The song Joy Division bassist Peter Hook wants played at his funeral
Joy Division was formed in 1976 by Bernard Sumner and Peter Hook, initially as Warsaw. The pair had enjoyed music in their childhood, but the punk scene brought something more, something life-changing. It all started with a historic Sex Pistols gig at Manchester’s Lesser Free Trade Hall.
Like the original Woodstock, where millions of people claimed to have been in attendance despite a capacity of around 500,000, this Sex Pistols gig has been subject to a few fibs. There were reportedly around 40 people in attendance, yet hundreds of people have claimed to have been there in the years that followed.
So, why would people want to claim they were at this Sex Pistols gig in particular? Because, among the 40 in the crowd, was the foundation of the Madchester movement yet to come. Somewhere in the small congregation, Hook and Sumner were joined by the now-familiar faces of Ian Curtis, Howard Devoto, Pete Shelley, Mark E. Smith, Morrissey, Tony Wilson and Mick Hucknall.
In an interview with Far Out earlier this year, Hook picked out the Sex Pistols gig as his life’s most pivotal moment and the beginning of Joy Division. “[It was] for no musical reason,” he said. “It was just about the attitude. The fact that what they were doing was so different. The week before, I’d been to see Led Zeppelin, and that was great; they played fantastically, but they weren’t inspiring – as in, come along and change your life, inspiring. So, yeah, the Sex Pistols spoke to me and said, ‘pack it in’, okay, ‘give up your job, and get out and join the circus.’”
The gig inspired Hook and Sumner to start playing music together. “When I went to see the Sex Pistols, we came out, and I said to Barney [Bernard Sumner], ‘We should form a band’. And he had a guitar already. I didn’t have anything. So he said to me, ‘You should get a bass’. So I went, ‘Right, I’ll get a bass,’” Hook recalled.
He popped down to the local gear shop the next day and asked the manager for a bass. The shop manager handed Hooky a bass guitar and said, “How about this one?” Hooky replied, “No, I said, I’m not having that. It’s only got four strings. My mate’s bass has got six. And he said, ‘Well, that’s because you’re mate’s ain’t a bass, you nob head, it’s a guitar!’”
In true punk style, Hook and Sumner ran before they could walk, teaching themselves to play by ear in jam sessions. This allowed Hook to trailblaze his distinctive bass style, making Joy Division and New Order’s music stand out from the crowd.
Hook now looks back on a legacy to be proud of as he celebrates the music of Joy Division and New Order with his band, The Light. Sadly, his frayed relations with the other members of New Order don’t look to be nearing reconciliation any time soon.
In an interview with NME last year, Hook was tasked with picking out the song he would like to have played at his funeral. One might have expected a punk track – perhaps Joy Division’s gloomy 1980 track ‘The Eternal’ would go down nicely at a funeral – but Hook surprised us with his selection of four songs, landing on a folk-country classic from John Prine as his ultimate choice.
“I’ve actually got four written down,” Hook revealed. “Do you know when you go through a pandemic, and you get a bit maudlin? The four songs are: Steppenwolf‘s ‘Born To Be Wild’, Jonathan Richman‘s ‘That Summer Feeling’, a wonderful song called ‘Poetry and Jazz’ by John Otway and ‘When I Get To Heaven’ by John Prine. That one is just my favourite song. I love the cigarette that’s nine miles long, and I love the fact that the first thing he does when he gets to heaven is form a band.”
Listen to John Prine’s ‘When I Get To Heaven’ below.
