Rock n’ roll royalty Peter Hook appeared at Gorilla on Saturday to give future music stars a lesson in the music industry and explain the necessity for the new Manchester school.
The city’s branch of renowned music school, Brighton Institute of Modern Music (BIMM) will open in September and will boast expert tutelage from Manchester music legends.
For Peter Hook, of New Order and Joy Division fame, the rise in such schools offer a very different path from the one he took to begin his 36 years in the industry.
He said: “I come from a generation of musicians that did it against that, and fought against that. So it’s quite odd for me as a musician to be as involved as I am.
“It’s nice to see people have hopes and ideas, it’s nice that they don’t get frustrated and don’t sit there in years to come thinking I wish I’d had a go.”
Hooky recognises that the industry is very different today than it was in 1977 when Joy Division formed and thus there is a necessity for schools like BIMM to help students.
He continued: “That internet, it’s a pain in the arse for musicians, it is terrible.
“You used to be nurtured by a record company as soon as you signed and if you didn’t have a hit straight away your record company would say don’t worry, your next one will be a hit.
“These days, if you don’t have a hit, which is a heady prospect for anyone, you don’t have a hit, you’re out and that is a frightening thing for a musician because that can break you.”
He admits that musicians are temperamental and need encouragement to flourish – encouragement that is hard to come by nowadays.
“That lack of support can make you question everything and think no one loves you. That’s the hardest thing to get through, the rejection and the fact that you’re banging your head against a brick wall most of the time,” he added.
When asked how he would use the state-of-the-art facilities that the BIMM building on Great Marlborough Street will offer, Hooky was not so positive.
He joked: “I’d have burnt it down. By that, I mean I’m punk and still am punk and punk is against everything, it’s about bringing everything down and there’s a do-it-yourself ethic.
“It’s great to be encouraged in what you do and that’s what this is good for because you’re working with people that have done it before who will encourage you to do it.”
However he was more positive about his time in the music industry at the start of a busy weekend that would see him play at Hay-on-Wye festival and run the Manchester 10k.
He said: “It is immensely satisfying, being creative and leaving your mark on the world, I can safely say it is the best thing. It’s nice to be appreciated.”
Image courtesy of NMETV via YouTube, with thanks
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