It’s time to say goodbye to another iconoclast of popular music.

Anthony Michael Wilson died of a heart attack after a year-long battle with cancer on Friday at the age of 57. Tony Wilson, as he is better known, was the founder of Factory Records and helped foster a generation of ground-breaking music from the post-punk era to the beginnings of the Manchester rave scene in England. Despite a number of innaccuracies, the 2002 film “24-Hour Party People” gave an entertaining and loving look at the man and the often madcap circumstances that his career was founded upon. If you haven’t seen it, rent it. Tonight.

In the mid-70s, Wilson was a very minor television personality who, after seeing the Sex Pistols in concert, began to champion the underground nightlife that was largely ignored by the mainstream media. Particularly in the Manchester area, he began promoting various nightclub events and live shows. Tony Wilson teamed with Alan Erasmus, a local band manager, Martin Hannett, a talented and wildly eccentric record producer, and Peter Saville, a brilliantly gifted graphic designer and artist. This eventually led to the founding of Factory Records in 1978. Saville provided the aesthetic—streamlined and edgy—that defined everything Factory did. Hannett provided the sound—stark and modern—that was instantly recognizable and infinitely plagiarized throughout the 80s. Together with Erasmus, Wilson brought the hype. He had the vision, even if Factory’s bankroll didn’t always measure up to his aspirations.

The number and quality of the bands that Factory helped break is impressive to this day. Although many have become a footnote in the history of post-punk, names like Joy Division, New Order, A Certain Ratio, ESG, Cabaret Voltaire, and The Happy Mondays still resonate today in large part because of the efforts of Tony Wilson. He gave a leg up to bands that ranged from out of the ordinary to truly extraordinary. In 1982, Factory and New Order opened the Hacienda nightclub. It was to become the hub of Manchester’s music scene throughout the 80s and the birthplace of English rave music in the early 90s. Although it was never a success in terms of turning a dollar (or a pound, as the case may be), it was a boon for the music scene in England, which had been in a bit of a freefall since the death of punk. And it allowed young local bands to share a stage with legends like Section 25 and Durutti Column.

In many ways, Tony Wilson was simultaneously a great businessman, and a terrible one. Not one to be tied down by the wild monetary swings of Factory Records, he was always dreaming of the next giant step, and God bless him, he usually had the gumption to make it a reality. In the late 80s, when Factory Records began to take a financial nosedive, London Records expressed an interest in purchasing the label and its catalog. Until they found out the catalog was practically non-existent. Wilson had allowed most of the bands to own their own master recordings and never signed proper contracts with nearly all of them. Nevertheless, Wilson kept all of Factory’s endeavors looking top-notch, up until its eventual bankruptcy in late 1992.

People who knew Tony Wilson seemed to have differing opinions of him, usually based on the outcome of their dealings with him. But if it’s any indication, visit some of the bands’ sites I’ve linked to throughout this piece, and you’ll notice that virtually all of them have posted something expressing sadness over Tony’s passing. Whatever might be said about the man, he knew good music when he heard it…and he knew how to throw one hell of a party.

Go to the original post to sample more than a few Wilson-related gems.
Wilson YouTubed here.

pictured above: New Order’s “Blue Monday” 12-inch single, Joy Division’s “Unknown Pleasures”, (l-r) Peter Saville, Tony Wilson, and Alan Erasmus

If you enjoy these tunes, tune into my radio show on kxlu 88.9fm 10a-2p every monday. we’re also streaming live at www.kxlu.com.