I feel like Americans might find it difficult to express any interest in John Peel. He might have effected the rise of a great number genres and bands, but his influence never extended across the other side of the pond. Let me explain.
The American music scene is very much a schismatic one. On one side, you have the pop music that manages to make the top 40 and the influence of Rolling Stone, MTV & the Grammys. On the other side, you have everything else: all the music that forum users like us represent -- music which people actively search for.
General exposure of interesting music has been close to zero. Of the artists mentioned in connection with John Peel, I would have heard of three, maybe four: Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie & the Flaming Lips. That's it. I didn't know half of those bands myself before I came here (or I didn't understand their significance, at any rate). Americans DON'T have a reliable source of exposure to music. Until last year shitheads like the Dixie Chicks & Celine Dion were still winning album of the year at the Grammys.
While I can understand what John Peel meant to the burgeoning music tastes of the British, voting for him in this context would be like voting for Scott Joplin. I know how important he is, but fuck if I've ever listened to him.
And yes, I'm incredibly jealous of all of you on the other side of the pond. I never heard of Sonic Youth until I was seventeen. =/
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