Bernard Sumner interview

Gazza

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New Order singer talks about supporting United. Some pretty daft opinions (Becks > Keano) but he has a weird story about meeting Giggsy in there. Might not be interesting to those who haven't heard about the band.

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New Order recently talked to French football website sofoot.com about which football teams they support. The full article is reproduced here in English with many thanks to Marc @ sofoot.com for permission and Nick Mackenzine for translation duties.

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New Order is without doubt one of the greatest English groups of all time. And that didn't stop them from writing the theme song for the England team in the 1990 World Cup, World in Motion. The song is an ode to ecstasy. Just to put you in the mood…

Around the table in a hotel room near the Champs Elysees, we almost have the dream team. Phil Cunningham, Stephen Morris and Bernard Sumner are there. Peter Hook will be speaking to the press tomorrow. The Mancunian group is promoting the new album, Waiting for the Sirens' Call. Smiling and chatty, they're obviously happy to be here. We talk about football, and the natural hierarchy of the group is respected. Cunningham, the newcomer, sits on the bench and listens without saying anything. Stephen Morris supports Sumner the star, full of verve and stories, talking about Giggs in the toilets and the Gypsy Kings on the turntable.

"New Order and Football"

Which teams do you support?

Stephen Morris Macclesfield Town

Bernard Sumner Manchester Utd.

SM I'm from Macclesfield originally. It's a dirty little town south of Manchester. The team's in the Second Division, and frankly they're pretty bad… they even have an Iraqi player in the squad. Not that it means anything, mind you. Last year, they had a good spell. Four or five victories on the trot. The fans were chuffed. I can hear the stadium from my house, and they never stop singing. The media talked about us a bit then, and especially when the Iraqi arrived… But since then it's been calm. Life has gone back to normal in Macclesfield… sad.

BS Me, I grew up in Salford, a suburb of Manchester.

SM Wow, yet another United supporter who doesn't come from Manchester…

BS Salford-Manchester, it's ten minutes, Stephen. Ten minutes on foot! Salford is Manchester. And, if you really want to know, I was born in a hospital in the centre of town. We've got to kill this myth: there are as many United supporters as City supporters in Manchester. People from the north of the town support City, and those from the south support United. It's as simple as that, the division is historic… Salford is north-west of Manchester, so I support United. It's easy…

SM And China, that's north of Manchester? They all support United over there. It's nothing but a commercial undertaking, that club… It's more interesting to support a club in the lower divisions.

BS At Macclesfield, you might get a thousand in the ground. They all tell you "Division Three is real football, it's authentic," etc. But the players all dream of being in the Premier League and playing in the European Cup. They'd give anything for that opportunity… I find this conservative attitude boring. Me, I'm happy when my team wins and I don't have to be ashamed about it.

Do you watch from the stands or on the sofa?

SM When I was a kid, I was traumatised. My father knew a guy who could get tickets for all the England games. One day, this guy gave my dad two tickets for an England-Scotland match, up in Scotland. I was six years old and it was hell. Stuck amongst thousands of supporters, lost in the crowd. You couldn't move and if you wanted to pee, you had to do it in a bottle. Also, there was a real tension, a latent violence. You can't understand just how much the Scots and the English hate each other. I begged my father to get me out of there. We understood from the faces of the Scots that we saw on the way home that England had won. Ever since, I've been afraid of football grounds…

BS Sofa for me, too. But when I was a kid, I went to watch the team play. I discovered football at the time of Best… The atmosphere was fantastic, that was a few years before the match that Stephen's talking about. There were two kops, the Stretford End and the Scoreboard End. A superb time for football, before the hooligans took over. Before it got watered down, as well. You could go to the ground without feeling any danger and without feeling like it was just an expensive fairground… I loved that. I remember that I went to the city centre with Hooky to celebrate the European Cup victory in '68. Charlton was captain. Matt Busby was trainer. There were hundreds of thousands of supporters around St Albert Square. I was twelve and I was overwhelmed by the crowd. In fact, I don't think Hooky was there… In any case, I was literally carried by the crowd. At one point, I couldn't even feel the ground. Incredible!

So when did you stop going to the ground?

