DJ Alan 'Fluff' Freeman dies.

Subject: BS: DJ Alan 'Fluff' Freeman dies.
From: Divis Sweeney
Date: 28 Nov 06 - 05:12 AM

One of the country's best known DJ's, Alan "Fluff" Freeman, has died aged 79.

Freeman, whose catchphrases were "Alright pop pickers?" and "not 'arf" will be remembered by many here in our growing up years presenting "Pick of the Pops" before moving to host shows on BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 2.

Freeman, who was born in Australia, had a distinctive presenting style. He died in a retirement home in west London, and continued broadcasting until a couple of years ago.

Subject: RE: BS: DJ Alan 'Fluff' Freeman dies.
From: Zany Mouse
Date: 28 Nov 06 - 05:49 AM

Sad but thank goodness he lived his life as he wanted and didn't seem to upset anyone, which seems to be unusual in a celeb's life.

Radio Cloud has a no DJ

Rhiannon

Subject: RE: BS: DJ Alan 'Fluff' Freeman dies.
From: Zany Mouse
Date: 28 Nov 06 - 05:49 AM

BUGGER! That should be NEW DJ.

R

Subject: RE: BS: DJ Alan 'Fluff' Freeman dies.
From: Pistachio
Date: 28 Nov 06 - 07:13 AM

Unique - a long remembered voice in my head.

Subject: RE: BS: DJ Alan 'Fluff' Freeman dies.
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 28 Nov 06 - 10:23 AM

His show on a Sunday afternoon when he played the whole top twenty gave our generation such a lot of pleasure.

Subject: RE: BS: DJ Alan 'Fluff' Freeman dies.
From: Divis Sweeney
Date: 28 Nov 06 - 10:41 AM

I have still got a lot of his original Sunday shows on tape here Al.

Subject: RE: BS: DJ Alan 'Fluff' Freeman dies.
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 28 Nov 06 - 10:45 AM

Sad to see another of the Good old Boys go, never really liked his huckster style of presenting, always sounded like a snake oil salesman to me.
A man who was in the right place at the right time, and an institution thereby.

RIP 'Fluff'

Giok

Subject: RE: BS: DJ Alan 'Fluff' Freeman dies.
From: Dave Sutherland
Date: 28 Nov 06 - 11:34 AM

John Peel would refer to him as "The World's Greatest D.J" and for a long time Freeman and Peel were about the only two presenters who knew anything about real music. His Saturday night Rock Show kept me going through many a 12 hour nightshift.
RIP

Subject: Obit: Alan Freeman
From: Tom Hamilton frae Saltcoats Scotland
Date: 28 Nov 06 - 12:02 PM

I just read that Alan Freeman (fluff) a Radio presenter/disk jockey has died.

so sad.

farewell pop pickers

transferred from a second thread started on the same subject. Mudelf

Subject: RE: DJ Alan 'Fluff' Freeman dies.
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 28 Nov 06 - 12:24 PM

how old were you then DS?

I guess I was about twelve when the Everlys were doing Crying in the Rain and Elvis was singing Return to Sender and Rock a Hula baby.

Subject: RE: DJ Alan 'Fluff' Freeman dies.
From: Den
Date: 28 Nov 06 - 12:26 PM

He was a class act, I too enjoyed his Saturday night rock show. He also did his bit in giving new acts some airtime.

Subject: RE: DJ Alan 'Fluff' Freeman dies.
From: alanabit
Date: 28 Nov 06 - 12:46 PM

He was one of the few DJs, who was not an automatic turn off for me. I am glad he was able to live his life as he wished.

Subject: RE: DJ Alan 'Fluff' Freeman dies.
From: fat B****rd
Date: 28 Nov 06 - 02:01 PM

RIP Mr. Freeman. I heard lots of good stuff in the new release section of his Pick Of The Pops in the 60s.
Trivia - What was the title of his POTP theme tune ?

Subject: RE: DJ Alan 'Fluff' Freeman dies.
From: GUEST,Northerner
Date: 28 Nov 06 - 02:20 PM

A long time since I heard it, but I can still remember the opening bars to his Sunday show.

