Interview date: 03.03.2013
On 22 March 2013 we’re in for something really special – Ljubljana’s Kino Šiška will host a Joy Division celebration (more about the event here), where original band member Peter Hook and his band The Light will play the legendary album Unknown Pleasures in full. RockLine had the honor of talking to the warm-hearted and chatty Peter Hook.
RockLine: Hey! First of all, I’d like to thank you for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I’m thrilled that we get to host such a fantastic musician in our interviews. But I’d like to start with a slightly easier question – how are you? What have you been up to these days?
Peter Hook: Hey! I’m doing great, thanks for asking. Right now I’m enjoying what’s left of my free time before the tour. I still can’t fully relax though, I’ve got so many things to take care of! Argh!
RockLine: What’s spinning in your player these days? Which newer artists would you recommend to our readers?
Peter Hook: I’m actually listening to an incredibly wide mix of music at the moment – from dance music to rock! Let’s see… I’m really looking forward to the new David Bowie album, I can’t believe he’s putting out another one! I’m sure it’ll be great. I was also really happy when I saw that Iggy & The Stooges are putting out a new album too – I heard their new track yesterday and it’s ripping! The Stooges have obviously gone back to their »old-school« rock’n’roll roots. I also listen to newer artists a lot, like the band Nova Nova from France, who I recently collaborated with, playing bass on the track »Low Winds«, which is coming out soon!
RockLine: What do you think of today’s alternative rock scene, and of the electronic scene (especially this »degenerate« kind of electronica, like Guetta’s music and so on)? Do you listen to any new underground electronic music (especially since you’re considered a pioneer in both fields – Hacienda, the Madchester scene…)?
Peter Hook: Well, I think it’s a bit unfair to call Guetta degenerate – he’s very good at what he does, he knows exactly how to please his target audience. As for me, I listen to new electronic music all the time – people are constantly handing me their demo CDs when I play gigs or DJ. I listen to every single one of those CDs, it’s really interesting to hear all this new stuff. For everything we like, we’ve also set up Hacienda Records, and we put those demos on our site. There’s loads of great stuff, like Super White Assasin or Humanizer, and we also have music from artists who were on Factory, like Section 25. Website: www.fac51thehacienda.com
RockLine: How would you comment on the whole post-punk revival scene, on bands like Interpol and Editors, considering how popular the scene became in the new millennium?
Peter Hook: Well, everyone’s always telling me how bands like Editors and Interpol sound like Joy Division – and they say it in a tone like I’m going to dislike the bands because of it… but I actually like both of them a lot. I get the Joy Division comparisons, but in my opinion they’re still totally their own thing. I especially like Interpol, Paul Banks is a great songwriter – I love his new solo album. Actually, I like all the bands from that genre – Interpol, Editors, White Lies and so on… and they’re all great live.
RockLine: Moving on to the more controversial stuff – how do you get along with the members of New Order, especially Sumner and Morris? What actually went wrong? How do you see the band’s latest tour? And what would Ian Curtis say about all of this?
Peter Hook: Sadly, we don’t have any relationship anymore, neither personal nor professional. We’re actually in the middle of a really long and frustrating legal battle where there’s no progress whatsoever… I strongly oppose the business side of the so-called »reunion«, and that’s what I’m fighting against. They do say I want to stop them, that I don’t want them to play, but that’s not true – I’ve been trying to get them to play for 30 years! All I’m seeking is legal means for dealing with their business decisions. My view is that this latest tour of theirs isn’t a New Order tour, even though that’s what they call it. All they’re doing is traveling around the world looking for the festivals that’ll pay them the most for the same old »greatest hits« show… as for Ian, he’d say we’re all just ridiculous, daft old men!
RockLine: And what do you think of Lost Sirens, the latest New Order release? Especially considering that you recorded the tracks before the breakup… were you involved in the release in any way? Probably this is part of your legal battles too. Did you want the songs to be released? Is the album any different now from how it was back then, does it feel forced in any way?
Peter Hook: That’s right, Lost Sirens is finally out – I have to admit, I felt a huge sense of relief! I’m glad people will finally get to hear it. The tracks were recorded back in 2005, at the same time as Waiting for the Sirens’ Call – they’re basically the songs that didn’t make it onto that album, so we wanted to put them on the next one – so that’s really all that’s left of the real New Order! Kind of sad, since it also marks my end with the band. Still, for me it’s the last New Order release. The others can keep playing as New Order, but they’re not, and they never will be, and if they put anything out in the future, it won’t be New Order either! I always wanted these songs to come out, even though some people say I was against the release. That’s not true! The label’s to blame for it coming out so late. I think the album is really good – it’s got some outstanding tracks, especially the opener – »I’ll Stays with You«. It’s lovely to listen to, because it reminds me of the good old days, when we in New Order weren’t fighting yet.
RockLine: Since I mentioned Ian Curtis earlier – I’ve always wondered what his real role in Joy Division was. Was he only the lyricist, or did he actually contribute to writing the songs? How did the creative process in Joy Division work, and who did the most?
