Mani Attacks Peter Hook

Primal Scream and Stone Roses bassist Mani has lashed out at Peter Hook on Twitter, calling him [sic] "a self centred sellout reduced to hawking his mates corpse around to get paid".

Mani. Peter Hook. Andy Rourke. The names slide off the tongue like a Hacienda fire-drill register. But whether you see them as iconic legends or irrelevant dinosaurs, they're names which are woven deep into the city's - and global pop culture's - tapestry. 

So when the three fellow four stringers released a 'supergroup' style album under the collective name 'Freebass' earlier this year, the music industry waited with baited breath to see what would happen. And now, it seems that the titans have well and truly clashed, with Mani lashing out at what he sees as Peter Hook's exploitation of the deceased Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis for financial gain. 

Here are Mani's Twitter rants in full [sic]:

"3 things visible from space, great wall of china, peter hooks wallet stuffed with ian Curtis blood money, man citys empty trophy cabinet !."

"quite disgusting and very crass and self centred violation of memories for personal financial gain. Scummy behaviour really"

"he ain't got time for me now he's getting fortunes for dragging his mates cadaver round the world getting himself paid. Thank fuck"

"used to adore the man, now he's a self centred sellout reduced to hawking his mates corpse around to get paid. And he can't play"

"I'm fine, dunno about the vulture who is ravenously devouring the last morsels of putrid flesh from Wilson/Curtis bones [...] I'm getting back with the "real"players tomorrow thank fuck. Can't be doing with talentless nostalgia fuckwit whores."

"and I haven't even started on the cunts amateur night, one trick pony shite 2 string bass playing yet either. Used to laugh [...] we were all laughing behind his back watching the stupid wank struggle to do the same old shit he's done for the last 30 years !!"

 Speaking about the ill-fated Freebass project:

"it's where it belongs mate.... In the fuckin bargain bin before it's even released. you live and learn. I'm still no 1 though."

Speaking to Skiddle in June this year, Mani referred to Freebass as a "coconut shy", saying "I think the way it works though in this country is that we're setting ourselves up as the biggest rock n' roll coconut shy in history (laughs) - because they just wanna fuckin do you down don't they? I mean... 'Supergroup?!' I hate that terminology. And we have got a lot more to prove. 

"I'm proud of my 23 years whatever of history I've got, and Hooky's proud of his thirty odd years of history, and we're not about to piss it all away on some half-baked idea. We've gotta be strong, and we've gotta fulfil the objectives we've set ourselves."

We also spoke to Peter Hook at the time - read the full interview here. 

An official statement released today from the Freebass camp reads:

"It is with great sadness that just prior to the long awaited album release of “It’s A Beautiful Life” we have to announce that the much anticipated Mancunian union of bassists, Freebass, is no longer a functioning group.

Recent events have made Freebass entirely unviable as a band, and with this in mind, it has been decided that the project should be shelved, rather than placed on hiatus while members pursue their other interests.

The band would like to take the opportunity to thanks friends and fans for their support and interest, especially on the UK tour in June 2010. We also hope that people will enjoy the album, which concludes five years of work and treat it on its own merits.

No third parties were involved or harmed in the break up."