BS Something changed very quickly. In 1968, in fact. A few months after the European Cup victory, we played in the World Club Championship, against a South American team, from Argentina, I think, called Estudiantes. Two-leg fixture, away and then at home. I remember watching the first match, in Argentina, on a really old TV. The father of Juan Sebastian Veron was playing for the opposition, but I really remember the referee. The bastard completely ruined the match. A thief, completely corrupt. Everyone who saw the match will tell you that. That day, I understood that there was something wrong with football. After that match (won 1-0 by Estudiantes), I went back to the stadium a few times, but something had changed. I realised that in football, like everything else, there was injustice and cheating. And what happened after that didn't really take away that impression.

So why do you watch it on TV then?

BS You have to defend your colours. At home, I'm the only United supporter. My wife's father played for Manchester City in the 1940s. And my son, Dylan, the idiot, decided he had to support City. What a tragedy! For derby games, we have an agreement. Whatever the result, whether United or City wins, no-one crows about it. No screams of joy, no taunting. Obviously, when City win, this agreement doesn't stop the little brat from making me suffer for hours! But when United win, which is more often, I'm not allowed to do anything. My little lad starts crying! And I wouldn't want to add to his suffering… My daughter supports Arsenal. After United's last victory, 2-0 at Old Trafford, she was really sick. After the first goal, she went ballistic and kicked the TV set. We had to watch the end of the match on another set. At the end of the match, she jumped on me, she attacked me. But she's much better now. In fact, she changes club every week. She had her Liverpool period, and now she's changing her loyalty again. She went to the United training centre the other day with her school and she had the chance to speak to the players. When she came home, she said "Dad, I think I might support United now…" The only problem is that she's fallen in love with Wayne Rooney. Frankly, I don't agree with that!

Have you met Rooney, in town, in a bar or in a brothel?

BS No, but like everyone, I read the article about him and the prostitutes in the tabloids. Apparently, when he went to the brothel in Liverpool, he signed an autograph for the old whore that he had just had. He wrote Thanks for the feck, Wayne Rooney and wrote the date. What an idiot!

Have you met many Manchester players?

BS Beckham lived in the same street as me. I met him several times, but we never spoke, he didn't know who I was. I could have punched Ferguson on the day he sold him. All of a sudden, his ego overtook his management skills. For his own pride, he ruined our season

Do you think Beckham is a maestro?

BS Of course! The guy is superb and he fights like a dog. In the media, he's shown as a bastard or an idiot, but in fact he's a superb guy. I don't understand how Ferguson can prefer Roy Keane…

Beckham's a boy, Keane is a man

BS He's just a wanker, that guy… he has a nasty side to him. But I must be the only United supporter who thinks that…
 

Gazza

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Have you met anyone else?

BS I spoke to Ryan Giggs one night at the Hacienda… He didn't make much impression on me. Giggs, he's a typical football player, talented on the pitch, but completely uninteresting off it. In his eyes, there was nothing there. No expression. Like a zombie… A few days later, I met him again in a bar in the city centre. I don't know if I should tell you this, it's a drug story… basically, he was there with a glass in his hand, with this same empty stare… me, I was completely out of it. I was with my mates and we had all taken a few pills. We took Giggs with us when we went into the toilets to have a couple more… and at that moment six bodyguards jumped on us and grabbed us by the shoulders to get us out of the bar. It was the first time I saw an emotion in Giggs' eyes: terror!

Did you ever meet Cantona?

BS I met him a few times, at parties. He even came to my place once. I was having a party and a girlfriend rang me, asking if she could bring along some guys she had met in a bar round the corner. I asked her who these guys were. "Eric Cantona, his brother and a couple of mates". "Shit, yeah! Bring them over!" I talked a bit with Eric, I got the impression that he was someone very… strange! Very intense, very thoughtful. Not like Ryan Giggs! We talked about a few things, and I remember we went into the kitchen, and he saw a photo that was on the fridge door, a photo of him. He looked at the photo, he looked at me, and then he looked at the photo again… it was only a few seconds, it was weird, I was a little bit scared, and I said maybe we'd better go back in the other room... I also remember that Eric, or his brother, I'm not sure, kept putting on a Gypsy Kings CD! Jesus, the Gypsy Kings in my house! And they all started dancing like Spaniards to this crap!

