Tag Archives: M-Theory

Peter Hook Interview on SoundDiego (I'm on the Telly!)

Check out this awesome little interview that aired this weekend! SoundDiego is a popular local music blog in San Diego, and their show follows NBC’s Saturday Night Live. My hubby and I just happened to be watching SNL and saw the commercial for the upcoming episode that featured a segment on the Peter Hook book signing which included an interview with SoundDiego’s Scott McDonald. We are usually early sleepers, so I decided to DVR the show in case we fell asleep. Click on the picture above to take you to the video for the segment that aired that night (or click here to bring up the interview on a different page). My friend Rob and I can be seen in line inside M-Theory, our new friends Tony and Ian talking with Peter Hook, and finally you can also see my very own interaction with Hooky!

(Picture and video courtesy of NBC San Diego and SoundDiego)

Unknown Pleasures: Meeting Peter Hook of Joy Division & New Order

This past Saturday, I attended a book signing at M-Theory Music and had the very great pleasure of meeting Peter Hook (nickname, Hooky), the bassist and co-founder of Joy Division, who reformed as New Order following the death of then lead singer, Ian Curtis. Hooky officially left New Order back in 2007, but they have since reformed without him. He currently performs with his band, Peter Hook & The Light, performing the New Order albums “Movement” and “Power Corruption and Lies” live. He recently wrote a book called Unknown Pleasures: Inside Joy Division, chronicling his time with the legendary band.

I saw New Order back in 1989, which was definitely during Peter Hook’s time in the group (my ticket is pictured above). Although I was very familiar with their history, I only really became a fan of Joy Division when I was on maternity leave during one of many late nights, after watching Anton Corbijn’s movie “Control” (original post here). When I read about Peter Hook’s book signing on M-Theory’s Facebook page, I invited as many of my friends as I could who are 80’s music enthusiasts, and ended up meeting my friend Rob there. Back in 2010, Rob and his friend Todd met up with me and my sister at Alan Wilder’s signing (original post here). In fact, a couple of people who were at Alan’s signing were also there at the Peter Hook signing and remembered me as the girl who won the dance contest. To quote the great George Takei, “Oh Myyyyy!”

It’s always fun to meet people who are in line because we all have the obvious common interest, but it’s also great to hear stories of their musical and life experiences. The two gentleman in front of us were father and son, Tony and Ian (respectively). Tony had wonderful stories of bands he’s seen, people he’s met and tales of when he worked at Licorice Pizza (record store chain that no longer exists), as did Rob! The three of them together gave me a bit of the history of Peter Hook’s other musical endeavors. Rob had vinyl 12 inch records and 45’s of not just Joy Division and New Order, but also of Revenge and Monaco, bands that Hooky recorded with previously. Later via Facebook, Tony explained that Ian’s middle name is Curtis. Finding out about that after the event and thinking of the experience makes Tony one of the coolest dad’s in my book. Not only did he name his son after the lead singer of one of his favorite bands, but then took his son to meet one of the co-founders of that same band. Best story of the day, hands down.

Rob chatting with Steve West

I officially was able introduce myself to Steve West, DJ extraordinaire of 91X, because Rob knows him personally. I spoke to him in passing once at a OMD concert, so it was fun to meet and chat with him a bit. I listened to him for years on 91X, and many of the bands that I still listen to today are due to Steve West.

Side note: Check out the new bag I won on Mimi Boutique’s Facebook page!

Ian and Tony with Hooky. Knowing the back story now puts me at awe when I see this picture.

