I was sad to hear of the death of Janice Long at Christmas. I grew up through the 80s listening to her BBC Radio 1 show and loving many of the bands she championed, most notably The Smiths, Echo & The Bunnymen and Manic Street Preachers.
Janice was the first woman to have her own daily show on Radio 1. A true pioneer!
I also often listened to Janice’s BBC Radio 2 show much later on. She was a true music fan and a great broadcaster who was so good at her job it felt like you were listening to a friend. She will be greatly missed.
Janice interviewed Toyah many times, most memorably in 1983 (Love Is The Law era), 1985 (Minx era), and 2021 (Posh Pop era). Toyah also guested twice on The Janice Long Review Show on Vintage TV in 2012, and was one of the artists Janice chose on her NOW 80’s show Janice Long’s Ladies With Attitude.
Toyah paid tribute to Janice on Boxing Day, saying: “Dear wonderful Janice Long championed women in music. Janice has been in my life my whole career, my deepest sympathy to all her family, friends, listeners and fans. Too young to lose you. Toyah xxx”
There have been many tributes to Janice over the past few days, from her friends, work colleagues and many of the bands she supported via her radio shows over the years.
The Guardian said: “The DJ Janice Long, who has died aged 66 following a short illness, became a pioneer in broadcasting as the first woman to have her own weekday show on BBC Radio 1 and the first to become a regular presenter of Top of the Pops. Unlike some of the prominent DJs with whom she shared the airwaves during the first part of her career in the 1980s, Long was a genuine music fan, credited with giving a helping hand to a number of artists whom she had championed, including Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Primal Scream, Manic Street Preachers, the Teardrop Explodes, Amy Winehouse and the Coral.”
• Read The Guardian‘s full Janice Long obituary here.
• See Toyah’s tribute to Janice here.
• Browse Dreamscape’s Janice Long news archive here.
• Click on the screenshots – from Toyah’s appearance on Vintage TV’s The Janice Long Review Show in 2012 – to view larger versions. (Thanks to Paul for the 1985 Radio Times clipping)
