Renaming of ther John Peel Stage - article in the Daily Hate

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10980589/Festival-goer-calls-Glastonburys-John-Peel-Stage-renamed-historical-sex-abuse-claims.html

[Lushroom]

Can you copy and paste please so we don't have to give them traffic?

[eddie_corrigan]

Student petitioned festival to rename John peel stage over historic sexual abuse allegations. Mail jumped all over it like a tramp on chips. There saved you all clicking. 

[stuie]

34 minutes ago, Lushroom said:

Can you copy and paste please so we don't have to give them traffic?

Link to petition if you wanna sign! 

https://www.change.org/p/rename-the-john-peel-stage-at-glastonbury

[balthazarstarbuck]

I mean it really should be. The lyric on the stage was at best tone deaf.

 

What would you call it instead though?
The North West Tent? I don’t think the new bands tent works anymore (frankly that’s more Williams Green these days)

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

42 minutes ago, Lushroom said:

Can you copy and paste please so we don't have to give them traffic?

Festival goer, 26, calls for Glastonbury’s John Peel Stage to be renamed over historical sexual abuse claims against the late BBC Radio One DJ

• Jack Owens said the John Peel Stage at Glastonbury is 'long overdue' a change 
• In 2012, a woman called claimed Jane Nevin she became pregnant by Peel during a three-month affair when she was a 15-year-old schoolgirl in 1969
• Mr Owens is calling on the festival to change the name in light of Peel's own comments on sexual contact with 'an awful lot' of underage girls

By JESSICA WARREN FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 16:01, 4 July 2022 | UPDATED: 18:34, 4 July 2022

 

•  
•  
•  
•  
•  
• e-mail
•  

46shares

1k

View comments

 

A festival-goer is calling for Glastonbury’s John Peel Stage to be renamed over historical sexual abuse claims against the late BBC Radio One DJ, calling it a 'slap in the face' for victims. 

Jack Owens, 26, said the stage is 'long overdue' a change and is petitioning organisers to remove the former BBC presenter's name from the tent ahead of next year's festival.

His petition comes after a woman, Jane Nevin, claimed in 2012 she became pregnant by Peel during a three-month affair when she was a 15-year-old schoolgirl in 1969. 

Glastonbury's New Bands Tent took its new name in 2004, the year that Peel died of a heart attack, in honour of the DJ's work. 

+8

View gallery

•  

A festival-goer has created a petition to have the John Peel Stage at Glastonbury renamed. Pictured, John Peel receiving an OBE in 1998

+8

View gallery

•  

Mr Owens said the stage's name is a 'slap in the face' for victims. Pictured, the John Peel Stage at Glastonbury Festival in 2015

Peel, who died of a heart attack in 2004 at the age of 65, is alleged to have met Nevin at a Black Sabbath concert when he was 30.

She claims he had sex with her in the BBC studio and backstage at concerts.

In an interview with The Sunday Correspondent in 1989, Peel said: 'Girls used to queue up outside. By and large not usually for sh*****g.

'Oral sex they were particularly keen on, I remember. [...] One of my, er, regular customers, as it were, turned out to be 13, though she looked older..'

+8

View gallery

•  

There are historical sexual abuse claims against the former BBC Radio 1 DJ. Pictured at work

+8

View gallery

•  

Radio One DJs eating Christmas Lunch at BBC Broadcasting House in 1980. Back, from left: Simon Bates, Mike Read, Peter Powell, Tommy Vance, Adrian Love and Richard Skinner. Middle, from left: Paul Burnett, Andy Peebles, John Peel, Steve Wright, Annie Nightingale, Paul Gambaccini, and Adrian Juste. Front, from left, Dave Lee Travis and Jimmy Saville

+8

View gallery

•  

Peel presented much of the BBC's TV coverage of Glastonbury Festival. Pictured in 1999 at the festival

RELATED ARTICLES

• Previous
• 1
• 2
• Next

• By honouring a sex predator like John Peel the BBC shows...My three-month affair with John Peel when I was 15: Woman...
• The day John Peel was raped

SHARE THIS ARTICLE

Share

Who was broadcasting legend John Peel?  

