Pete Shelley RIP

For years, the sum total of my knowledge of Pete Shelley was the video for his 1981 non-hit "Homosapien".  I still love everything about that song.  Years before the likes of New Order perfected their formula, Shelley fused rock, electro, and disco into a coherent whole that still sounds ahead of its time.  The video had a hazy, artsy "Ashes to Ashes" type of feel but Shelley was this relatable geeky character as opposed to Bowie's air of impegnability. 

Years later, I learned that the Buzzcocks were the punk icons who gave Joy Division a big break by inviting them on tour.  But I didn't start listening to their music until years after that.  Welcome to the filesharing era, and my dl'ed copy of "Singles Going Steady". 

The story of punk that I knew had always drawn a line from reggae as the music of rebellion straight through to Sex Pistols and the Clash working to smash the system.  Even though the Ramones were in plain view as punk (and alternative) heroes, the idea of punk as fun, bouncy rock and roll was overlooked, and to some extent still is.  Punk could be an outlet for teen angst, a safe haven for complaining about boredom or bad habits or getting dumped.  Buzzcocks helped teach me that. 

I was lucky enough to see them live twice, post-reunion in 2006 and 2011.  And more recently, I learned even more about what a generous soul Pete Shelley was from reading Peter Hook's Joy Division bio.  Buzzcocks were elder statesmen (despite being in their early 20's themselves) to virtually every young, hungry band in Manchester at the time, and went out of their way to mentor young musicians and help grow the scene.