Hi there everyone, just noticed that Steve's new book is on amazon.co.uk - to be published 15 May 2019.

RECORD PLAY PAUSE

"Stephen Morris has had a distinguished career, spanning nearly forty years, as a pivotal member of Joy Division and New Order with his trademark machine-like drumming. After the death of Joy Division's singer, Ian Curtis, in 1980, Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook, Morris and his wife Gillian formed New Order, one of the most critically acclaimed and influential bands of the late twentieth century. New Order became the flagship band for Tony Wilson's Factory Records and, alongside him, opened the infamous Hacienda nightclub, the centre of the acid house movement. In 2015, after a ten-year hiatus, New Order released Music Complete; which charted at #2 in its first week of release (the band's highest position in over twenty years).

Stephen's book won't be that typical music autobiography, which tends to be high on mischief and low on the music. Part memoir, part aural history, it will be a hybrid memoir in Stephen's wry and witty voice. Stephen will weave a dual narrative of growing up in the North West during the 1970s with how the music actually works. It will also explore what it is to be part of a mythologised band and the idea of what you do becoming who you are."


Also an Oral History of Joy Division by Jon Savage due Apr 2019:

This searing light, the sun and everything else: Joy Division: The Oral History

"Joy Division emerged in the mid-70s at the start of a two-decades long Manchester scene that was to become much mythologised. It was then a city still labouring in the wake of the war and entering a phase of huge social and physical change, and something of this spirit made its way into the DNA of the band. Over the course of two albums, a handful of other seminal releases, and some legendary gigs, Joy Division became the most successful and exciting underground band of their generation. Then, on the brink of a tour to America, Ian Curtis took his own life.

In This searing light, the sun and everything else, Jon Savage has assembled three decades worth of interviews with the principle players in the Joy Division story: Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook, Stephen Morris, Deborah Curtis, Peter Saville, Tony Wilson, Paul Morley, Alan Hempsall, Lesley Gilbert, Terry Mason, Anik Honoré, and many more. It is the story of how a band resurrected a city, how they came together in circumstances that are both accidental and extraordinary, and how their music galvanised a generation of fans, artists and musicians. It is a classic story of how young men armed with electric guitars and good taste in literature can change the world with four chords and three-and-a-half minutes of music. And it is the story of how illness and demons can rob the world of a shamanic lead singer and visionary lyricist.

This searing light, the sun and everything else presents the history of Joy Division in an intimate and candid way, as orchestrated by the lodestar of British music writing, Jon Savage."

Oh yes, look at that.

Sorry, obviously I need a bit of sharpening up, many thanks Debaser. I haven't checked the forum for a few years so that explains my error(s). I did join 7 years ago but haven't had much to say.

Thanks for the welcome!

I have been a New Order fan since mid-1981, they became my favourite band ever by early 1982 and have remained so since. I have more less given up on them in terms of new music, last time I saw them was the Roxy concert in 2011. I also saw them Wellington 1982 x 2; Auckland 1985 and Brixton Academy 2001.

I will at some stage post a long-ish recollection of the 2 x Wellington gigs of December 1982, the second of which I attended in my school uniform(!), and which I have a good quality tape of, thanks to Student Radio Active 89FM re-broadcast in 1983 from a reel to reel.

I'll probably buy the Steve Morris book, he always makes me laugh when I see him interviewed. Coincidentally or not a good friend of mine lives literally around the corner from Barton St, Macclesfield, every time I visit I see slightly baffled looking foreign fans outside Ian's old gaff. Met a few at the graveyard and all.

If I see the Other Two in the supermarket next time I'm there (2 weeks time), I'll say hello.

Welcome aboard (back!).

It's always good to have new people posting here. There's a few of us trying to keep the board alive (as best we can), as it can be a pretty great place to find things out. If you've got a question to ask, don't be afraid to post. There's lots of knowledgeable people here and, even if they don't respond directly in the thread, they may well send you a PM.

Incidentally, I find this board far more preferable for finding information out than the 3 New Order Facebook groups I'm a member of. Those places just seem full of people endlessly quoting lyrics and asking what other fans favourite tracks are. Not that there isn't a place for that; it's just that you get the same questions being asked on an almost daily basis, which gets a bit tiring. Ask anyone a significant question on there and you get virtually no response (aside from people 'liking' your question, for some reason).

1981, eh? Wow. That's pretty impressive and would put you ahead of most of us in terms of years (1987 for me). Will be interested to hear your recollections from the two NO gigs you mentioned.

Yeah - I'll be getting both books, but am most looking forward to Steve's. Mr Savage's book will likely be fine, but I can't imagine there's going to be too much new information it it (as Fotzepolitic mentioned). Steve's should be full of insider information, though and bound to be a) geeky and b) humourus. So I'm all over that. Trouble is, it just keeps getting pushed back.

^ haha! Loved the bit about the skinheads rolling around on the floor to Blue Monday. Brilliant.

FB groups are, in the words of Shakespeare, fucking shit:
1. Someone puts a random lyric from a song that came out 30 years ago and went out of date the day before - preferably with 1 misqoutation and 2 spelling mistakes.
2. Someone else puts another lyric from the song - preferably with 1 misqoutation and 2 spelling mistakes and 3 exclamation marks.
3. Someone writes the name of the song. Well done, you're a fan.
4. Someone writes, 'Love that song!' Well done, you're a fan.
5. Someone writes, 'Gonna play that song now!' Well done, you're a fan.
6. Repeat until you find someone to fuck.
Can't be arsed with Steve's bollocks. As for more Savage bull, I'd rather have my eyes gouged out by a white-hot needle dripping mucous from a member of One Direction's armpit.

Excerpt from 'I am Monkey', Steve's forthcuming buke:
'Writing a buke now! Aye, writing me buke! And everyone's like, 'Yeah, yer tourin' mate?' No mate, can't be touring cos I'm writing me buke, like! 'Ere ang on, ain't someone else wote a buke before? And I'm like, yeah well, I guess, so, but it's my turn now! So what do you think of it so far? Me buke? 'Ere ang on, gimme a chance! Gotta buke to write ain't I'?'
Excerpt from 'Sound and and Oeuvre Acai', Jon Savage's book which has totally fuck all to do with Joy Division except the title:
'Ah yes, the green moist graspings of elevenfold ennui shattering the enlisted unfisted shock of the old amid 54 blackened rabbits springing like mice at Witner in Summer dew, no trees coiffeured by Alan Williams for he knew and knew not he was unspilt, and where was Ian? For Hook told me to fook off, a brave and unwise gesture of ill-gotten mongeese shredding denouement, the new moment, was this the final propitious pursed lipped pigmy? Ah not Ian.'

I think this may be because Steve is quite funny without aspiring to be a stand up comedian.

Jealousy is a terrible thing Mr M!

The only person I'm jealous of is Matt Cardle because he has kissed Mel C. Strange cos I don't really want to kiss Matt.

It seems this is to be vol 1 of 2 vols. This one JD, next ('early 2020') will be NO.

Yep me too.

I just got my ticket for the 22nd in London. It's about 100 yards from where I work so couldn't be better.

I wouldn't even have know it was happening if it wasn't for this forum - cheers Ken Doherty - I am well pleased

Steve is on the Radcliffe & Maconie show tomorrow morning (Saturday 11th May) 7am til 10am on 6Music.