Vini Reilly on Ian Curtis, Factory Records, and Morrissey
Get the Culture newsletter
Daily culture — film, music, books, the trends and ideas worth your attention. Free.
- Vini Reilly described his youth in a Manchester street gang, revealing he once went to Moss Side wanting gangsters to shoot him after a depressive breakdown following his father's death during his O-levels, with bandmate Bruce Mitchell confirming Reilly had to be 'sectioned' once during violent outbursts
- Joy Division were paid in cash to glue sandpaper sheets onto the original cover of The Return of the Durutti Column at Factory Records while watching porno movies, with the sandpaper hiding discarded sleeves from an album of steam train noises that can still be found if peeled back
- Blood Orange's Dev Hynes, a longtime fan, sampled the 1998 Durutti Column track 'Sing to Me' for a collaboration called 'The Field' after asking permission, prompting a two-hour conversation about the band
- The Durutti Column count covert fans including Stewart Lee, Chris Morris, Max Richter, Richard Ayoade, John Frusciante, Chris Martin, AG Cook, and Caroline Polachek, with producer Keir Stewart noting Reilly 'wants to remain unpolluted' by their fame
- Harry Styles told Radio 1 that the Durutti Column was a major influence on his new album, leading to a 'For Vini – A Tribute to the Durutti Column' show at London's Meltdown festival where Bruce Mitchell played drums, with a UK tour already being explored by promoters
- Ian Curtis was prescribed numerous pills for epilepsy while his marriage was falling apart and he had a young daughter, with Reilly concluding he 'didn't have a chance' before his suicide and noting nobody — not even Tony Wilson — ever asked him about the songs' content
- Morrissey worked with Reilly on Viva Hate, with the two constantly laughing, Morrissey discussing the Moors murderers (saying he could have been one of their victims), and Bruce Mitchell recalling the pair 'nattering like two old ladies on Coronation Street' in the back seat
Why it matters: The interview offers firsthand insight into Factory Records' eccentric economics — Joy Division gluing sandpaper sleeves for cash while watching porno films — and Ian Curtis's unaddressed struggles with epilepsy medication, witnessed up close by Reilly. With Harry Styles publicly citing the band as a major new-album influence and a Meltdown tribute show already prompting UK tour interest, Reilly's notoriously private profile is drawing unusual public attention.
