PETER HOOK & THE LIGHT Interview

http://www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be/en/interviews/peter-hook-the-light/

Introducing Peter Hook feels a bit like having to explain what a bass guitar is... Over the years he has scored so many hits and written tons of important tunes with Joy Division and New Order, it is like reading the A-Z guide of popular music. After leaving New Order, Peter is currently touring with his new band The Light and performaning the Joy Division debut album 'Unknown Pleasures'. On July 24th Peter Hook & The Light will play at the Shadowplay Festival in Kortrijk and he kindly agreed to answer a few questions...

Peter, you are a really busy man these days, playing lots of concerts and finding the time to record, what have been your personal highlights so far in 2011?

Well we’ve just returned from touring Brazil which was absolutely fantastic, wild, great crowds. I had a lot of bad memories from playing there with New Order just before we split up (they were the last gigs we ever did) so it was nice to dispel those memories and replace them with new ones with the light.

You released an EP “1102 / 2011” of Joy Division songs with your new band The Light, was it obvious from the beginning, which songs you'd chose and can you tell us a bit more about the, so far, unreleased song 'Pictures In My Mind'?

It was found on a stolen rehearsal tape and sent back to me by an American member of, what we call, the Joy Division Bootleg Society. I swear I had never heard it before which has made me wonder how many more there are out there? Ian always had a thing that you should finish off every track you did, so I just finished it off for Ian really.

How have the reactions been so far?

On the whole very good but it depends on who you ask. I didn't do it for reactions really. I wanted to show how good Rowetta is and how how great her performances of these songs are.

You mentioned already in other interviews that you want to record new material with The Light, have you already recorded some demos of new songs?

Not yet. The band have some ideas but I am reluctant because you dont sell records and it's very hard to recoup the expense of recording.

In the 1990's when New Order were on hiatus, you formed Monaco with David Potts, lately there was talk about possibly re-issuing both albums in the future, any news on that and can we hope for some unreleased Monaco material?

Yes. It's yet another thing on my to-do list, Pottsy is now in The Light as he is standing in for our guitarist whose about to have a baby. It's a small world really.

What always seemed a bit strange to me, why fan favourites like 'Age of Consent', 'Dreams Never End' or 'Sunrise' never made New Order's setlist again after the late 1980's?

Because Barney wouldn't play them!

Have you ever thought about what New Order would have turned into, if you'd been selected as vocalist in 1980?

The mind boggles. What a good question.

Last year, you released a book on the legendary Hacienda, how's work coming along on your proposed Joy Division biography?

I'm presently about half way through the writing. it should be coming out in the autumn of next year (2012).

You have played concerts almost everywhere, is there still any city / country you'd love to play that to this day you haven't?

Beirut!

Your first non-UK Joy Division concert way back in 1979 took place in Brussels, was there a special atmosphere [no pun intended] around that trip?

Yes many of us had never been abroad when we played that gig. It was extraordinarily exciting. Those were great days really for all of us!

On 24th July 2011, you'll play the Shadowplay Festival - any expectations about the gig and what can the audience expect / hope for?

Well we’ve been very well received wherever we’ve gone and people seem to be really enjoying what we do as The Light. We re-interpret some of the tracks but with the “Unknown Pleasures” album I’ve tried to stay as faithful to the album as possible. It's an honour to be doing it and I have to say having been nervous initially. I’m now really enjoying it, in fact I feel guilty about how much I am enjoying it. As The Light ,we’re doing our best to keep the memory of Joy Division burning brightly for years to come!

Peter, thanks so much for taking the time to answer our questions, last word belongs to you, any message for our readers?

They should buy records and buy books or otherwise there will be none in the future.

Thanks for sharing this!

It seems Peter Hook set his mind that no one buys records and hence any new recording is fruitless. But look at young bands, some of them just start and have a narrow fanbase, yet they record good songs. Mind you, their audience is very young, meaning they are prone to download rather than to buy but somehow they manage to forge on. There should be just more work into it. Band's websites, concerts, little extra things here and there, but not $600 special edition books (although if it works, too, why not). I'm not an expert, but everybody in music world is in the same boat as you nowadays. Just saying like.

Great piece, a pity it was so brief. Was Hooky responding by text?

Ermmm.. not wildly impressed.

The Light seem a quickly put together ensemble following the four year hype/debacle that was Freebass. Both are an example of Hooky's lack of being able to write a good song, and his need for cash. So the 'everyone steals it off the net' thing is getting a bit long in the tooth for me.

You have to write a good record if people want to a) steal it, or b) buy it.

I'm delighted he wants to make loads of cash going round the colonies. Good luck to him. I remember the days when he was progressive.

Pottsy is now in The Light as he is standing in for our guitarist whose about to have a baby. It's a small world really.

I had no idea...maybe it is such a small world though. It's a bit sad he doesn't seem to want to record new material much (besides collaborations) but whatever makes him happy.....

linus sulanki wrote: http://www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be/en/interviews/peter-hook-the-light/

You mentioned already in other interviews that you want to record new material with The Light, have you already recorded some demos of new songs?

Not yet. The band have some ideas but I am reluctant because you dont sell records and it's very hard to recoup the expense of recording.

In the 1990's when New Order were on hiatus, you formed Monaco with David Potts, lately there was talk about possibly re-issuing both albums in the future, any news on that and can we hope for some unreleased Monaco material?

