News

Behind The New Order Breakup

9:09 a.m. · July 18, 2011 · by Andrew Winistorfer

The Guardian has one hell of a story up now: For the first time, the members of New Order talk about what happened to make them break up after twenty years together. Apparently it comes down to a fight between Bernard Sumner and Peter Hook, and now that Hook is touring with a band that plays Joy Division songs, they're never going to get back together:

'The truth is," says Peter Hook, the bassist first in Joy Division and then New Order, "Bernard's a twat and he always has been."

 

 

"Too many things have been said and done," nods Bernard Sumner, the "twat" of Hook's complaint. "We've spent all our life as an outfit with principles and ideals and what Peter" – Sumner makes a face like some appalling insect has just flown into his mouth – "has done goes against everything we've stood for."

 

So I put Hook's crimes to him. First, the rest of the band has a deep-seated problem with him buying the rights to the name and brand of the Haçienda, the old Factory records nightclub, while he was still working with them. ("The writing was on the wall from that point," Sumner had said.)

 

Hook laughs out loud, and doesn't stop for some time. "That's hilarious! I've been going to weekly Haçienda meetings since 1986 – Bernard's never been to one! Rob Gretton [the band's manager] knew we should buy the name and rights and I gave him £5,000 to do it. No one else was ever interested for 10 years until the first compilation album was released [The Best of New Order, in 1994]. Bernard's not cared about the Haçienda since 1982!"

The story kind of tapers off on the use of the word "twat" from there, but still, it's a hell of a get. Read the whole thing here.