John Peel was a famed rock DJ for the BBC

John Peel, born John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, was a popular British DJ.

Born on August 30, 1939, in Heswall, he was known for promoting rock music on the BBC's radio stations, among other platforms.

In 1965, he married his first wife, Shirley Anne Milburn, when she was 15. They wed in the US, reportedly in Texas, and Peel always maintained she told him she was 16. 

Two years later, he joined BBC Radio 1 when the station started, building a career in discovering emerging artists. 

He and Shirley separated soon after, divorcing in 1973, and Shirley died following a reported suicide attempt in 1987.

Peel married his second wife, Sheila Gilhooly, in 1974, and the couple had two boys and two girls. 

During his broadcasting career, the DJ was seen as someone who could help artists break into the industry, and was posted records, CDs and tapes. 

He also created the John Peel Sessions, where house bands recorded exclusive tracks for the broadcaster. 

Outside of Radio 1, he also broadcast on stations in the Netherlands, Finland, Austria and Germany. 

He occasionally presented Top of the Pops on BBC1 between the late 1960s until the 1990s, appearing more regularly between 1982 and 1987.

He also presented the BBC's TV coverage of Glastonbury Festival.

In 1998, he was given an OBE for his work in the music industry.  

He died from a heart attack in 2004 aged 65. 

The same year, Glastonbury renamed the 'New Bands Tent' after Peel in honour of the DJ.

In his autobiography, which was published after his death, Peel claimed that he was raped by an older pupil when he was a boarder at Shrewsbury School.

ADVERTISEMENT

 

 

An interview originally published in The Herald in April 2004 stated that Peel admitted to sexual contact with 'an awful lot' of underage girls.

In an interview with The Guardian in 1975 while discussing women, Peel said: 'All they wanted me to do was abuse them, sexually, which, of course, I was only too happy to do'.

Mr Owens, from Manchester, is now hoping that Glastonbury organisers will re-brand their Peel tent in light of the comments and historical accusations.

His petition read: 'The John Peel stage at Glastonbury is long overdue being renamed, considering the serious sexual abuse he has been accused of and even admitted, against women and children.

'It's a slap in the face to sexual abuse survivors, women, children and decent people to have to stand in a stage with his name on it, which has the sick words "teenage dreams so hard to beat" written on the side.

'Please rename it for the next year's festival. He's been put up on pedestal for too long.'

Peel, born John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, worked as a DJ for the BBC from 1967 till 2004 when he died of a sudden heart attack while in Peru.

In 1965, Peel married a 15-year-old American girl called Shirley Anne Milburn when he was 26.

He later claimed she and her family had lied about her age.

They divorced in 1973 and years later she reportedly took her own life.

In 2012, eight years after Peel's death, Nevin came forward with claims of an affair with the highly respected DJ.

She said the affair resulted in her falling pregnant and having a 'traumatic' abortion in Ealing.

A postcard, allegedly sent to Nevin from Peel after she contacted him about their relationship 30 years later, read: 'Jane, Well, you've scared the daylights out of me. For years I've been expecting a letter starting, 'In the 70s we had a brief affair - and your now son/daughter, aged 27, wants to meet you'.

'What exactly do you want me to do. I live near Ipswich so Croydon is pretty inaccessible.

'I'll wait to hear from you again. John.'

Mr Owen set the Change.org page up on Friday, where it has so far gained around 150 signatures, however he is hoping to hit 150,000.

Speaking today, he said: 'I knew about John Peel's sexual abuse allegations and admissions after researching him once, about six months prior.

'It was when I was in the tent for the first time the recollection of it hit me, and I felt really uneasy about it.

'I've been tweeting Glastonbury and Emily Eavis, the director, daily. I've also sent emails to the festival itself, through their various emails.

'I've had no contact from the festival.

