New Order's Stephen Morris on Peter Hook: "Will There Be Reconciliation? I Don't Know"
New Order drummer Stephen Morris gave a candid interview to Rolling Stone ahead of the band's — and Joy Division's — induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year, addressing whether he and former bassist Peter Hook might ever patch things up. His answer: "Will there ever be reconciliation? I don't know."
New Order formed in 1980 after Joy Division singer Ian Curtis died, with Bernard Sumner, Hook and Morris at its core. The band's current lineup centers on Sumner, Morris and Gillian Gilbert — Hook has not been part of it since he left in 2007.
"He doesn't strike me as being happy"
Morris didn't mince words describing his former bandmate, calling Hook "quite an angry person" and adding, "He doesn't strike me as being happy." Morris said Hook may have been happy during the Joy Division years, but he's not even sure of that — Hook, in his view, "doesn't seem happy about anything," including his time in New Order or playing New Order songs.
Asked about Hook's repeated public criticism of his former bandmates, Morris said Hook seems to believe "we are horrible people," which he called "a bit sad." He offered no promise of a thaw, but did add: "Life is short." Asked, half-joking, whether the band might ever reunite for a song, Morris quipped it would be "a song with a very long intro."
A 2007 split and years of litigation
Hook departed New Order in 2007, after which he and the remaining members — Sumner, Morris and Gilbert — fought a prolonged legal battle over asset ownership and rights to the New Order name. The parties reached a "full and final settlement" in 2017, though relations have remained tense. Hook told NME in 2025 that the lack of communication between the parties meant the band could not campaign for Hall of Fame voters — under the rules, a band becomes eligible 25 years after its first commercial recording, meaning New Order could theoretically have been inducted as early as 2006.
Hook has confirmed he will attend this year's Hall of Fame ceremony, dedicating the honor to Ian Curtis. He is in talks to perform on the night, but has made clear he will not share the stage with his former New Order bandmates, citing their 2011 decision to cut his royalty share from 25% to 1%.
Morris's health
Morris and keyboardist/guitarist Gillian Gilbert had previously announced they would not tour with New Order "for the foreseeable future," citing personal health reasons. In the same Rolling Stone interview, Morris said his current health issues prevent him from traveling abroad for extended periods: a trip to New York a few months ago, meant to test the waters at an Ian Curtis handwritten lyrics exhibition, ended in what he called a two-day "disaster." Asked whether he might return to the band, Morris declined to discuss his condition in detail, saying only that it is "quite serious" and that he could not say things would improve.