'About a joy' Peter Hook interview

Hooky interview

Before New Order split – and we’ll get to that in a moment! – it actually felt okay not to celebrate anything to do with Joy Division because your mind was concentrating on something else. But when we went our separate ways the first thing that occurred to me was, ‘Hang on, why are we almost airbrushing Joy Division out of history?’ It actually seemed quite sad.

I don't really think NO ever tried to 'airbrush' JD out of their history; maybe they were reluctant to do a lot of JD songs earlier in their career because they wanted to focus on NO and their new sound. But it wasn't 'airbrushing' or a denial.

They were happy to go into the studio, but not to play, which was very frustrating because I enjoyed both.

I don't know the band, so I cannot say much, but maybe touring, as much as it's necessary (financially and such), isn't always fun or easy. People can have different reasons why they want to go in the studio, and only do some touring. I can't judge others for liking one or the other though.

The truth is the group’s bigger than all of us.

I agree.

The thing is I’m still taking legal action against them because of their excluding of me and the business antics they’ve done to seize the New Order name. I think it’s despicable, I think it’s cowardly, I think it’s wrong and I will fight them to prove that.”

Sad that legal action is in action.

Gillian was not in the band from 1990 onwards; Steve took a real back seat. It was me and Bernard who did all of Get Ready, and most with the producer of Waiting For The Siren’s Call. When that songwriting partnership split I felt the band was over.

Gillian left sometime around 2001, not 1990. I cannot say how much who did what on what album, but to act like she contributed hardly anything since 1990 until the time she left (for family reasons as we all know), I think is a bit harsh.

It was such a relief to realise that people like Paul who runs the Ordsall Juniors are making an effort to change kids’ lives and show them that there is hope. That’s why we got involved as the Hacienda in sponsoring them. Rob Gretton and Tony Wilson always used to say to me, ‘Give a lot back because people have given a lot to you’ and I stick by that.”

Fair enough.

They were happy to go into the studio, but not to play, which was very frustrating because I enjoyed both.

I don't know the band, so I cannot say much, but maybe touring, as much as it's necessary (financially and such), isn't always fun or easy. People can have different reasons why they want to go in the studio, and only do some touring. I can't judge others for liking one or the other though.

which brings us back to the democracy issue bernard mentioned, the rest of the band wanted to focus on studio work and hooky didnt and he couldnt live with that or as mani does when primal scream are at a halt gig with other bands. he feels he bigger than the group and you cant have that

“In the early days of New Order it was our manager Rob Gretton that held the reins and was the dictator,” Hooky reflects. “Then when Rob had his near-breakdown it became Bernard, Stephen and Gillian who were the dictators because they stopped you working. You had a band that were really popular and yet three of the people in it didn’t want to work."

Now everyone's a dictator except for Hooky?

Andy wrote: “In the early days of New Order it was our manager Rob Gretton that held the reins and was the dictator,” Hooky reflects. “Then when Rob had his near-breakdown it became Bernard, Stephen and Gillian who were the dictators because they stopped you working. You had a band that were really popular and yet three of the people in it didn’t want to work."

Now everyone's a dictator except for Hooky?

I find it hard to believe that Gillian would be a 'dictator' type. 😕

With 2 strong personalities in the band maybe the Other Two took Bernard's side in times of conflict. A power struggle between Hooky and Bernard would have forced them to take a side and they took Bernards? Possibly Gillian was not that fond of performing live anyway and being on tour with a bunch of self confessed piss-heads could have been a strain at times for her...

(unless of course she was the biggest piss-head of the lot )

They were happy to go into the studio, but not to play, which was very frustrating because I enjoyed both.

yet they're having a great time touring just now, I wonder why

The truth is the group’s bigger than all of us.

and three quarters is bigger than one quarter

I didn't read it by the way, just read your quotes and seen enough

The truth is the group’s bigger than all of us. Bad Lieutenant has just been out for five years playing New Order and Joy Division music and got nowhere. Bernard changes the name to New Order and all of a sudden they’re headlining festivals again.”

He really is a wanker - 5 Years? thought it was 2 maximum and the set was 70% BL material. Wouldn't say they got nowhere, the album was ok and at least it was something new unlike what he is doing!

“Most people going to see them know they’re just pretending to be New Order,” he charges. “It’d be like me calling myself Joy Division – that’s the way I look at it

Thats the way he sees it because his gigantic fucking ego has been well and truly dented. People have gone to those gigs and enjoyed them even though he wasn't around.

The JD comment is just laughable, he was the bass player, thats it Peter! Bernard is the singer/songwriter of New Order playing with 2 other members of the original line up.

Why the fuck doesn't he just shut up and move on

surface wrote: The truth is the group’s bigger than all of us. Bad Lieutenant has just been out for five years playing New Order and Joy Division music and got nowhere. Bernard changes the name to New Order and all of a sudden they’re headlining festivals again.”

He really is a wanker - 5 Years? thought it was 2 maximum and the set was 70% BL material. Wouldn't say they got nowhere, the album was ok and at least it was something new unlike what he is doing!

a spiteful vicious wanker at that, and i dont know if bad lieutenant did that badly to be honest and you would give them a chance when its new material

Before New Order split – and we’ll get to that in a moment! – it actually felt okay not to celebrate anything to do with Joy Division because your mind was concentrating on something else. But when we went our separate ways the first thing that occurred to me was, ‘Hang on, why are we almost airbrushing Joy Division out of history?’ It actually seemed quite sad.

Oh, so I guess opening the show at Wembley in October of '06 (I was there) with SIX Joy Division songs is "almost airbrushing them out of history"?

Cheers for posting, good interview I thought. Looks like Lost sirens is a long way off being released

The Shadow wrote: Cheers for posting, good interview I thought. Looks like Lost sirens is a long way off being released

I know...for me, the more it's release is delayed, the more I'm curious to hear the songs. 😈

Always preffered Nu Ordah live

Well maybe the 1990 quote could be a misquote, but still it'd be interesting to see what happens, about the legal action.

Really sick of him.