played by Peel came to have a major influence on many session artists, with David Bowie, Eno and the Birthday Party among those who spent extended periods in the country.

As Peel recalled in the 1996 TV documentary Travels With My Camera: Autobahn Blues, his first direct contact with German people went back to his childhood and the prisoners of war who worked on farms near his home on Merseyside :

"”They were always really nice to my brother and me, yet there we were in Cheshire while our father was tussling with the Hun in North Africa. We were taught to hate Germans – still are by some politicians – but I couldn't really believe in the wickedness of an entire nation. So years ago, when I was asked to do radio programmes here, it seemed like a chance to make a small contribution to a healing process.”"

His fondness for Germany is apparent elsewhere in the programme, as he travels around the country in his old Mercedes from Hanover to Berlin, visiting old friends and sites including Colditz Castle.

After Peel's death, German label Trikont released the “Pig’s Big 78s: A Beginner’s Guide” compilation of vintage tracks played on his Radio One shows. A German edition of his Margrave Of The Marshes autobiography, translated by Christoph Hahn, was published in 2006.