Yes. It's yet another thing on my to-do list, Pottsy is now in The Light as he is standing in for our guitarist whose about to have a baby. It's a small world really.

quote]

A) I'd love to hear new stuff by the Light, they're great live but it's always 30-year-old songs. I think the prob is that Hooky is (by his own admission - check the OTP2.0 sleeve-notes) not a fantastic lyricist - JD was Ian, NO Bernard, Monaco mainly Pottsy??? The one time Hooky took over main songwriting duties was probably Revenge, easily the worst album from the NO stable - the songs're all over the place and trying too hard, it wasn't till 14K and It's Quiet that they became more fiocussed... Anyway I'm sure if the Light did release stuff it'd be bought, we bought BL didn't we?! I did anyway. There are still those of us who love the physicality of releases - think of those lovely 80s 12"ers... B) Last I read on the Monaco repackage was Hook was having trouble buying the rights back (2 record labels!). Shame, I'd be up for this too, Monaco weewee all over Revenge.

linus sulanki wrote: http://www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be/en/interviews/peter-hook-the-light/

What always seemed a bit strange to me, why fan favourites like 'Age of Consent', 'Dreams Never End' or 'Sunrise' never made New Order's setlist again after the late 1980's?

Because Barney wouldn't play them!

I'm sure i read a while ago that hooky was thinking of doing movement next. The first song would be good obviously but what would be the point of playing New Order songs? Seems very odd to me. Even if we get to hear all the songs Barney wouldn't play.

If he does Movement he might as well play the first track and then leave it at that. The rest of it is pretty shit, really.

linus sulanki wrote:

Peter, you are a really busy man these days, playing lots of concerts and finding the time to record, what have been your personal highlights so far in 2011?

Well we’ve just returned from touring Brazil which was absolutely fantastic, wild, great crowds. I had a lot of bad memories from playing there with New Order just before we split up (they were the last gigs we ever did) so it was nice to dispel those memories and replace them with new ones with the light.

This is interesting, I seem to vaguely recall some rumours about problems during that tour, but I couldn't find any confirmation as all the reports were on how fantastic the gigs were and then there was the interview bombshell at the end of the tour. So did anyone notice that something was wrong during the SA tour or beforehands, or before or after it? Because let's face it, WFTSC was seriously below par as well, I noticed it, most of my young friends whom I tried to indoctrinate into NO said it wasn't very good, obviously there was something wrong, but atmosphere here was so positive you'd think they were at their peak?

Just to clarify, I meant that there were problems during the NO tour of '06, not the recent the Light tour, which seemes to have been a very enjoyable one :).

Hope Jack could clarify what really happened here someday... but he won't ever

Big Mouth Julio wrote: Hope Jack could clarify what really happened here someday... but he won't ever

It's not Jacks place to say what happened, mine niether, you will all get Bernards point of view in his book when he get's round to it, and then you will get Hookys when he does his book, and somwhere between the two will lie the truth....

Big Mouth Julio wrote:

linus sulanki wrote: http://www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be/en/interviews/peter-hook-the-light/

What always seemed a bit strange to me, why fan favourites like 'Age of Consent', 'Dreams Never End' or 'Sunrise' never made New Order's setlist again after the late 1980's?

Because Barney wouldn't play them!

Barney has said, repeatedly, that he doesn't like playing some of those old songs because they are out of his current vocal range and strain his voice.

However, given that Barney was constantly playing the melody of The Perfect Kiss on his synth during Blue Monday at the end of the 2005 tour, you can probably bet that TPK being part of the setlist for the 2006 gigs was his doing.

Zachery Starkey wrote:

Big Mouth Julio wrote:

linus sulanki wrote: http://www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be/en/interviews/peter-hook-the-light/

What always seemed a bit strange to me, why fan favourites like 'Age of Consent', 'Dreams Never End' or 'Sunrise' never made New Order's setlist again after the late 1980's?

Because Barney wouldn't play them!

Barney has said, repeatedly, that he doesn't like playing some of those old songs because they are out of his current vocal range and strain his voice.

However, given that Barney was constantly playing the melody of The Perfect Kiss on his synth during Blue Monday at the end of the 2005 tour, you can probably bet that TPK being part of the setlist for the 2006 gigs was his doing.

I can only speculate, but maybe some older songs were written either too low for his voice or too high. Of course, you might be able to arrange the song, but still, maybe that is a possibility as to why those older songs weren't always on the setlist. This is just my guess---we will never know the truth.

It's worth noting that TPK on the 2006 tour is several keys lower than the original, meaning pretty much any track from the Low-life/Brotherhood period would have to be set in lower keys.

An early example of this is "Paradise" from Reading '98.

Old Lead Foot wrote:

Big Mouth Julio wrote: Hope Jack could clarify what really happened here someday... but he won't ever

It's not Jacks place to say what happened, mine niether, you will all get Bernards point of view in his book when he get's round to it, and then you will get Hookys when he does his book, and somwhere between the two will lie the truth....

My thougts exactly, but it would be nice to get some sort of truth out of any given bandmember earlier than that...

Zachery Starkey wrote:

Barney has said, repeatedly, that he doesn't like playing some of those old songs because they are out of his current vocal range and strain his voice.

However he sings JD ones that fit his vocal range even less, old NO sogs could probably be tweaked the same way.