“People think they knew him” – Tony Wilson’s son opens the doors to his dad’s private world

It’s near impossible to have a conversation about the history of Manchester’s music culture without one man and his impact on the city coming into the conversation, legendary broadcaster and co-founder of Factory Records, Tony Wilson.

Joy Division, Happy Mondays, New Order, and the Haçienda Nightclub are just some of the Manchester icons Tony Wilson, aka ‘Mr Manchester’, played a part in creating.

Having been preserved and catalogued in museum vaults for the last nearly 20 years, the Wilson family, led by Tony‘s son Oliver, are proudly partnering with Smolensky Gallery to host the first public exhibition held by the Tony Wilson Archive of his works.

We caught up with the person who may well have known Tony Wilson the best, his son Oliver.

First of all, can you tell us a bit about how this exhibition came about?

Absolutely. The archive has been on a long journey. Initially, it was with the Museum of Science and Industry. We found the archive after my dad passed away, and honestly, we didn’t even know it existed. It was so vast that we didn’t have time to go through it properly, so it had to be stored somewhere. That’s when it went to the museum.

Parts of the archive were later used in the Use Hearing Protection exhibition, which covered the early years of Factory Records. After that, the archive made its way to John Rylands Library, where it is now part of the British Pop Archive, which is amazing. What I love about it being at John Rylands is that it’s a public resource for the people of Manchester. Students and researchers can access it as a study resource, which is great.

Reaching the end of that journey has taken around 17 years. It’s really only in the past year or so that we’ve been able to properly delve into the archive and see what’s in there. And honestly, it’s fascinating, almost overwhelming. There’s just so much to take in and process. Fortunately, archivists and Factory aficionados have worked on cataloguing it over the years, which has been incredibly helpful.

So, we finally reached a point where we could start sharing it with people. The possibility of doing this exhibition became real probably around late last year, maybe last autumn.

I bet there were moments when you discovered things that completely blew your mind. Were there any particular items that stood out to you?

With all the stories surrounding my dad, people tend to focus on the same narrative. But the reality is that there’s an endless list of untold stories, things that were happening behind the scenes.

For example, we uncovered handwritten letters and notes from bands, letters from Morrissey to my dad that I never knew existed. It turns out they actually had a relationship and exchanged letters, which was completely new to me. My impression had always been that they didn’t get along, and I think a lot of people believe that.

Beyond that, there are just so many writings and notes from my dad. You can really see the optimism, belief, and hope in the early days of Factory Records, the way they worked, the risks they took. And then, on the other end of the spectrum, there are letters to the police about The Hacienda, insolvency letters, and documentation of the financial troubles they faced. It really tells the full story, the highs and lows of the whole Manchester music scene.

People have this perception of your dad, the public persona of “Mr. Manchester.” But is that the man you remember?

Yes, it’s good, because he’s often seen as quite a jovial, comic sort of character, I think that’s how he’s mostly perceived.

Certainly, that’s the version of him portrayed in 24 Hour Party People, and it’s true that he was part of Granada TV. He definitely liked to make people laugh.

But the person I knew was almost the opposite of that. He was always having fun, yes, but he was also a very serious person. Quite a quiet person, in fact. He spent a lot of time deep in thought. Always thinking.

And you can see that in the archive, there are just so many notes, so much going on, so much being processed. I remember, as a kid, he’d stay up all night. I don’t think he slept much at all. He was always making documents, writing speeches, writing letters, constantly working on something.

To me, he was much more serious and studious than the public image suggests.

What do you think he would have made of this exhibition? Do you think he’d be proud, or would he find it amusing?

I’m not sure. I think he’d look at it in terms of evolutionary cycles, and ultimately, how capitalism devours everything, including culture. What was once cool eventually becomes commodified.

So, I think he’d understand it theoretically. He might even appreciate the fact that Factory Records T-shirts are being sold in Tesco or Selfridges, as a sign of the passing of time and a kind of progression.

