a series to be updated very infrequently given how often I've updated my musical series on the music board.
1) Tony Wilson
Ah Tony Wilson. Or Anthony H Wilson as he rechristened himself during the early 90's. He's never been the most popular of blokes and there always been a big queue of people ready to have a pop at him. Usually people who know him better than anyone else which must tell its own story.
But when its comes to Judgement Day and he looks back on his life, he's not done too bad.
Hands up who's been a regular on TV for almost 30 years? Check
Hands up who was the first person to stick punk rock on TV and give the Sex Pistols their big musical break? Check
Hands up who has been responsible for most of the ground breaking music of the past? Check
Hands up who has had a film made specifically about them, even going as far as getting his own cameo in it? Check
Hands up who is vilified in Merseyside for his anti-Scouse bias? Check
Hands up who was behind the first UK based football terrorist group *? Check
Hands up who had a quiz show starring Frank Sidebottom? Check
Hands up who's vision was the one behind the creation of the most famous club in the UK? Check
You name it, he's done it. And most often, he's been hated for it. But there's a certain mancunian style about Tony Wilson. For it is he, who will go down as the most influential person to have ever stemmed from Manchester, albeit no doubt from some Cheshire outlet.
He's still a regular on the Manchester scene, prowling the streets looking for the next big thing, and the jacket or the Wilson scowl may never change. But why would you want it to?
Yes, he might have been described as being a **** on his own movie poster, but that's all part of the H Wilson charm. But when you've launched Joy Division, New Order and the Happy Mondays, when you've created the Hacienda, when you've given the Pistols their TV debut, when you've run your own series on being an Entrepeneur years before Alan Sugar (despite being bankrupt), when Alan Patridge has played you on the big screen, when you live with a former Beauty Queen and jumped up in the air celebrating during the middle of argument because Ryan Giggs has scored, then criticise away!
* = perhaps not legally 100% proven
