Where were you when you heard the news? He’s not quite as famous as JFK, but Antony H Wilson, aka “Tony” or Mr Manchester (blurgh) died a couple of weeks back and the Manchester landscape will never be the same. Not that he’d want it to remain the same, as the co-founder of Factory, the company that brought us Joy Division, New Order, The Happy Mondays and of course A Certain Ratio, and the co-owner of FAC51, quite possibly the most important club in the world during it’s peak years 88-92, Tony Wilson not only embraced change, but created change at every opportunity. Although he generated a great deal of revenue for Factory (only to be sucked up by The Hacienda), he remained, for the most part, a pretty regular guy without the trappings of wealth, probably due to the fact that he didnt have a great deal of wealth. He’ll be missed.

Antony H Wilson and Factory - Related Reading:
The History of Hacienda from Pride of Manchester

Melt into Men, an interview by Phil Edwards, (then) editor for Socialist

CNN’s Coverage of Tony Wilson (I didn’t think anything outside of the US was worth covering?)

Factory Records - Unofficial Blog

YouTube Clips from The Hacienda and other Factory nights

Tour of the Hacienda - FAC51