Peter Hook Quotes

Powerful Peter Hook for Daily Growth

About Peter Hook

Peter Hook (born 13 February 1956) is an English musician, songwriter, and author best known as the bassist and founding member of the iconic post-punk bands Joy Division and New Order. Born in Salford, Greater Manchester, Hook began his musical journey at the age of 14, playing bass guitar for local bands like The Cabinet, The Winkle Pickers, and The Clive Jackson Band. In 1976, Hook formed Joy Division with Ian Curtis, Bernard Sumner, and Stephen Morris. Despite a short career lasting only two albums and a handful of singles, Joy Division's music and influence have been profound, shaping the post-punk genre and inspiring countless bands that followed. After Curtis' tragic suicide in 1980, the remaining members reformed as New Order, infusing their sound with elements of dance and electronic music. Hook's basslines have become signature to both Joy Division and New Order's discography, with tracks like "Transmission," "Love Will Tear Us Apart," "Blue Monday," and "Bizarre Love Triangle" becoming modern classics. Beyond his work in these bands, Hook also formed The Haçienda, a renowned nightclub in Manchester that served as a cultural hub for the city's music scene during the 1980s and '90s. In recent years, Hook has pursued a career as an author, publishing several books, including "Unknown Pleasures: Innervisions and Overdrive" (2005) and "The Hacienda: How Not to Run a Club" (2014). These works offer unique insights into the lives and music of Joy Division, New Order, and the Manchester scene as a whole. Today, Hook continues to perform and record with various projects while maintaining an active role in preserving his bands' legacies.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Music is not a science; it's an art. And you can't apply scientific theory to it."

This quote emphasizes that music, unlike a science, is not bound by rules or mathematical principles for creation. It underscores the subjective and creative nature of music, where artistic expression transcends technicality and theoretical understanding. Instead, music emerges from emotion, personal experience, and intuition - elements that cannot be quantified or systematically applied like in a scientific process.

"The only thing that really matters in life is your friends and your music."

This quote by Peter Hook emphasizes the dual importance of personal relationships (friends) and creative expression (music) in life. He suggests that these two elements are paramount, encompassing what truly matters in one's journey through life. Friends serve as a source of support, companionship, and shared experiences, while music embodies self-expression, passion, and connection to others on a deeper level. Together, they form the foundation for a rich, meaningful life.

"Rock'n'roll is about escaping. It's about letting go, forgetting the worries of the world for a while."

This quote by Peter Hook succinctly captures the essence of rock 'n' roll as an experience that allows individuals to momentarily disengage from their everyday concerns and immerse themselves in a sense of liberation, relaxation, and enjoyment. The music becomes a form of escape, offering respite from life's stressors and serving as a reminder to appreciate the moment and find joy in music.

"When you make music, it's like an emotional release. It's like having sex or something."

This quote by Peter Hook highlights the powerful, cathartic nature of creating music. Just as sexual acts can be a way to express and relieve intense emotions, so too can composing and playing music serve as an outlet for deep-seated feelings. The emotional release experienced through both activities is transformative, allowing individuals to explore, express, and process their inner worlds in a meaningful way.

"People ask me why I still play bass. The answer is simple: because I still enjoy it."

This quote by Peter Hook suggests that he continues to play the bass not out of obligation or necessity, but because he genuinely finds joy in doing so. It emphasizes the importance of passion and enjoyment in one's work, even if it is a skill or profession that has been practiced for a long time. For Hook, the pleasure he derives from playing the bass is enough to keep him engaged and motivated.

When you DJ, you're just on your own, which is nice because there's no argument.

- Peter Hook

DJ, Own, Which, Argument

It's quite ironic I suppose, it's that thing about being in a group when you all start out as friends and then invariably end up hating each other. So I just thought they needed telling really, in case they were labouring under the apprehension that they were still friends.

- Peter Hook

Other, Telling, Labouring, Hating

What I've learned is that life is a balance between idealism and realism.

- Peter Hook

Balance, Life Is A, Idealism, Realism

There are keyboard terrorists everywhere who hide behind a veil of anonymity to pursue their vicious slanders.

- Peter Hook

Behind, Veil, Keyboard, Vicious

The fact is that you don't want to be away forever, but you want to lead a normal life.

- Peter Hook

Fact, Normal, Away, Normal Life

For the first 18 months of Joy Division, we used our jobs to fund the band. We'd all chip in three, five quid to go and do a gig. But it was worth it. It was amazing we could afford to feed ourselves. But we were so creatively and artistically satisfied. You can't explain that to somebody who's never been there.

- Peter Hook

Explain, Been, Gig, Quid

When I started DJing years ago, I took great delight in annoying the audience. Playing Johnny Cash in the middle of a banging night.

- Peter Hook

Audience, Middle, Took, Johnny

Democracy for us tends to be has to do with who shouts the loudest!

