Iggy Pop has been announced to deliver this year’s John Peel lecture, it has been announced.
The ‘Lust For Life’ singer already hosts a show on Sunday afternoons on BBC 6Music, taking up Jarvis Cocker‘s former slot while he takes a sabbatical from radio. Iggy is due to deliver his speech entitled ‘Free Music in a Capitalist Society’ which will be broadcast live on 6Music on Monday 13th October and will be screened on BBC Four on October 19th.
The John Peel lecture is held annually with The Who guitarist Pete Townsend delivering the inaugural lecture in 2011. Billy Bragg and Charlotte Church delivered subsequent lectures.
Iggy Pop said in a statement: “I get the feeling that John was the kind of guy who would have done his job for nothing, as long as he felt great about it. So we have that in common. Examining his life, I was interested to learn that he found his voice in large part through his wanderings in America. Sometimes it takes strange circumstances to provide a mirror in which to find yourself,” he added. “I’ve never given a lecture in my life, but on the day I’m going to attempt a discussion on the subject of free music in a capitalist society. This is a struggle which never ends.”
The event is part of a wider radio industry event. Radio Festival 2014 runs from 13th-15th October at the Lowry in Salford’s MediaCityUK.
