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4.11 AVERAGE
4.11 AVERAGE
Ahead of reading Peter Hook's apparently massive volume on New Order, I thought I'd check out his book about the early Warsaw and Joy Division years. Personally in the big split between Hooky and Bernard Sumner I had the former down as the villain - perhaps I was wrong, assuaged by personal feelings, thinking what I wanted to think, not giving the self-styled rock god bassist some benefit of the doubt. There's some bitchiness about Mr Sumner in here, painted very much as the McCartney of the group - the selfish, cold-hearted businessman of legend - but also acknowledgement of his genius. There's a lot about Ian Curtis, because obviously there is, and I like the effort to make him seem three-dimensional and real, and doing a better job of it than Anton Corbjin's film, CONTROL, in my opinion. There's always a danger of turning pop stars, especially dead ones, into tortured heroes, but Hooky doesn't do that with Curtis and goes instead for a 'warts and all' approach, which I appreciated.
Another thing that sits well with me is the writing style. Hooky either didn't use a ghost writer, or whoever he employed was skilled enough to stay with the author's tone. The book reads like a pub conversation. It's easy to imagine hearing it from the man himself, rambled over too many pints, that distinctive Salford accent becoming a bit slurred towards the end but distinctive and honest all the same.
Not an unknown pleasure then, but a pleasure all the same.
Another thing that sits well with me is the writing style. Hooky either didn't use a ghost writer, or whoever he employed was skilled enough to stay with the author's tone. The book reads like a pub conversation. It's easy to imagine hearing it from the man himself, rambled over too many pints, that distinctive Salford accent becoming a bit slurred towards the end but distinctive and honest all the same.
Not an unknown pleasure then, but a pleasure all the same.
I laughed, I laughed, I smirked, i got used to thinking in Manc. Then i got I sad. All the while listening to Joy Division and getting so much a deeper appreciation for the talent and techniques iwthin.
Not a perfect book or autobiography, but a perfect one for fans of New Order and/or Joy Division. It was way way funnier than i expected. Extremely visceral, you feel like you are on tour with them or in Hooky's shitty van.
Sure theres random editor notes thrown in to add some structure, timelines recapping the-story-thus-far, but it overall adds to a satisfying comprehensive experience. Sure its not the complete story, but i think it captures energy and magic of the band and the time they were coming of age in.
I'm greatly looking forwad to reading the rest of Hooky's tell-alls.
Not a perfect book or autobiography, but a perfect one for fans of New Order and/or Joy Division. It was way way funnier than i expected. Extremely visceral, you feel like you are on tour with them or in Hooky's shitty van.
Sure theres random editor notes thrown in to add some structure, timelines recapping the-story-thus-far, but it overall adds to a satisfying comprehensive experience. Sure its not the complete story, but i think it captures energy and magic of the band and the time they were coming of age in.
I'm greatly looking forwad to reading the rest of Hooky's tell-alls.
Hooky oh Hooky.. this book managed to make me laugh till my stomach hurt and nearly cry as well.
Hooky, aka Peter Hook, needs no introduction. He is the bassist of Mancunian bands Joy Division and New Order, bands who have managed to make music spanning from the darkly gorgeous tones of Atmosphere and Shadowplay to the fluorescent crystalline tones of Blue Monday and Fine Time (lovely song btw).
He covers Joy Division's history from its early inception as Stiff Kittens and Warsaw; also adding in humourous ( if somewhat far-fetched stories) anecdotes about his bandmates, up till the tragic death of Ian Curtis and Joy Division.
Hooky is a brilliant curator, although the book, in all honesty, does tend to lean towards painting Bernard Sumner as a wimpy whiner and Hooky himself as long-suffering. I'll definitely be looking forward to reading Barney's acount of Joy Division.
Hooky, aka Peter Hook, needs no introduction. He is the bassist of Mancunian bands Joy Division and New Order, bands who have managed to make music spanning from the darkly gorgeous tones of Atmosphere and Shadowplay to the fluorescent crystalline tones of Blue Monday and Fine Time (lovely song btw).
He covers Joy Division's history from its early inception as Stiff Kittens and Warsaw; also adding in humourous ( if somewhat far-fetched stories) anecdotes about his bandmates, up till the tragic death of Ian Curtis and Joy Division.
Hooky is a brilliant curator, although the book, in all honesty, does tend to lean towards painting Bernard Sumner as a wimpy whiner and Hooky himself as long-suffering. I'll definitely be looking forward to reading Barney's acount of Joy Division.
I've been a book rut.
I had been reading this one for months and it was sluggish to say the least. I felt like Hook made too many references to bands I've never heard of, clubs that were just names, SO MANY PEOPLE, rather than try to communicate the era to someone who didn't already know everything about it.
After months (and unfruitfully traveling to Alaska with this one!) I put the book down, read something else, and when I back picked it up, it was incidentally a turning point in this one and I couldn't put it down. So, Something like 2-3 stars for the first 1/2, 5 stars for the 2nd half and I'll be generous here and average it up to four because the book design is fantastic, black edge painting and all.
I had been reading this one for months and it was sluggish to say the least. I felt like Hook made too many references to bands I've never heard of, clubs that were just names, SO MANY PEOPLE, rather than try to communicate the era to someone who didn't already know everything about it.
After months (and unfruitfully traveling to Alaska with this one!) I put the book down, read something else, and when I back picked it up, it was incidentally a turning point in this one and I couldn't put it down. So, Something like 2-3 stars for the first 1/2, 5 stars for the 2nd half and I'll be generous here and average it up to four because the book design is fantastic, black edge painting and all.
Not a fan of Peter Hook before, still not a fan. But I'll say that, in spite of some weird choices with pacing and structure, his bloke-y lad style of writing actually makes for a decently engaging and digestible book. Worth a read.
dark
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
reflective
medium-paced
A great, lucid walk through a fascinating band and time. Hook's writing style and voice is very seductive.
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced