Anthony Wilson dies from cancer (soundtrack, dance, house, indie)

Urban Hat€monger ? · 08-10-2007, 05:49 PM

Anthony Wilson dies from cancer

Quote:

Anthony Wilson, the music mogul behind some of Manchester's most successful bands, has died of cancer.

The Salford-born entrepreneur, who founded Factory records, the label behind New Order and the Happy Mondays, was diagnosed last year.

The 57-year-old, also famous for setting up the Hacienda nightclub, underwent emergency surgery in January to remove a kidney.

He passed away on Friday evening at the Christie Hospital surrounded by family.

A spokesman for the hospital said: "Tony Wilson died peacefully at the Christie Hospital at 6.05pm this evening with his family by his bedside.

"Tony was a very great supporter of the Christie and this is extremely sad news.

"We would like to extend our sympathy to Tony's family."

Doctors had recommended he take the drug Sutent after chemotherapy failed to beat the disease, but the NHS refused to fund the £3,500-a-month treatment.

However, members of the Happy Mondays and other acts he supported over the years stepped in and started a fund to help pay for it.

His vision and determination played a key role in helping to put Manchester on the map for its music and vibrant nightlife and his entrepreneurial skills inspired people everywhere.

Phil Saxe, who used to work at Factory Records with Wilson, said: "Part of me, part of Manchester, part of modern British music has died tonight.

"Tony was a genius, basically.

"He was a visionary in that he helped bands, who otherwise wouldn't have made it, who were a bit out of the ordinary.

"He helped them realise their dreams and through that probably realised himself to be Mr Manchester".

'An inspiration'

BBC journalist Kristan Deconinck sought advice from him in the early 1980s on how to launch an independent record label shortly after Wilson had started Factory records.

"He couldn't have been more helpful and more patient," Kristan said.

"He inspired me - and countless others - to have a go if you believed in something.

"That in itself is a great legacy, apart from the vision he had with his label, his shows, his attitude - his contribution to a new culture.

"When I later met him, I found him far more amenable than scurrilous rumours had led me to believe and my esteem for the guy never diminished."

'Soundtrack of my life'

Speaking before his death, Wilson reflected on life and death.

"I used to joke in my early 50s that I'd had such a fantastic life, I'd be happy to die," he said.

"And then suddenly, I find some other reasons for living and just like get excited again about life when it comes along. So that was slightly annoying. I think I was a lord of my own presumption for thinking I'd be happy to die".

Tributes to Anthony Wilson have been flooding in from across the globe - both from people who had worked with him and those who had enjoyed the entertainment he brought to the world.

Speaking on News 24, Radio 2 presenter Stuart Maconie said: "There was no more influential and important figure in music in the last 30 or 40 years.

"He was incredibly generous, giving, enthusiastic and supportive of bands around him.

"He wasn't a businessman. He just loved the music."

Fan Lewis Hart, from Hyde, Greater Manchester, wrote: "A one off who was an ambassador for Manchester. A huge shock."

Another fan, Ross Burton, from Annapolis, Maryland, in the USA, summed up his many achievements with a poignant eulogy: "Thanks Tony for helping to bring me the soundtrack of my life. Rest in peace mate."

Shame , I grew up watching him on TV without even realising he was the head of possibly the most influencial indie label in the UK at the same time.
Even just a couple of months ago he was saying how the Arctic Monkeys were the best british band he'd heard in years.

I'll miss the bastard , but leave with this quote...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peter Hook on Steve Coogan playing Tony Wilson in 24 Hour Party People

'Manchester's biggest twat, playing Manchester's biggest c**t'.

right-track · 08-10-2007, 06:38 PM

Strange day here in Manchester.

We have a small earthquake and Tony Wilson dies all on the same day!
Two one off's and both causing shockwaves through the city.

Yes he was a ****, but he was a decent **** and a great promoter of music not just for the city, but for British music in general.

I feel quite sad at his loss.
Felt the same way when John Peel died too.

Thanks for the Hacienda and Factory records...great days.

RIP.

adidasss · 08-11-2007, 09:46 AM

Loved the film 24 hour party people. The man knew Ian Curtis...could his life had been any more amazing?

jackhammer · 08-11-2007, 05:52 PM

to be fair Urban-Hooky is always slagging someone off-I think 24 hour party people is a great film-you should watch it before posting that comment in all fairness, then you can agree or disagree!

No Tony Wilson-No dance/crossover club scene.

Lasarus lives on.

right-track · 08-20-2007, 02:10 PM

Today marked the funeral of Tony Wilson...Blue Monday.

Tony Wilson, the music mogul who has died at 57, leaves behind an enormous musical legacy. Here are five ways that Wilson changed the music industry.

BRINGING PUNK TO THE MAINSTREAM

Wilson, who was working as a reporter at Granada TV, gave the Sex Pistols their television debut in 1976.

Wilson booked The Sex Pistols for his music programme So It Goes
He had seen the punk pioneers' legendary gig at the Manchester Lesser Free Trade Hall that June.

