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Peter Hook Reveals All Of New Order Tried Out For Singer

added 13 October 2008 at 15.37

In Part 1 of Xfm’s exclusive documentary series with Peter Hook about the journey of Salford electro/alt piece New Order, the bass king said he, eventual singer Bernard Sumner and drummer Stephen Morris all tried out for lead vocals following Ian Curtis’ suicide in 1980 which demised Joy Division.

Hook said: “We all tried out to be the singer. It’s quite an odd thing now though because I think it’s your ego. Bernard got the job by default because the way the music was evolving, it was easier for him to sing and then play guitar. That’s how a lot of the early New Order stuff is like.

“It was quite natural really. Well it wasn’t natural. That makes it sound easy, it wasn’t easy. He’d be the first to admit that. I suppose you have to be cut out for it, and I think he was. He’s pulled it and he’s done some fantastic things. But I’d rather play bass!”

Hook also spoke about the impact of Curtis’ suicide, which lead to the painful first steps of New Order.

“All of us literally when we left Ian’s wake stood up and went, ‘See you on Monday’. You were like a car with a flat tyre. Without Ian Curtis, you were really, really searching for your place in life again.”

Watch Part 1 of Xfm’s of the New Order documentary here

Tagged as New Order, Joy Division, Interview

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