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Was John Lennon a Joy Division fan?

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Noticed this in this week's NME (with Noel G. on the cover) the "Tales from the NME Archive" section features a transcript of one of John Lennon's final interviews with Andy Peebles from Radio One.

"...[Lennon] confessed to having listened to Joy Division, Wire, and the B52's."

Interesting to know!

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Cool!!! Thanks, mate! :thumb:

Now I wonder if Elvis heard Anarchy In The UK...

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Dunno about that but he was apparently a massive Python fan and used to do the sketches like any redblooded fan.

"this parrot is dead thangyaverymutch"

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I think the King would've been more concerned about where his next deep fried banana and peanut butter sandwich was coming from than listening to Johnny Rotten snarling out a number! :laugh:

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Steve Campbell wrote: Dunno about that but he was apparently a massive Python fan and used to do the sketches like any redblooded fan.

"this parrot is dead thangyaverymutch"

Could be the hand made films connection, harrison, (one of the board of hand made films) was an extra in life of brian, but you wouldn't recognise him.

Perhaps after curtis hung himself, lennon thought, "death!, what a great idea, I'll try that", and arranged to get himself shot. You never know.

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Alistair wrote: Noticed this in this week's NME (with Noel G. on the cover) the "Tales from the NME Archive" section features a transcript of one of John Lennon's final interviews with Andy Peebles from Radio One.

"...[Lennon] confessed to having listened to Joy Division, Wire, and the B52's."

Interesting to know!

well that's last weeks nme, but wish you'd posted it up before tuesday - would have got an extra point in the pop quiz!

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no he was just pissed off yoko couldn't do artwork that good for him.

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That is interesting, considering that everything I've read about Lennon during the punk period had him appreciative of it, but never really rating much of it (I believe in the Coleman biography he said that it "wasn't anything more than what he'd done during the Hamburg days", though I think that may be from another book now that I think about it). :shrug:

I always wondered if John kept up with the music scene in Britain, especially after the Pistols broke and came to the States. Is there anymore to this, or is it just the quote? I may have to go and get the Coleman book again (though for some reason the copy at my library has a few pages missing) :thumb:

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steve dolan wrote: no he was just pissed off yoko couldn't do artwork that good for him.

He was probably more pissed that she wouldn't let him out of the house. :p

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well i actually remember that from the time it was issued,but i seem to remember "can" being mentioned also. probally only natural that he would have been listening to the new music of the time,didnt mean he was a fan though.

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I think in Lydon's autobiography the famous photographer whose name I forget talks about mentioning the punk stuff to Lennon but that Lennon didn't have a serious response to much of it. He was pretty into his family man stage by '77,'78, so I doubt he had much time for punk, even if it resonated for him a bit personally.

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JV wrote: I think in Lydon's autobiography the famous photographer whose name I forget talks about mentioning the punk stuff to Lennon but that Lennon didn't have a serious response to much of it. He was pretty into his family man stage by '77,'78, so I doubt he had much time for punk, even if it resonated for him a bit personally.

He pretty much cut himself off from the world following the whole immigration battle with the Nixon White House, so I wouldn't be surprised if he avoided any "angry music" like the punks were making. But if he listened to and knew who Joy Division were, that's frigging cool.

Again, I'd love to see more of Lennon's views on punk (and JD) if there's anything out there :nod:

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There is nothing more mentioned in the article aside from the quote I've already posted :( A shame, I too would've liked to have known what Lennon thought of the whole punk/post-punk movement and Joy Division in particular. The article mentioned that during his "dad" years raising Sean he travelled to Hong Kong and Bermuda regularly, which is where he heard the bands quoted (?)

Personally, I prefer Lennon's solo material to McCartney's. Macca's come out with an awful lot of horseshit (and still does) both on his own and with Wings. Lennon's catalogue is by no means perfect but stuff like Jealous Guy and Instant Karma are great tracks, he had alot of potential and I suspect he would've dabbled in new musical genres (like electronic) a hell of alot more than Macca and his tedious pub/nostalgia-rock (The anonymous ambient music side project doesn't count).

It would've been extremely interesting to know what Lennon would've thought of Macca + U2 murdering Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band at Live 8, mind you that song was Macca's baby to begin with so perhaps he wouldn't have given a shit?

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I am quite sure that JD/NO did not and still does not connect with anyone from the 60's be them Beatles/Lennon/McCartney, Stones, etc.

Punk and Post-Punk which JD/NO is or was is just a fart in the wind to their interests.

I will find it hard to imagine that Mick Jagger or McCartney would want to have anything to do with Barney or Hookey or Steve because of the amount of money and power and prestige by the power that be are accorded to them (knighthoods, corporate sponsoring, etc.). JD/NO in their eyes is "small beer" and unless there was a dollar to be made by them someway/somehow, there would be no contact whatsoever by that decaying mob towards "our boys".

It is they reason why Beatles, Stones, Doors, etc. of the 60's are irrelevant today. The monied detachment.

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interesting, but i don't know if just listening to JD would have made him a fan. it would have been interesting to see what direction he would have taken after double fantasy, to see if there was any JD influence.

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I posted an almost identical thread to this last year.

I bought one of those Q Specials for a fiver, which was a John Lennon special.

The quote used in the original post of the thread by Ally was also in the Q feature, but it didnae go into any details, I have searched high and low for the Peeble interview, it is available but Joy Division are not mentioned, the remark was done off record as far as I know.

