Am I missing something here? Mr Hook is touring music that he made a major contribution to. Nobody's saying that he claims total ownership of it, and, as has has been said many times previously, if you don't want to go, then don't go.

If I was responsible for a tenth of the music that he helped to produce, I'm pretty sure that I'd want to play it for as long as I could. And, let's face it, what chance would there have been of hearing the majority of the JD material played live ever again, if he hadn't?

I'm 50 and I work in IT. My closest link with JD/NO is that I used to be friends with the drummer in a band who suported them once.

I've booked next Monday off so I can go to Hooky's book signing in Manchester. I am buying three additional copies for colleagues at work (and a fourth if my brother can afford one too), and whilst I was busy drumming up additional Hooky sales, I got to thinking. If he has a minute (and I maybe hope he won't because of the volume of people turning up), what can I ask him?

I saw JD supporting Buzzcocks in 1979 (my first gig). I waited until after midnight for NO to come onstage at the Manchester Ritz in 1981. I got three points on my drving license for speeding while driving back from NO in Doncaster in 1985. I froze my pods off waiting in the snow to go into Blackburn King George's Hall one winter. Hooky snarled at me as I managed to touch his bass whilst he was playing it at his 40th birthday bash at the Witchwood Pub in Ashton-under-Lyne.

I've been to Macclesfield on May the 18th on a number of occasions. My first 12" single was "Atmosphere", which I bought from Piccadilly records with my first grant cheque (remember those?) in 1980. I ruined a pale blue T-shirt by hand painting a "Temptation" design on it, in the style of the "Movement" cover, but added "FAC65" instead of "FAC63". I could have sold my next effort, a "Blue Monday" t shirt (this time with the correct catalogue number) a dozen times over at the Friday night Manchester Polytechnic disco in 1983. I nearly got in a fight because I wouldn't sell my newly acquired 7" of "Ceremony" at a party in 1981.

So many memories of the last 34 years driven by a record label and a band, albeit in many incarnations.

So, to my question. I finally decided it was going to be "When are you going to tour "Movement"? And then, when I opened my email, I found, to my delight, that he was. I haven't seen any of the Unknown Pleasures/Closer/Still concerts, and I'm not ashamed to say I LOVE "Movement". Not long after, I received an email from one of the lads at work, who'd already booked his ticket, and so now I'm going too. I've only been there two months and I've already found 4 JD/NO fans. I gives us something to do when we're not writing, testing and deploying software!

In the meantime, my eldest son (15) asked me the other day "Have you heard a song called Isolation by Joy Division, Dad?". My youngest son, who's 9 puts "Transmission" on repeat in the car and sings "Dance, dance, dance, dance, dance to the radio" and so, I'm taking him to see Hooky on Monday too.

However, I don't have a question any more, as the one I had has been answered. So, if Hooky has 10 seconds, I'm just going to say exactly what I'd say to Bernard, or Gillian or Steve if I was fortunate enough to meet them.

"Whatever way you choose to do it, you're keeping my memories alive. Thank you".

Enough said?

Edited by user 27 September 2012 12:47:02(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

I just don't think Hooky is doing HIMSELF any credit trawling through the NO back catalogue while NO, such as it is these days, is still a going concern. I think he's better than that and the pettiness (on both sides to a degree) disappoints me personally.

I invest a lot (I don't mean cash although there is that too) in the bands and artists that mean a lot to me - follow someone long enough and it almost becomes an extension of yourself. Maybe it's unfair to put our heroes up on a pedestal like that. They are flawed like the rest of us. I'll never lose my appreciation of Peter Hook, his musical achievements and the part he has played in enriching my life personally. But I don't respect what he's doing right now and that saddens me.

I do however totally respect what you are saying. Hooky enjoys playing live and he makes plenty of people happy. It's a free world, each to their own etc. But seeing your kids get enjoyment from listening to one of your favourite bands is surely one of life's greatest pleasures. That, and sharing with them how much the music and memories mean to you, is how you pass on a legacy!

I can see your point Pete. I went to see him play UP in Paard van Troje in The Hague and Closer in Melkweg, Amsterdam.
What i saw was a guy fully enjoying playing his songs, giving the audience everything he could: a 21-song set in The Hague and a 26-song set(!!) in Amsterdam!
He must have been exhausted at the end but still excused himself for having to leave the stage after 3 encores!!
I totally loved these gigs and whilst one could argue his vocal qualities, he shuts down that discussion for me because of his energy and passion coming from the stage!
Me, i never saw JD play, so to get the opportunity to hear the songs that i love so much being played by one of the guys who wrote them, is something that i am truly thankful for!

As Norbert said being interviewed by a Lokeren newspaper: "Their music is the soundtrack of my life!" I couldn't agree more.
Last summer was a highlight for me: taking my 2 daughters to Lokeren to see New Order(one of the shittiest concerts i attended but nevertheless).

As i don't see the new New Order play songs like Hurt, In a Lonely Place or Thieves Like Us, i would love to see Hooky performing them (which he probably will considering all the 'extras' he threw in at the UP and Closer gigs).

Here's hoping he's gonna do the Movement-PCL gigs in Europe as well!!

I can't wait for some more dates by Barney's band

Personally, I dont care what he does. I think that P,C & Ls is going to sound fucking shit and nothing like how New Order would perform it but it doesnt bother me that he's doing it. He has rubbed some fans up the wrong way though over different things, and he could really do with some sort of media advisor to at least make him think about how some of his comments are going to come across to the wider populace. In my opinion, New Order are winning the hearts and minds battle hands down by saying very little wheras Hooky blunders into each interview effing and jeffing like some sort of football hooligan.

Well, I'm glad at least that I've provoked a response of some sort. I can't see why Movement should be anything less than phenomenal, and whilst I understand people's reservarions about PCL, I would point them in the direction of NO's recent rendition of 586 and Hooky's reworking of Blue Monday at OxJam.

If I wanted to hear things sound exactly the same as the originals, I'd save my money and stick the CD on (always assuming that I could prise the youngest away from Transmission, of course!)

And yes, my post may well be more of a collection of memories as against a well structured defence, but I think my point still stands. He wants to play and I want to listen. God forbid that it might actually be a good night..!

Maybe meet some of you on Monday at HMV?

Haven't got a problem with him doing PCL and Movement, i'm not going because it doesn't interest me, simple as that.

The problem i do have with him is how he continually says New Order split up when actually he just left.How is that splitting up? Like he is the only one who is qualified to split New Order up. If i was in a band but then quit that band how on earth could i then going around saying the band i was in had split up?

It gets more and more bizarre with each interview, I know he is just winding the journalist up but that is plain daft..

Yes, you are.

I won't rehash what I have said before. If he wants to play the songs he can. And if I want to think Hookys idea of touring those records is bonkers, I can.

That must be a wind up, he is 25% of a band whilst the others are 75%