The ObserverUK newsPeel's wife finishes his emotional story of life and loveIn 1996, while watching the TT races on the Isle of Man, John Peel received a phone call from his daughter, Danda. Sheila, Peel's wife, and Danda's mother, had suffered a brain haemorrhage. 'If your mum goes, I go too,' Peel blurted out. 'I don't want to go on living without her.'
It is one of many poignant insights in a new book started by Peel, who died last year, and later completed by his wife, which shines new light on the life of one of Britain's best-loved broadcasters. Read More...
This much I knowLife and styleInterviewSimon Sebag Montefiore: ‘I worked down a South African goldmine at 17’Michael SegalovThe historian and author, 58, on his time as a war correspondent, his unusual family history and a hatred of scotch eggsBeing told my books are boring is my greatest fear. If anything, I put excessive violence and sex in them to ensure it’s a charge I’ll never face.
My childhood was eccentric and wonderful. Read More...
Weary optimism … Sufjan Stevens. Photograph: Denny RenshawWhether you fancy a heartwarming carol with Elvis or the story of a yuletide drug dealer from OutKast, there’s a festive album for you in our rundown of the best ever by Alexis Petridis20. The Roches – We Three Kings (1990)The US avant-folk trio began their musical career carol singing, which makes We Three Kings a kind of back-to-their-roots enterprise. Quite sparsely arranged, it allows the Roche sisters’ harmonies to dazzle – the acappella Star of Wonder is magical – while their New York-accented Winter Wonderland is an absolute hoot. Read More...