What are the band like in person?

Anyone ever met them like outside of regular fan signing type event things? If so, what are they like? Esp Bernard and Hooky.

I met Hooky once at a Monaco gig. He might have been having a bad day, but he was pretty rude and made me wish I’d never approached him.

I guess it must sometimes be annoying having people approach you when you’re not in the mood. However, he was hanging out front of stage at a Monaco gig prior to his set; on his own, having a beer. Probably not the best place to avoid New Order fans (he was quite likely to have people approach him). I was polite and friendly and not at all gushing. Yet he was really arsey and rude.

Kind of put me off him a bit (daft, I know). I knew he had a bit of a reputation for being awkward / belligerent at times, but it still kind of hurt.

Also saw Gillian once and really, really wanted to go and see her but she was with family, so thought it best not to disturb.

Met Tony Wilson once. Very friendly and happy to chat (obviously 😀 ). A great guy.

Saw Rob Gretton once, but didn’t speak as he looked busy.

Have met all of them couple of times, very nice and kind, the most friendly was Hooky but overall they were nice

I met Hooky in 2000 before a Monaco gig through a mate who knew Twinny.
He had a few drinks with us (vodka, lime & soda) was a really nice bloke and didn't mind how many people came up with stuff for him to sign or requests to get on the guest list. A young Jack and his sister Heather were knocking about too, adding to the friendly vibe.

Seems such a long time ago given everything post-Sirens, but there you are.

I met Rob once in the Britons Protection. He was pissed but in good form.

Hooky had a reutation for being a cunny to fans but he's the opposite now. I asked a sound engineer for the Light about that and he said, 'Yeah - it's since he stopped taking coke.'

I must have caught him on a bad day.

Or maybe I’m a complete, obnoxious twat and don’t know it...

Cutie pie https://www.vamp.org/Siouxsie/Text/kdeyoe.94/0195.html

perspexorange wrote: I must have caught him on a bad day.

This makes me feel old but... I remember Smash Hits magazine doing a feature on artist fan clubs: Details of their address, what you get if you sign up etc. For New Order I think they gave the address but not much else. The next issue a reader wrote in to say he had sent an enthusiastic letter to New Order and then got a reply scribbled on the back of his envelope from Hooky. It basically said: Fuck off, we don't have a fan club, don't send demanding letters like this. I think Smash Hits then contacted NO and indeed had confirmation that they thought the fan letter was out of order so responded acordingly. I am of course paraphrasing this story, it dates back to about 1985, so um, don't sue me for libel Hooky!

Well Smash Hits was mostly aimed at teenagers and I suspect the fan in question was guilty of nothing more than enthusiasm - something that most artists would perhaps recognise and appreciate. But not Hooky! So maybe it's not just you Perspex Orange, maybe it was him.

I suspect you can find this story online either in Rock's Back Pages, which you have to suscribe to (googling: smash hits new order fan club letter Hook shows me the cached words: ""WE GOT a letter last week," Peter Hook, the bearded and occasionally belligerent bass player, the one who answers all New Order fan mail, is ...") Or somewhere in these Smash Hits scans But I'm too lazy to find the definitive link.

hooky compared to Bernard is more friendly, after seeing them for the WFTSC tour in NYC, hooky came out to meet everyone there were like 10 of us, after seeing Hooky and light shows in the last couple of years he has come out and signed mostly everyone's autograph, very nice I thought of him after performing for 2 hours and still have energy to sigh that many autographs, he even once invited me back stage for like 1 minute signed his guitar string package and gave it to me, Gillian and Steve are very nice also. I think in the recent years they have become more nicer

I’ve posted these before on these pages......

Met hooky back in 1990 as part of Revenge. Really sound bloke, watched England vs Germany semi finals before he would play. I was only 17 then so a bit nervous my mate spoke to him more but he was really sound and signed everything you stuck in front of him.

Met Stephen and Gillian at a cold cave/ factory floor gig at Deaf institute back in 2009. Spoke for about half an hour and they then called me over as they left for another chat. Cannot speak highly enough of them. I think it made it better it wasn’t a new order event so they were very relaxed and nobody else seemed to know who they were. Spoke to Gillian’s sister for ages thinking it was Gillian! I was a bit stoned to say that he least.... she does really look like her though. meting those two is my favourite celebrity moment.

Met Bernard at BL gig and shook his hand... also went to book signing he did but mind went blanksaid something crap and went on my way.

