Interview by Carlos Detres

Dave Haslam’s resume appears to run the along the thread of the Who’s-Who in the infamous “Madchester” experience. His participation as a journalist for The Face, NME as well as his influential work as a DJ (Chemical Brothers cite his residency as an influence) and event promoter, Haslam helped develop Manchester’s influential music scene. He has played along Stone Roses, New Order, Paul Oakenfold, Paul Van Dyk and others. As a DJ at the legendary Hacienda from 1986 to 1994, he helped to develop the music scene that bridged the gap of oceans to the countless masses who grew up on ’80s alternative music back when quality music traveled faster than information.

I feel a particular kinship to Dave Haslam. It’s not based on his accomplishments, because there are many; it’s because we share a thin list of people who DJ and write. After reading his resume, and doing research, I realized how fortunate I am to have had the chance to interview him. He swigged beers with Morrissey, interviewed New Order, and was overnight flatmates with Sonic Youth and Firehose — all artists that I grew up with. More improtantly, his work as a DJ and writer marks a time in history of what was perhaps the last era of consistently great Rock and Roll and it was also the recording of rave culture’s birth. This was easily my favorite interview.

Dave Haslam is speaking at our next Whiskey Dregs event on April 2nd in New York City. He will discuss the transition of Joy Division to New Order, the Manchester scene and why it matters.

1. You’re the only person I’ve heard of who DJs as well as writes. What
do you find in common between both mediums?

Ewan Pearson who DJs mostly in Berlin now; he’s a writer too, though
not as prolific as me. He’s also a producer though, and has recently
produced albums by Delphic and Tracey Thorn. But, as you say, it’s a
rare combination. It’s worked for me though. The main similarity is
evangelism and excitement; my DJing comes from getting excited about
music and wanting to share that excitement and my writing comes from
wanting to share ideas or stories. The biggest difference is that
writing is very solitary and cerebral. I love DJing because I can
indulge the more social/visceral side of my personality.

2. What or who influenced you to write? In other words, what came first:
DJing or writing?

Hard to say because a lot of the ingredients of being a DJ I was into
when I was very young; playing music loud, making tapes for people,
thinking what do I really like and finding out more about the bands.
All that was before I’d even seen a turntable or been to a club. And
what drives me as a writer – being questioning and being interested
in the world and how it works – again I guess that was around very
early in my life. I was a geeky little boy who loved to read the
newspaper and watch the news.

3. You have DJ’d for Stone Roses, New Order, and even toured with legendary
DJs Paul Oakenfold and Paul Van Dyk. You’ve also DJ’d at Hacienda 450
times during the rise of some seriously good music coming from
Manchester. What was it like being part of these influential
movements in music?

At the time – if we’re talking about 1986-1994 or something – then it
was a bit chaotic and also although I knew I was part of somethings
that were exciting and unique I never thought of that at the time. It
was always about “what’s next?”

4. All three of your books (Not Abba: The Real Story of the 1970s, Manchester, England: The Story of the Pop Cult City, and Adventures on the Wheels of Steel: The Rise of the Superstar DJ) discuss musical and cultural history. What
inspired you to write your first book?

I had done some freelance journalism in NME and the Face in the late
1980s and even before that I had a fanzine, so I had written for
magazines but I wanted the challenge of a bigger project and I wanted
to be able to go really deep into subjects. I spent 5 years working
on my first book, and didn’t show it to anyone, let alone get paid an
advance or whatever. I thought it might be the only book I ever write
so I wanted it to be MY book. Luckily when someone prised it from my
grasp and sent it to an agent she phoned me up and said it was a
stunning work and within a week I’d signed a book deal.

5.I read that you once cooked cauliflower cheese for Morrissey. For
those of us who have never had the luck of meeting him, what could
you tell us about the experience? We love him here in the States, too.

Actually my favourite personal anecdote is when Sonic Youth slept on
the floor of my apartment – it was a ‘flat’, that’s what we call them
in England – but you want the Morrissey one?? I guess in NYC everyone
has a Sonic Youth story! Well, Morrisey was very polite and it was
before the first album so he wasn’t a big star particularly. I wanted
to interview him for my fanzine and I didn’t know if he wanted to sit
in a pub and drink pints of beer with me so I invited him to my flat
and because it was early evening I said I’d cook for him. After the
interview we actually went and had a drink and then afterwards he
sent me a postcard. Even back then though (January 1984) he had a
persona, a shell, and I met him a few times afterwards and I’ve never
been sure who the real Steven Morrissey is and what he thinks and
feels, or even if there is a real Steven Morrissey.

6. Since you brought it up. What’s the Sonic Youth story? We can’t ever
get enough of Sonic Youth here in New York.

I used to put on bands, and in 1987 along with a guy called Tim
Chambers, I put on Sonic Youth at this Irish club in Manchester. I
was very into what was then still I think ‘underground’ American rock
(the previous year Tim and I promoted Big Black’s first ever gig in
Europe, in what Steve Albini called in his tour diary a “little homo
bar”). Anyways, it was great, all very undercapitalised. Sonic Youth
played for £200 plus a 50% share of the profit I think. To keep costs
down they stayed with me (my flat was a hundred yards from the
venue), and after the gig we drank for a few hours and talked about
Raymond Carver and Patti Smith. Firehose were the support, so they
stayed over too. It was very cramped. A few other American bands
stayed over around the same time, including the Butthole Surfers; I
remember they complained to the tour manager because my flat was so
primitive, in a horrible concrete housing project. They wanted
carpets and stuff I think, I said to the tour manager “Tell Gibby if
it’s good enough for Sonic Youth it’s good enough for the Butthole
freakin Surfers!”

7. Do you have a favorite DJ gig? If so, why?

During the filming of ’24 Hour Party people’ the film-makers had to
re-create a Hacienda night and they built a fake one in a warehouse
and made it look just like the real club (which had been demolished).
I got on the decks that night and it was truly very emotional.

8. What changes in Manchester have you seen? Do you believe the music
that came out between the ’70s and ’90s contributed to the city’s
current renaissance?

Definitely. Like other urban areas, Manchester had no future in the
late 1970s, or so it seemed. Joy Division captured this spirit but
created something out of it, something which inspired. And the
profile that the music scene has given the city ever since has helped
create the sense of a ‘happening’ city, and that draws interest and
investment into the city. It’s not solved the city’s problems, but
it’s an adrenalin boost. And the fact that new generations of
musicians have come out of the city creates a virtuous circle; people
don’t have to move to London to make it.

9. I also read that you are currently conducting a series of interviews
with musicians in front of an audience? Could you explain this
project?

It’s simple really – I invite musicians/actors/writers to sit on a
stage with me and we talk. It works well because I think people are a
bit sick of sitting in front or their computers or their TV seeing
the world through a screen. Just getting people together in a room
and giving our brain cells some communal exercise feels good. In
October I have novelist Jonathan Franzen as a guest, although that’s
still secret at the moment.

10. Are there any other upcoming works?

I’m meant to be writing another book but I get so easily distracted.
I have twelve days in the USA at the end of March 2010, doing some DJ
gigs and some public lectures and some book signings. I have gigs in
Paris in the diary. Cracking on with a book is hard when you don’t
have enough time or enough sleep.

11. Okay, here in the States, people are going to start going ape shit
over the World Cup so now a little football (soccer) question:
Manchester City or Manchester United?

Ha! The blue team or the red team? I actually support West Bromwich
Albion – a great-great grandfather of mine was a baker with a shop
near the ground and he was one of the original directors of the club.
So it’s about a personal connection, heart and soul. And history.

12. What was Joy Division’s last show like?

I’ll tell you on April 2nd.