This is an hour long Radio Documentary on Punk and let’s us hear some of the hits that became immortalised. Presented by John Peel. So you know it’s gonna be a good one.

John Peel – Punk Fiction, Radio 1 Punk Documentary 1996

This documentary is really well done. Peeli plays us some of the hits of the late 1970s punk era. We hear songs from The Sex Pistols, Iggy Pop and the Clash. But John digs us out some less known artists like Patrick Fitzgerald, the punk poet with the acoustic guitar. He wrote some brilliant punk lyrics and was well played by John Peel.

Oh that’s one if the things I lived about John Peel. He was great at playing loads of little unheard of bands and brining them into the limelight. There must be thousands of groups and artists out there who are thankful to John Peel for helping them become known and grow a following.

We take a look at the Punk Fashion and hear some opinions on this as well as experiences from those who were Punks back in the late 70s at the time of the birth of the subculture. We hear from those who discovered the American punk bands here in the UK before the Sex Pistols came along and gave British kids a scene of their own.

When the Punk scene exploded around the UK,many kids went out and started their own bands. Groups like The Lurkers, The Members, The desperate Bicycles, to name just a few of the bands who spring up. They sung songs about the things that hit a note with them. Songs about day to day life, unemployment, boredom and sniffing glue.

The punkettes

The punk scene wasn’t without women taking to the stage and putting their own stuff out. Groups like X-Ray Spex, The Slits and Vice Squad were key players in the punk scene.

John Peel Punk Sessions

The John Peel Show was absolutely brilliant. It was probably the best music Radio Show that the BBC ever broadcast. It aired every Tuesday and Thursday evening from 8pm til 10pm. This ran from the 1970s up until he died in 2004. The documentary interviews Alan McGhee who formed Creation records in Glasgow. He talks about how Punk inspired baby DIY journalists and distributors as well as forming DIY bands. they could write what they wanted.

In Nant Wats, these Zines were probably much more pure than any regular tabloids as the writers were writing from the heart. They were only doing it for the enjoyment, so weren’t interested in the money. So

The other great thing about The John Peel show was that his show was great for Taping. Back before the wonderful Worldwide web, the only way you could get free music was either to copy from your friends onto Audio cassette tapes. Or else you could tape stuff from the Radio. Peeli was onboard with this and always kept speaking to a minimum. When he did speak to introduce the tracks, he’d always wait until the track had finished before saying a word.

What do you think?

Well then. What did you think of that? Did you enjoy it? Or didnt you like it? Whatever your thoughts and opinions are on the show, we’d love to hear them in the comments below. Here at The Collective Jukebox, we just love to chat about music and always keen to read what others have to say about the music we share.

Actually, if youre a music lover like us, who loves to share their favourite tunes as well as discovering new stuff, then why not join us. We’re the world’s Number One Online Music Community and we’re always keen to hear what everyone likes. We also beleive that Music should be available to everyone, regardless of their financial situation or status. So it’s absolutely FREE to join and always will be. Just click the button below to become part of the community. See you Inside!