Substance cover art

Substance

Inside New Order

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Substance

By: Peter Hook
Narrated by: Peter Hook, Keir Stewart
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About this listen

Rollicking, no-holds-barred account of New Order's entire history.

Two acclaimed albums and an upcoming US tour - Joy Division had the world at their feet. Then, on the eve of that tour, the band’s troubled lead singer, Ian Curtis, killed himself. The next time they got together, they were a new band.

That band was New Order - their label was Factory Records; their club, The Haçienda. Their distinctive sound paved the way for the dance music explosion that followed, earning them the reputation as one of the most influential bands of their generation and changing the course of popular music.

Following on from his best-selling titles The Haçienda and Unknown Pleasures, Peter Hook has written a rollicking, no-holds-barred account of the band's entire history. Substance is packed with never-before-seen detail, discographies and technical information. This is possibly the most entertaining memoir ever written by a British musician.

Photo credit: Mark L Hill.

©2016 Peter Hook (P)2021 Audible, Ltd Entertainment & Celebrities Music Celebrity Witty Thought-Provoking Feel-Good Funny

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All stars
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Amazing book, read this a few years ago, nice to hear the man read it himself. It's like being down the pub with Hooky hearing him tell you classic tales about New Order.

Hooky's best book yet

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Well-read, interesting and at times pretty funny. On the down side, the endless, unnecessarily detailed accounts of Hook’s sexual encounters (paid for and otherwise) were massively cringeworthy and disrespectful. Couldn’t help wondering how the ex wives and girlfriends he boasted about cheating on constantly must have felt if they’d listened to this, not to mention his daughter. Women are sexually objectified throughout, which eventually put me off totally and I gave up half way through. Some stories are best left in Vegas.

What happens in Vegas….

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Best autobiography I've ever read. And I've read Thatcher's, lol. I like New Order a lot, but am not a superfan (haven't seen the films yet, either). That said I had to ration my listening as it was so entertaining - and it's not a short book at all.

Compelling and very funny (except for the serious bits, of which there are a couple) from start to finish

The Perfect Autobiography

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It’s a great story and well told by Hooky. He’s a natural. Well worth a listen.

Give your ears a treat and have a listen.

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wonderful narration and classy storytelling. some novelty on the rewrites of rock clichés. hooky is a large man, large sound and large presence. the deterioration of his relationship with BS is the linchpin of the book and consistently engaging

The last great bear of rock

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