Brilliant piece. I had the pleasure of having a few pints on a couple of occasions with Rob in ‘the vault’ of The Beech in Chorlton. We had mutual friends. We just talked City, nothing else. What a top bloke. P1ss funny, too.
Well written account. The last time I saw Rob was in The Hacienda, both in our 40’s. He took Stephen Morris from New Order round with him to remind him of names when he recognised faces to speak to.
I ran into Rob one time at the Barry McGuigan fight at the G-Mex in 1989 and we ended up back in the Haçienda. He was completely off his trolley and I recall being struck with how deferential and solicitous all the staff were to him, even in that condition. Thinking about it now, that was probably the last time I spoke to Tony Wilson. Tony and I just did not get on at all (that's why Rob is laughing at me in that video I shared.) I remember Tony and I engaging in icy, uncomfortable small talk while Rob babbled away beside us.
We should try and catch up properly in person next time I'm in Manchester!
Steve, what a fascinating and brilliant piece. I was born six months after you two and had some similar experiences. My schools were in Old Trafford and Stretford surrounded by reds but my Dad steered me in the right direction and I went to watch City from '65, went to Vienna in '70 for the ECWC final and had all sorts of "experiences" at places like Leeds, Chelsea and Everton etc. in the 70's.
I went to the Hulme Hippodrome to see recordings of the BBC's "Pop North" and saw some great groups of the 60's.
What memories you have helped me remember.
There our lives went in completely different directions, how I would have loved to have done even half of the things you both did. But it was the steady life for me working for the likes of the Manchester Ship Canal Company, Mothers Pride Bread and ICL (International Computers Ltd) amongst others.
I've not had a bad life, still a season ticket holder at City, still have to listen to music every day and be grateful for what I have, a lovely wife (second), four great kids and seven grandkids, also having recovered from prostate cancer.
Once again, thanks Steve for your touching reminiscences of you and Rob et al.
Love will tear us apart someone once said, who could ever forget it.
Thanks for the kind words, Phil. I’m glad you enjoyed the piece.
Rob crammed so much in those 46 years … but then you get to our age and realize just how much he missed out on. Not to mention how he would have loved these last few years of being a blue!
A g'day from Down Under, Steve. We'd become honoured to have gotten back to Australia Rob and Lindsay's Australian white label test pressing for "Closer", the first for the local label Gap Records, which the founders had to scrounge $30,000, about £15,000, including one director borrowing off his ex-wife!, to have their first Factory Records release for Australia.
The band decided that the music deserved to be heard better, on a twelve inch record, so formed Anonymous Records. Do you recall a promotional poster for it, with your scaffolding photography artwork? I'm unsure whether Oliver Wilson had sold one at some time, or I had felt certain I'd seen online one on a record shop frontage photograph, from 1978 with the poster in the window, so I'd bought one a while back from Beat Chapter, London. Another had appeared at auction in the last month via Omega Auctions, who are themselves huge fans.
Most architecture looks best covered with scaffolding! We'd visited Manchester in 1997 and took many photographs of the bomb-damaged Arndale Centre, blagging that I was a newspaper photographer from Melbourne, onto the roof of the Manchester Hilton with the manager!
Hey Gabriel. At some point I'll do a piece about the story behind "An Ideal For Living." Basically, they did the 7" EP before Rob took over and, for a variety of reasons, it didn't work. Rob got me to design the 12" sleeve and so we scouted the location together, then I hired a photographer and art directed the shoot.
Rob wanted badges to promote the band and release, so I gave him 12 options ... and he decided to have the lot manufactured. They gave them out at shows as promo items, but also had a few special sets made for themselves.
As I say in the article, the poster of the sleeve went on display at MOMA a few years ago.
The badges hadn't been manufactured again since 1978 so last year I designed some packaging and re-issued them, as well as limited editions of the poster. I did the poster in two formats.
All the merch is available on my site at www.stevemcgarry.com or through eBay if you want to take a look.