+8

View gallery

•  

+8

View gallery

•  

'I've been tweeting Glastonbury and Emily Eavis, the director, daily. I've also sent emails to the festival itself, through their various emails,' Mr Owen said

+8

View gallery

•  

Mr Owens, 26, said the stage is 'long overdue' a change and is hoping organisers will remove the former BBC presenter's name from the tent. Pictured, inside the John Peel Tent at Glastonbury 2022

'I'm going to keep spreading the word until we hit 150,000 because I think it's the right thing to do.'

The petition has received a mixed reaction from music fans.

One person wrote: 'He doesn't deserve to be remembered.'

Another said: 'This is abominable. This man is disgusting and does not deserve to be lauded with an important stage named after him.'

A third commented: 'Accused not found guilty.'

While another person said: 'What? Never heard of that, and I'm certainly not going to sign anything that looks like C**P.' 

MailOnline has contacted Glastonbury Festival for comment.

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

7 minutes ago, stuie said:

Link to petition if you wanna sign! 

https://www.change.org/p/rename-the-john-peel-stage-at-glastonbury

226 people had signed when I just looked at that.

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

3 minutes ago, balthazarstarbuck said:

What would you call it instead though?
 

The 'Eat The Wriggling Thing Stage'.

Edited July 4, 2022 by Yoghurt on a Stick

[efcfanwirral]

9 minutes ago, balthazarstarbuck said:

I mean it really should be. The lyric on the stage was at best tone deaf.

Obviously never proven etc etc (though his own comments are very damning) but I did think the lyric was an odd choice just in light of the allegations being there. 

Edited July 4, 2022 by efcfanwirral

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

5 minutes ago, efcfanwirral said:

 but I did think the lyric was an odd choice just in light of the allegations being there. 

Hello efcfwirral,

What does the above mean? Let's face it I don't exactly have my ear to the ground on anything music orientated - or otherwise, as it happens. However, I am intrigued with the need for 'the knowing' on this one. If that makes any sense?

[MEGATRONICMEATWAGON]

Without having to do a bunch of research, are the allegations of sexual abuse of women/girls, true?

I'm not well-read on John Peel.

EDIT: Are the quotations on Change.org, true? RE the schoolgirl of the year award, getting head from girls as young as 13?

Edited July 4, 2022 by MEGATRONICMEATWAGON

[august1]

what was the stage lyric?

not sure why this chap has started this campaign now, noticed he'd been spamming loads of big glasto accounts, now DM article and still 200 sigs. Wonder if they want the glory of being responsible for the name change. Not the first time this convo has come up.

Can't see them changing it for this reason. 

[MEGATRONICMEATWAGON]

If he openly said this kind of stuff, then it seems a bit strange Glasto would stick with it. 

Could be quite a fun competition for EE/ME to run in the future. 

Name the John Peel, get free tickets for 2023!

[MEGATRONICMEATWAGON]

3 minutes ago, august1 said:

what was the stage lyric?

not sure why this chap has started this campaign now, noticed he'd been spamming loads of big glasto accounts, now DM article and still 200 sigs. Wonder if they want the glory of being responsible for the name change. Not the first time this convo

"Teenage dreams, so hard to beat".

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

Just now, MEGATRONICMEATWAGON said:

Without having to do a bunch of research, are the allegations of sexual abuse of women/girls, true?

I'm not well-read on John Peel.

I'm not. However, I was forced to admire a comment that he once made. It was at Glastonbury and was in regard to him looking down on the ground to see two people (a male and a female) in the mud on the floor. He was in the process of performing cunnilingus on the lady. This in front of everybody, out in the open. There used to be a photo of this occasion on this site, but fear it has been taken down* 

Anyway, upon seeing this, John Peel declared that 'he had finally seen it all', or some such.**

* If anybody 'out there' still has a copy of this, please could you message me with it?

** - Anybody know, for sure, what the quote was?

PS - I can't keep up. I started writing this ages ago, so it's no 'current', lets say that.

[august1]

1 minute ago, MEGATRONICMEATWAGON said:

"Teenage dreams, so hard to beat".

its on his headstone, thing with the Peel stuff, its not exactly new info and the fest have ignored it up to now

[FrancisH]

4 minutes ago, MEGATRONICMEATWAGON said:

Without having to do a bunch of research, are the allegations of sexual abuse of women/girls, true?

