Claude Flowers - New Order+Joy Division

Copyright 1995 Omnibus Press
This edition 2012 Omnibus Press
(A Division of Music Sales Limited, 14-15 Berners Street, London W1T 3LJ)

Edited by Chris Charlesworth
Cover & book designed by Michael Bell Design
Picture research by Nikki Russell

EISBN: 978-0-85712-760-0

The Author hereby asserts his / her right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with Sections 77 to 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

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Photo credits:
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The shadow of my sorrow. Lets see, tis very true. My griefs lie all within and these external manners of laments are mere shadows to the unseen grief which swells with silence in the tortured soul.

There lies the substance. Richard II, Act IV, Scene ii

Bernard Sumner, Steve Morris, Gillian Gilbert and Peter Hook.

I may have heard New Order on Long Islands new wave radio station WLIR before 1982 (we still called it new wave back then), but I didnt actually know it was New Order until I sat by the radio one autumn night, dying to find out who had performed this great song about, Ooh, youve got blue eyes, ooh, youve got green eyes, ooh, youve got grey eyes. Jennifer Califano, the girl Id had a massive crush on at the time, had just moved to Levittown with her mom, and this wonderful song expressed just how I felt. Unfortunately, the DJ hadnt announced the title of the cut. so I spent the next year or so hunting around for anything with the name New Order and stuff about eyes on it. First I ended up getting some bizarre 12 single designed to look like a floppy disc, then I heard this song called Age Of Consent from the album Power, Corruption And Lies, which made me forget about the eyes thing for a little bit. I took all my record coupons down to the local Record World store and exchanged them for one of the prettiest looking LPs I had ever seen. I laid on my bed with the window cracked open, listening to music of a kind I hadnt heard anyone do before.

Then came an article in the original Creem magazine, from when Creem was funnier than shit and theyd get Sting or somebody to chew on a Boy Howdy can, and the article was all about New Order. They looked, in the picture at least, like an odd bunch of characters because they were all dressed informally and sitting on top of cases of beer, except for one dark-haired fellow who stood in front of the others and whom I presumed to be the lead singer. The name Joy Division cropped up. I heard Love Will Tear Us Apart on the radio. Another record to hunt for.

I learned that the eyes song was called Temptation and bought a New Order EP with Temptation on it, but this was a different version from the one I liked. Found Love Will Tear Us Apart. Found Temptation. Bought a Joy Division tape called Closer and I swear that two songs into it, I thought I was gonna puke. Really. Something about it was just off. I put that one away.

Low Life came out. Brotherhood. I saw New Order in concert for the first time and thought Id seen God. Tried Closer again and this time I could take it. Other songs started sounding really good: Transmission. Novelty. Ceremony. Began looking for more clippings, more records. Never had the dough to get the really valuable ones, but my stepfathers friend Jack Guy told me about this incredible Joy Division live album hed seen in Bleeker Bobs with this sturdy, hard cover on it. Jack didnt know if it was a bootleg or not. I wanted to know more. Think about doing a fanzine, then decide on a book. Fit it in around work and college. Long-distance phone calls. Waking up at ten in the morning, going to bed at dawn the next day. Folks worried cause they say Im listening to all this I want to die stuff. I play them Isolation. Whew, hard to get happy after that one.

I think New Order, Joy Division, and their satellites Revenge. Electronic, and The Other Two have created some of the best music ever written. When they suck, they suck big time, and right now I think Republic is really sucky (in five years time I might reconsider; Ill get back to you on that one), but when they hit the mark they make me glad and they make me cry and they make me excited. They make me grateful that Ive spent over a decade of my life listening to their music. If I could go back in time to any period at all Id go to May 17, 1980 and throw the fucker who would have killed John Lennon under a train, then Id knock on Ian Curtis front door, give him a big hug and tell him its all alright. Why dont you talk it out with Debbie and Hooky and Barney and Stephen and Rob and Tony and everyone else who loves you? Youre okay. Dont be a doofus, man. Were gonna need you.

Then Id make sure I got Jennifer Califanos address before she moved.

Joy Division on the streets of Stockport, July 1979: Bernard, Ian Curtis, Peter Hook and Steve Morris.