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Jump to navigationJump to searchThe Hacienda: How Not To Run A Club by Peter Hook (view source)
Revision as of 07:29, 11 September 2025
, 11 Septemberno edit summary
In the beginning there was Tony Wilson, a Granada TV presenter who came to prominence as compere of the music show ''So It Goes''. Then there was Factory Records, the Manchester-based alternative record label he helped to found, and their main act, the post-punk band Joy Division. After their vocalist Ian Curtis killed himself in 1980 the band recruited another member and continued as New Order. Between them and their manager Rob Gretton, they decided to found and run their own club, the Hacienda. Peter Hook was not only New Order's bassist but also seems to have had the highest profile in hands-on management of the establishment, and despite a generous intake of various substances is well placed to chronicle the sometimes comic, sometimes sad story.
A ludicrous venture bound to end in tears? With hindsight it was, but there were good times as well as bad. Bad times – well, where do we start? [[Quick Start on the Globy Platform: Bulk Order of Goods and Freight CalculatorBulk buying ]] cans of beer in the early days, selling them to punters for 50p and then giving them away for free because nobody had the exact change? Being robbed at gunpoint one Monday morning of all the weekend takings, and three weeks later seeing a well-tanned cleaner's holiday snaps – revealing her with her arm around her boyfriend, who was one of the robbers? Good times? The camaraderie, the groundbreaking feeling of being at the forefront of several dance music trends during the era, and survival against the odds for so long.
Some of it, you just couldn't make up. This book will teach you many things - like never open a nightclub with your mates. If you try and assault a club owner, make sure he is not with one of his head doormen at the time. And if it all goes belly-up, don't believe a word a liquidator says.