- Peter Hook

Democracy, Us, Tends, Loudest

The break-up of a relationship is always difficult, especially a 30-year one.

- Peter Hook

Difficult, Always, Break-Up

Sarcasm is a Manchester trait.

- Peter Hook

Sarcasm, Trait, Manchester

I was reading an article about Kings of Leon's bass player, who said that he was directly influenced by Joy Division and by me. I was like, 'Woah!' It surprised me. It's a great compliment.

- Peter Hook

Influenced, Like, About, Joy Division

'Movement' sounded like Joy Division, but 'Power, Corruption & Lies' is the first New Order record.

- Peter Hook

New, Division, Like, Joy Division

To me, New Order split up when Bernard and I stopped writing together. We started Joy Division together; we started New Order together.

- Peter Hook

New, Bernard, Stopped, Joy Division

I don't pretend to be Joy Division or New Order. What I do is very straight forward: it's an interpretation and a celebration of the music, with different people. Everyone looks at it and knows exactly what I'm doing.

- Peter Hook

Doing, Pretend, Very, Joy Division

I read one too many books about Joy Division by people who weren't there, and they always seem to dwell on the dark, the intense, the miserable image of Joy Division.

- Peter Hook

Always, Image, Read, Joy Division

I look back on Joy Division very fondly indeed. I know that, of course, the band came to a tragic end, but that does not change the fact that Joy Division was a great band to be a part of.

- Peter Hook

Change, Fact, Very, Joy Division

The reason Joy Division and New Order are as influential and successful as they are is because of the unique playing of all the individuals.

- Peter Hook

Reason, New, Influential, Joy Division

It was nice doing my own Joy Division book to be able to put forward the fact that Ian was actually quite a nice guy and very hardworking, ambitious and loyal. But the thing was, he was battling such a dreadful illness in an era when they really didn't know how to treat it.

- Peter Hook

Doing, Very, Battling, Joy Division

Most people have just heard Joy Division on record. And Joy Division on record was completely different than it was live.

- Peter Hook

Joy, Division, Most, Joy Division

New Order never celebrated anything to do with Joy Division.

- Peter Hook

New, Never, Division, Joy Division

Over the years, Joy Division has become a huge part of music culture.

- Peter Hook

Music, Division, Over, Joy Division

There are lots of Joy Division songs that are so powerful when played live, some of which we did either never play or played very rarely.

- Peter Hook

Play, Some, Which, Joy Division

There are so little outtakes from the Joy Division era. We didn't have much money. You couldn't be very generous in recording, so we were very thrifty in how we recorded. Everything was very, very well looked after financially because we just couldn't afford it.

- Peter Hook

Division, Very, Recording, Joy Division

When I play a gig and look out at the audience, you're literally looking at a sea of Joy Division T-shirts.

- Peter Hook

Play, Audience, Gig, Joy Division

I prefer it when I can intimidate the audience rather than the audience intimidate me. I've been lucky in my career to have both.

- Peter Hook

Lucky, Audience, Been, Intimidate

I must confess that over my career, I've actually downplayed the importance of DJs. It's such a different art form. Then all of a sudden you try it, and you think, 'Good God, these guys do work.' I used to be very cynical and very blase about it. I can only apologize.

- Peter Hook

Career, Very, Importance, Apologize

I'm not a good flyer. Because I do it so much, I think the odds of something going wrong are not in my favour.

- Peter Hook

Think, Going, I Think, Odds

Old men are cantankerous: they like to get their own way.

- Peter Hook

Men, Old, Like, Old Men

The thing with Joy Division's music is that each member was playing like a separate line. We hardly ever played together; we all played separately. But when you put it together, it was like the ingredients in a cake.

- Peter Hook

Like, Separate, Separately, Hardly

At my age, I only travel business class because I just don't bend anymore; my body can't cope with it.

- Peter Hook

Business, Body, Anymore, Cope

When you've travelled for 34 years as a musician, you do all the culture stuff when you're young and full of energy. In the middle stage, you indulge too much and are scared of daylight. Then, in the final stage, you've seen it all, so you tend to take things a lot easier.

- Peter Hook

Young, Years, Seen, Travelled

Originally, I didn't play any New Order when I deejayed. I suppose it comes from being a little embarrassed or humble or whatever. But people were coming to see me because of New Order, so in the end, I had to realize that if they were using my name on the poster, then maybe I should play some of the music.

- Peter Hook

Humble, Play, Some, Poster

I'm one of those old cynics that thinks, whoever you vote for, the government always gets in.

- Peter Hook

Government, Always, Whoever, Cynics

They amaze me most of those remixes. Some of them are crap. But every time I complain, someone comes up and says they are for a different market that you don't understand. Some of the New Order ones are really great, though.

