Peter Hook Preps 'Unknown Pleasures' Gigs, Says New Order Reunion Possible

Next month, as radio stations switch over to Christmas music, bassist Peter Hook will spread his own version of holiday cheer. Instead of 'Joy to the World,' he'll offer up some Joy Division, performing that band's classic 1979 debut album, 'Unknown Pleasures,' in cities across America.

As if this weren't gift enough, Hook is giving hope to fans that would like to see New Order -- the group that rose from the ashes of Joy Division following the 1980 suicide of singer Ian Curtis -- reform and revisit some of its seminal material.

"I'm a chancer, and I'd like to do New Order stuff, because I love it," Hook tells Spinner. "'Power Corruption and Lies,' 'Low-Life,' 'Movement' -- I think they're great records. Really, I think they deserve airing again. Why not?"

Well, for starters, there was New Order's messy 2007 break-up, not to mention the public war of words Hook and singer-guitarist Bernard Sumner have waged ever since. The former band mates haven't been shy about slagging each other in the press, and since the latter has been busy with Bad Lieutenant -- a group that also features New Order guitarist Phil Cunningham -- a reconciliation seems unlikely, to say the least.

"It's funny, in a way -- as a businessman, you'd have to say if the offer to reform New Order came along, you'd consider it," Hook says. "Emotionally, it's a completely different aspect. But I don't' know, these things happen all the time. I used to joke with Bernard before we split up about us having to split up soon so we could reform. Everyone else had reformed, and we'd never split up. In a funny way, maybe I should have kept my mouth shut."

"I know we've been offered a lot of money to reform, but it has not happened," Hook adds. "That's the great thing about life--you don't know what's coming around the corner. Everything surprises you. I never thought I'd get the response I have and get a whole new lease on life with ['Unknown Pleasures'], a record I wrote 30 years ago."

Find Peter Hook's 'Unknown Pleasures' tour dates here.

Listen to 'Disorder' off Joy Division's 'Unknown Pleasures'