24 Hour Party People

I used to see the DVD case for 24 Hour Party People at video stores. From the cover, this 2002 movie reminded me one of those '90s films like Go or Can't Hardly Wait. I suspected the film was a comedy, probably about clubbing, and that's pretty much all I got from looking at the box. [Insert cliché about covers and judging.]

Actually, the film is a biopic of the late Tony Wilson, the UK media personality who founded Factory Records and opened a club in Manchester called The Hacienda, which might as well be a national landmark. Factory Records released albums by Joy Division, The Happy Mondays, New Order, and a bunch of other great bands you might not know. That's okay. There's still time to discover them.

The brilliant Steve Coogan plays Wilson, and although I can't stop thinking I'm watching Steve Coogan, I still enjoy his portrayal. (Sean Harris' portrayal of Joy Division's Ian Curtis is haunting, too.)

I went through a Coogan phase a year or so ago, thanks to my discovery of The Trip with him and Rob Brydon. Michael Winterbottom directed both films, and both films are brilliant. I ended up renting and then buying a copy of 24 Hour Party People last year.

The film is loaded with cameos and guest appearances. Simon Pegg, Christopher Eccleston, Kenny Baker (yes, that Kenny Baker), as well as a who's who of UK recording artists (including Mark E. Smith of The Fall — another band worth checking out).

My biggest complaint with the film is the '90s MTV graphics laid over a film set in the '70s and '80s. I can get past that, though, to get a glimpse of what this period must've looked and sounded like. All that great music never really made it to the midwestern climes of Muncie, Indiana, where I grew up. Oh, sure, my high school had the odd Joy Division t-shirt here and there, and to this day, on my campus, I still see the occasional one.

But no one in the midwest put this stuff on the radio or TV.

So, how do I know the words to "Love Will Tear Us Apart"? No one ever put that on a mix for me. I've never owned a Joy Division LP. How do I know this? When the '90s band Orgy covered "Blue Monday" (a sonic abortion if there ever was one), I didn't need to learn the lyrics; I knew all the words, but couldn't figure out why.

What is it about great music that allows it to creep into the collective consciousness, so that we somehow know the lyrics?

I'm a sucker for films about music — especially ones that depict a certain period and highlight great bands that never really cracked the mainstream. Unfortunately, 24 Hour Party People doesn't really scream "re-watchable" (to me, anyway), but it's nice to have in the library. If you want to know more about Factory Records, this compilation is a great place to start.