- Peter Hook

Me, Some, Up, Every Time

You look at 30 Seconds to Mars, and you don't think, 'Ooh, I bet they're angry.' No one really does anger these days. I suppose it's a turn-off.

- Peter Hook

Think, Mars, Ooh, Turn-Off

I've watched so-called 'New Order' playing in Auckland, and Tom Chapman is miming along to my bass on tape... He's got his fingers on the low, and you can hear my high bass in the background. So he's miming.

- Peter Hook

High, Fingers, Got, So-Called

I play a lot of hard, uncompromising dance music; it can be anything from dance to rock to reggae.

- Peter Hook

Play, Rock, Lot, Dance Music

Dance music tends to be a solitary affair.

- Peter Hook

Music, Solitary, Affair, Dance Music

But then I quite enjoy when something goes wrong, because when I watch DJs that take it very seriously, it's nice when you make a mistake and laugh about it.

- Peter Hook

Mistake, Goes, Very, DJs

I've stayed in hotels where you were scared to even put your feet on the floor, or had to sleep in a chair.

- Peter Hook

Feet, Chair, Had, Scared

Bass players are always the underdogs of the band, but I made sure that I was never viewed as one. I went out of my way to steal as much limelight as I could.

- Peter Hook

Always, Sure, Steal, Limelight

The worst words I could ever hear as a bass player was, 'Can you play the root notes?'

- Peter Hook

Play, Could, Notes, Bass Player

Actually when we stopped New Order I was busier than ever. The only gaps have been while we've been writing.

- Peter Hook

New, Been, Stopped, Gaps

I am always working on new material with my production partner Phil Murphy in our guise as Man Ray; we do a lot of soundtrack work & some great collaborations.

- Peter Hook

New, Always, Soundtrack, New Material

We don't to be some kind of rock supergroup for the sake of being a supergroup. You want to change things and say something fresh and new so you appeal to people as a new group.

- Peter Hook

New, Kind, Some, Fresh

I've been very grateful and humbled by the fact that young people really dig Joy Division's music. It's a great testament to the chemistry and the songwriting prowess between the four original members.

- Peter Hook

Grateful, Chemistry, Very, Prowess

The scary thing is when I did my set in Texas everyone was excited. The show was great. I was done and the next DJ put something on vinyl and the difference! The quality!!

- Peter Hook

Next, Everyone, Set, Vinyl

America stopped making vinyl and phased out the single but Germany held out and refused. Warner's never phased out vinyl in Germany. Now America imports it!

- Peter Hook

Making, Imports, Stopped, Vinyl

The rise of the iPod meant that digital music became the norm, It's sad, but you can still find the real stuff out there if you look for it!

- Peter Hook

Digital, Meant, Became, Norm

Music was such an important part of everyone's life in the '60s and '70s, but everywhere you played, the music was dreadful.

- Peter Hook

Everyone, Part, Played, Dreadful

Nobody is the same. If we were all the same it would be bloody boring.

- Peter Hook

Boring, Same, Would, Bloody

'Love Will Tear Us Apart' is very simply written.

- Peter Hook

Love, Very, Tear, Apart

I am man enough to be able to admit my own mistakes. I think that is an important trait to have.

- Peter Hook

Think, My Own, I Think, Trait

I always do try to encourage my children to vote and at least exercise their right.

- Peter Hook

Children, Encourage, Always, Vote

I think people expect mud at festivals, I think you'd be asking for your money back if you didn't get it.

- Peter Hook

Think, Festivals, I Think, Mud

My mother used to always say to me, 'Do naught, get naught.' It's an adage that I hold by. If you don't do anything, you can't really expect anything.

- Peter Hook

Say, Always, Used, Adage

I think that you have to bear in mind that music is about escape, and it's not unreasonable to think the music business would be based around escapism.

- Peter Hook

Mind, Think, Based, Unreasonable

In the late '70s, the conditions that bands had to endure were, shall we say, not as civilized as they are today. People were a lot more aggressive back then. So there was definitely a lot of suffering for your art. But I would argue that was a good thing. Generally, people make better music when they suffer.

- Peter Hook

Suffering, Back, Civilized, Aggressive

I don't find imitating other people's music easy at all. I remember being fifth in line for a Rolling Stones tour, early '90s, when Bill Wyman left, and I was hoping against hope that I wouldn't get the call to audition. I wouldn't be able to play a Stones song if you put a gun to my head.

- Peter Hook

Play, Gun, I Remember, Fifth

Madonna's like a black widow spider. She tends to use people, then they shrivel up and disappear.

- Peter Hook

Like, Madonna, Widow, Tends

When you get the right people together, writing music becomes very effortless.

- Peter Hook

Music, Very, Effortless, Right People

You don't get many chances in the world, and you don't want to throw them away.

