Tony Wilson died yesterday after a battle with cancer. Factory records were personally hugely influential for me, the Madchester scene of the early 90's was one of the things that attracted me to Manchester. He signed bands such as New Order, The Happy Monday's, Northside, commisioned Peter Saville to do some stunning design work and then launched the Hacienda.
He was such a purist that gave artists such as Joy Division total creative freedom. This meant he made no money and on record's such as New Order's best selling 12 inch 'Blue Monday' he lost money on every record sold.
I saw him a few time in town, buying coffee in 'Love Saves the Day' - he'll be missed.
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Ben, that's sad news. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. The Ian Curtis biopic "Control" is doing the rounds in NZ Film festivals at present.
Posted by: Paul Fromont | August 12, 2007 at 11:50 PM
Totally echo your sentiment mate. discovering acid house was such a significant moment in my youth, so i feel i have so much to thank wilson for.
Posted by: phil | August 14, 2007 at 10:29 PM
Tony's bands were also a big influence on my life. I love New Order and Joy Division
I was a regular at the Hac in the early 90s and boy was that a party!
Posted by: Paul Cooper | August 21, 2007 at 01:18 AM