It's good to know Lennon had a bit of taste.

If Ricardo's about, I'm sure he'll find the link to my thread, there were a few good contributors to that thread as well :thumb:

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Greg Levay wrote: I am quite sure that JD/NO did not and still does not connect with anyone from the 60's be them Beatles/Lennon/McCartney, Stones, etc.

Punk and Post-Punk which JD/NO is or was is just a fart in the wind to their interests.

I will find it hard to imagine that Mick Jagger or McCartney would want to have anything to do with Barney or Hookey or Steve because of the amount of money and power and prestige by the power that be are accorded to them (knighthoods, corporate sponsoring, etc.). JD/NO in their eyes is "small beer" and unless there was a dollar to be made by them someway/somehow, there would be no contact whatsoever by that decaying mob towards "our boys".

It is they reason why Beatles, Stones, Doors, etc. of the 60's are irrelevant today. The monied detachment.

The Who toured with The Clash. :skeptic:

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Bill Haley at a London airport, 1977, about punk rock:

  • I think everything's gone too far.

(Maybe not quite exact).

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Greg Levay wrote: I am quite sure that JD/NO did not and still does not connect with anyone from the 60's be them Beatles/Lennon/McCartney, Stones, etc.

what about VU or the stooges?

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This thread reminds me of something I was going to post on here about a month ago but forgot. So half-following on from Lennon....

Watching Joy Division/New Order get inducted/induced(??) into the Hall of the Kids From Fame last month and performing in front of lots of legends that go back to the 60s, New Order did kind of stick out as the oddballs not connected to anybody else there. You had a great big back slapping fest between The Who and The Kinks and Black Sabbath and Pink Floyd and so on. I wonder how many of them even know who New Order are. At the moment it seems like everybody who formed in the last 10 years is citing New Order as a major influence and Godlike geniuses. Quite right too. But I don't think I've ever heard/read of any pre-punk bands ever saying anything about JD/NO, good or bad. Do 60's rockers not mix with younger musicians or are they all still stuck in the 60's with their past glories?

Actually, thinking about it, Bowie is about the only one who keeps up, but I can't ever remember a comment about JD/NO.

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Greg Levay wrote: I am quite sure that JD/NO did not and still does not connect with anyone from the 60's be them Beatles/Lennon/McCartney, Stones, etc.

Punk and Post-Punk which JD/NO is or was is just a fart in the wind to their interests.

I don't agree that they didn't connect.
I've read in a couple of places that Mick Jagger was the one who posted bail for Sid Viscious's murder charge in New York. Although it was probably done just to seem cool with the kids...

And I'd like to think that Lennon was a fan. He was progressive like that.

My first post, and it has nothing to do with NO! How inappropriate! ;)

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New Order did something different at time in music history when the rest of the world was busy trying to sound like Roxy Music and Bryan Ferry. The reason they don't tend to "glom" in with any particular lot is since their influences were so disparate.

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Lennon discussed punk/post-punk in an interview-- I'm fairly certain it was that last interview in Rolling Stone. I particularly remember him saying something about Yoko's influence on music, with the B-52's sounding a lot like her.

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HaciendaThat wrote: This thread reminds me of something I was going to post on here about a month ago but forgot. So half-following on from Lennon....

Watching Joy Division/New Order get inducted/induced(??) into the Hall of the Kids From Fame last month and performing in front of lots of legends that go back to the 60s, New Order did kind of stick out as the oddballs not connected to anybody else there. You had a great big back slapping fest between The Who and The Kinks and Black Sabbath and Pink Floyd and so on. I wonder how many of them even know who New Order are. At the moment it seems like everybody who formed in the last 10 years is citing New Order as a major influence and Godlike geniuses. Quite right too. But I don't think I've ever heard/read of any pre-punk bands ever saying anything about JD/NO, good or bad. Do 60's rockers not mix with younger musicians or are they all still stuck in the 60's with their past glories?

Actually, thinking about it, Bowie is about the only one who keeps up, but I can't ever remember a comment about JD/NO.

Sort of what I was driving. Hit it right on the head. JD/NO ain't and will never in a way will connect with 60's types. It is oil and water just as I hate the sactimonius hippie types that have become the establishment and have to perpetually kiss their monkey asses and their causes and tastes. JD/NO blows these guys up in my mind.

Hacienda That put it spot on!!

I wonder what all the schtick and God-like genius push is coming from (Warner perhaps). Like them to see them win a Grammy just to jape in front of those 60's dinosaur types eventhough they are running close to 50 themselves (Barney soon to be 50:D

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Alistair wrote:

Personally, I prefer Lennon's solo material to McCartney's. Macca's come out with an awful lot of horseshit (and still does) both on his own and with Wings. Lennon's catalogue is by no means perfect but stuff like Jealous Guy and Instant Karma are great tracks, he had alot of potential and I suspect he would've dabbled in new musical genres (like electronic) a hell of alot more than Macca and his tedious pub/nostalgia-rock (The anonymous ambient music side project doesn't count).

When i was a kid i listened to my Father's copy of "Imagine" and the title track blew me away, a song i treasured in my heart until i was about thirteen. Then one day, i decided to listen to my Father's copy of the John Lennon/Yoko Ono album "Wedding Album", the only thing i remember about it was a "song" called "John & Yoko" where John and Yoko said "John... Yoko... John... Yoko..." for about 20 extremely painful minutes, it almost destroyed my love of music and i will never forgive those two for putting me through such torture.

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