Unknown Pleasures

Inside Joy Division

By: Peter Hook

Narrated by: Peter Hook

In Unknown Pleasures: Inside Joy Division, Peter Hook, bassist for the legendary, groundbreaking band Joy Division, takes readers backstage with the group that helped define the sound of a generation and influenced artists such as U2, Radiohead, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Unlike other books about Joy Division, Factory Records, or lead singer Ian Curtis—who took his own life just before the band's first U.S. Tour—Unknown Pleasures tells Joy Division's story from the unique perspective of one of the three surviving band members.

Told with surprising humor and vivid detail, Unknown Pleasures is the book Joy Division fans have been waiting for.

Fantsatic read!

The direct insight into an amazing band and world of people. Hooky's story is honest forthright, reflective, compelling and intriguing. His details about Joy Division especially the life and character of Ian Curtis give you an understanding of his turmoil and brilliance also described so well by others. For a man thats tone deaf and self taught he still remains one of my favorite bass players and has a life long fan now.

what a great story.

Hooky tells a story that encompasses every emotion possible, in an open an frank manner that made me listen on enthralled, although I am not a huge JD fan. It's a documentation of an era in modern music history, but also an involving story of friendship, loneliness, drive and any amount of weird and funny shit. It got to me, and I will probably read it again. Thanks for that, Hooky. And for all the bass and technical info, that was enlightening.

Required reading for post-punk nerds.

Required reading for post-punk nerds. So many pranks, I mean f&#$, they were absolutely merciless.

Intimate look

Peter Hook was as open and honest as anyone could hope for about this entire history of Joy Division. Not just its tragic end, but everything at all steps. Beautifully performed. The only downside is the long tedious timelines which probably worked great in print but not so much as audio, and they were a sizable percentage of this short book.

Love the band even more now

Finally I got to learn about the inner-workings of a band I've always admired, who spawned New Order, which as an 80's DJ, was one of my top played bands, It was exciting to hear the impassioned story that Peter delivers, with humor and bite. I'm willing to accept it as honest, from his point of view. It makes me want to read the guitarist, Bernard's book (which I wish was available on Audible). If you love Joy Division and New Order and want to get a glimpse into the Manchester scene of the late 70's -90's, spend some time with Unknown Pleasures, the book and the music.