Peter Hook: Ian was the real leader of the band. He was the one who made sure we were always ready, he was the one who held us together in the worst of times. Of course he was an incredible lyricist – I only fully grasped the greatness of his poetry now, singing his songs on this tour. But Ian wasn’t just a lyricist, he was a kind of composer too – he’d listen to me, Steve and Barney jamming, and when he thought the moment was right he’d say »keep going with that« or »do that bit again«, and that’s how the songs came together. But it wouldn’t be fair to say that any one of us did more than the others, we all had to graft to bring Joy Division to the status it has.
RockLine: After Ian’s death, did you want to carry on with the band? Did you perhaps have that secret wish yourself (which has now manifested itself in Peter Hook & The Light)?
Peter Hook: When Ian passed away, we were all still incredibly young and naive. We didn’t really know how to come to terms with his death. The natural thing for us was to carry on as Joy Division without Ian. And that’s what we did – just with new ideas and a new name. New Order was born.
RockLine: In your new book you hint that the problems between you started back in the Joy Division days, so the late 70s, especially between you and Sumner. Do those problems play a part in your current feuds?
Peter Hook: Well, until recently Barney Sumner was my oldest friend. We met at school, we were about 11 years old! There was obviously some kind of special bond between us, but just like any friendship, ours had its ups and downs, its good times and bad. Sometimes he was great to get along with, other times really difficult. It’s probably a bit like a marriage where the love has gone. So Barney and I drifted apart, until we went too far. Now it looks like everything between us is over. Of course I’m very sorry, because we went through a lot together, but that’s life.
RockLine: All these little, interesting tidbits around Joy Division are always fascinating. Is that scene from the film 24 Hour Party People, where you let Stephen drum on the roof, real? And how did you like the film overall? What about Control?
Peter Hook: Haha, yeah, the bit about Stephen drumming on the studio roof is completely true, you could say it was just one of Martin Hannett’s very special recording techniques! Otherwise I really liked the film, it’s a very good film, very funny. It gives a very lighthearted look at Factory Records. Control is a completely different film, very serious, and of course it focuses on Ian Curtis’s personal life. I think Anton Corbijn did a fantastic job, which doesn’t surprise me, since he was always around us and knew us well from the Joy Division days.
RockLine: Peter Hook & The Light. Why, when and where?
Peter Hook: Well, the whole thing started in May 2010 – there was supposed to be a concert in Ian’s hometown of Macclesfield to honor him – in the end the whole thing fell through. 2010 was a special year, since it was 30 years since Ian’s death. In the end I took it all into my own hands, pulled a band together and put on a concert in Ian’s honor at my club The Factory in Manchester. It sold out really quickly, so we added another night… and from that moment on we’ve been invited all over the world – I can’t believe where I’ve been – Mexico, Brazil, Russia, everywhere! And now we’re coming to Slovenia!
RockLine: There’s a Canadian post-punk/post-rock band called Sofa, which was active in the 90s on Constellation Records (Godspeed You! Black Emperor and so on). They played a few »tribute to Joy Division« gigs around America on various Joy Division anniversaries – these gigs were organized by American labels and the like, they were official »tribute to Joy Division« shows. The band’s singer is called Brad Todd and his voice is incredibly similar to Ian’s. There’s very little info about this online. Maybe you know something about it, about the band or the events? (here’s one of their songs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70lafnadvlc)
Peter Hook: Well, that sounds really interesting! No, I haven’t heard of either the band or those events. But it’s really nice that people get organized and keep the music alive, it’s a lovely way of preserving the memory of Joy Division, and above all of giving the band’s fans a great chance to hear their songs live. I’ll look into it a bit online… maybe next time we’re in Canada, Brad can sing with us!
RockLine: Are you working on anything new in the near future?
Peter Hook: Yeah, I’ve got loads lined up – playing gigs with The Light, then planning a new tour where we’ll play the first two New Order albums – I’m really looking forward to that. I’m also getting ready to write my third book, which will be about New Order. I’ll also be collaborating with various artists, like the aforementioned Nova Nova. And of course, one day I’d like to start making completely new music with The Light too, we already have a few demos, which is a great foundation to build on.
RockLine: Well, let’s talk about this new book on New Order – will it be spicier, more controversial? I’d say it could be. Can you tell us anything about it?
Peter Hook: Yeah, it definitely will be, like you said – because the Joy Division story is the good, beautiful one, when it was all about and for the music, and the typical rock clichés like drugs and girls didn’t spoil anything – that’s exactly what spoiled New Order! Haha… it’s going to be a very different story from the Joy Division book.
RockLine: Do you know Slovenia at all? Maybe you know the band Otroci Socializma, which has often been called »the Slovenian Joy Division«?
Peter Hook: Well, it’s actually pretty strange, I’ve never played in Slovenia, so I don’t know much about it! We’ve played Slovakia three times with The Light, but Slovenia not yet! I’m already looking forward to Ljubljana, though. I don’t know the band, but I’ll definitely google them.
RockLine: Do you have any (famous) last words for us?
Peter Hook: Keep it up! And thank you.
RockLine: Thank you.
