Anthony H. Wilson

I'm pretty sick of all the anti-wilson sentiment round here. Of course the man's a pretentious fuckwitt, but his heart, and most importantly his ear has always been in the right place.

I say that without him we would either have no NO at all, or a band so radically different, so utterly record company whipped we would never recognise them.

I remember hearing someone ask wilson something like "did you think blue monday would alienate a core audience demographic" and he took his living end and said "man we never had a thought like that in our lives, maybe we should, but we didn't".

If they'd been with AOL-TW since 1978 (OK it was just TW, AOL still being a twinkle in a malware author's eye), they'd have been gone by 79, or be a rancid chart band.

So my vote on Tony is...he's a cunt, but he's OUR cunt, and prick or not, he gave us our one true passion. He let them do what they wanted, he let them play what they wanted, he let them BE New Order!! And as for the collapse of Factory, we're all far too keen to blame AHW, it wasn't him whop spent the money on drugs and came back with dick to show, it wasn't him who went ot ibiza for 2 fucking years and came back with some drumtracks.

And I will tell you this, if I meet him I will shake his hand warmly, look him square in the eye and say "thank you for the music Tony, you cunt"

I've been sort of defending him for a while now. After all he is only half responsible for all the bad financial investments. The Hacienda was for example built at the insistance of Rob Gretton. He should have at sometime put his foot down and said enough is enough, we're not going to dump anymore money down this hole, instead of enjoying the ride to oblivion (factory).

He is a tit, and the other one is Alan Wise, what a huge pair of tits !

Steve Campbell wrote:

I remember hearing someone ask wilson something like "did you think blue monday would alienate a core audience demographic"

What the heck does the question mean?

But anyway, I agree with a lot of what you say. AHW is fine, he helped a lot of great music to happen, not just JD/NO. Sure, there were lots of balls-ups along the way, but who wants a boring life?

"did you think Digital Mike would walk away from the band" I think it means. it's A+R bollox.

Steve Campbell wrote: "did you think Digital Mike would walk away from the band" I think it means. it's A+R bollox.

Put it this way, none of us would be here without AHW and what he brought to the 24hr party.

gobshite.

but he made a funny comment about the Gallagher brothers the other night on Peel Day.

I still think he's OK. Heart in the right place, even if his head is up his arse.

Doctor Clayhead wrote: I still think he's OK. Heart in the right place, even if his head is up his arse.

Bravo!!

But he's not a cunt. In neworderstory I think it was Hooky who answered correctly "Twat" when asked "What is Anthony Wilson's job?"

Semantics I know. Simon Cowell's a cunt, Anthony H. is a twat. There's the difference.

A likeable twat. With a strong element of twat.

Barcaboy99 wrote: But he's not a cunt. In neworderstory I think it was Hooky who answered correctly "Twat" when asked "What is Anthony Wilson's job?"

Semantics I know. Simon Cowell's a cunt, Anthony H. is a twat. There's the difference.

                                                                                                                 Interesting assessment!  Simon's a big-ass cunt.  However, I like AHW  Heart and ear in the right place when it came to the music but talked a big game, it was like as if he new every thing!

To me he's an angel who saved JD/NO.

he gives NO the element of drama...

TBH, even his pretentious streak strikes me as endearing, cos he KNOWS he's doing it most of the time. You can see a litle switch throw inside his head marked "wanker mode".

Of COURSE some of his crazy ideals caused mayhem, but they were the very same ideals that created, or at least nurtured, the very beauty that draws us all here.

I often muse about what such and such a band would have been like if they'd been on factory and left to their own devices. It's had an effect on the other music I listen to as well, I tend to like bands who give their record companies a nightmare (for creative reasons).Much as I like their music, I like The Orb more for playing chess on TOTP beacuse they weren't allowed to play live. And EVEN more for handing the record company that bought their contract, the most unsaleable album on earth in response to a greasy suit saying "uforb sold 2 million, we think the next can sell 20million". The Factory spirit lives on in some :)

Actually, i see it increasingly rearing it's head in NO again, I think Warner's are in for a tough time :)

And it's all down to Tony ( and Rob, bless him)

I wouldn't go as far as saying he appears likeable, but he deserves the right to be smug after all he's achieved and lost. he was right about mick hucknall you know...............

Definitely not a cunt, bit of a twat, but more of a nob.

A twat.

With so many bags under his eyes it's amazing no one has tried hiding in them.

Digital Mike said...

He is a tit, and the other one is Alan Wise, what a huge pair of tits !

I thought you said tits were ace?

i think that tony wilson should have a street in manchester named after him. it should be called wilson street. this guy put all his money time and sweat into creating the whole manchester thing and moulded what was the dying punk era into a fresh new talented sound. fuck me he gave us joy division new order and a cool indie label with a cool name also the best nightclub in england before night clubs became what there are today. madchester the mondays and he made the north west a banging place to be. nice one tony for all youve achieved well done son.

bondy 05

the happy one

He did, and that's why there's real love in my black little heart for the man. He's STILl a cunt tho :)

Compared to the people i go round with MR WILSON is a very nice man!:D

bondy wrote: i think that tony wilson should have a street in manchester named after him. it should be called wilson street. this guy put all his money time and sweat into creating the whole manchester thing and moulded what was the dying punk era into a fresh new talented sound. fuck me he gave us joy division new order and a cool indie label with a cool name also the best nightclub in england before night clubs became what there are today. madchester the mondays and he made the north west a banging place to be. nice one tony for all youve achieved well done son.

bondy 05

the happy one

He sure as fook made Whitworth Street West the most well-known street(beside the other fictional one cooked up by Wilson's employer, Granada) in Mancland outside of Mancland when the Hac opened, that's a given and most of us know of 77 Barton Street, Macclefield's most well-known house and it's link to all the magic and madness to follow in years beyond it's most famous occupier's premature death.

I've just seen him eulogising about the Streets on Channel Four. Shame, cos i quite like the Streets.

Shouldn't Wilson be presenting Countdown now, or something??

I thought he gave great careers advice in the late 70's. Pity there stopped being any jobs though

Al Jarvis wrote: Really don't understand why some people get on their high horses about him. He's a bit of a cnut, but then I use that word affectionately. Responsible for bringing us some decent music and a half-decent nightclub, and he married a former Miss UK, so he must be doing something right. And he's always charm personified in the flesh. I genuinely like the bloke.

Me too. Most of the slaggers have never met AHW, I would guess. A really interesting and charming bloke, plus you have to respect the fact that he made something as great as Factory Records into a reality. It's easy to take potshots, much more difficult to get out there and do it.

Al Jarvis wrote: Really don't understand why some people get on their high horses about him. He's a bit of a cnut, but then I use that word affectionately. Responsible for bringing us some decent music and a half-decent nightclub, and he married a former Miss UK, so he must be doing something right. And he's always charm personified in the flesh. I genuinely like the bloke.

Me too. Most of the slaggers have never met AHW, I would guess. A really interesting and charming bloke, plus you have to respect the fact that he made something as great as Factory Records into a reality. It's easy to take potshots, much more difficult to get out there and do it.

I do so agree... I've always considered Mr. WILSON as someone cool and a definitive side member of NewOrder, just like dear old late Rob.

Amen :)