Ian Curtis
Singer. Different person to everyone. Touched by the hand of God.

Tony Wilson
Director of Factory Records. Genius. Wanker. Nothing in between.

Rob Gretton
Joy Division and New Order Manager, and Director of Factory Records. Haçienda was his brainchild.

Alan Erasmus
Factory Company Director and friend of Wilson

Lindsay Reade
Wilson's first wife. Later manager of the Roses for a while.

'You cunt.'
Wilson and Gretton were making friends with each other at the bar. Erasmus was playing pool with Lindsay.
'You fucking cunt.'
A scrawny young lad, at the other side of the pool table. Intense, intense eyes. And a voice on him.
'You're a fucking cunt.'
'Interesting opinion,' answered the local celeb. 'Is he a friend of yours?' to Gretton, who was leaning sideways on the bar.
'He's our lead singer,' said Gretton.
As his lead singer moved past the pool table towards the bar, Wilson recognized the crazed frontman from Warsaw. Ah, yes.
Ian Curtis stopped his advance a few inches short of Wilson's nose. Never one for violence, of any sort (complete bloody wimp since primary school), Wilson shrank into himself.
'Do you think he's going to hit me?'
Gretton let the question hang in the air. Gretton was the impeccable personal terrorist. He liked 'situations' and his lead singer was putting the TV man into a situation.
A silence, then a phrase.
'You cunt.'
'Yes, you've said that. A little sarcasm was restoring Wilson's sang froid.
'The shit you put on telly and you don't put us on. You fucking cunt.'
Wilson was about to explain that there were limited slots, that there was a queue, but that in fact he had already thought that the next band he should slot into his Granada Reports music collection was the Warsaw lot. But excuses and promises dried up as the staring eyes of Mr Curtis moved away. Relief was sighed. Gretton smiled to himself. That was his kind of lead singer. That was his lead singer.

From 24 Hour Party People, by Tony Wilson.
Click here to buy a copy

Sean Harris
Anton Corbijn
Guitars and Other Machines
Shooting the Past
 

Touching From a Distance,
Deborah Curtis and Jon Savage
 

From Joy Division to New Order,
Mick Middles

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