RIP Mr Freeman.

Subject: RE: DJ Alan 'Fluff' Freeman dies.
From: Divis Sweeney
Date: 28 Nov 06 - 02:55 PM

Al I have a large collection of chart shows from 1964 on, family member gave me the early ones, I was recording from about 1972, aged 12 ! Great to listen to the DJ's and the music even sounds better !

Subject: RE: DJ Alan 'Fluff' Freeman dies.
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 28 Nov 06 - 06:06 PM

Happy memories of pop pickers' countdown on transistor radio..... dah di dah, dah dah dah, dah dah dah......

Kitty

Subject: RE: DJ Alan 'Fluff' Freeman dies.
From: Geoff the Duck
Date: 28 Nov 06 - 06:38 PM

There's nobody on the Beeb to compare.
Quack
GtD.

Subject: RE: DJ Alan 'Fluff' Freeman dies.
From: GUEST,trubrit
Date: 28 Nov 06 - 10:06 PM

This is sad news. He was a great dj in an era of many pretenders. I feel my age right now!!!

Subject: RE: DJ Alan 'Fluff' Freeman dies.
From: GUEST,Penguin Egg
Date: 29 Nov 06 - 03:23 AM

I remember in the 70s he was the only dj to play prog rock, despite the huge popularity of the music at that time. I was never a fan of either his style or his music, but he was a one off and from what I understand, a thoroughly decent man.

Subject: RE: DJ Alan 'Fluff' Freeman dies.
From: Scrump
Date: 29 Nov 06 - 04:17 AM

He was a likeable and professional presenter, and one of the few who knew that the listeners would rather listen to the music than the DJ's waffle. From 1960-64 (before pirate radio started in - or rather, outside - the UK) he was the boss as far as young people were concerned. I still remember recording the latest hits off the radio, holding the mic from our old reel-to-reel recorder near the speaker. His show was the only one where you could hear the latest records every week. Pity, I don't have any of those recordings now. RIP Fluff.

Subject: RE: DJ Alan 'Fluff' Freeman dies.
From: Dave Sutherland
Date: 29 Nov 06 - 05:39 AM

WLD I would be thinking of the end of the eighties/early nineties (makng me 40 ish) Radio 1 on a Saturday night would broadcast a live concert followed by 2 hours of Freeman's Rock Show and then an hour of Heavy Metal before reverting to it's usual fayre. Freemans show always had a twenty minute or so feature spot for a certin band or artist from the past and I remember bands like Colosseum and Atomic Rooster getting an airing. Essential stuff when confinded to a basic laboratory from 1800 to 0600!

Subject: RE: DJ Alan 'Fluff' Freeman dies.
From: MoorleyMan
Date: 29 Nov 06 - 07:11 AM

Like other folks above, I didn't really get on with much of Fluff's style/formula presentation, but there was no doubting the man's integrity and his real love of the music (and of non-pop music too). Oh, and he even played a couple of requests for me on his Saturday afternoon show in the 70s - not 'arf bad!
RIP Fluff, and take care up there.

But rising to the challenge, Fat B****ard -
Was it At The Sign Of The Swinging Cymbal, by the Brian Fahey Orchestra?
I don't think it was ever used in that washing-powder ad though!

Subject: RE: DJ Alan 'Fluff' Freeman dies.
From: Scrump
Date: 29 Nov 06 - 07:24 AM

Yes, it was!

Subject: RE: DJ Alan 'Fluff' Freeman dies.
From: GUEST,Shimrod
Date: 29 Nov 06 - 09:34 AM

Did he ever play any folk music? Just asking!

Subject: RE: DJ Alan 'Fluff' Freeman dies.
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 29 Nov 06 - 10:00 AM

Only when Bob Dylan and Steeeleye were in the charts, I think. Much of the music he played, was nearer to the hearts of the English people than its folk music.

Subject: RE: DJ Alan 'Fluff' Freeman dies.
From: Scrump
Date: 29 Nov 06 - 10:02 AM

I read on another thread somewhere that he was known to play the occasional folk track - the example mentioned was From Clare to Here by Raplh McTell. (I never heard him play it myself, but then I didn't listen to him much after the POTP days).

