Manchester music legend Peter Hook has called for a permanent Manchester memorial to his former Joy Division bandmate Ian Curtis - after an existing mural was painted over, sparking a huge outcry. The mural was being replaced by an advert for the new album by Manchester rap star Aitch, but a public backlash meant that too has now been painted over.
Bass player Hook says he has been campaigning for over 10 years for a permanent memorial to both Joy Division frontman Ian and the late Factory Records founder Tony Wilson. He has pitched ideas for statues in both Macclesfield - where Ian lived - and Salford, where Tony was born.
Now Hook says he's happy to support the reinstatement of the Ian Curtis mural, which is being led by the original artist Akse along with Aitch's management, while he continues to push for statues to both music figures too.
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Hook, speaking to the Manchester Evening News on Friday, said: "I've been campaigning for a statue of Ian in Macclesfield and Tony Wilson straddling the Salford and Manchester border for something like 12 years now, but they are so difficult to push through. It's a very, very gradual process.
"People do feel now that these commemorations are overdue, and that's what is causing the emotion to the mural being painted over this week. It's actually a great compliment that people feel so emotional about Ian that they want to keep this there - they appreciate his input to the city. I felt the same when they painted over the Tony Wilson mural on Tib Street."
Hook said he would be happy to support plans now for the Akse mural to be reinstated. Artist Akse today said: "I have been in touch with Aitch's management, the agency working on behalf of Amazon music and representative of Manchester council and we are together to try to get the Ian Curtis mural reinstated."
It was in October 2020 that the stunning monochrome image of Curtis was first revealed by street artist Akse. The artwork was created to mark the start of the Manchester music and wellbeing festival Headstock, and was based on a photo of him performing in Brussels in 1979, taken by acclaimed Belgian photographer Philippe Carly.
It began to be painted over earlier this week for the start of a promotional poster for Aitch's new album - although Aitch was swift to respond to say he had no idea it was happening. Moston-born Aitch has now said that he and his team will get the mural fixed and added that he would 'not want to disrespect a local hero like Ian'.
Hook said today: "If anyone does want to get a fund together to reinstate it, I'll be the first to chip in. I did say to Aitch on Twitter I would help to get it back up there.
"I don't know why Aitch got so much stick about it all, because ultimately that was an advertising site there, so it could have been replaced at any time by anything at all. I felt sorry for him getting so much abuse.
"The site had become like a pilgrimage though, it became another wonderful spot for Manchester's legacy. So I do understand the emotion of people completely, but I feel sorry for Aitch getting caught up in it."
Hook first made plans for a 12ft high statue of Tony Wilson over a decade ago, and hoped to get the public involved to fund both the build and the permanent upkeep of such a monument. He hopes it can still one day take shape, ideally at a site where it could saddle the Salford-Manchester border over the River Irwell, with sites previously discussed near to Manchester Cathedral.
Hook said: "Without a doubt there should be a celebration of people like Tony and Ian, with just how important these people were at a time when Manchester needed it, arguably when Manchester needed it badly. But it's a very multiple layered process trying to build a statue.
"My idea was to publicly fund it so that people could have a share of the Tony Wilson statue, so you'd sell 1,000 shares in the statue, for £20 or something, so that the people, who are of course the important thing in music, that they owned the statue and maintained it.
"I thought that was a wonderful legacy of the bands, and of Tony."
Since then, there has also been a permanent mural to Ian painted in Macclesfield. And Hook said it was all down to the Manchester Akse mural that the Macclesfield one came about.
Hook said: "It was only by Akse doing the Ian mural in town did that inspire Macclesfield to do the permanent memorial in his home town, so some good will always have come from it being there."
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