Madchester! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Anthony H Wilson

Tony Wilson was one of the driving forces behind the Manchester scene. Starting off as a TV presenter, he gave The Sex Pistols one of their first TV appearances. He managed several bands and as well as Factory Records he was also the manager of The Hacienda nightclub.
He died of a heart attack whilst fighting cancer in 2007 - the union flag on Manchester Town Hall was flown at half mast as a sign of respect.

Answer: The Smiths

The Smiths were formed in 1982 and included Morrissey, Johnny Marr, Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce. They are seen as one of the most influential bands of the 1980s. Morrissey chose the name The Smiths as being normal and a reaction against all the arty names around at the time.

Answer: Ian Curtis

Joy Division only released two albums before the suicide of Ian Curtis. The remaining band members decided to carry on but change the name of the band to New Order.
Ian Curtis and drummer Stephen Morris went to the same school as
I did, but I don't remember them. It was quite surreal reading Ian Curtis' biography and coming across a copy of one of his school reports with all my old teachers signatures on it!

Answer: Second Coming

The Stone Roses were formed in 1983 by two school friends, Ian Brown and John Squire. The first album is recognised by many people as one of the greatest albums by a British band of all time. The band broke up after the release of the "Second Coming" album in 1994. Brown and Squire have not spoken since and have both gone on to have separate solo careers although John Squire now concentrates solely on his artwork (he designed the album covers for the band and has exhibited worldwide).

Answer: James

James formed in 1982 but never really had any success until 1991 and the release of the single "Sit Down"; they then became one of the big names in the Manchester scene. The band split in 2001 when lead singer Tim Booth wanted to concentrate more on his acting career (he had a small part in "The Dark Knight") but reformed in 2007.

Answer: Happy Mondays

Together with New Order Happy Mondays were Factory Records biggest artists. Their first album was called "Squirrel and G-Man Twenty Four Hour Party People Plastic Face Carnt Smile (White Out)" and was not a great success. However, both follow up albums "Bummed" and "Pills Thrills and Bellyaches" went platinum in the UK.

Answer: Steve Coogan

Martin Coogan was the lead singer of the Mock Turtles. His younger brother, Steve, is a successful comedian whose characters include Alan Partridge and Paul and Pauline Calf. He has also appeared in several Hollywood films such as "Night In The Museum" and "Around The World In Eighty Days". By coincidence he went on to play the part of Tony Wilson in the film "24 Hour Party People".

Answer: True

Rob Collins was waiting in the car for his friend to come out of an off licence. His friend was actually inside robbing the place. Collins claimed he had no prior knowledge of the robbery until he heard a gunshot inside the shop and his friend exited.

Answer: The Soup Dragons

A lot of bands in the early 90s took up the "baggy" sound (named after the clothes that fans and band members wore). There was a degree of crossover between baggy and Madchester music; the Stone Roses and Happy Mondays were both however a lot of bands such as the Soup Dragons from Scotland, The Farm from Liverpool and Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine from London were similar in sound but from outside the area.

Answer: Badly Drawn Boy

Badly Drawn Boy recorded the soundtrack to both the film "About a Boy" and the ITV1 series "The Fattest Man In Britain" (released on the album "Is There Nothing We Could Do?"). He is also well known for his charity work; the profits from his 2006 tour were all donated to Oxfam.