I'm not well-read on John Peel.

EDIT: Are the quotations on Change.org, true? RE the schoolgirl of the year award, getting head from girls as young as 13?

Certainly some very dodgy direct quotes yeah. Mad that the stage is still named after him really, and that stations like 6 music continue to venerate him. BBC have learned absolutely nothing since savile it seems.

Side note though; fuck the Daily Mail.

[MEGATRONICMEATWAGON]

[MEGATRONICMEATWAGON]

2 minutes ago, FrancisH said:

Certainly some very dodgy direct quotes yeah. Mad that the stage is still named after him really, and that stations like 6 music continue to venerate him. BBC have learned absolutely nothing since savile it seems.

Side note though; fuck the Daily Mail.

Daily Mail or not (not condoning them), it's not a great look for the BBC/Glastonbury if these allegations are attached to some pretty lurid statements.

 

6 minutes ago, august1 said:

its on his headstone, thing with the Peel stuff, its not exactly new info and the fest have ignored it up to now

Also very true. I wonder what'd take them to face up to it?

I mean, it's quite common in the music scene. Didn't Bowie sleep with a 14 year old? Obv there's Michael Jackson and his antics and he's still considered the greatest ever performer...

[MEGATRONICMEATWAGON]

8 minutes ago, Yoghurt on a Stick said:

I'm not. However, I was forced to admire a comment that he once made. It was at Glastonbury and was in regard to him looking down on the ground to see two people (a male and a female) in the mud on the floor. He was in the process of performing cunnilingus on the lady. This in front of everybody, out in the open. There used to be a photo of this occasion on this site, but fear it has been taken down* 

Anyway, upon seeing this, John Peel declared that 'he had finally seen it all', or some such.**

* If anybody 'out there' still has a copy of this, please could you message me with it?

** - Anybody know, for sure, what the quote was?

PS - I can't keep up. I started writing this ages ago, so it's no 'current', lets say that.

Bloody hell. What year was this? I can only imagine the threads if it was in the age of smart phones.

[Field Commander Jefferson]

Apparently they're renaming it the Nina Kraviz tent

[Rose-Colored Boy]

43 minutes ago, balthazarstarbuck said:

I mean it really should be. The lyric on the stage was at best tone deaf.

 

What would you call it instead though?
The North West Tent? I don’t think the new bands tent works anymore (frankly that’s more Williams Green these days)

The BBC Sounds stage. Every other fest seems to have one called that! 

[Quark]

Let's be honest, if the interview, his own quotes and the accusations levelled at him were one of the dull, MOR 70s/80s DJs from Radio 1 then by and large we'd have no hesitation in agreeing it should be changed. People have been pilloried for less than this. No one would be clinging on to the Dave Lee Travis tent.

Said it before and I'll say it again, it's a lot easier to be judgemental on those you don't like. 

Even if the accusations against him aren't true, his own testimony in those interviews make keeping the stage name a really troublesome point in the modern age. 

If we can support tearing down statues of people who were acting within the law at the time but shouldn't be celebrated with  modern eyes, we can rename a festival stage. However much he did for new music.

 

Edited July 4, 2022 by Quark

[Quark]

Footnote: the Heil can fuck all the way off. And when it's finished it can fuck off s little bit more.

[efcfanwirral]

1 hour ago, Yoghurt on a Stick said:

Hello efcfwirral,

What does the above mean? Let's face it I don't exactly have my ear to the ground on anything music orientated - or otherwise, as it happens. However, I am intrigued with the need for 'the knowing' on this one. If that makes any sense?

Just the teenage dreams lyric from Teenage Kicks on the banners in the tent. Probably isn't something most people, including the organisers, would think about or notice. Just struck me as a bit odd alongside the allegations against the person the stage is named after. 

Was only really a passing thing I noticed for like a second when I got in there. Certainly wouldn't be starting a petition about it! 

Edit- only just scrolled up and seen this answered above elsewhere! 

Edited July 4, 2022 by efcfanwirral