Substance: Inside New Order

In this lengthy but never boring memoir, Hook (Hacienda: How Not to Run a Club) covers the highlights and lowlights of performing in the new wave band New Order. After the suicide of Ian Curtis, the charismatic front man of Joy Division, Hook and the band’s other remaining members formed the equally iconic New Order. Though it was different in terms of sound and feel, New Order was equally acclaimed and influential. In lesser hands, Hook’s attention to meticulous detail could be a recipe for a ponderous, sleep-inducing tome, but his lively prose and wit keeps readers bouncing through the book. Sordid tales of drugs, groupies, and debauchery, such as the time the band released a donkey into the Pogues’ dressing room, balance out the gear minutiae, stories behind classic songs such as “Blue Monday,” the ups and (mainly) downs of running a club, songwriting, and losing millions of dollars. Hook breaks up the narrative with random lists (“Ten Most Interesting Medical Problems I Got Working In a Band,” “Ten Best Bass Riffs”). The often egotistical Hook still manages to be a charming and funny storyteller. (Jan.)