I think it’s part of the natural life cycle of Factory, and of my dad. Seeing his quotes plastered around town, being constantly referenced, it’s all part of that.

He definitely believed that nostalgia is a disease, he would have said that, 100%.

But at the same time, he was always about moving forward. So maybe he’d see it all as quite amusing, in a way.

So, you described the exhibition as inspiring in the press release. Were there any specific items that really stopped you in your tracks and gave you new insight into your dad’s personality?

What inspires me the most is how DIY Factory Records was in its early days. I’m involved in event promotions and the music business now, and in today’s industry, being DIY is essential. Seeing how my dad and Factory operated back then really resonates, it almost provides a blueprint.

One thing that struck me was the promotional posters. A lot of people associate Factory Records’ design with Peter Saville and other artists. But when I finally went through the archive, I found that a lot of the early flyers and posters were actually designed by my dad.

He would cut out bits from magazines and editorials, creating collages for the event posters for Factory nights and Joy Division gigs. Then, he’d photocopy them at Granada TV, using their paper. That’s why a lot of the early flyers are printed on four different colours of paper, those were different stages of scripts at Granada.

I find that whole process inspiring, the tactile, hands-on approach, proving that things don’t have to cost a lot of money to make an impact. It’s all about making something happen.

What do you think people tend to forget or maybe never knew about your dad?

Oh, f*cking hell. You’ve got some good questions!

Honestly, I don’t think people forget much, he talked about himself a lot, and people talk about him all the time.

But one thing that doesn’t get mentioned enough is his involvement in politics. He was part of The Necessary Group, you should look them up. They actually created an amended version of the George Cross and were campaigning for the Devolution of the North West back then. Now it’s happened, it’s been great for Manchester. 

He was also one of the original campaigners for devolution in Greater Manchester.

A lot of people get credit for the push toward devolution, but my dad doesn’t, and he should. It’s made a real difference to the city, and the vision he had back then was incredible.

What does it mean to you to finally share this archive with the world?

It means a lot. My dad has been represented in so many places by so many people, often in a very specific way.

For me, this exhibition is about presenting my dad authentically. Showing him as he really was, his character, his inspiration, his thinking.

Over time, things get lost, quotes get misinterpreted, and narratives shift. So, being able to bring back his original voice, through documents, videos, and other materials, is incredibly meaningful. You should come and see it. 

What’s on display at the Tony Wilson Archive?

The immersive exhibition curated by Smolensky Gallery will feature an intimate collection of personal letters, photography, memorabilia and artwork, exploring Wilson’s impact on music, design and culture in Manchester.

The exhibition will be anchored by 10 newly released risograph prints from the FAC Collection which will be released throughout the year with the first edition available to view for the first time at the exhibition, with others released throughout the year. Designed in collaboration with Manchester-based artists DR.ME, The Tony Wilson Archive embodies the Wilson ethos with all works made in Manchester by local artists.

Discussing the journey of the achieve from being discovered in Tony Wilson’s loft, through two museums vaults, to the British pop archive and now being brought back to life with current artists, there will be a panel talk with Oli Wilson (son of Tony Wilson), Joe Wilson (Smolensky Gallery), Mat Bancroft (Curator, John Rylands Library), Jan Hicks (previously creator at Museum of Science and Industry), John Cooper (owner of Cerysmatic Factory), DR.ME (artists Ryan and Eddie from Salford Design Studio), as well as the legacy Tony Wilson left on music culture and the city.

Following the panel talk Oli Wilson will be playing rare Factory Records tracks from Tony Wilson’s personal record collection and demonstrating the lineage between Tony Wilson and Manchester’s music scene with support from DJ Pablo Blanquito.

How to get tickets to see the Tony Wilson Archive

The free exhibition will be open to the public on 20 June 2025 and will run until 31 July 2025.

A limited number of free tickets are available to the public for the opening night on Thursday, 19 June, to get one click here