Johan Bergelin: “Post-industrial Manchester in the ‘80s: crumbling warehouses and railway arches – and an urge for experimentation. Suddenly, everything came together: the beats, the dance, the substances. The very hub around which everything revolved was, arguably, Factory Records and extended into their groundbreaking club – The Haçienda. The legendary records label merged talent from the realms of music, art and films to create one of the most significant, and last, youth movements of the 20th century. Perhaps you even own one of those faded black T-shirts bearing the renowned cover art from Unknown Pleasures, the first album by Joy Division or the best-selling 12” single of all time, Blue Monday by New Order. Iconic bands such as Happy Mondays and Stone Roses also rose to fame and Manchester became ‘Madchester’, the center of the universe.
Yes Please! Fragrance Journey – Creative Freedom
At the local pub, head of Factory Records Tony Wilson and band members are smoking, drinking lager and playing pool. Music is heard in the background and old postcards and pictures are stuck to the top of the bar.- How are you doing? All right?- Hello, I’m here. Alright, Tone? Tony clinks two beer bottles to get everybody’s attention.- The majors are the status quo and we’re not, we’re the anarchists. It’s gonna be like a co-op, we’re all gonna share in the proceeds. We pay for the costs and everything and the rest of it is 50/50. 50 Factory, 50 percent goes to the artist. Alan’s gonna be head of business affairs. Someone presents a small reddish-brown piece of hash for everyone to smell, and a hand-rolled joint is passed around.- It’s Red Leb, that. Have you smelt it? Smell that. Smell that.- I’m giving you total creative freedom. Right? It’s dead fucking simple. You don’t like us: you fuck off. I don’t like you: I fuck off. I’ll write you a contract saying there’s no contract in my own blood. I’ll do it if you want.- Not in his own blood!- I’ll do it!- You write it... in your own blood.- No, don’t give him the dirty knife.- In the wo... In the words of the great prophet, ‘I dares do owt.’Using a large folding knife with wooden handle and golden details, Tony draws blood from his left thumb, and begins writing the contract.- Oh, it ain’t legal, this. Come on.- Oh, he’s done it! He’s done it!- There you go. Real blood.- I…. Tony….- How can you read that? I’m not sure that’d stand up in court!- What more do you want? He’s written the contract in his own blood!
The Fragrance Journey of Yes Please! Eau de Parfum is based on a scene from the film 24 Hour Party People (2002) written by Frank Cottrell Boyce and directed by Michael Winterbottom