Wonderful
Brilliant piece. I had the pleasure of having a few pints on a couple of occasions with Rob in ‘the vault’ of The Beech in Chorlton. We had mutual friends. We just talked City, nothing else. What a top bloke. P1ss funny, too.
46 is no age is it?
...sake… :-(
Well written account. The last time I saw Rob was in The Hacienda, both in our 40’s. He took Stephen Morris from New Order round with him to remind him of names when he recognised faces to speak to.
Thanks, Lawrence.
I ran into Rob one time at the Barry McGuigan fight at the G-Mex in 1989 and we ended up back in the Haçienda. He was completely off his trolley and I recall being struck with how deferential and solicitous all the staff were to him, even in that condition. Thinking about it now, that was probably the last time I spoke to Tony Wilson. Tony and I just did not get on at all (that's why Rob is laughing at me in that video I shared.) I remember Tony and I engaging in icy, uncomfortable small talk while Rob babbled away beside us.
We should try and catch up properly in person next time I'm in Manchester!
Steve, what a fascinating and brilliant piece. I was born six months after you two and had some similar experiences. My schools were in Old Trafford and Stretford surrounded by reds but my Dad steered me in the right direction and I went to watch City from '65, went to Vienna in '70 for the ECWC final and had all sorts of "experiences" at places like Leeds, Chelsea and Everton etc. in the 70's.
I went to the Hulme Hippodrome to see recordings of the BBC's "Pop North" and saw some great groups of the 60's.
What memories you have helped me remember.
There our lives went in completely different directions, how I would have loved to have done even half of the things you both did. But it was the steady life for me working for the likes of the Manchester Ship Canal Company, Mothers Pride Bread and ICL (International Computers Ltd) amongst others.
I've not had a bad life, still a season ticket holder at City, still have to listen to music every day and be grateful for what I have, a lovely wife (second), four great kids and seven grandkids, also having recovered from prostate cancer.
Once again, thanks Steve for your touching reminiscences of you and Rob et al.
Love will tear us apart someone once said, who could ever forget it.
Phil Pollard
Thanks for the kind words, Phil. I’m glad you enjoyed the piece.
Rob crammed so much in those 46 years … but then you get to our age and realize just how much he missed out on. Not to mention how he would have loved these last few years of being a blue!
Cheers!
A g'day from Down Under, Steve. We'd become honoured to have gotten back to Australia Rob and Lindsay's Australian white label test pressing for "Closer", the first for the local label Gap Records, which the founders had to scrounge $30,000, about £15,000, including one director borrowing off his ex-wife!, to have their first Factory Records release for Australia.
The band decided that the music deserved to be heard better, on a twelve inch record, so formed Anonymous Records. Do you recall a promotional poster for it, with your scaffolding photography artwork? I'm unsure whether Oliver Wilson had sold one at some time, or I had felt certain I'd seen online one on a record shop frontage photograph, from 1978 with the poster in the window, so I'd bought one a while back from Beat Chapter, London. Another had appeared at auction in the last month via Omega Auctions, who are themselves huge fans.
Most architecture looks best covered with scaffolding! We'd visited Manchester in 1997 and took many photographs of the bomb-damaged Arndale Centre, blagging that I was a newspaper photographer from Melbourne, onto the roof of the Manchester Hilton with the manager!
Enough from me for now, avagoodweekend!
Hey Gabriel. At some point I'll do a piece about the story behind "An Ideal For Living." Basically, they did the 7" EP before Rob took over and, for a variety of reasons, it didn't work. Rob got me to design the 12" sleeve and so we scouted the location together, then I hired a photographer and art directed the shoot.
Rob wanted badges to promote the band and release, so I gave him 12 options ... and he decided to have the lot manufactured. They gave them out at shows as promo items, but also had a few special sets made for themselves.
As I say in the article, the poster of the sleeve went on display at MOMA a few years ago.
The badges hadn't been manufactured again since 1978 so last year I designed some packaging and re-issued them, as well as limited editions of the poster. I did the poster in two formats.
All the merch is available on my site at www.stevemcgarry.com or through eBay if you want to take a look.
Cheers!
Steve