Last week we caught up with Peter Hook to discuss his upcoming Australian tour and his ongoing feud with founding New Order and Joy Division bandmates Bernard Sumner and Stephen Morris. Scheduled to tour Joy Division’s Closer just a month after New Order play Future Music without him, Hooky took some time to outline the semantic hangups he has with “New, New Order” and suggest some alternative band names they might operate under instead. We’ll publish the full interview next week but in the meantime check out Hooky’s most potent quotes below.
On playing a full record instead of a set: “I was looking at New Order’s set list, you know, the New New Order, New Older as I call them, and it was quite odd to look at their set. The way they’ve put together a greatest hits type thing, I mean, I enjoy more exploring the record, I couldn’t get my head around a set and it really actually freaked me out to think about it…”
On his relationship to New Order’s music: “I feel very difficult with New Order these days because of what the others did. The relationship to the music is the same because I love New Order’s music and I love New Order as a concept. Unfortunately my relationship with the people is probably damaged forever to be honest. What they did to me to resurrect New Order is frankly disgusting in my opinion and that will never change. They should not be playing as New Order without me. They are not New Order. They’re doing the exact same thing that I’m doing only I don’t call myself Joy Division, I celebrate Joy Division’s music without the members of Joy Division. And I think people need to realise that. I think that if Bad Lieutenant had been a success Bernard wouldn’t have had to big up New Order, to be honest. It’s just in the name of financial reasons not artistic.”
On his relationship with Bernard Sumner and Stephen Morris: “I would love nothing more than to give them my blessing but the way they went about doing what they did from a business point of view, with regard to my interest in the company that is New Order, is the most shocking and disgraceful way of doing business I’ve seen in my life. And I’m still fighting it now.”
On New Order’s legacy: “New Order did pioneer something that has become the norm [merging rock and electronica]. But I still think the awesome power of New Order is in songs like “Leave Me Alone”, “Age Of Consent” and “Sunrise” – acoustic songs. That takes real balls and I must admit it was one of the things that saddened me about New Lieutenant or Bad Order or whatever they call themselves was that they put songs like “Age Of Consent” through sequencers. When you listen to it it doesn’t work – for me at least. Maybe I’m too much of a purist.”
CLOSER 2012 TOUR
Peter Hook & The Light
Thursday 12th April 2012 @ Melbourne, Palace Theatre.
Friday 13th April 2012 @ Brisbane, Tivoli..
Saturday 14th April 2012 @ Sydney, Enmore Theatre
Monday 16th April 2012 @ Adelaide, HQ Complex
