Bernard Sumner Quotes

United Kingdom, Singer
January 4, 1956

Bernard Sumner is an English singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. He is a founding member of both Joy Division and New Order, and is widely credited with the latter band's move towards electronica and synthpop. Sumner is widely credited in advancing UK dance music, and the popularisation and technological advancement of sequencers. In the early 1990s, he collaborated with former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr as Electronic.

Also known as Songwriter, Musician, Record Producer

I like singing now, but I didn't at the start. I didn't think about singing, didn't know how to do it, so I hit the ground stumbling.

Bernard Sumner Joy Division
- Singing
I believe that every business and company takes two years to establish.

Bernard Sumner Bad Lieutenant
- Believe
- Business

You can't escape from yourself, can you?

Bernard Sumner New Order
If I work on music, it'll be for 10 hours a day, so sometimes I'll feel stressed, and I'll go for a two-hour walk. That sorts me out.

Bernard Sumner New Order
- Work
- Music
I've realized that I owe people a look behind the scenes of my own story, because I don't think anyone can have a true understanding of the music without an insight into where it came from.

Bernard Sumner Bad Lieutenant
- People
- Music
- True
I think if you take 'Get Ready,' 'Waiting For The Siren's Call,' 'Lost Sirens' - those three New Order albums were mostly guitar-based. There were a couple of dance tunes in there, but they were mainly guitar-oriented. They came about through jamming, a lot of them.

Bernard Sumner Joy Division
- Lost
- Couple
- Dance
In Salford, we had fish in our tap water. I remember, one hot summer day, running to the toilet at playtime and dunking our heads in a sink full of water. I remember putting my head in and seeing all these little fish in it.

Bernard Sumner Joy Division
- Remember
- Running
- Water
With guitar, bass and drums, you've got limited horizons.

Bernard Sumner Joy Division

I'm not interested in how well someone can sing. It's what you're singing that interests me.

Bernard Sumner Bad Lieutenant
- Singing
I'm terrible with decisions. And I can't make myself do something I don't like. I can't knuckle under.

Bernard Sumner New Order
I was interested in Prozac from a personal point of view because I can be a bit moody - things do get on top of me sometimes - so I was quite keen to find out what it would do to my personality.

Bernard Sumner Joy Division
- Personality
In New Order, I played about 95% of the synths. It's not much fun for the other guys in the band when I'm playing my synth parts.

Bernard Sumner Bad Lieutenant
- Fun
- Band
As human beings, we all mature physically from childhood to adolescence and then into adulthood, but our emotions lag behind.

Bernard Sumner New Order
- Childhood