SM feck me, you've got a Gypsy Kings CD at home!

BS No, they had brought it with them, I swear it! They were mad! And then Eric was talking to a girl – a blonde, not bad looking. She was a friend of a friend. I don't know exactly what happened, but he stuck his finger up this girl's nose! Just like that! Paf! Up the girl's nose! I didn't know what was going on, I just pretended that I hadn't seen anything… and no, I don't have any Gypsy Kings CDs at home!
 

Yianni

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Sounds like this guy wants his 15minutes of fame ...

First a bus driver and now a band member ... jeez

:rolleyes:
 

Bury Red

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YianniArvani said:
Sounds like this guy wants his 15minutes of fame ...

First a bus driver and now a band member ... jeez

:rolleyes:
:lol:Barney's had a lot more than his 15 minutes of fame already, have you not heard of New Order, or Joy Division before them?

Have you not heard the fans chanting "Giggs, Giggs will tear you apart again..." to the tune of "Love Will Tear Us Apart"

Surprised at some of Barney's views on players, particularly the Beckham/Keane comment, but they've always been a bunch of miserable buggers so I'm not overly surprised he's not that impressed by the starry footballers. I used to see Sharpey out and about around the clubs probably at about the same time as Barney's Giggs story and can't say I was ever too impressed by his attitude.
 

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Bury Red said:
:lol:Barney's had a lot more than his 15 minutes of fame already, have you not heard of New Order, or Joy Division before them?

Have you not heard the fans chanting "Giggs, Giggs will tear you apart again..." to the tune of "Love Will Tear Us Apart"

Surprised at some of Barney's views on players, particularly the Beckham/Keane comment, but they've always been a bunch of miserable buggers so I'm not overly surprised he's not that impressed by the starry footballers. I used to see Sharpey out and about around the clubs probably at about the same time as Barney's Giggs story and can't say I was ever too impressed by his attitude.
What year did they close the Hacienda 91? Giggs must've been around 17/18 when they met.
 

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well, TBH I kinda suprised on that part about Giggs. Who're those bodyguards that ambushed them? Perhaps they're employed by the club to watch the players?
 

Bury Red

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Raoul said:
What year did they close the Hacienda 91? Giggs must've been around 17/18 when they met.
Think it finally shut in '96 or '97, I went pretty religously up until about '93 or '94 when it begun to go down hill (harder to get in, more arseholes and aggro when you did).

Used to see Barney and the boys in there quite often although they were usually away from us plebs in a private area. Saw Sharpey in there, among other places, and wouldn't be surprised if that's where they met Giggsy as he did get in shit with Fergie for clubbing with Sharpey around '94 or '95 (although I think it was Blackpool they were collared).
 

Bury Red

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reelworld said:
well, TBH I kinda suprised on that part about Giggs. Who're those bodyguards that ambushed them? Perhaps they're employed by the club to watch the players?
Aye, if it's when I'm thinking Fergie had Ned Kelly's security guys watching Giggs like a hawk to prevent him heading down the same route as Sharpey.

The rumour in Manchester at the time was that Sharpey's bout of Meningitis which put him out for a year was a Fergie imposed ban and smokescreen to prevent transfer bids after he had been caught clubbing on E in Blackpool after he had been warned about leading Giggsy into the same crowd. I'll have to have another look at Ned Kelly's book to see what he says about Giggs and Sharpe at that time.
 

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Bury Red said:
:lol:Barney's had a lot more than his 15 minutes of fame already, have you not heard of New Order, or Joy Division before them?

Have you not heard the fans chanting "Giggs, Giggs will tear you apart again..." to the tune of "Love Will Tear Us Apart"

Surprised at some of Barney's views on players, particularly the Beckham/Keane comment, but they've always been a bunch of miserable buggers so I'm not overly surprised he's not that impressed by the starry footballers. I used to see Sharpey out and about around the clubs probably at about the same time as Barney's Giggs story and can't say I was ever too impressed by his attitude.
No, have never heard of him.

Is he washed up now ?
 

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Bury Red said:
Think it finally shut in '96 or '97, I went pretty religously up until about '93 or '94 when it begun to go down hill (harder to get in, more arseholes and aggro when you did).

