New Order Information Service

Bernard Sumner pays tribute to Tony Wilson

Bernard Sumner, the guitarist with Joy Division and lead singer with New Order, the band that succeeded it, got married a month ago and Wilson, despite being so ill, attended the wedding. It was the last time Sumner saw the man who he describes as “an eternal teenager”, “an incredible optimist” and a massive creative inspiration. Asked what he would like to say to Wilson, he said: “I’d like to say thank you for completely changing my life and allowing me the opportunity to haul myself out of my working-class background. Thanks for allowing Joy Division and New Order to develop in their own way and letting us retain our individuality. And to do it all in Manchester.”

It was Wilson’s relaxed management style that allowed the bands not to be shackled by corporate demands. “There was a fun side to Tony’s flippancy with money,” said Sumner. “We didn’t have a record company breathing down our necks for hit singles. It allowed us to express ourselves in our own way.”

He said the love-hate relationship that some people in Manchester had with Wilson was just the Mancunian way. “People would like to say they hated him, but they loved him really. It’s Manchester humour: you greet people you like with an insult and you expect one back.”

Thanks to Sugarsnapper for the submission and informations

Excerpts taken from Times Online.
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