This event was very well-organized, and the line flowed much better through the store than the Alan Wilder signing (I think the dance contest set up may have made it a bit chaotic). Hooky was incredibly friendly and sweet, chatting up each person or group of people and even cracked jokes. The folks at M-Theory asked that we write our names on small sheets of paper so that Hooky could make sure to correctly personalize our books. I said my name is Cy, like Cy Curnin (of The Fixx). For whatever reason – maybe out of nervousness – I slid over the piece of paper with my name on it, he said, “Really?!” and playfully threw away the piece of paper behind him laughing. We used my camera for Rob’s picture as well, and Hooky asked “Is he with you? By the look on your face, you seem reluctant to say!” I explained that Rob is my friend and it was ok to take the picture. Rob then asked him “City or United?” and I am happy to report that Hooky is a Manchester United supporter. GO YOU REDS!

We were allowed to have three items signed in total, so I had my book signed along with my Joy Division CD and a Joy Division collectors’ edition of NME that Rob picked up for the both of us. Another wonderful signing and great day meeting Peter Hook at M-Theory Music!

Today is Record Store Day 2012

It’s rare these days that I post on a Saturday, but it’s an important day for music enthusiasts that goes along with this upcoming week’s musical themed blog posts. Today is Record Store Day. I discovered this event by accident last year when I ordered Depeche Mode’s Remixes: 81-11 (posts seen here and here). Because I purchased the CD at an independent record store here in San Diego called Lou’s Records, I received a very rare promotional Record Store Day, four song, limited edition “Personal Jesus” 12″ single (my copy pictured below).

Record Store Day is a day that celebrates the indie record store and the culture surrounding them. When I was a teen, I remember the thrill of getting that rare British or European import from my favorite local record store called Blue Meannie Records. They have since gone out of business, but I would rather still shop at stores like Ameoba Music in Los Angeles, Lou’s Records or M-Theory here in San Diego because of the type of music available at these stores, which includes rare, used and new vinyl records. To this day, I miss Tower Records and I’m a backer of the documentary All Things Must Pass: The Rise and Fall of Tower Records, produced by Colin Hanks (post here). I’m also saddened by the recent closure of The Ideal Copy, an independent online store where I purchased my favorite rare, out-of-print CD’s or vinyl by groups like Aztec Camera, Blancmange, Red Rockers, Roman Holiday and Vitamin Z.

I didn’t see anything in this year’s list that I would go out of my way for, like that Depeche Mode treasure from last year. But here is a link to the full list of releases on PDF that you can download, and maybe you can find a nugget of your own by one of your favorite artists. Whatever your flavor, please continue to support independent record stores to celebrate not only the art of music, but the art of collecting and appreciating music. Happy Record Store Day!

(Top image courtesy of the Record Store Day official website)

Note: A sad “So long” to Mr. Dick Clark, who was an icon. I loved American Bandstand growing up and I think he was the quintessential TV show host. He will always be “The Eternal Teenager”.

Strange Hours: The Alan Wilder Experience

Sometimes one doesn’t have to plan for a spectacular event to happen. Sometimes it just happens because of synergy or karma. Sometimes it’s just pure luck, and sometimes it’s all about timing and opportunity. Sometimes, it’s all of the above.

I had an unbeliveable day with my sister in meeting Alan Wilder and seeing his show “A Strange Hour” with Recoil and friends. It started off with being the very first person in line at the M-Theory Music store signing (we got there and met up with my friend Rob and his friend, Todd at 2:30pm), winning the “dance-off” judged by Alan Wilder himself (music by DJ Edgartronic), then chatting with him briefly while getting many of my Depeche Mode and Recoil rarities signed. The dance-off was quite funny because five people signed up, but I was the only who danced. Alan remarked that I won not only because of the dancing, but because I was the only brave one to go up there and actually do it!

Winning the contest afforded me two tickets to the show, so I took my sister. While still at the signing, Alan said that I need to be there because Anthology is such an intimate venue that he wanted to make sure I got up and danced to get the crowd going. I said that since I won the contest that I had tickets, I would definitely be there. After waiting for my sister, Rob and Todd and their signings, we exited M-Theory.

