Ian Curtis ''walked away in silence'' 37 years ago today

[Luke B.]

Today, unfortunately, marks the 37th anniversary of the death of Ian Curtis, frontman and lyricist of english post-punk band Joy Division, one of the greatest poets of rock that ever lived.


Ian was born on July 15th 1956 in Trafford, UK at the Memorial Hospital in Stretford, Lancashire. He grew up in Macclesfield, in Cheshire, and from an early age he exhibited talent as a poet. He was awarded a scholarship at the age of eleven by the King's School, Macclesfield. Despite this, he was not a dedicated pupil and did not continue his education beyond O-level.
After leaving school, Curtis focused on the pursuit of art, literature and music. He was employed in a variety of jobs, including being a civil servant in Manchester and later, Macclesfield.
On 23 August 1975, Curtis married a school friend, Deborah Woodruff at St Thomas' Church, Henbury. He was nineteen, and she was eighteen. Their daughter Natalie was born on 16 April 1979. She is a photographer.

Curtis began suffering epileptic fits around 1978, and his condition worsened throughout 1979 and 1980 amid the pressure of performances and touring. At the time of the recording of the band's second album, Curtis' condition was particularly severe, and bassist Peter Hook would state that, largely through ignorance of the condition, he, Sumner and Morris did not know how to help. Nonetheless, Hook was adamant that Curtis never wanted to upset or concern them, and would "tell [us] what [we] wanted to hear" if they expressed any concern as to his condition.

His onstage dancing was reminiscent of the seizures he experienced, sometimes even while performing. There were several incidents when he collapsed while performing and had to be carried offstage. Regarding Curtis' stage performances, Greil Marcus in The History of Rock 'n' Roll in Ten Songs quoted Jon Savage from the music magazine Melody Maker: "Ian's mesmeric style mirrored the ever more frequent epileptic spasms that Deborah Curtis had to cope with at home." Marcus remarked that Curtis' performance "might also have been a matter of intentionally replicating fits, re-enacting them, using them as a form of energy and a form of music." The medication he took for the condition produced side effects including mood swings.

Curtis' widow, Deborah, claimed that he began an affair with Belgian journalist Annik Honoré in August 1979. Honoré, however, said in an interview in 2010 that her relationship with Curtis had been platonic. At the time of Curtis' death, his marriage to Deborah was floundering, he was having trouble balancing his family obligations with his musical ambitions, and his health was worsening as a result of his epilepsy

Curtis' last live performance was on 2 May 1980, at High Hall of Birmingham University, a show that included Joy Division's first and only performance of "Ceremony", later recorded by New Order and released as their first single. The last song Curtis performed onstage was "Digital". The recording of this performance was included on the compilation album Still.
In the early hours of 18 May 1980, Curtis committed suicide by hanging himself in the kitchen of his house at No.77 Barton Street, Macclesfield, at the age of 23. He had just viewed Werner Herzog's 1977 film Stroszek and listened to Iggy Pop's album The Idiot. His wife found Curtis's body the next morning; he had used the kitchen's washing line. Deborah claimed later that he had confided to her on several occasions that he had no desire to live past his twenties.
Curtis' body was cremated at Macclesfield Crematorium and his ashes were buried at Macclesfield Cemetery.
In 2008 his memorial stone, inscribed with "Ian Curtis 18 – 5 – 80" and "Love Will Tear Us Apart", was stolen from the grounds of Macclesfield Cemetery. It was subsequently replaced by a new stone with the same inscription but in a different typeface.[19]
In a 1987 interview with Option, Stephen Morris commented on how he would describe Curtis to those who asked what he was like: "An ordinary bloke just like you or me, liked a bit of a laugh, a bit of a joke."

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Gone but never forgotten, you'll be forever missed Ian. I hope you're in peace now, wherever you are!
1956 - forever

Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart [OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO] - YouTube

Joy Division - Transmission [OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO] - YouTube

Joy Division - Atmosphere [OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO] - YouTube

Fave song of them, the one that made me become a fan

New Dawn Fades - YouTube

[dallywhitty]

My favourite frontman.

[Ray Jackson]

One day, perhaps many years from now, when I finally decide to take my own life...I will undoubtedly be listening to Atmosphere while I do it.

[Show spoiler]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kpa9LtunUcg

[Luke B.]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

One day, perhaps many years from now, when I finally decide to take my own life...I will undoubtedly be listening to Atmosphere while I do it.

[Show spoiler]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kpa9LtunUcg

Actually I want the phrase ''don't walk away, in silence'' to be inscribed on my memorial stone. I found it so beautiful, for me it sounds like he was saying ''don't give up''. What's more sad it's the fact that he, unfortunately, gave up.
I always wonder where he would be today, and what he would be doing, if he were still alive. Maybe JD would still be touring and releasing albums, or maybe the band would've ended anyway and Ian would be living in some other country, where he would own a little bookstore (I read this somewhere, as far as I remember he wanted to do this)

[dallywhitty]

Originally Posted by Luke B.

I always wonder where he would be today, and what he would be doing, if he were still alive. Maybe JD would still be touring and releasing albums, or maybe the band would've ended anyway and Ian would be living in some other country, where he would own a little bookstore (I read this somewhere, as far as I remember he wanted to do this)

I reckon that had he not killed himself (which, according to Debbie, was something he'd been hellbent on doing since he was a teenager), he would've quit the band and pursued writing.

[Luke B.]

Originally Posted by dallywhitty

I reckon that had he not killed himself (which, according to Debbie, was something he'd been hellbent on doing since he was a teenager), he would've quit the band and pursued writing.

From the lyrics is quite visible he had an imense talent in writing, he was such a poet, would've loved to read books, essays etc written by him.

[The Edge]

I was born the day after Joy Division's last performance........ That's really my only connection to Ian. I would've never heard about Joy Division if it were not for the fact that I am a huge U2 fan.... Brilliant writer w/ a keen ear for music. That's partly why Joy Division's music has remained timeless all these years.