So many words over the past week. Probably the finest words I've read on the subject are in Today's Times, from my idol Peter Saville. I'm choking them back, again...
“Calling him Manchester’s Mr Music is a generalisation that doesn’t do him justice. Pete Waterman – who is a genius – is Manchester’s Mr Music. He’s interested in tunes; Tony was interested in feelings and how they were articulated through youth culture. Whether it was an Ian Curtis or a Shaun Ryder, or in recent years a young rap group called Raw T, Tony felt that the voice of young people was important and occasionally manifested itself in great art.
“Tony was affectionate towards people and there was loyalty, as well as a frank dismissiveness if he’d fallen out with somebody . . . he didn’t have enough time for Tony Wilson, let alone for friends. But 20 years after he and I first met, we were having supper together somewhere and he didn't need me any more and I didn’t need him. And we were still there. We realised that we were actually, after all, friends.”
It's fine to look back on what Tony did. Saville's words here support how I feel, that we wouldn't have seen another JD, NO, Mondays or (god forbid) Raw T out of Tony. His great great collaborations with Saville are ours forever, but I doubt that particular collaboration would have bourne more fruit. He'd moved on from that - was onto other stuff. The development of the Pennines, for christ's sake. I feel the most regret about not seeing what he would have done in the future. His legacy is secure, cast in stone. But what are we MISSING?
We're all gonna miss you, Tony.
