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How a NAKED Manager Saved New Order’s “The Perfect Kiss”

Poetic Wax | September 10, 2025



🎵 In 1985, New Order released ‘Low Life.’ It’s time to dive into the wild story behind “The Perfect Kiss” and discover how a naked manager, Rob Gretton, sparked a synth-pop classic with a desktop rant, and how Jonathan Demme’s iconic video sealed its legacy. From studio chaos to dancefloor glory, this is Low-Life’s craziest tale! 🔔

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✓ Low Life on Vinyl https://amzn.to/3YCLdPS
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Poetic Wax is hosted by Andy Fenstermaker.

CHAPTERS:
0:00 The Story of “The Perfect Kiss”
1:29 New Order’s Struggle to Create Their Next Hit
2:36 The Naked Manager & A Burst of Inspiration
4:45 The DNA of “The Perfect Kiss”
6:38 The Hannibal Lector Connection
7:43 The Legacy of New Order

REFERENCE CLIPS
“The Perfect Kiss” Official Music Video: https://youtu.be/x3XW6NLILqo?si=CmOQibGfHaxjgnmk
“The Perfect Kiss” (Live in Toronto – August 4, 1985): https://youtu.be/C9VUu6ear3M?si=QkwGB2TO7pFZwEoh
“The Perfect Kiss” (Live in Glasgow – 2006): https://youtu.be/X9tKIZliv7A?si=cURNcMx5TWpCMe1L
New Order Discusses “The Perfect Kiss”: https://youtu.be/gIzaEzzLqpY?si=pixyvNuX4h6vLkJY
New Order & Jonathan Demme Interview on MTV: https://youtu.be/XNhF9qe6H8c?si=NSbET3i661Q44dGp
NEW ORDER Age Of Consent ( BBC Radio 1 studios, 1984.) https://youtu.be/37cKAUDkQik?si=LoAHlPB_6NCpgSmn

#neworder #bernardsumner #peterhook #stevenmorris #gilliangilbert #joydivision #lowlife #1985 #robgretton #theperfectkiss #vinylcommunity #vinylrecords #vinylcollection #andyfenstermaker #fensepost #vinylchannel #poeticwax #musicessay #musicstory #albumstory #musichistory #albumhistory #musicdocumentary

Written by Poetic Wax

Comments

This post currently has 19 comments.

  1. @n3r0n3

    September 10, 2025 at 5:01 am

    the idea it took months to write Perfect Kiss leaves me totally speechless… but it definitely says a lot about new order and the part engineers, managers and Factory played in both New Order and Joy Division.

  2. @GizmoBeach

    September 10, 2025 at 5:01 am

    Low-life is my least favorite of NO’s five Factory albums.

    Technique, Movement, Brotherhood, Power etc. and Low-life. I love its brevity but it’s a colorless album compared to the rest. Love Vigilantes, Sub-culture, and the rest sort of blend together.

    As far as The Perfect Kiss goes, I don’t care if they spent nine years on it; sounds like something they knocked out in a hurry just to get to eight tracks or something.

  3. @KS-yy2fu

    September 10, 2025 at 5:01 am

    A perfect song, perfectly drilled down.🎉 Heard it first at John Peel's BBC show at the time of itscrelease and never got that tune out of my head eversince. Cheers from Germany Klaus

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