The Olivetti Chronicles by John Peel

The Olivetti Chronicles by John Peel, 2008
Read: June and September 2009

Fabia gave us a copy of this book for Christmas 2008 - thanks to J&N for bringing it over! Scott read it first in Jan-Feb-March (it's a big book!) but it took me a little longer to start on it you'll see! It's a collection of articles that John Peel wrote over three decades for various magazines from the music press to Radio Times. The articles aren't organised chronologically, as I'd expected, but instead are alphabetical. His widow, Sheila, explains that the family chose this order, as it meant you got a surprise and something new as you read it.
As the articles are all only a few pages, it is a great book to dip in and out of - very suitable for toilet reading - and so it wasn't a problem that I read this in Cairo, either side of our summer break in England. I'm not a toilet-book kind of person really, so would try and read this for longer periods of the time on the couch instead. I found myself needing to take a little break between each article to make sure my head was clear for the sudden change in direction and time that each new page brings.
John Peel has an amazing written style, that manages to be as personable as his radio presenting. You always feel that he is talking directly to you and you feel that you not only know him, but you know his family, and that he knows you and yours. I must admit that some of the musical references went over my head, not being as familiar with the broad range of music that he was - is anyone??!! The glory of his writing is that he talks about the mundane, but then also talks about the amazing - such as backstage at festivals - and brings out the mundane.
This was a really nice book to read this summer alongside his autobiography, Margrave of the Marshes. I'm not sure the best order to read the two in - maybe do it as I did and read his autobiography in the middle of this one! Having read his autobiography, and have him talk about all aspects of his life, it was great to read all he had written at the time about his life, the mundane and the slightly less mundane.