Only about 40 people were in the crowd, according to author David Nolan, who wrote a book hailing the concert as The Gig that Changed the World.

But they included future stars such as Morrissey, Mark E Smith and Mick Hucknall, who were inspired by the event to form their own bands.

And Wilson was inspired to book them for the second series of his regional music programme So It Goes. The Jam and Elvis Costello also got their TV debuts on the show.

In the late 1980s, Wilson also presented a Friday night arts show, The Other Side of Midnight, which gave The Stone Roses, 808 State and The Happy Mondays their first appearances on TV.

SETTING UP FACTORY RECORDS

Joy Division, who went on to become New Order, and The Happy Mondays were among the acts on the roster at Manchester's Factory Records.

New Order's hits included True Faith, World in Motion and Blue Monday
It has often been said that Wilson wrote contracts in his own blood, saying the artists owned everything and the label owned nothing.

Whether this story was true or not, the principle was. It was a powerful and revolutionary statement of creative freedom - but it was also financial suicide.

Wilson once said it "resulted in my entire catalogue being owned by somebody else". But he added: "I can't regret it, because the idea was not to own the past but to present the future."

New Order's Blue Monday became the biggest-selling 12-inch single in UK history - but Factory lost money on every copy because of the intricate sleeve design.

Other local heroes such as The Durutti Column, A Certain Ratio and James were also on the label - as well as a host of others who never quite lived up to their billing (like The Wendys and Northside).

Wilson claimed Factory was on the verge of signing Oasis and Pulp before it went bankrupt in 1992.

ESTABLISHING THE HACIENDA NIGHTCLUB

Joy Division and New Order manager Rob Gretton decided there should be a venue that played the kind of music he liked.

The Hacienda was an integral part of 2002 film 24-Hour Party People
The club, which opened in 1982, was one of the first to play house music in the UK and went on to become the spiritual home of the "Madchester" scene in the late-80s, with acid house and ecstasy at its heart.

The Hacienda was funded by New Order and Factory Records, and as well as being a magnet for clubbers, it also hosted gigs.

Along with the Factory bands, the performers included The Smiths, The Stone Roses, Oasis and Madonna in her first UK appearance.

"The Hacienda changed Manchester forever," said Vaughan Allen, chief executive of the city's Urbis centre, which is currently hosting an exhibition about the club.

"It did 25 years ago what MySpace does today, bringing together creative people to create something new," he told the BBC last month.

But like Factory Records, the Hacienda lost money, and the heavy drug use meant gangs and dealers moved in, leading to regular violence. The club closed in 1997.

RUNNING THE "IN THE CITY" CONFERENCE

Set up in 1992, In the City is the UK's largest and most influential forum for finding new talent and discussing the future of the industry.

Oasis played at In the City in 1992, two years before their first single
It allows the music industry to run the rule over the cream of the UK's new and unsigned bands.

And it has helped launch almost every major British act of the last 15 years.

Oasis, Radiohead and Suede played at the first In the City. Muse and Coldplay appeared in 1998, Snow Patrol performed in 2000 and The Arctic Monkeys put in an appearance two years ago.

Wilson was renowned as "one of the great spotters of music talent", according to Alan McGee, who founded Creation - the home of Oasis and Primal Scream.

Anthony H Wilson RIP

Urban Hat€monger ? · 08-20-2007, 02:18 PM

The music industry is in desperate need of people like him & John Peel.
But I don't think we'll ever see their like again.

jackhammer · 08-20-2007, 02:23 PM

Amen to that. Two people who GENUINELY deserved a GREATEST tag.

right-track · 08-20-2007, 02:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Urban Hatemonger

The music industry is in desperate need of people like him & John Peel.
But I don't think we'll ever see their like again.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jackhammer

Amen to that. Two people who GENUINELY deserved a GREATEST tag.

Certainly not someone who is prepared to sign over everything to the band in blood.

Before Tony Wilson, every young lad in Manchester wanted to be a footballer and could only dream of being a rock 'n' roll star.
Now they all want to be rock 'n' roll stars and only dream of being footballers.

08-11-2007, 09:46 AM	#3 (permalink)
adidasss Slavic gay sauce Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Abu Dhabi Posts: 7,993	Loved the film 24 hour party people. The man knew Ian Curtis...could his life had been any more amazing? __________________ “Think of what a paradise this world would be if men were kind and wise.” - Kurt Vonnegut, Cat's Cradle. Last.fm

08-11-2007, 05:52 PM	#4 (permalink)
jackhammer Ba and Be. Join Date: May 2007 Location: This Is England Posts: 17,331	to be fair Urban-Hooky is always slagging someone off-I think 24 hour party people is a great film-you should watch it before posting that comment in all fairness, then you can agree or disagree! No Tony Wilson-No dance/crossover club scene. Lasarus lives on. __________________ It be my music and film collection. “A cynic by experience, a romantic by inclination and now a hero by necessity.”

08-20-2007, 02:18 PM	#6 (permalink)
Urban Hat€monger ? The Sexual Intellectual Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Somewhere cooler than you Posts: 18,605	The music industry is in desperate need of people like him & John Peel. But I don't think we'll ever see their like again. __________________ Urb's RYM Stuff Most people sell their soul to the devil, but the devil sells his soul to Nick Cave.

08-20-2007, 02:23 PM	#7 (permalink)
jackhammer Ba and Be. Join Date: May 2007 Location: This Is England Posts: 17,331	Amen to that. Two people who GENUINELY deserved a GREATEST tag. __________________ It be my music and film collection. “A cynic by experience, a romantic by inclination and now a hero by necessity.”

08-10-2007, 06:38 PM	#2 (permalink)
right-track Atchin' Akai Join Date: May 2005 Location: Unamerica Posts: 8,723	Strange day here in Manchester. We have a small earthquake and Tony Wilson dies all on the same day! Two one off's and both causing shockwaves through the city. Yes he was a **, but he was a decent and a great promoter of music not just for the city, but for British music in general. I feel quite sad at his loss. Felt the same way when John Peel died too. Thanks for the Hacienda and Factory records...great days. RIP.**

08-20-2007, 02:10 PM	#5 (permalink)
right-track Atchin' Akai Join Date: May 2005 Location: Unamerica Posts: 8,723	Today marked the funeral of Tony Wilson...Blue Monday. Tony Wilson, the music mogul who has died at 57, leaves behind an enormous musical legacy. Here are five ways that Wilson changed the music industry. BRINGING PUNK TO THE MAINSTREAM Wilson, who was working as a reporter at Granada TV, gave the Sex Pistols their television debut in 1976. Wilson booked The Sex Pistols for his music programme So It Goes He had seen the punk pioneers' legendary gig at the Manchester Lesser Free Trade Hall that June. Only about 40 people were in the crowd, according to author David Nolan, who wrote a book hailing the concert as The Gig that Changed the World. But they included future stars such as Morrissey, Mark E Smith and Mick Hucknall, who were inspired by the event to form their own bands. And Wilson was inspired to book them for the second series of his regional music programme So It Goes. The Jam and Elvis Costello also got their TV debuts on the show. In the late 1980s, Wilson also presented a Friday night arts show, The Other Side of Midnight, which gave The Stone Roses, 808 State and The Happy Mondays their first appearances on TV. SETTING UP FACTORY RECORDS Joy Division, who went on to become New Order, and The Happy Mondays were among the acts on the roster at Manchester's Factory Records. New Order's hits included True Faith, World in Motion and Blue Monday It has often been said that Wilson wrote contracts in his own blood, saying the artists owned everything and the label owned nothing. Whether this story was true or not, the principle was. It was a powerful and revolutionary statement of creative freedom - but it was also financial suicide. Wilson once said it "resulted in my entire catalogue being owned by somebody else". But he added: "I can't regret it, because the idea was not to own the past but to present the future." New Order's Blue Monday became the biggest-selling 12-inch single in UK history - but Factory lost money on every copy because of the intricate sleeve design. Other local heroes such as The Durutti Column, A Certain Ratio and James were also on the label - as well as a host of others who never quite lived up to their billing (like The Wendys and Northside). Wilson claimed Factory was on the verge of signing Oasis and Pulp before it went bankrupt in 1992. ESTABLISHING THE HACIENDA NIGHTCLUB Joy Division and New Order manager Rob Gretton decided there should be a venue that played the kind of music he liked. The Hacienda was an integral part of 2002 film 24-Hour Party People The club, which opened in 1982, was one of the first to play house music in the UK and went on to become the spiritual home of the "Madchester" scene in the late-80s, with acid house and ecstasy at its heart. The Hacienda was funded by New Order and Factory Records, and as well as being a magnet for clubbers, it also hosted gigs. Along with the Factory bands, the performers included The Smiths, The Stone Roses, Oasis and Madonna in her first UK appearance. "The Hacienda changed Manchester forever," said Vaughan Allen, chief executive of the city's Urbis centre, which is currently hosting an exhibition about the club. "It did 25 years ago what MySpace does today, bringing together creative people to create something new," he told the BBC last month. But like Factory Records, the Hacienda lost money, and the heavy drug use meant gangs and dealers moved in, leading to regular violence. The club closed in 1997. RUNNING THE "IN THE CITY" CONFERENCE Set up in 1992, In the City is the UK's largest and most influential forum for finding new talent and discussing the future of the industry. Oasis played at In the City in 1992, two years before their first single It allows the music industry to run the rule over the cream of the UK's new and unsigned bands. And it has helped launch almost every major British act of the last 15 years. Oasis, Radiohead and Suede played at the first In the City. Muse and Coldplay appeared in 1998, Snow Patrol performed in 2000 and The Arctic Monkeys put in an appearance two years ago. Wilson was renowned as "one of the great spotters of music talent", according to Alan McGee, who founded Creation - the home of Oasis and Primal Scream. Anthony H Wilson RIP