1984: George Michael and Morrissey discuss JOY DIVISION! | Eight Days A Week | Music | BBC Archive 

Never thought I'd pick George Michael in a Joy Division battle. George loves music and Morrissey loves himself.

Wow, kudos to George Michael for having the most intelligent, accurate and appreciative take on Joy Division. What a considerate, awesome person.

George Michael was such a gentle person and so intelligent and open minded. Rest in peace George, we miss you.

George Michael's analysis on Joy Division was very scholarly, as well as eloquent; it was very refreshing to see that side of him!

I miss George. He was an intelligent man caught up in a judging hypocritical world.

I expected Morrissey to like Joy Division but George totally surprised me shout out to him great taste

Only George seemed to grasp their uniqueness and musical influence, that lasted through the decades. He was also spot-on about Paul Morley’s pretentiousness.

George Michael was seen as just another pop star back then, not to be taken seriously, but looking back he's was one of the most talented people in music in the 80's and he had it all, such a great singer.

It's amazing how much music mattered back then. Pop stars were considered serious intellectuals. It's irrelevant, now.

Morrissey being….Morrissey. Unexpectedly loved George Michael!

Love Moz’s music but he’s a proper tool. Kudos to George

I watched this for Morrissey back in 1984 and had little time for George Michael. Now, I have far more respect for the latter.

george michael was so open and decent and intelligent wasn't he

I really really wanted to hear what else George had to say. Love that he saw value in Joy Divisions music!

I remember watching this at the time of broadcast and being impressed by George’s good taste. It’s incredible that George Michael and Morrissey were once on the same program. This was a good tv show, please put more online.

I can't imagine a more eclectic music industry panel from that era in Britain.

Fair play to George Michael 👏

I can't work out whether Morrissey is damning Joy Division with faint praise or praising them with faint damnation.

George Michael being iconic for 1 and a half minutes straight.

RIP George. incredible talent for music

George Michael was such a beautiful soul, inside & out

The interviewer was a tad aggravating asking questions and then butting in mid sentence. Would have been nicer to hear George speak more as he seemed the only one interested in JD.

Music is obvs highly subjective but imo Unknown Pleasures is a masterpiece - Disorder is a cracking opening track. Musicians don’t necessarily need to be virtuosos to ceate something that is original, exciting and interesting to listen to

Fascinating clip that emphasizes how moribund culture has become. Imagine asking a pop star now for an opinion on anything.... you'd get nothing. Even pretty boy George is highly articulate and independent. And to have such stellar talent on a low budget panel show... quite extraordinary

George was a huge fan of bands like Joy Division, The Smith's and The Stone Rose's. He actually did a cover of F.E.A.R by Ian Brown which is on RU-vid.

I love George even more after this. I figured he'd have the best take tbh, a much smarter and more sensitive person than the other two, but when he said how much he liked the second side of 'Closer' specifically, 😍

George's stab at Paul Moron was just spot-on. RIP my man.

You wouldn’t expect George Michael to know anything about Joy Division given Wham’s image at that time, but I guess everyone in the music biz listened to each others music more than they would do today?? I know George was in a ska group called “the executive” back in 1980, but even so very different to Joy Division’s output for sure!!!!

George Michael was a gem.

When routine bites hard and ambitions are low And resentment rides high but emotions won't grow And we're changing our ways, taking different roads Then love, love will tear us apart again Love, love will tear us apart again Why is the bedroom so cold? You've turned away on your side Is my timing that flawed? Our respect runs so dry Yet there's still this appeal that we've kept through our lives But love, love will tear us apart again Love, love will tear us apart again Do you cry out in your sleep, all my failings exposed? There's a taste in my mouth as desperation takes hold Just that something so good, just can't function no more But love, love will tear us apart again Love, love will tear us apart again Then love, love will tear us apart again Love, love will tear us apart again

George Michael was a really smart guy, a great singer, a great musician, a man brave enough to fight a record company on his own and it was funny as hell. Of course we never knew any of that because the press trash talked him on a daily basis

George Michael was always really interesting to listen to in interviews. Clearly a very thoughtful guy. A reminder never to judge a book by it's cover.

