Â鶹ԼÅÄ

His abrasiveness and anti-sentimentality partially hid a warmth and genuine passion for people; he always had the time of day for you, whether it was bumping into him on the street or arguing on some TV or radio show.

'Ahead of the pack'

Tony Wilson’s legacy is tied into the post-punk history of Manchester music.

There can’t have been any local newsreaders that went to see the Sex Pistols, there can’t have been many 26 year olds who championed punk from the start, there can’t have been many be-denimed, long-haired TV presenters who connected with such a different generation.

In fact, there was only one. Tony Wilson was ahead of the pack because he wasn’t scared of making a fool of himself, he championed the outsider and he was armed with that insatiable fervour which powered post-punk Manchester, making it the most important music city in the UK.

There were no normal projects, no bedroom DIY operations; his were bold, ambitious and fantastically pretentious attempts to showcase a whole new northern art and music scene.

Without Tony’s wilfulness and intellectual excitement, neither of these projects could have happened and without these projects, none of the late 80s Madchester scene could have existed. Of course, he didn’t sign every band in Manchester and there were mistakes, but there was always Tony, trying to change the course of musical history.

He also had this brilliant vision for Manchester as a regenerated city, a vision that he talked about just after the Hacienda opened in 1982; 25 years on, with the whole city looking like the Hacienda and Dry Bar, his catalytic effect has to be acknowledged.

'A loveable arrogance'

Tony would have been the first to have admit he didn’t write the songs, create the art or build the buildings but he knew that, without his energy and his relentless ideology, none of it could have happened the way that it did.

Always up for a debate, you could call him any time on his mobile and he would always give you a great quote. A few weeks ago, when I bumped into him, he was as vociferous as ever and that was over something as boring as the Manchester super casino. Tony had an opinion about everything and he was more than able to back it up.

In a world of wishy-washy celebrities and money-making music biz cowards, Wilson stood out a mile. He could be brilliantly pretentious and fall in love with the most unlikely groups, but he was never dull. He knew no fear and had a relentless energy and surprising generosity; perhaps that was what inspired everyone who ever met him.

In fact, his heart was so big that it’s a shock to find that it eventually failed him.