- Peter Hook

World, Away, Throw, Chances

When you balance it against New Order, New Order don't work or tour relentlessly. We definitely work in our own way and sometimes it's a bit too slow for me, so I like to plan ahead and fill my time up.

- Peter Hook

Own, Ahead, Against, Relentlessly

I regularly go to concerts with my children sharing the music.

- Peter Hook

Music, Concerts, Regularly, Sharing

Knowing very little about a band only adds to the allure.

- Peter Hook

Knowing, Very, About, Allure

Great music seems to come from a lot of angst, and that angst is from great musicians getting together with intense chemistry. When that chemistry isn't there, people tend not to write great music.

- Peter Hook

Chemistry, Come, Great Music, Intense

It's really nice to be able to do what I'm doing without having to compromise with another musician.

- Peter Hook

Doing, Able, Having, Compromise

We've had a problem finding a vocalist. We have not been lucky yet to find the one. I think the problem is that the three of us have such a pedigree of vocalist, that if we come out with someone that's not good we'll obviously be slated!

- Peter Hook

Lucky, Been, I Think, Pedigree

'Unknown Pleasures' is a very important record for me. It was the first LP that I recorded.

- Peter Hook

Important, Pleasures, Very, Recorded

That's it really, at the moment I wouldn't say I was influenced by any one thing in particular.

- Peter Hook

Say, Influenced, One Thing, Particular

Bootleggers quake in fear of me ringing them on a Sunday afternoon. I call after dinner, usually.

- Peter Hook

Afternoon, Them, Ringing, Dinner

Any coalition, especially where one party is more powerful than the other, it's always bound to have a pecking order.

- Peter Hook

More, Always, Other, One Party

To be in one band that changed the world musically is pretty good, but to be in two bands that changed the world musically, that's amazing.

- Peter Hook

Amazing, World, Pretty, Band

Once you made that decision to split New Order up, you were like, 'Woo-hoo! I better get out there and get a job.'

- Peter Hook

Decision, New, Like, Split

The interesting thing is that New Order finished on an okay note. It was only after we split that things got worse.

- Peter Hook

New, Okay, Note, Split

My big frustration in New Order was that they played the same tracks all the time.

- Peter Hook

New, Big, Same, Tracks

There are seven songs finished and on par with any that are on Siren's.

- Peter Hook

Seven, Songs, Par, Siren

I'd rather have ten people who are mad for it than ten thousand who aren't.

- Peter Hook

Mad, Rather, Than, Ten

I just like keeping busy and having ten things on the go.

- Peter Hook

Like, Having, Keeping, Ten

I have a hard time getting my head around the idea of playing 'The Perfect Kiss' in my 50s. I can't quite get there.

- Peter Hook

Perfect, Idea, Around, Kiss

A poetic, sensitive, tortured soul, the Ian Curtis of the myth - he was definitely that.

- Peter Hook

Soul, Poetic, Definitely, Myth

Yeah, I still feel as if I have things to do really. I'm not ready to stop.

- Peter Hook

Stop, Still, Things, Ready

One of the great things about education is that it should stop you making mistakes - and I have made a lot of mistakes.

- Peter Hook

Making Mistakes, Making, Great Things

What was punk all about? To me, it was if you really want to do something, go ahead and do it.

- Peter Hook

Want, Ahead, About, Punk

Bands don't play the whole LP. They play a selection of the songs that they like.

- Peter Hook

Play, Like, Selection, Bands

I love that young bands will do anything to succeed.

- Peter Hook

Love, Young, I Love, Bands

People go and hide, but I don't. I'm a fighter.

- Peter Hook

People, Go, Hide, Fighter

There are so many bootlegged Joy Division/Martin Hannett tapes, a lot of really bad bootlegs on the Internet.

- Peter Hook

Bad, Many, Really, Tapes

The chemistry involved made everything Factory did quite special.

- Peter Hook

Chemistry, Special, Involved, Factory

When you're fat and comfortable, your music is going to sound fat and comfortable.

- Peter Hook

Music, Comfortable, Going, Fat

Accept what you did do, and live with it.

- Peter Hook

Live, You, Did, Accept

It's the same misconception I used to have. I meet people and think they're millionaires and they're not.

- Peter Hook

Think, Meet, Same, Millionaires

My father was always Labour, and my mother was always Conservative, so I tended to sort of go in the middle.

- Peter Hook

Mother, Conservative, Always, Labour

We need to talk about what we are going to do and see and decide. We'll have to wait and see.

- Peter Hook

Wait, See, Need, Decide

We loved country songs in New Order. That's our big secret!

- Peter Hook

New, Big, Country, New Order

And they do tend to be fast and up, because that's how I like to drive.

- Peter Hook

Fast, How, Tend, Drive

'24 Hour Party People' was a comedy, and I knew that from the beginning.

- Peter Hook

Beginning, Comedy, Knew, Hour

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