George Micheal looks so happy it's amazing, even by today's standards.

George was a great human being. Beautiful.

Interesting to see that the only person I agree with is George Micheal. There's a reason why people to this day say even in Madrid, Spain wear Joy Division t-shirts out on the street. Also dunno how good Paul Morely was at doing his research back then in the early days of his book writing.

Once George Michael started talking about how much he enjoyed Joy Division's music, it was time for the segment to end... Kudos to George Michael. I love the Smiths and Morrissey is a great artist, but I'm not sure if there's anyone more up their own ass than he.

Jesus, how this stands as a testimony to the change in our times and attitudes. Unbelievable lack of ego from all being interviewed. GM such a lovely guy that we rarely got to see. Morrissey years ahead of his age intellectually and TB just down to earth and honest as always, even tho he knows he's out of place. This is great and highlights how things have changed Three British legends discussing the legend of JD in their own terms . Magical. Thanks for uploading

Its a joy to see things like this again.

George, Mozza and Tones. What a book club.

I'd love to be able to tell Morrissey "Oh by the way your main musical collaborator will make as many records together with New Order's singer as he will with you."

omg morrissey and george in one room ??? my multiverse of madness

Joy Division have an aura about them,very deep and industrial I think.a one of a kind

RIP George, a very underrated human being.

he Eternal is one of the most beautifully bleak, deepest (spiritually) track ever recorded. That George pointed that out is a testament to his brilliance and perception as a fellow artist.

Steven Patrick Morrissey didn't like book about Joy Division, because book about Joy Division said nothing about life for Steven Patrick Morrissey

The pop music version of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

I enjoyed this on one or two levels. The guys were asked their opinions, & they were honest in their narration. Although, this BBC show probably didn’t get a big audience, for me, it was a good watch. Sometimes the Beeb got it right without trying too much.

I wish we have pop stars like this who have actual insights about things and effortless eloquence.

Chintzy tank top, dishcloth blouse, distressed Yellow tux, and Grey at C&A. This clothing clash is worthy of its own coffee-table book tribute.

Simon Lebon is also a massive JD fan. Would like to hear him interviewed too.

Respect to George Micheal. Never thought I'd write such words, but the more I hear about the fellas politics, and hear what he had to say, the more my respect grows.

Never liked the music of Wham! or George Michael but recently I have come to appreciate George Michael as a wonderful human being. Died too early.

George Michael was well-spoken and honest, I enjoy his, Morrissey and Joy Division.

That was Tony Blackburn who stopped playing Siouxsie’s records because she said she didn’t listen to the radio.

A perfect reflection of George Michael and Morrisseys' true selves and if it was their interview for the job of having pints with me, there's a clear winner. And Tony can be the pleasant imparcial barman 🤝

What a great find in the archives ! Thank you from America !

Listened to Transmission while mountainbiking in the forest yesterday and Joy division is so deep words wise and Ian singing 'wanted to be treated like a normal man' to do with his illness.

Most bands at that time the mid 80s had been influenced by the post punk bands of the late 70s early 80s namely Joy Division Magazine and of course Siouxsie and the Banshees. All of whom created some great pop if not dark songs. Joy Division music will live on its just superb!

Loved seeing George speaking so eloquently about joy divisions music. It was curious at the end of the clip, the host said ti George , lm going to stop you there. Was that because they ran out of time. I would’ve liked to see what happened after that .

How strange for people to be honest about their views and it to be televised unedited, we are missing this so much now

George was bright and talented, and he certainly could serve ❤❤❤

Everything Tony Blackburn says and does from then until now sees him forever stuck in the 60s.

George was an amazing pop song writer , the music inside him guided him to bring it to the people, he was a slave to it, to his talents and what he had to do. Always busy and creative, and gave it his all all through his life. If he likes a tune, it's probably worth listening to

The guy from Wham knows more about Joy Division than anyone else on the panel, including Morrissey.

I love Joy Division. Unknown Pleasures is one of my favorite albums of all time.