I met Hooky, when I was 18 at Newcastle Riverside to see Revenge. My Dad dropped me off really early, and I was in the venue by myself. Went for a piss and who walks in but Hooky. Took me to the bar and got me a pint of cider and autographed my T-shirt. He was dead nice.

Met Wilson twice but was recovering from a really heavy weekend and felt a nervous wreck. He was just really flamboyant and funny.

I've spoken to Barney three times and each time he's looked utterly bored and miserable. Sure he's not like that all the time though.

The Shadow wrote: Spoke to Gillian’s sister for ages thinking it was Gillian!

She gets that quite a lot, I understand, but always takes it in good spirit.

I happen to live in the same village as Bernard and Hooky. I bump into Bernard now and again but see Hooky a lot as he walks his dogs in the same park as I walk mine. Bernard is always very pleasant and says hello, whereas Hooky is more talkative. The last time we chatted he was explaining how all the sequencer parts for the album tours had to be recreated from scratch. Have met Phil, Gillian and Stephen as well and always find them to be very nice as well.

Mind you, the REAL test of respect for the fans is how you treat them. And judging by Hook's passion and commitment to the Light...

Only one of them i've spoken or exchanged a couple of words with is Bernard.In the Hacienda in 1990 one Saturday night.I walked into the toilet and as i walked in this bloke walked out, just looked like any other 30 something bloke , though cooly dressed and a cool laidback vibe and it was only on second glance i realised it was Bernard Sumner! A musical and cultural genius and icon and hero of mine since the age of 15 and he looked and had the air of a lad just out on the piss on a Saturday night.Later on i was walking up the stairs and he passed me coming down and i blurted out "You're Bernard Sumner aren't you!" and he replied with a barely disguised cheeky look "No it's just my hair- makes me look like him" I left it at that as didn't want to bother him and his mate on their night out.I also saw Mick bloody Hucknall in the Hacienda that night, he was just wandering around on his own.Near the end of the night none other than Tony Wilson walked in, all long rain coat and greeting and shaking many hands and a look of pride as he marvelled at the packed Hacienda.Didn't speak to him or try to shake his hand, just watched him from afar for a little while.

Oh and also saw Bernard in the backstage area at the now long defunct Pheonix Festival near Stratford Upon Avon.Think it was the 1996 festival there,it was only on for a few years (NO of course were booked to play the 98 one before it was cancelled).Anyway, he was drinking in the "celeb" tent with Keith Allen though i didn't want to bother them , my brother and i had somehow managed to blag our way into the backstage area but got bored and went back out front.Come to think of it, didn't Bernard have a second home in Stratford Upon Avon at one time or did i imagine reading that?

Never met the others.

PART 1--
I reported here some time in the past, that after driving 4 hours and arriving at the venue parking lot in Dallas around 4pm, a few seconds later Bernard pops out of the rear exit of the building. So, it is just myself and a guy with an armful of LPs ,who shouts at Bernard, to come over and sign some record albums.

Bernard hollered back that 2 hours previously he had signed those LPs .

The guy pleaded again So Bernard walks over . Then , while signing , the guy asks B to sign with several different pens of various colors . I am looking on wondering if and hoping Bernard would not lose it, , but no, he instead asked me what I want. I thanked him for the massive amount of great songs that contribute to my daily happiness. He said" cheers mate" As he kept signing , i wished i could have given him a cookie or a bit of chocolate , but I did not have any. PART 2 Months later I drove to Austin and there ,a few hours early , parked a few blocks away from the venue . Steve and Gillian were right there walking toward the venue as I put coins in parking meter. I thanked them for the songs and how they contribute to my happiness ,and they stopped briefly and among other topics remembered Peter De Freitas fondly

Part 3-- Months later, I flew to LA, and drove to Santa Barbara.At their hotel restaurant I was enjoying a burger and looked up and noticed Phil and Tom were a few feet away looking thru a telescope at the sea , marina ,etc. and Bernard was several more yards away and i like to think he noticed and remembered me . Tom was kind to give me an orange plectrum with superpowers . So ,they are each most wonderful ,and I hope to thank Peter some day ,too.

So,my advice is -- be polite, offer them cookies or milka chocolate bars , maybe mention beluga whales and narwals -- Bernard 's favourite animals after osprey, puffins , grizzly bears and honey badgers.He likes to collect fridge magnets and enjoys tickling, but less so being tickled

met the 4 plus rob mid afternoon in car cark outside sobell sports centre, 1985. All quiet but pleasant and chatted about tour briefly and hacienda. got autographs on scrap of paper which one day i will frame along with my new order/hacienda concert poster i ripped off the wall after the gig!