Ditto to the praise for "24 Hour Party People", which I just saw on
DVD.  I knew little to nothing about the "Manchester Scene", but I can
definitely relate to the ethos.  I've always liked New Order, and The
Buzzcocks, of course, but I had only a vague notion that they were from
Manchester.

I really appreciated the scene after they've been to the Sex Pistols
show when Tony's friend Erasmus casually tears down his posters of Pink
Floyd and David Bowie.  I felt the same way after the first time I saw
The Embarrassment in 1980.  I didn't have any posters to tear down, but
I knew the way I thought about music would be different from then on.

Of course the star of the show is Tony Wilson, and Steve Coogan does an
incredible job of it.  I especially liked the record contract written
in blood) giving all the power to the bands.  Any man who does that
obviously loves the music more than the money.  

Tony "The Character" and Tony "The Narrator" in his commentary both
contend that he was only a minor character in the goings-on, that the
real geniuses were Ian Curtis, Shaun Ryder, and Martin Hannett.  But
it's really hard to come away from the movie and believe for a minute
that it would have been quite the same without him.

Finally, I have to agree, if you don't know who Icarus was, you SHOULD
probably read more.

Later,
Dave