Really gutted tonight to hear the news that Tony Wilson has died. It's a cliche , I know, but he really was "Mr Manchester" to my generation, which grew up in the 1970s in the north-west. Over the years, I interviewed him several times. At 40, he said to me he still felt like a sixth-former. And so did I as I was still a bit in awe of him....
A couple of months ago, Wilson wrote a very moving article in the Manchester Evening News praising the NHS and Manchester's Christie Hospital. It was horribly ironic, and a shameful reflection on the NHS, tbat a few months later his treatment had to be paid for by the Happy Mondays as the drug which he hoped was to buy him some time was not available on tbe NHS. He spent his last few weeks campaigning for others to benefit - which was typical of the man, He was one of the good guys- and will be missed. Like thousands of Mancunians, I feel very sad.As someone else has said, a vital part of Manchester has gone. And so has a part of my own life.....
Friday, 10 August 2007
24 HOUR PARTY PERSON
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4 comments:
I had never heard of this man until I read John Brisso's 'rave review' of his life. When I inquired what this man had actually done to further the happiness and progress of Mankind, thinkin gperhaps that he had found a cure for cancer instead of dying of it, Brisso gave me a link to go to. After reading it I left this comment which you, too, might be able to answer:
"For example: who or what are “Joy Division” and “New Order”? - they sound like branches of the SS. And when Mr. Wilson (no relation, I assume?) described the “Sex Pistols” as the manifestation of Christ, had he possibly imbibed some of the ‘Ecstacy’ that was being sold in his club? Finally, apart from parting sundry drug-addled fools from their hard cash in return for unmitigated rubbish of no merit whatsoever, what, exactly and precisely, did he do?
I mean, why do you care if he lives or dies?"
In the case of your particular post, I might also ask why, if the late Mr. Wilson was a successful and reasonably wealthy man, he didn't pay for his own cancer drugs?
David, Tony Wilson meant a lot to thousands of people. See the BBC news blog.Even if you know nothing about the man or his music and what he did for manchester that's no reason to be randomly nasty.He never made much money out of the bands/music he promted and in any case why should anyone have to pay for cancer drugs when he have an NHS. Not your finest moment...
Well, he's not worth arguing over but I fully understood from all the press reports and blog posts that he was thought well of by many; what I couldn't understand was why. I still don't. I mean if he had actually created some music himself, even at the moronic level of the Sex Pistols, it might have been something, but all he did, according to reports, is try to make money out of it whilst running a club in which drugs were for sale. I thought you were rather against that sort of thing!
As for my finest moments, alas, they're rarer than a hen's teeth!
I suggest you do a bit more homework....Wilson was also a top broadcaster, spokesman for Manchester , working-class hero and general cultural icon.Yes, there were drugs in the Hacienda. They tend to be around in the music world.....doesn't mean you have to take 'em.
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