Subject: RE: DJ Alan 'Fluff' Freeman dies.
From: Tom Hamilton frae Saltcoats Scotland
Date: 29 Nov 06 - 12:46 PM

as I said

Farewell pop pickers

it is so sad

Subject: RE: DJ Alan 'Fluff' Freeman dies.
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 02 Dec 06 - 04:22 AM

I never was into pop, but is he the one who also presented 'Alan Freeman's Classics' in the early Eighties? I liked listening to that.

Subject: RE: DJ Alan 'Fluff' Freeman dies.
From: patriot1314
Date: 02 Dec 06 - 04:35 AM

The classic voice of radio.
His shows in the 60's and 70's were a "Must" along with Tommy Vance and Stuart Henry.

RIP Fluff

Subject: RE: DJ Alan 'Fluff' Freeman dies.
From: Dave Roberts
Date: 02 Dec 06 - 10:16 AM

He was the best. A consummate professional and, like John Peel, part of the soundtrack of all our yesterdays.

R.I.P.

Subject: RE: DJ Alan 'Fluff' Freeman dies.
From: GUEST,Robert Carpenter
Date: 17 Nov 10 - 10:49 AM

It was sad to lose such an icon as Fluff and the music world suffered for it. When he presented Pick of the Pops he always had an hour to present new singles by mainly new up and coming artists which gave them a real chance of success. His Rock show linked it to classical music as well which was very inventive of him-a true lover of a wide range of music. Heaven is the benefactor now and modern DJ's could learn a lot from him, he taught us without music there are no DJ's. RIP a true legend.

Subject: RE: DJ Alan 'Fluff' Freeman dies.
From: mayomick
Date: 17 Nov 10 - 01:01 PM

BFN fluff.
Wasn't BFN (bye for now) his catch phrase at the end of every show or was that someone else?

Subject: RE: DJ Alan 'Fluff' Freeman dies.
From: melodeonboy
Date: 17 Nov 10 - 05:55 PM

Presumably his funeral shroud was provided by Brentford Nylons?

Subject: RE: DJ Alan 'Fluff' Freeman dies.
From: Leadfingers
Date: 17 Nov 10 - 07:20 PM

B F N was Bawdsey Forces Network My first experience as a (piped) Radio announcer in 1965

Subject: RE: DJ Alan 'Fluff' Freeman dies.
From: Dave Roberts
Date: 17 Nov 10 - 07:51 PM

BFN was also Jimmy Young in his housewife's favourite era on 'Radio One with Radio Two'

Subject: RE: DJ Alan 'Fluff' Freeman dies.
From: Darowyn
Date: 18 Nov 10 - 03:58 AM

Wasn't JY a "TTFN" man?
Cheers
Dave

Subject: RE: DJ Alan 'Fluff' Freeman dies.
From: GUEST,Alan whittle
Date: 18 Nov 10 - 06:35 AM

just thinking what a pity Divis Sweeney wasn't still with us

Subject: RE: DJ Alan 'Fluff' Freeman dies.
From: Dave Roberts
Date: 18 Nov 10 - 08:02 AM

Dave,

Yes he probably used that too. Also Raymondo saying 'What's The Recipe Today, Jim?'

God I wish I knew things that might be of aome use rather than all this
useless trivia.

Subject: RE: DJ Alan 'Fluff' Freeman dies.
From: Tim Leaning
Date: 18 Nov 10 - 01:43 PM

Very fond memories of the mans show and the music he played .

Subject: RE: DJ Alan 'Fluff' Freeman dies.
From: GUEST,pismotality
Date: 18 Nov 10 - 04:05 PM

"TTFN" was specifically an ITMA phrase, though wikipedia says Jimmy Young used it. The original joke was apparently that the acronym was no quicker to say than the phrase itself, "Ta ta for now."

To return to Fluff, his style was summed up, possibly in an Observer article, as being the perfect blend of boyish enthusiasm and the hard sell - not a bad epitaph. Always thought it was a bit unfortunate that Harry Enfield's DJ borrowed Fluff's tones when he was closer in spirit to Dave Lee Travis.