No more greetings, pop pickers.

November 28, 2006 3:48 AM

Alan "Fluff" Freeman has died at the age of 79. Although he gave up broadcasting in 2000, due to poor health, he will always be remembered as the man who invented the chart rundown, complete with background music and jingles.

He is probably best known for Pick of the Pops, which reached a mainstream audience, but was also a champion of rock music. Along with John Peel and Tommy Vance, Fluff was the last of the three great DJ's I grew up listening to on late night radio. I'm too young to remember his Radio Luxembourg shows, but The Saturday Night Rock Show on Radio 1 was compulsory listening, part for the music and part for Fluff's unique catchphrases and jingles, particularly Sign of the Swingin' Cymbal (rm) which became his theme on all his radio shows. He was also the inspiration behind the Harry Enfield character Dave Nice. We'll miss you Fluff. Not 'arf!
posted by bap98189 (29 comments total)

Sad. I always like the fact that, unlike the other DJs Smashie and Nicey took the mick out of, Freeman seemed to be doing a knowing parody of himself and DJs like him - the 'not 'arf' was always delivered with a wink.
posted by jack_mo at 4:05 AM on November 28, 2006

Freeman was probably more Smashie and Nicey than the characters themselves were. He even appeared in one of their sketches too IIRC...

I've been waiting for someone to write this post all day (another 20 minutes and it's lunchtime when I'd do it myself). I kind of liked the idea of a post full of "Not 'arf" rather than that depressing dot...
posted by twine42 at 4:22 AM on November 28, 2006

Aww. I notice he passed on in the nursing home for retired entertainers down the road from where I live. I always wondered about who lived in there.

End of an era, indeed.
posted by randomination at 4:33 AM on November 28, 2006

Greetings Pop-Pickers.

Met him on several occasions, a superb gentleman with a genuine love of music. The sixty-a-day cigarette habit probably didn't do his health any favours, mind you.

Not arf!
posted by scaryduck at 4:35 AM on November 28, 2006

Anyone have a soundcheck for the Yanks up late?
posted by maryh at 4:40 AM on November 28, 2006

Steve Wright next please.
posted by fire&wings at 4:41 AM on November 28, 2006

Freemans mellifluous voice will always be in my head. I was old enough and did listen to him on Radio Luxembourg. "Pick of the Pops" was a 'must listen to' in my youth. Good times. I always thought he was a funny looking man though - almost old before his time. Here are some nostalgic audio clips.
Fluff was the last of the three great DJ's I grew up listening to on late night radio.
What, no Jimmy Saville? How's about that then.
posted by tellurian at 4:50 AM on November 28, 2006

Not arf!
posted by handee at 4:50 AM on November 28, 2006

.
posted by Mister Bijou at 5:05 AM on November 28, 2006

Not 'arf!
posted by i_cola at 5:06 AM on November 28, 2006

Farewell, pop-picker.

.
posted by greycap at 5:45 AM on November 28, 2006

.
posted by the_epicurean at 6:22 AM on November 28, 2006

The sixty-a-day cigarette habit probably didn't do his health any favours, mind you.

He lived until he was 79 and worked until he was 73, so it doesn't seem to have done him a great deal of harm either.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 6:28 AM on November 28, 2006

I kind of liked the idea of a post full of "Not 'arf" rather than that depressing dot...
posted by twine42
Good luck with that.
posted by tellurian at 6:32 AM on November 28, 2006

Did he do alot of work for charidy, mate?

Not arf.
posted by asok at 6:57 AM on November 28, 2006

Good luck with that.
Oh trust me, I was never going to hold my breath for that one...
posted by twine42 at 7:01 AM on November 28, 2006

Sad and stuff, but apart from both being dead and having shared an employer at one time, Peel and Fluff have little in common.

If anything Freeman shared more with Jonathan King (cheesy patter/fascination with boys youth clubs, for instance).


Not arf! etc.
posted by the cuban at 7:17 AM on November 28, 2006

Not 'arf!

.
posted by ob at 7:23 AM on November 28, 2006

At least he had a full life... not arf.
posted by azlondon at 7:27 AM on November 28, 2006

Not arf!
posted by einekleine at 7:33 AM on November 28, 2006

I've never posted a dot in an obituary thread, and I'm not going to start now, but this makes me sad and I have nothing interesting to say.
posted by nowonmai at 8:18 AM on November 28, 2006

nowonmai: this makes me sad and I have nothing interesting to say.
Why are you sad - Alan was a happy kind of guy, does his passing mean something to you or your parents, a friend, ex-lover (who's a little bit older and you don't want to let on about them), did that person that let you down years ago always listen to him on the radio? It's okay, we all have a story. You just have to share, Alan would want you to.
Anything is better than the dot.
posted by tellurian at 9:10 AM on November 28, 2006

After the dizzying climax of Freeman's countdown there was nothing.
Just the emptiness of 'Sing Something Simple'.

Bye Alan. You rocked.
posted by grahamwell at 9:35 AM on November 28, 2006

Not arf!

R.I.P. Fluff...
posted by ninthart at 11:32 AM on November 28, 2006

dah dah dah dah-dalah dah!
dah! dah-dat! dah!

Doo doodle doo doodl-oodle-ooh!
Dood-it! Dood-it! Doo!

Doo doodle doo doodl-oodle-ooh!
Dood-it! Dood-it! Doo!

Duddle-uh!
Duddle-uh!
Duddle-uh!
Duddle-uddleh-uh!

Du-duh-du-duddle-uh!Duh!

dah dah dah dah-dalah dah!
Dan dahn dah da!
.
.
.
.
dah-da!
.
dah-da!
.
Dah-dah! Dah!Dah! Dah!

Dah-da-dat-da-dah-DAH!!
.
posted by dash_slot- at 11:58 AM on November 28, 2006

Well....

anything's better than a solitary dot...
posted by dash_slot- at 11:59 AM on November 28, 2006

Fluff Freeman was cool. I don't think he was on Radio 1 when I was growing up, but his influence was huge.
posted by TheDonF at 2:06 PM on November 28, 2006

Farewell pop picker prime.
posted by inpHilltr8r at 8:28 PM on November 28, 2006

Hm, by my count you were short a couple of Duddle-uhs and an -uddle- there, dash_slot, but a good effort and a fine sentiment.
posted by Phanx at 5:27 AM on November 29, 2006