Hook has discussed the band's legacy with BBC Radio 4. He said, "We were the Manchester post-punk poets. Ian was a fantastic lyricist and a wonderful, wonderful frontman. I think he's just an inspiration to people, especially when they're at an age where they're looking for something in life."
He continued, "I've become an ambassador, if you like, not only for Manchester but for Ian. Ian was such a wonderful man. He was caught in a mental illness that he suffered from greatly and couldn't control. I suppose just do [my] little bit to show how good he was, what a nice guy he was, what normal human being he was and how, with a little bit of help, you can get through anything... He was only 23, same as me, and it was an unbelievable thing to do through. I've lost many friends since and seen people lose friends, so you just try to do your little bit [to help] if you can."
Addressing the notion of his former band's music being regarded as "gloomy", Hook added, "I never found [Joy Division] gloomy because I found it intensely exciting, intensely exotic and very, very moving... I just played in Mexico last week and we had four thousand people, most of them aged 18-21, and they weren't gloomy, they were going bananas."
