You could hardly blame Peter Hook if his blood boiled over from watching The Killers and The Bravery accuse each other of copycatting. After all, both bands — as well as countless others in the latest wave of dance-punk — have freely ripped off from a blueprint that he helped create in the '80s with New Order. But unlike Killers frontman Brandon Flowers, Hook takes no offense at hearing traces of his sound in the work of others.
"It doesn't really bother me. I mean, it's great. I've had a fantastic life, I've got a fantastic job with New Order. Am I going to worry about some bands sounding like us? The answer is no."
After more than a quarter-century in pop music, Hook has developed a veteran's laid-back perspective. He knows that no one can touch the legacy of either New Order or the band whose ashes it rose from, Joy Division, and so he's content to watch the newcomers battle it out in the media. He does acknowledge, however, that in his younger days, soundalike bands used to get his goat.
"I might have been a little annoyed when The Cure did it in the '80s with 'In Between Days' and things like that, but now I view it as a compliment. You know, for someone like The Killers to say they're inspired by you is fantastic in the same way that I told the Sex Pistols I was inspired by them."
It might be the first and last time The Killers are favourably compared to the Sex Pistols, but the bassist — "Hooky" to his friends — is full of genuine praise for the Las Vegas band. He's also happy to throw a bone to one of his musical descendants in the U.K.
"I think that Bloc Party record is a great record. You can tell that it comes from the heart, it comes from the soul, it comes from instruments. It doesn't come from a computer. And that, to me, is a beautiful thing when you can do that."
Hook feels New Order have done that with Waiting For The Siren's Call, and though he would've liked the new album to be "a lot rougher," he believes it's a worthy addition to the band's legendary canon. The experience of making it also gave him time to reflect on a storied career. "It wasn't until we started to work on this record that we realized we'd been doing it for 28 years. It was a shock."
If there is a secret to such longevity, Hook says he's blissfully unaware. "We are the worst people to publicize New Order. We don't do a thing and this thing just keeps going on. We're very lucky."
And the last thing he's going to do is discourage others from following in his rock star footsteps. "I highly recommend it, kids, if you can do it," he laughs. "Without a shadow of a doubt, it's a great job."
Also Flowers let himself down by having a hissy fit at The Bravery for "stealing their sound" which just made him look like a jealous prick. I think he was probably shit scared after hearing 'An Honest Mistake' his little band may have met their match.
