continued

Tim wrote a lovely piece about Peel, saying "This morning everyone agrees that difficult, curious, flawed, unheard-of new music is the most important thing in the world; and in that moment of clarity we each one of us realise we have lost its greatest champion and that those moments are denied once more."

What it makes me wonder is, is it true that music is a temporary pleasure, a fading interest? I mean, obviously there are plenty of people (Peel as the ultimate example) who carry their interest in music through their lives, but equally I keep meeting people who loved Peel because they had a spell in their lives when music transported them and Peel was there for them.

But, like me, they mostly stopped listening to him a while back, or lost their passion for uncovering new music. When you consider what Tim says alongside the knowledge that all these people listened to Peel at one time or other, you have to wonder why underground music continues to plough its own, much-neglected furrow underneath the radar of more commercial genres.

The only answer is that music passes. Well, anyone who enjoyed prog rock, punk, acid house or jungle will see the truth in this, but it's nevertheless interesting to note that there are plenty of people who have liked this stuff. When I'm 60 will I lose interest? And if I do, will I also lose interest in books, say? or art. If not, why should music be different??

Maybe we need people like Peel to remind us it's important, to hammer it home. We'd better not forget.