England has been such a factory of wonderful music, especially the city of Manchester. I'm hard-pressed to think of other cities that have created more interesting music per capita than that place.

George was such a Gem. Respect and love and such a great perspective on the subject

George, the one with something interesting to say, gets cut off as we go to a quick break see you in a moment 💀

We LOVE you George, wherever you are!!! 💘

Ugh! Wanted to hear George Michael finish his thoughts! Great interview. Mind boggling to see Michael and Morrissey on the same stage -- such different sensibilities. Morrissey is such the aesthete.

Thanks for uploading this, i saw a rough recording of this. Its such a good panel.

It's almost commendable that someone can be in a room with George Michael at his peak, and still be the biggest ponce in the room. Congrats Moz

Credit where it's due George is an eloquent analyst

They cut him off lol George was so into it and to add you can get his drift. To speak for myself, I think I have caught his drift. I resonated with the statement he made about how it is less important to mention the death of Ian in the book and the surrounding chaos of Ian and the band. Even though that has contributed to an extent, at the end of the day, the feeling that is proposed by the music and its composition is what makes the feeling fonder of what is there to appreciate. Chaos and all the "details" matter, but perhaps, at the end of the day, the need to rewind from those details and submerge into the music makes life much more bearable. Perhaps, that is why it is a tad bit shocking about Morr. differentiated opinion about Joy Division's music because of how perhaps, similarly both bands' music highlights the tone of expression, and what it means to not hide from it. The only difference I can personally state between the deliverance of the two frontmen songwriting is that Ian was more direct, and Morr. is more tongue-in-cheek, read between the lines, but both expressive against the opposition of what is expected to be vulnerable? I think George hit the hammer on the nail directly about sensitivity and being able to sense the tone and what it means to resonate with that besides what is expected to be highlighted about the band's music and approach as well.

An incredible gem! Thanks BBC for uploading!

George at 21 and so articulate, what an incredible human being...heaven sent and heaven stole 💜

I love them both. Rip George.

Morrissey has a point though that Ian's untimely passing added a lot to the legend of Joy Division and that a lot of people would NEVER have heard of them if they just carried on as a band.

Thanks a lot for this, very much enjoyed 🥰📺

George Michael, que ser de luz ❤

Funny, that the person who sounded the best musically appreciated their music the most. Also, I like Morrissey the way Morrissey liked Joy Division.

Proof that George Michael has wide range of music preference and appreciation. Morissey played some kind of politics that he felt like others would be his competitors so don't need to praise them up.

I've heard these comments before and I always find it special how much Joy Division influenced so many musical artists during the 80s

Haha. This is great because I canonize Ian Curtis and Joy Division, absolutely dig the dismissive MOZ, a man who named his first solo album Viva H8 😂 but absolutely the incredibly talented George Michael gets it right about the band and Closer. Great trip back in time.

What’s with all these comments, “wow I’m so surprised George Michael liked Joy Division and was eloquent!” ? You know this guy wrote most of his songs, played most of the instruments on his records, and had a voice like an angel? He was the real deal, man. Of course he liked Joy Division.

Just as the discussion gains traction... we've ran out of time. Shame, but a refreshingly odd group of pundits reviewing, well, Joy Division! Thank you

This GoGo George is so sunny and warm. He has great energy here. This must be Wham is huge everywhere years

Amazing clip! Tony Blackburn talking about Joy Divison! ,George in fact once said Closer was his favourite album ever...

Gorgeous George what an icon and a all round decent human being

Tony Blackburn... Wig or No Wig? I'm going WIG!

The intellectual honesty is so refreshing

Two of my favourite singers. Morrissey and George michael

George Michael would of been 21 or 22. But speaking with the maturity and intelligence of somebody way older.

George Michael is the only truth teller on this particular panel

The interviewer did a great job in cutting and not letting them get a point across

SUCH A GREAT INTERVIEW ❤

my two favourite singers in one video :)

3:35 “left the gear on the stage” 😂😂😂😂

this is absolute gold and how youtube adds value

Gary Rhodes & Lady Diana giving their opinions on Joy Division, amazing!!