Simon Roberts

The DJ Alan “Fluff” Freeman has died at the age of 79. Alan was known and loved by many for his BBC Radio 1 show “Pick of the Pops” which was broadcast from the launch of Radio 1 in 1967 until 1972. Alan relaunched the show with an oldies chart format in 1989. His catchphrases included “greetings pop pickers”, “alright” and “not arf”. I'm not normally a fan of catchphrases but Alan's lack of ego and that he seemed to be a genuinely nice bloke meant that they never became annoying.

My fondest memories of Fluff are on Radio 1's “Saturday Rock Show”, which he hosted from 1973 until 1978. This show's mix of progressive and heavy rock was so important in helping to define my musical tastes. We've now lost the three DJs who were most important to me: Tommy Vance, another host of the Saturday Rock Show; the great John Peel; and now Fluff. Thanks for the music guys.

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Alan Freeman, Radio 1, Saturday Rock Show, DJ