Читать книгу Tony Wilson - You're Entitled to an Opinion But. . . - David Nolan - Страница 5

The first time I met Tony Wilson, he didn’t say, ‘Hello’ or ‘How are you?’ He said, ‘I’ve just been to the most amazing museum space… do you know New York?’

One nil to Tony.

I then had to hand him a cheque to pay him for the television interview we were about to do, despite the fact we were both employees of the company who were going to broadcast it – Granada Television in Manchester. Tony was in a row about money with Granada and was insisting on being paid up front before he held forth on any subject, even if it was for a colleague.

In the space of a few moments I got a small insight into Tony’s world: intellectual pretention, argy-bargy and problems with money. Not a bad introduction to his many lives in just two minutes.

Like many people, I felt like I already knew him. This was the bouffant-haired newsreader who had provided me with the first glimpse of my about-to-be-favourite bands on TV. This was the man whose record company made singles that were often better to look at than they were to listen to. This was the man whose nightclub I’d begun visiting in its opening week in 1982. This was the man I was soon to be sharing an open-plan office with. I felt like I knew him.

Then I started work on this book. Turns out I didn’t know him at all.

The following people definitely helped me know more about Tony Wilson. That there are musicians, DJs, journalists, TV executives, writers, actors, a former Blue Peter presenter, a doctor, a forensic scientist and a man with a papier-mâché head among them says a great deal about the rich palette of Tony’s life. So my thanks to: Mark Alderton, Chris Batten, Peter Berry, Gordon Burns, Frank Cottrell Boyce, Larry Cassidy, Vin Cassidy, Sebastian Cody, Kieron Collins, Kevin Cummins, Pat Dilibero, Ray Fitzwalter, Bob Greaves, Dave Haslam, Professor Robert Hawkins, Alan Hempsall, Konnie Huq, Kathleen Houghton, Don Jones, Tadeusz Kasa, Howard Kingston, Geoff Knupfer, Chris Lee, David Liddiment, Michelle Mayman, Andy McCluskey, Rob McLoughlin, Peter McNamara, Bruce Mitchell, Martin Moscrop, Eamonn O’Neal, Steve Panter, Graeme Park, Craig Parkinson, Max Steinberg, Paul Ryder, Chris Sievey, Mike Spencer, Peter Trollope, Paul Welsh, Jenny Winstone and Dick Witts.

Thank you – only more so – to Tony’s partner Yvette Livesey. Truly a Superstar DJ…

Also: Laura Baynam-Hughes, Polyanna Clayton-Stamm, John Cooper, Ian Cranna, Peter Davis, Simon Donohue, Bob Gallagher, Cerys Griffiths, John Jeffay, Ian Johnsen, Roger Platt, Paul Routledge, Lucian Randall, Lindsay Reade, Tom Smetham and Dave Woodward for their help in making things happen.

Oddly enough, just as I was finishing this book, I had a stroke. That was a funny day. So thank you to the staff at Stepping Hill Hospital, Stockport for looking after me.

Author interviews with Tony Wilson carried out in 1998, 2001 and 2006.

David Nolan – Manchester, England

August 2009