Used to see Barney and the boys in there quite often although they were usually away from us plebs in a private area. Saw Sharpey in there, among other places, and wouldn't be surprised if that's where they met Giggsy as he did get in shit with Fergie for clubbing with Sharpey around '94 or '95 (although I think it was Blackpool they were collared).
Ahh right. I thought Tony Wilson shut things down (temporarily in the early 90s) due to gang violence.
 

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YianniArvani said:
No, have never heard of him.

Is he washed up now ?
He's the lead singer of New Order. He's definitely not washed up, infact they just released a new album recently. I was a New Order fan before I really got into football. So much so that and I started supporting United because of comments Bernard made in interviews around the time Technique came out (give or take a year).
 

Bury Red

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It did have a couple of temporary closures, one after a machine gun was waved around either inside or just outside the club. It reopened again quite quickly the first time but I think it was shut for around 6 months the second time which was about the time I drifted off, after that the authorities were keen to shut it down and Factory lacked the funds to support it so eventually they closed it voluntarilly rather than face a legal battle after some fight outside.

The worst trouble was on weekends when it got very housey whereas we tended to go in on Thursday nights when Dave Haslam DJed and you'd get a more eclectic mix with Mondays, Pixies, Roses, Primal Scream etc mixed in with acid jazz, house and even the Stones, Hendrix etc.
 

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Thursday nights in the Hac were way and by far the class night. I loved going in on a Thursday night, in fact I soon started to only go in on a Thursday night and would drift down Whitworth Street to the Venue on a Friday or Saturday night.

As for Barney, so what if he has his opinions of various United players. We all have our opinions, and it's based on how we see them in the media if we've not met them, or if we do meet them, our first impressions.
 

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The best part of this story is obviously Cantona's seduction technique of sticking his finger up a girl's nose. I like that. I expect the ladies will love it too.
 

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Bernard is an absolute legend. Joy Division are arguably Manchester's third/fourth greatest ever band. And New Order weren't too shabby either.

Although he's a total star and a Manc untouchable, he does occasionally come out with some sh*t in his interviews! The Giggs story wouldn't be surprise me at all. He was the first real teenage superstar at United in the shiny new world of the post-Italia '90 / Sky TV era, and so was a bit of a prototype of how professionally we take care of young players now. He was young, he was rich, he'd just moved out of digs - I wouldn't be surprised if he learnt a few lessons from those early years.

I heard the same sort of rumours banded about re Sharpey at the time as Bury Red, and remember the now defunct 90 Minutes magazine had to print a huge apology after it had joked about the Sharpey drug rumours in it's weekly cartoon strip.

Sumner still does a little charlie judging by his Keane/Beckham opinions - being stoned is the only reasonable excuse for a comment like that. In fact, being stoned is the only reasonable punishment...

As an aside, I love Electronic's 'Forbidden City' - a beautiful beautiful song...
 

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YianniArvani said:
Sounds like this guy wants his 15minutes of fame ...

First a bus driver and now a band member ... jeez

:rolleyes:
:lol:

You must be a youngster. New Order/Joy Division had some class tunes, Go and buy the greatest hits of album, well worth the cash.

The HAC shut down in late 95, the year I started to go. A lot of trouble between Moss side and Salford boys. It used to be lethal in there during the last few months. There was guys pulling out Shotguns and all sorts and aiming them at people having a dance. It was no suprise when Tony Wilson pulled the plug on the gaff.
 

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Also, does anyone remember Coco Savannah's in Stockport Town Centre? I was outside the night Lee Sharpe got a panning off two guys, he deserved it, he had tried it on with a bird of one of these lads, she must have turned him down and he was outside calling her a slag and saying he was going to get the lads done in. He deserved his slaps. I was gutted he was a proper hero of mine at the time and to see him staggering around bladdered like that was a let down.
 

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YianniArvani said:
Sounds like this guy wants his 15minutes of fame ...

First a bus driver and now a band member ... jeez

:rolleyes:
:lol:

Yianni try and catch the film 24 Hour Party People, youll see what youve been missing. Was on Film Four last night and was class.

Happy Mondays!! Loved them
 

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Happy Mondays are Class.

I like Black Grape,too.
Kermit was in hospital at the same time as my husband.
He was in the next bed and was always trying to get my hubby to get some "gear" for him. :eek:
He burnt his fingers when he fell asleep in the day room smoking a spliff. :lol:

Nice Guy,despite his obvious problems...he gave my kids some cds,laser pens and memorabilia..............
Wonder where he is now..........? :confused:
 

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Gazza said:
After United's last victory, 2-0 at Old Trafford, she was really sick. After the first goal, she went ballistic and kicked the TV set. We had to watch the end of the match on another set. At the end of the match, she jumped on me, she attacked me.
:lol:
 

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This interview sure brought back some memories from the 80's and 90's for me. Was a pretty big New Order fan in the 80's and did like a lot of Joy Division stuff too. The Hacienda was also a place that was something else even though I was there during the downhill period in '94 according to most there. I, too went on a Monday, which was a good mix of music although heard that Thursdays were the best night to go. In fact, a bloke admitted to me at the time that he figured it would be shut down due to the violence there on the weekends. Also, does anyone know if the Ritz is still up and running as I went there the same night as the Hac on £1 punk night? It was a great time too.
 

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redfromcanada said:
This interview sure brought back some memories from the 80's and 90's for me. Was a pretty big New Order fan in the 80's and did like a lot of Joy Division stuff too. The Hacienda was also a place that was something else even though I was there during the downhill period in '94 according to most there. I, too went on a Monday, which was a good mix of music although heard that Thursdays were the best night to go. In fact, a bloke admitted to me at the time that he figured it would be shut down due to the violence there on the weekends. Also, does anyone know if the Ritz is still up and running as I went there the same night as the Hac on £1 punk night? It was a great time too.

The Ritz is a Grab a granny joint..!
 

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Saw New Order twice at the Hacienda - Once they were shite the other time they were fecking brilliant,

Low life is a fecking unbelievably outstanding album - everyone should own a copy of that.

If New Order are/were fourth or Fifth who were ahead of em ?

Stone Roses were tops but better than NO hmmm not sure.

Oh and I had it on very good authority (admitedly 2nd hand BUT second hand from someone who was working at the place he went for treatment) that Sharpey was defo doing drugs.

Shame really talented player who should've done better/gone further. Youth mixed with money and fame can really feck you up if you cant deal with it - sad really :(
 

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Yianni, New Order (or Joy Division before that) is a famous band through out the 80-90s. If I've heard about them having living in Indonesia, I'm pretty sure they'll be well known in Australia.

btw, anyone heard their new single? I heard it this morning on the radio, pretty good I reckon, but I don't catch the title though.
 

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reelworld said:
Yianni, New Order (or Joy Division before that) is a famous band through out the 80-90s. If I've heard about them having living in Indonesia, I'm pretty sure they'll be well known in Australia.

btw, anyone heard their new single? I heard it this morning on the radio, pretty good I reckon, but I don't catch the title though.
They have quite a large following over there I think.

Their new single is called Krafty. Album out in 2 weeks in the UK.
 

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I probably havent heard of him because my taste of music is different to all of yours. I dont like Rock to begin with.
 

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YianniArvani said:
I probably havent heard of him because my taste of music is different to all of yours. I dont like Rock to begin with.
They're not rock. I couldn't put Joy Division/New Order into any category. Certainly not '15 minute of fame' grabbers as you said though.
 

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Oh well, if i come across them ill remember this thread.
 

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YianniArvani said:
I probably havent heard of him because my taste of music is different to all of yours. I dont like Rock to begin with.
New Order are largely credited with pioneering the fusion of rock with technology in the way of drum machines and samplers. Tracks like Confusion, Subculture, Bizarre Love Triangle, Blue Monday, and Shellshock are classic examples. Check out the Substance Album - they're all on it.

In 1988, they further dove into technology by releasing 'Technique', which was largely recorded in Ibiza during the peak of the Acid House/Rave scene. Fine Time and Round and Round are the signature tracks on that album. You can always find a good mix of rock and technology on most New Order albums, and many of the modern house/trance/techno producers who grew up in the 80s were in some way influenced by New Order.

There's also a movie about the life of Ian Curtis in the works - Its called 'Control' and stars Jude Law as Ian Curtis.