Peter Hook launches 'Joy Division' DVD in LA

Joy Division and New Order bassist Peter Hook deejayed and participated in a revealing Q&A session in Los Angeles last night (June 17) to mark the US release of the 'Joy Division' documentary DVD.

The film, directed by Grant Gee, concentrates on Joy Division's groundbreaking sound and on the Manchester band�s tragic frontman Ian Curtis, who committed suicide in 1980.

"We filmed 'Joy Division' before 'Control', and it's a good thing we did because we wouldn't have opened up in the same way," Hook said, referring to Anton Corbijn�s movie 'Control', which was released in 2007.

"It's sometimes a bit too naked," Hook said of the film. "I'd never talked about (Curtis' death) with (guitarist) Bernard (Sumner) or (drummer) Steve (Morris), so to hear each of us discuss it in the film was quite revelatory."

The documentary was shown last night at the new Zune screening room in Los Angeles. Zune is commemorating its release with a digital media player etched with designer Peter Saville's iconic artwork from Joy Division�s 'Unknown Pleasures' album. The film will come pre-loaded on the custom black Zune 80 player.

The 'Joy Division' biopic also touches on the way the other band members dealt with Curtis' shocking death. "We were all so hurt we wanted to run away from it," Hook explained after the screening. "It was natural for us to turn our back on Joy Division and start New Order. The funeral was on Thursday and we started New Order on Monday. It took 18 years for us to start playing Joy Division songs again."

--By our Los Angeles staff.
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