Topic: Are Stephen Morris' Joy Division/New Order books good?

[Non Stop Dancer]

Just looking for stocking fillers really. Enjoyed Hookeh's efforts, Barney's felt a bit flat after reading those. I presume Stephen's has got a nice bit of humour to it?

[The Culture Bunker]

I enjoyed it a lot more than Barney's (boring) and Hooky's 'Substance' (which had it's moments, but descended into extreme bitterness).

[imitationleather]

It's amazing that you could live the life Bernard Sumner has and manage to write a dull book about it.

[buzby]

I'm still waiting for the second New Order-centred volume (Fast Forward) to arrive, but the first one Record, Play, Pause, which covers his childhood and Joy Division years was excellent. I wrote a couple of posts about it in the Band Biographies thread in the books subforum here.

Sumner's book Chapter and Verse is more about his childhood than being a 'rock star' so if you are expecting tales about acid and dope-fuelled recording sessions and tour debauchery you will be disappointed. If you know a bit about Bernard and how guarded he is about his personal life then it is of some interest.

Hook's books are full of steretypical rock band studio and tour tales (e.g. laugh uncontrollably as a coked-up Hook headbutts John Robie at the party following the premiere of Pretty In Pink! Giggle along with his affairs with groupies and his guitar tech behind the back of his wife Iris!), and I found the 'Geek Alert' technical descriptions of gear a bit patronising to be honest. The biggest problem is the continual slagging of Bernard and Gillian in the Substance: Inside New Order volume, which gets very tiresome to read.

[PaulTMA]

I enjoyed it a lot more than Barney's (boring) and Hooky's 'Substance' (which had it's moments, but descended into extreme bitterness).

I presume you mean Hooky's isn't bitter in a way you can chuckle to?  Because if it is, I'd give it a go for certain.

[buzby]

I presume you mean Hooky's isn't bitter in a way you can chuckle to?  Because if it is, I'd give it a go for certain.

It's definitely not funny, just increasingly wearisome.

[The Culture Bunker]

I presume you mean Hooky's isn't bitter in a way you can chuckle to?  Because if it is, I'd give it a go for certain.

Not really. As Buzby says, it's tedious and the constant sniping at Sumner and general nastiness to Gillian Gilbert (he makes out she did fuck all in the band bar push some buttons on the kit) really left me with the impression he's a complete tit. Which was a little sad for me, as the man was the reason I took up playing the bass.

[Non Stop Dancer]

I got the audiobook of this and thoroughly enjoyed it, would recommend it to anyone who's on the fence. I particularly like the way it's presented: Read by Stephen and punctuated with original background music and ambient sounds here and there, along with a few snatches of contemporaneous interview recordings. Absolutely can't wait for the new one next month.