Later that night, my sister and I went to the show at Anthology. Because I won the contest, our seats were just five feet from the stage. I’d never been to Anthology before, and it’s a very beautiful venue. The night started with Conjure One, who did a pretty good set (this was my first time seeing them). Then Alan Wilder himself came out to check out the crowd. He scanned the front to see if there was any one he recognized, and pointed me out and said “I remember you from earlier!” I got a couple of high-fives for the “shout out” from Alan, which just brought out the 16-year old in me all over again. He then introduced Daniel Myer of Architect. Alan encouraged people to please come down to the floor, as this set up was just too “sophisticated” and wanted to see people dance. He also mentioned that the Architect set was cut short at the show the night before, so we would get the privilege of enjoying Daniel’s entire set (a little over 30 minutes long). The Architect set mixed in some Depeche Mode samples which really got the crowd going. It was a very strong proggy/industrial set, which I enjoyed.

Of course, last but not least was Paul Kendall and Alan Wilder, who did a magnificent set from their new “Selected” album, which is a selection of classic Recoil songs that are remastered. What surprised me the most about the set was just how much Depeche Mode was mixed in. Songs that I remember the snippets of were “Never Let Me Down Again”, “Behind The Wheel”, “Walking in my Shoes” and the encore song that included “Personal Jesus”. I guess I expected it to be strictly Recoil music, but one can never forget where Alan spent a big part of his musical career.

I felt that Alan was also so much more relaxed and grooved the entire concert, something I don’t recall seeing when he was with Depeche Mode (who I’ve seen at least eight times in concert since 1985). Maybe it was the dynamics of the group at the time he was there, but Alan was in his element last night, enjoying every single moment of this musical journey he started well before he left Depeche Mode. Additionally, Alan is just such a nice person. He was so gracious judging the dance-off and so very sweet during the signing. One always hopes for a great experience with someone they have admired and followed for so long, so the moment is even better when that person is as wonderful a person as Alan Wilder is.

All in all, it was a spectacular day. I was so pleasantly surprised throughout the day by all the events that it made the day even better than I hoped it would be. My inner-teenager was so thrilled to have had this opportunity to fulfill what seemed to be a lifelong dream. I want to thank my sister, my friends Rob and Todd, M-Theory Music, Anthology, DJ Edgartronic and most of all, Alan Wilder for making this an experience I will not soon forget.

Two Day Warning

I’m a big fan of indie-record stores and M-Theory Music is as indie as they come. I love their selection of older vinyl records and CD’s mixed in with new and independent artists. They even have 45’s, which is a rare find these days. Located in Mission Hills, this award-winning store has listening stations which makes it a great place to listen before you purchase. Since it’s near Hillcrest, one can head on over to grab a bite to eat or get a cup of coffee close by after a little music shopping.

It’s Thursday and the Alan Wilder signing will be in two more days. My husband and I went to M-Theory Music to scope out the area and see how this highly anticipated signing may play out. I got a chance to chat with Rick, the manager at M-Theory, who stated that this is going to be a very popular event, with people coming down from LA and elsewhere (I know someone coming from Riverside). There’s even going to be a dance off to win Recoil tickets. Overall, it sounds like they are going to do what they can to make this a fun event for everyone.

I’ve already called my friend Eileen and my sister to let them know that we may have to get to the signing a bit earlier due to the size of the store and the location. Either way, my excitement is starting to grow. Friday will be spent thinking about what I’m going to bring for Alan to sign and what I’m going to wear. Although I want to bring practically my whole collection, I’m going to have to narrow it down. I’m taking lots of deep breaths for the next two days…*sigh*

Outfit: Trilogy jacket; Tucker for Target dress; Zac Posen for Target belt; Jessica Simpson suede boots; Louis Vuitton Palermo PM purse; vintage cameo necklace, Old Navy tights

Photos by Deon Chen

(Note: The title of this post is a play on the song entitled “Two Minute Warning” written by Alan Wilder when he was with Depeche Mode. I’m sure some of you new that, right?)

Remix this:

Remix this:

Remix this:

Remix this:

Remix this: