By JOHN DALY
Peter Hook may be appropriately named. Not only is he a celebrated musician, but he’s a winning fighter.
“Hooky,” as he is known to millions of fans, caught the affection of the crowd at the Wiltern in LA last night, playing the New Order albums Technique and Republic as well as beloved Joy Division tunes.
But the past few years haven’t been all fun and glory for the bassist and co-founder of Joy Division and New Order. He quietly fought for his rights against his very bandmates over royalties related to his bands.
To use familiar words, there’s been “No Love Lost” between the two sides, which hammered out a settlement agreement in 2017.
In 2015, Hook said in court papers that Bernard Sumner and the drummer Stephen Morris put together a new business that would oversee the well-known trademarks of the bands Joy Division and New Order — behind his back.
Hook said he was owed him millions of pounds in back revenues generated from the use of the trademarks.
The Q50 TV Advertisement ‘Loses Control’
In the age of the Internet and continual digital misappropriation works, and at a time when musicians and others continue to struggle to get paid for their creations, a related issue arose for Joy Division.
In 2015, a U.S. TV advertisement blatantly copied the song “She’s Lost Control,” originally sung by the late Ian Curis, the frontman for Joy Division. The drumming in the commercial bore a remarkable resemblance to the unique beat created by drummer Morris in the classic song.
In an Infinity Q50 TV car commercial the person in the car “gains control,” moving from the back seat, to the driver’s seat of the car. The ad copy says the car “puts you in control” with its special “Direct Adaptive Steering.”
California Rocker ran a story and got input from the fans, and the music in the TV commercial was changed. See it here:
UPDATE: AD CHANGED – To Creators of Infiniti Ad: You’ve Ripped Off Ian Curtis and Joy Division
Check out Peter Hook and The Light at The Wiltern here.
Instagram post courtesy of Lindzeylu:
Videos are courtesy of Brian Sevilla, subscribe to his Channel here.
Peter Hook and The Light – Love Will Tear Us Apart – Brian Sevilla
Peter Hook and The Light – Temptation – Brian Sevilla
Peter Hook and The Light – Ceremony – Courtesy of Nancy German: