Editing Tony Wilson

{{other people||Anthony Wilson (disambiguation){{!}}Anthony Wilson}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2018}}
{{EngvarB|date=August 2014}}
{{Short description|British record producer, record label owner and television presenter (1950–2007)}}
{{Infobox person
| name          = Tony Wilson
| image         = Tony Wilson hosting After Dark in 2003.jpg
| caption       = Hosting TV discussion ''[[After Dark (TV programme)|After Dark]]'' in 2003
| birth_name    = Anthony Howard Wilson
| birth_date    = {{Birth date|df=yes|1950|2|20}}
| birth_place   = [[Pendleton, Greater Manchester|Pendleton]], [[County Borough of Salford|Salford]], [[Lancashire]], England
| death_date    = {{Death date and age|df=yes|2007|8|10|1950|2|10}}
| death_place   = [[Withington]], [[Manchester]], England
| resting_place = [[Southern Cemetery, Manchester|Southern Cemetery]], [[Chorlton-cum-Hardy]], Manchester
| alma_mater    = [[Jesus College, Cambridge]]
| education     = BA in English 
| occupation    = {{hlist|Journalist|TV presenter}}
| employer      = {{hlist|[[ITV Granada|Granada Television]]|[[BBC North West]]}}
| known_for     = {{hlist|[[Factory Records]]|[[Madchester]] [[impresario]]|[[The Haçienda|Haçienda nightclub]]}}
| spouse        = 
| children      = 
| parents       = 
}}
'''Anthony Howard Wilson''' (20 February 1950 &ndash; 10 August 2007) was a British [[record label]] owner, radio and television presenter, [[nightclub]] manager and [[impresario]], and a journalist for [[ITV Granada|Granada Television]], the [[BBC]] and [[Channel 4]].

As a co-founder of the independent label [[Factory Records]] and founder-manager of [[the Haçienda]] nightclub, Wilson was behind some of [[Manchester]]'s most successful [[List of bands from Manchester|bands]], including [[Joy Division]], [[New Order (band)|New Order]], and [[Happy Mondays]]. Wilson was known as "Mr Manchester",<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/08/11/nwilson111.xml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071015151022/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/08/11/nwilson111.xml|url-status=dead|archive-date=15 October 2007|title='Mr Manchester' Tony Wilson dies|date=11 August 2007|access-date=17 January 2010|work=The Daily Telegraph|author= Malkin, Bonnie|location=London}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/6941716.stm|title=Tributes paid to 'Mr Manchester'|date=11 August 2007|access-date=17 January 2010|work=BBC News}}</ref> dubbed as such for his work in promoting the [[culture of Manchester]] throughout his career.

Wilson was portrayed by [[Steve Coogan]] in [[Michael Winterbottom]]'s film ''[[24 Hour Party People]]'' (2002), and by [[Craig Parkinson]] in [[Anton Corbijn]]'s film ''[[Control (2007 film)|Control]]'' (2007).

==Early life==
Wilson was born 20 February 1950 in [[Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust|Hope Hospital]], [[Pendleton, Greater Manchester|Pendleton]], [[County Borough of Salford|Salford]], [[Lancashire]], to Sydney Wilson and Doris Knupfer, and moved to [[Marple, Greater Manchester|Marple]], near [[Stockport]], [[Cheshire]], at the age of five.<!---Note to editors, we use the county of the time----><ref name="Manc online">{{cite news|author=Taylor, Paul|url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1013/1013299_wilson_put_city_on_the_map.html|title=Wilson put city on the map|work=Manchester Evening News|access-date=17 January 2010|date=10 August 2007}}</ref> After passing his [[Eleven plus exam]], Wilson attended De La Salle Grammar School in Weaste Lane, [[Pendleton, Greater Manchester|Pendleton]], Salford. He developed a love of literature and language, ignited by a performance of ''[[Hamlet]]'' at [[Stratford upon Avon]].<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.theguardian.com/obituaries/story/0,,2147392,00.html	 
| title = Tony Wilson. Record label boss and broadcaster with twin passions: music and Manchester | work = The Guardian| date = 13 August 2007 | author=Morley, Paul | location=London}}</ref> Wilson started his professional career in 1968 at the age of 17, working as an English and Drama teacher at [[Blue Coat School (Oldham, Greater Manchester)|Blue Coat School]] in [[Oldham]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Tributes to the former town teacher—also known as Mr Manchester|last=Ferguson|first=James|date=16 August 2007|journal=Oldham Advertiser|page=3|url=http://www.oldhamadvertiser.co.uk/news/s/531547_tributes_to_town_teacher__also_known_as_mr_manchester}}</ref> He later graduated with a degree in English from [[Jesus College, Cambridge|Jesus College]], [[University of Cambridge|Cambridge]].<ref name="Manc online"/>

==Broadcasting career==
After his graduation in 1971, Wilson began as a trainee news reporter for [[ITN]], before moving to Manchester in 1973, where he secured a post at [[ITV Granada|Granada Television]]. He presented Granada's culture, music and events programme, [[So It Goes (TV series)|''So It Goes'']]. Through the 1970s and 1980s he was one of the main anchors on ''[[Granada Reports]]'', a regional evening news programme, where he worked with [[Judy Finnigan]] and [[Richard Madeley]] among others. He continued in this line of work even at the height of his success in the music industry.

Wilson reported for [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]]'s current affairs series ''[[World in Action]]'' in the early 1980s and hosted editions of ''[[After Dark (TV series)|After Dark]]'', the UK's first open-ended chat show, first on [[Channel 4]] and later [[BBC Four]]. Journalist Fergal Kinney wrote in 2021: "His appearances on Channel 4's freewheeling late-night debate show ''After Dark''...are exhilarating, pitched somewhere between a malevolent [[David Dimbleby]] and a slightly effete [[Jonathan Meades]]."<ref>[https://thequietus.com/articles/30645-from-manchester-with-love-the-life-and-opinions-of-tony-wilson-paul-morley-interview Fergal Kinney interview with Paul Morley], ''The Quietus'', 9 October 2021, accessed 12 October 2021</ref> [[Paul Morley]]'s book ''From Manchester with Love: The Life and Opinions of Tony Wilson'' quotes Wilson as nearly falling asleep on the programme but waking up to hear one of the guests attacking him for naming his band [[Joy Division]].<ref>{{Cite book |title=From Manchester With Love |first=Paul |last=Morley |publisher=Faber & Faber |date=2021}}</ref>

In 1988, Wilson hosted ''The Other Side of Midnight'', another Granada weekly regional culture slot, covering music, literature and the arts in general. Wilson co-presented the BBC's coverage of ''[[The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert]]'' at [[Wembley Stadium (1923)|Wembley Stadium]] with [[Lisa I'Anson]] in 1992. He hosted the short-lived TV quiz shows ''Topranko!'' and Channel 4's ''Remote Control'' in the 1990s, as well as the [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]] themed quiz, ''Masterfan'', for [[Manchester United TV|MUTV]].

In 2006 he became the regional political presenter for the [[BBC]]'s ''[[The Politics Show]]''. He presented a weekly radio show on [[Xfm Manchester]] – ''Sunday Roast'' – and a show on [[BBC Radio Manchester]]. In October he joined [[Blur (band)|Blur]] bassist [[Alex James (musician)|Alex James]], ''[[Blue Peter]]'' presenter [[Konnie Huq]] and previously unknown presenter Emily Rose to host the 21st century version of the 1980s music programme, ''[[The Tube (1982 TV series)|The Tube]]'', for [[Channel 4 Radio]] which ran until 2 March 2007. His final music TV show was filmed in December 2006 for Manchester's [[Channel M]]. Only one episode, entitled "The New Friday", was recorded before Wilson became ill.

==Music career==

Wilson's involvement in popular music stemmed from hosting Granada's culture and music programme [[So It Goes (TV series)|''So It Goes'']]. Wilson, who intensely disliked the music scene of the mid-1970s which was dominated by such genres as [[disco]], [[progressive rock]] and [[arena rock]], saw the [[Sex Pistols]] at Manchester's [[Free Trade Hall|Lesser Free Trade Hall]], in June 1976, an experience which he described as "nothing short of an epiphany".<ref>{{cite news|author=Sean O'Hagan |url=http://film.guardian.co.uk/interview/interviewpages/0,6737,661059,00.html |title=Guardian interview on the release of 24 Hour Party People |publisher=Film.guardian.co.uk |date= 3 April 2002|access-date=25 October 2010 |location=London}}</ref> He booked them for the last episode of the first series.

Wilson was the manager of many bands, including [[A Certain Ratio]] and [[the Durutti Column]], and was part owner and manager of [[Factory Records]], home of [[Happy Mondays]], [[Joy Division]] and [[New Order (band)|New Order]] – the band managed by friend and business partner [[Rob Gretton]]. He also founded and managed [[the Haçienda]] nightclub and Dry Bar. The scene was termed "[[Madchester]]" in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He made little money from Factory Records or the Haçienda, despite the enormous popularity and cultural significance of both endeavours.<ref>[http://musicians.about.com/b/2008/08/06/tony-wilson.htm About.com Music Careers: Tony Wilson] Retrieved on 9 August 2008</ref> 

In 2000, Wilson and his business partners launched an early [[online music store]], Music33.<ref>{{cite news|author=Dave Simpson
|date=2020-08-10|access-date=2020-08-10|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/aug/10/youve-been-smoking-too-much-the-chaos-of-tony-wilsons-digital-music-revolution|title='You've been smoking too much!': the chaos of Tony Wilson's digital music revolution|work=The Guardian}}</ref>

A semi-fictionalised version of his life and of the surrounding era was made into the film ''[[24 Hour Party People]]'' (2002), which stars [[Steve Coogan]] as Wilson. After the film was produced, Wilson wrote a novelisation based on the screenplay. He played a minor role (as himself) in the film ''[[A Cock and Bull Story]]'' (2005), in which he interviews Coogan. Wilson also co-produced the [[Ian Curtis]] biopic, ''[[Control (2007 film)|Control]]'' (2007), being portrayed on this occasion by [[Craig Parkinson]]. 

Wilson was a partner in the annual In the City<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2008/oct/09/in.the.city.festival|title=Tony Wilson's spirit lives on at In the City|last=Martin|first=Daniel|date=9 October 2008|work=The Guardian|access-date=20 November 2018}}</ref> and Interactive City<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/liverpool/capital_culture/2004/06/ic04/index.shtml|title=From Seaport to E-Port|last=O'Callaghan|first=Bren|date=9 June 2004|work=BBC|access-date=20 November 2018}}</ref> music festivals and industry conferences, and also F4 Records, the fourth version of Factory Records.

==Politics==
Wilson identified himself as a [[socialist]] and refused to pay for private healthcare on principle.<ref name="Friends fund Wilson's cancer drug">{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/6293176.stm | work=BBC News | title=Friends fund Wilson's cancer drug | date=11 July 2007}}</ref> Wilson was also an outspoken supporter of [[Regional Assemblies in England|regionalism]].<ref>
{{cite news|url=http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-news/regional-news/2007/08/11/liverpool-tributes-to-tony-wilson-64375-19609563|title=Liverpool tributes to Tony Wilson|author=Shaughnessy, Jessica|date=11 August 2007|work=Liverpool Daily Post}}</ref> Along with others including [[Ruth Turner (political advisor)|Ruth Turner]], he started a campaign for [[North West England]] to be allowed a referendum on the creation of a regional assembly, called the "Necessary Group"<ref>[http://web.onetel.net.uk/~howardpaterson/business.htm Liverpool Links: Business] Retrieved on 9 August 2008 {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080725075349/http://web.onetel.net.uk/~howardpaterson/business.htm |date=25 July 2008 }}</ref> after a line in the [[United States Declaration of Independence]]. Although his campaign was successful, with the British government announcing that a vote would take place, this was later abandoned when [[North East England]] [[2004 North East England devolution referendum|voted against the introduction of a regional tier of government]]. Wilson later spoke at several political events on this subject. He was also known for using [[Situationist International|Situationist]] ideas.<ref>[http://musicians.about.com/od/indielabels/p/factoryrecords.htm About.com: Factory Records Profile] Retrieved on 9 August 2008</ref>

==Relationships==
Wilson was married twice, first to Lindsay Reade and then to Hilary Sherlock, with whom he had a son, Oliver, and a daughter, Isabel. In 1990 he started a relationship with Yvette Livesey, a former [[Miss England]] and [[Miss UK]], who was his girlfriend until his death in 2007.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1560130/Tony-Wilson.html|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=13 August 2007|title= Tony Wilson|access-date=9 August 2008|location=London}}</ref>
Livesey has since co-operated with a biography of Wilson's life, called ''You're Entitled to an Opinion&nbsp;...'', written by [[David Nolan (British author)|David Nolan]] and published in 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.citylife.co.uk/arts/literature/news/14017_nolan_s_truthful_tribute_to_tony|title=Nolan's truthful tribute to Tony|work=CityLife|author=Donohue, Simon|date=15 July 2009}}</ref>

==Illness==
After Wilson developed [[renal cancer]] and had one kidney removed in 2007, doctors recommended he take the drug [[sunitinib|Sutent]]. Manchester Primary Care NHS Trust refused to fund the £3,500 per month cost of providing the drug, while patients being treated alongside him at the [[Christie Hospital]] and living just a few miles away in Cheshire did receive funding for the medication.<ref name="Friends fund Wilson's cancer drug"/> A number of Wilson's music industry friends, including former [[Happy Mondays]] manager Nathan McGough, their current manager Elliot Rashman and TV stars Richard Madeley and Judy Finnegan, formed a fund to help pay for Wilson's medical treatment.<ref name="Friends fund Wilson's cancer drug"/>

Wilson said:
{{Blockquote|text=This [Sutent] is my only real option. It is not a cure but can hold the cancer back, so I will probably be on it until I die. When they said I would have to pay £3,500 for the drugs each month, I thought where am I going to find the money? I'm the one person in this industry who famously has never made any money. I used to say "some people make money and some make history", which is very funny until you find you can't afford to keep yourself alive. I've never paid for private healthcare because I'm a socialist. Now I find you can get tummy tucks and cosmetic surgery on the NHS but not the drugs I need to stay alive. It is a scandal.<ref name="Friends fund Wilson's cancer drug"/>}}

==Death and legacy==
[[File:Anthony H Wilson (8541588505).jpg|thumb|The top of Wilson's gravestone, designed by [[Peter Saville (graphic designer)|Peter Saville]] and [[Ben Kelly (designer)|Ben Kelly]].]]
In early 2007, emergency surgery was performed to remove one of Wilson's kidneys.<ref name="bbcobit">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/6941105.stm |title=Obituary: Tony Wilson |access-date=10 August 2007 |date = 10 August 2007|work=BBC News }}</ref> This forced the postponement of plans to create a [[Southern Hemisphere]] version of the In the City festival.<ref name="Australian">{{cite web |url=http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=25&ContentID=20912 | title=Music showcase postponed after founder in surgery drama |access-date=10 August 2007 | date=9 February 2007 | work=[[The West Australian]] |author= Collins, Simon |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070930023906/http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=25&ContentID=20912 |archive-date = 30 September 2007}}</ref> Despite the surgery, the cancer progressed and a course of [[chemotherapy]] was ineffective. Wilson died of a heart attack in Manchester's Christie Hospital on 10 August 2007 aged 57.<ref name="MEN Obituary">{{cite web|url=http://www.legacy.com/ManchesterEveningNews/DeathNotices.asp?Page=Lifestory&PersonId=92426047 |title=Family Notices – Manchester Evening News |publisher=Legacy.com |access-date=25 October 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.side-line.com/news_comments.php?id=25201_0_2_0_C |title=Factory Records founder Anthony Wilson dies from cancer |publisher=Side-line.com |access-date=25 October 2010}}</ref> Following the news of his death, the [[Union Flag]] on [[Manchester Town Hall]] was lowered to half mast as a mark of respect.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1013/1013356_wilson_extraordinary__yvette.html|title='Wilson extraordinary' – Yvette|work=Manchester Evening News|author=Crook, Amanda|date=13 August 2007|access-date=15 August 2007}}</ref> <!-- Wilson's heart attack was not caused by his kidney cancer: only one early BBC article stated this and even that one appears to have been changed. Every other source quotes his doctor saying that the heart attack was unrelated to the cancer. -->

[[Probate]] documents reveal his estate was valued at £484,747 after tax. That figure includes the value of his city centre flat on Little Peter Street. The will, signed by Wilson on 4 July 2007, gave Yvette Livesey, 39, his girlfriend of 17 years, the proceeds from their home. He also left her his share of six businesses. His son Oliver and daughter Isabel shared the rest of his estate.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1042126_tony_wilsons_will_revealed|title=Tony Wilson Will Revealed|access-date=24 March 2008|author=Osuh, Chris|date=24 March 2008|work=Manchester Evening News}}</ref>
 
Wilson's funeral was at St Mary's RC Church, Mulberry Street, Manchester ([[The Hidden Gem]]) on 20 August 2007. Among the music, he chose [[Happy Mondays]]' "Bob's Yer Uncle".<ref>[http://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/mar/03/wrote-for-luck-selected-lyrics-shaun-ryder-review Observer review of Shaun Ryler's book "Wrote For Luck"], 3 March 2019</ref> As with everything else in the Factory empire, Wilson's coffin was given a [[Factory Records discography|Factory catalogue number]]: FAC 501.<ref>{{cite news|last=Lynskey|first=Dorian|title=A fitting headstone for Tony Wilson's grave|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/oct/26/fitting-headstone-tony-wilson-grave|newspaper=The Guardian|date=26 October 2010}}</ref> He is buried at [[Southern Cemetery, Manchester|Southern Cemetery]] in [[Chorlton-cum-Hardy]], Manchester.<ref name="CR-headstone">{{cite news|url=http://creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2010/october/peter-saville-anthony-wilson-headstone|title=- Saville and Kelly's memorial to Tony Wilson|last=Burgoyne|first=Patrick|date=22 October 2010|access-date=27 October 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314081655/http://creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2010/october/peter-saville-anthony-wilson-headstone|archive-date=14 March 2012}}</ref> His black granite<ref name="CR-headstone" /> headstone, erected in October 2010,<ref name="guardian-headstone">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/oct/26/fitting-headstone-tony-wilson-grave|title=A fitting headstone for Tony Wilson's grave|last=Lynskey|first=Dorian|date=26 October 2010|work=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=27 October 2010|location=London}}</ref> was designed by [[Peter Saville (graphic designer)|Peter Saville]] and [[Ben Kelly (designer)|Ben Kelly]],<ref name="guardian-headstone" /> and features a quotation, chosen by Wilson's family,<ref name="CR-headstone" /> from [[Isabella Banks|Mrs G Linnaeus Banks]]'s 1876 novel ''[[The Manchester Man (novel)|The Manchester Man]]'',<ref name="CR-headstone" /><ref name="guardian-headstone" /> set in [[Rotis|Rotis serif]] font.<ref name="CR-headstone" /> The quotation reads: "Mutability is the epitaph of worlds/ Change alone is changeless/ People drop out of the history of a life as of a land though their work or their influence remains."<ref name="CR-headstone" />

The main square of the [[HOME (Manchester)|HOME]]/First Street development in Manchester, which opened in 2015, is named Tony Wilson Place.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.placenorthwest.co.uk/news/first-street-honours-citys-cultural-heritage/|title=Place North West &#124; First Street honours city's cultural heritage|date=Sep 12, 2014}}</ref>

In memory of Wilson, a poem was written by Mike Garry and broadcast on the BBC.<ref>[https://www.cultureword.org.uk/commonword-writers-gallery/mike-garry/ Cultureword], accessed 13 March 2023</ref>

== Further reading ==
*{{cite book |last1=Wilson |first1=Tony |title=24 Hour Party People |date=June 2012 |publisher=Macmillan |isbn=978-1-4472-2894-3 |language=en}}
*{{cite book |last1=Morley |first1=Paul |title=From Manchester with Love: The Life and Opinions of Tony Wilson |date=February 2022 |publisher=Faber & Faber |isbn=978-0-571-25249-7 |language=en}}
*{{cite book |last1=Golden |first1=Audrey |title=I Thought I Heard You Speak: Women at Factory Records |date=4 May 2023 |publisher=Orion |isbn=978-1-3996-0620-2 |language=en}}
*{{cite book |last1=Hook |first1=Peter |title=The Hacienda: How Not to Run a Club |date=1 October 2009 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-1-84737-847-7 |language=en}}
*{{cite book |last1=Middles |first1=Mick |title=Factory: The Story of the Record Label |date=11 July 2011 |publisher=Random House |isbn=978-0-7535-4754-0 |language=en}}
*{{cite book |last1=Reade |first1=Lindsay |title=Mr Manchester and the Factory Girl: The Story of Tony and Lindsay Wilson |date=15 August 2016 |publisher=Plexus Publishing |isbn=978-0-85965-875-1 |language=en}}
*{{cite book |last1=Robertson |first1=Matthew |title=Factory Records: The Complete Graphic Album |date=2007 |publisher=Thames & Hudson |isbn=978-0-500-28636-4 |language=en}}
*{{cite book |last1=Nice |first1=James |title=Shadowplayers: The Rise and Fall of Factory Records |date=2010 |publisher=Aurum |isbn=978-1-84513-540-9 |language=en}}

==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{IMDb name|0934240}}
* [http://riverhorse.tv/keeping-it-real/ Keeping it Real] Last documentary on Tony Wilson
* [http://music.guardian.co.uk/tonywilson/story/0,,2148635,00.html Tony Wilson hosting ''After Dark'' on television]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/reviews/1910361.stm Return to the Hacienda] – BBC News article, dated Friday, 5 April 2002

{{Factory Records}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Tony}}
[[Category:1950 births]]
[[Category:2007 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century British businesspeople]]
[[Category:Alumni of Jesus College, Cambridge]]
[[Category:BBC radio presenters]]
[[Category:British male journalists]]
[[Category:British music industry executives]]
[[Category:British music managers]]
[[Category:British socialists]]
[[Category:British television talk show hosts]]
[[Category:Burials at Southern Cemetery, Manchester]]
[[Category:Factory Records]]
[[Category:History of Manchester]]
[[Category:ITV regional newsreaders and journalists]]
[[Category:British impresarios]]
[[Category:Madchester]]
[[Category:Mass media people from Manchester]]
[[Category:Nightclub managers]]
[[Category:Nightclub owners]]
[[Category:People from Salford]]
[[Category:Television personalities from Greater Manchester]]
[[Category:Television personalities from Lancashire]]