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Tony Wilson dies.

I was reminded the other day how much I like music movies. You'll recall I was touting DiG! - the mad film about the rise of the Dandy Warhols and the long slow plateau of the Brian Jonestown Massacre. I'll say it again. Brilliant - watch it.

Another of my favourites is the movie about the Manchester scene of the 1980s: 24Hour Party People. I just read that Anthony Wilson, the man behind some the the best bands (Joy Division/New Order and the Happy Mondays)of the era and founder of Factory Records has died of cancer.

He was one of those rare people who have a real sense of the Zietgeist.

And tonight something equally epoch-making is taking place. See? They're applauding the DJ. Not the music, not the musician, not the creator, but the medium. This is it. The birth of rave culture. The beatification of the beat. The dance age. This is the moment when even the white man starts dancing. Welcome to Manchester. Tony Wilson


I'm having a iTunes Manchester festival (which will segue into a general Britpop thing probably - currently The Stone Roses 'Made of Stone' is playing…very loud.

While you're at go to the video store and get Live Forever. Irony not intended.

"The smaller the attendance the bigger the history. There were 12 people at the last supper. Half a dozen at Kitty Hawk. Archimedes was on his own in the bath. Tony Wilson


(Quotes from the movie 24 Party people)

Comments

  1. Stanley Johnson2:22 pm

    A true original. And a proud Mancunian. What a sad day.

    ReplyDelete

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