Bernard Sumner: 'Johnny Marr inspired my new band's name!'

New Order singer Bernard Sumner has revealed that he was inspired to name his new band Bad Lieutenant because he become obsessed with the film of the same name, after seeing it at Johnny Marr's house.

Sumner played with Marr in Electronic throughout the 1990s and he says the duo were recording together when he first became aware of the 1992 film, which stars Harvey Keitel.

"I was at Johnny Marr's house when we were doing Electronic together," Sumner told Musicradar.com. "I took a break and I went into this room where somebody was watching the movie 'Bad Lieutenant' – you know, the one where Harvey Keitel is this absolute lunatic cop?"

He added that the film had a considerable effect on him: "My God, what a shocking film! It takes a lot to throw me, but Jesus, this movie was way out there. I couldn't shake its effect. For days and weeks, it's all I thought about. So the title just stuck. It was disturbing at first and now I just think it's kind of cool."

Bad Lieutenant release their debut album, 'Never Cry Another Tear', on October 12. The album features bass playing from Blur's Alex James.

Sumner hinted that fans can expect to hear music stretching back to his Joy Division days at Bad Lieutenant's gigs.

"Still I carry this legacy around with me," he explained. "Two iconic bands – that's a heavy thing when you think about it. But, at the end of the day, I just want to play and have a good time. We'll do old stuff, new stuff – everybody should be happy."