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Tony Wilson RIP

post #1 of 14
8/11/07 at 4:34am
Thread Starter 
http://uk.news.launch.yahoo.com/dyna...ml&e=l_news_dm

And if you asked 'Tony who? then you know Jack about music.
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post #2 of 14
8/11/07 at 11:29am

Re: Tony Wilson RIP

sorry but i said it.
i read the bio and said it again.
i'm not a music scholar but i wouldnt say i know jack about music.

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post #3 of 14
8/11/07 at 7:46pm

Re: Tony Wilson RIP

Quote:
Originally Posted by andrew markworthy

And if you asked 'Tony who? then you know Jack about music.

Andrew,
Sorry to learn you've lost someone who meant so much to you.
I read the obit and now realize that I don't know Jack about music.
I have heard of "24 Hour Party People".


Next time one of my musical heroes croaks, I promise not to be all smug if they're not in your sphere of expertise.
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post #4 of 14
8/11/07 at 9:00pm

Re: Tony Wilson RIP

I'd heard of him, but it wasn't until The Stone Roses hit the scene that I did...and they weren't on his label. If memory serves, his label had some big artists which were, for the most part, not hugely popular here in the US.

I think most in the US who haven't heard of him, have certainly heard of New Order...but would have had little exposure to Tony Wilson otherwise. He certainly wasn't a household name here in the States that I know of, and to be honest, the only reason I became at all familiar with him was because The Stone Roses were somewhat on the outside of that scene in relation to Tony Wilson and there were some negative things written at the time about the Roses as not being authentic Manchchester or "Madchester" artists.

Sad to hear of his passing. He was an influential and creative force in music.
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post #5 of 14
8/12/07 at 1:43pm
Thread Starter 

Re: Tony Wilson RIP

I think I came on a little strong with that one. However, the guy was one of the prime movers in the Brit punk/new wave scene and had a vast influence well beyond the groups he personally managed. Accordingly, he was reviled in the UK. I recall sitting next to him at a Durutti Column (v. unfairly portrayed in 24 Hour People) concert and various drunken nobodies in the audience felt they had the perfect right to come up to him and abuse him (*really* offensively). However, without him it's arguable that British new wave would have stalled and remained a minority interest. Maybe music would have been better without, oh let's see ... the Sex Pistols, The Clash, Elvis Costello, The Police and similar acts. But somehow I doubt it.
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post #6 of 14
8/12/07 at 2:39pm

Re: Tony Wilson RIP

Andrew, why was he reviled? Was it resistance to the type of music he was helping to usher in? Personality?
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post #7 of 14
8/12/07 at 7:09pm

Re: Tony Wilson RIP

Personality, I'd imagine.

The BBC have a great summation of the impact Tony Wilson had on the British music scene - of course, the bands mentioned may not be that well known sales wise on the US side of the Atlantic, but bands like Joy Division, the Happy Mondays & New Order, and the Hacienda nightclub definitely had an impact on the US music scene.
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post #8 of 14
8/13/07 at 12:46pm

Re: Tony Wilson RIP

A lot of his acts were around when I was in college, so I was familiar with them, but they were far from mainstream in the US. He's not so well known over here.

On the other hand, this is a great excuse to re-watch 24-Hour Party People, which is a GREAT flick. (Also a good time to give his commentary track another listen.)
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post #9 of 14
8/14/07 at 3:11am
Thread Starter 

Re: Tony Wilson RIP

Quote:
Andrew, why was he reviled?
He had one of those cocky, smug personalities that got up a lot of people's noses. He was also highly opinionated. But having said that, arguably these qualities were needed to do what he did.

FWIW, I lived in Manchester for most of the eighties, and the influence of TW was everywhere in the music scene. Given that he was also a presenter on the local TV news station (and a good one, too) didn't exactly diminish his presence. When the Stone Roses came along and New Order had gotten fairly formulaic, I lost interest and started exploring sixties music. I used to go to an excellent second hand record shop every Saturday. There was often a scrawny kid hanging round the place. It's a shame I didn't get his autograph, because it was Noel Gallagher (Oasis). Indeed, the record shop (Sifters) gets a namecheck in one of his songs.
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post #10 of 14
8/14/07 at 7:00am

Re: Tony Wilson RIP

Quote:
Originally Posted by andrew markworthy
http://uk.news.launch.yahoo.com/dyna...ml&e=l_news_dm

And if you asked 'Tony who? then you know Jack about music.

Well, I also asked, so by your criteria, I don't know Jack. I may not know Jack, but I do have a fair knowledge of 60s rock music.
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post #11 of 14
8/14/07 at 7:08am

Re: Tony Wilson RIP

Quote:
Originally Posted by Marty M
Well, I also asked, so by your criteria, I don't know Jack. I may not know Jack, but I do have a fair knowledge of 60s rock music.

no need to pile on andrew at this point.
did you read post #5, he did take it back.
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post #12 of 14
8/15/07 at 12:07am

Re: Tony Wilson RIP

Tony has arrived, he got his own New York Times obit in Wednesdays edition:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/15/ar...es&oref=slogin
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post #13 of 14
8/15/07 at 5:44pm

Re: Tony Wilson RIP

Quote:
Originally Posted by andrew markworthy
He had one of those cocky, smug personalities that got up a lot of people's noses. He was also highly opinionated. But having said that, arguably these qualities were needed to do what he did.

FWIW, I lived in Manchester for most of the eighties, and the influence of TW was everywhere in the music scene. Given that he was also a presenter on the local TV news station (and a good one, too) didn't exactly diminish his presence. When the Stone Roses came along and New Order had gotten fairly formulaic, I lost interest and started exploring sixties music. I used to go to an excellent second hand record shop every Saturday. There was often a scrawny kid hanging round the place. It's a shame I didn't get his autograph, because it was Noel Gallagher (Oasis). Indeed, the record shop (Sifters) gets a namecheck in one of his songs.

Yes, I'd agree that a cocky smug personality would practically be a prerequisite to do what he did.

I wonder if Noel Gallagher was obnoxious even back then...I saw him once, quite a few years ago, walking down the street in NYC and yelling at his umbrella boy (seriously) as they walked. By far one of the funniest things I've ever seen. There's Noel Gallagher walking in the rain, with an umbrella boy holding the umbrella for him, and Noel is yelling and demonstrating how to hold the umbrella properly. I couldn't understand a word of it, but it was totally clear what was going on.
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post #14 of 14
8/16/07 at 10:27am

Re: Tony Wilson RIP

According to an obit/article in one of the major swedish newspapers (http://www.dn.se/DNet/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=2198&a=680859), when he saw 24 HPP, he complained to his friends of Steve Coogan's portrayal of him: "I appear a pretentious twat", to which his friend replied:"but you ARE a pretentious twat".
He was responsible for a large part of the music that meant (and still means) a lot to me, and without him, the 'new wave of dance music' that was acid may never have appeared. I don't think his indfluence can be over-estimated.
In addition to 24 HPP, I also recommend Tristram Shandy, a Cock and Bull Story, by the same director. In this, the main character, played by Steve Coogan, is interviewed, out of character, by a journalist, ie Tony Wilson, who makes references to his acting in 24 HPP.
Sounds complicated? Wait till you see the whole movie
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