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Ian Curtis

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Ian Curtis

Ian Kevin Curtis (July 15, 1956 – May 18, 1980) was the vocalist, lyricist and occasional guitarist of the band Joy Division, which he helped form in 1977 in Manchester, England.

Early life

Curtis was born in the Memorial Hospital, Old Trafford, Manchester, in 1956. He grew up in the Hurdsfield area of Macclesfield. It was apparent from a young age that Curtis was a talented poet and songwriter. Although being awarded a scholarship to attend the The King's School, Macclesfield at the age of 11, Curtis was never interested in pursuing academic success as his ambitions and hopes lay in the music industry. His passion for music led him to work in a record shop for a short time. Curtis also worked as a civil servant in Manchester and later, Macclesfield.[1]

Joy Division

After attending a Sex Pistols concert in 1976, Curtis convinced himself his destiny lay as a performer rather than just a fan. Curtis eventually met two more young musicians inspired by the Pistols, Bernard Sumner and Peter Hook. Sumner and Hook told Curtis that they were trying to form a band and he immediately put himself forward as a vocalist and lyricist, an offer they accepted. The three of them recruited and sacked a succession of drummers before settling on Stephen Morris as their final member. Initially, the band was called Warsaw before changing its name to Joy Division in 1978, due to conflicts with the name of another band, Warsaw Pakt. Curtis's persistence is said to have secured the band a record deal with Tony Wilson's Factory Records. Curtis convinced Wilson to allow the band to perform "Shadowplay" on Granada Reports (a regional television show on which Wilson presented). After setting up Factory Records with Alan Erasmus, Tony Wilson "signed" the band to his label (although no contracts were ever signed, despite the now apocryphal tale of Wilson signing a contract in his own blood. This myth first emerged in 2002 from Wilson himself in the run up to the release of 24 Hour Party People, where the scene is also portrayed.)

While performing for Joy Division, Curtis developed a unique dancing style reminiscent of the epileptic seizures he experienced, sometimes even on stage. The resemblance was such that audience members were sometimes uncertain if Curtis was dancing or having a seizure, and was somehow part of "the act". Curtis had several incidents where he collapsed and had to be helped off stage. He cultivated a grave persona; as the band's photographer put it, "It wouldn't be politic to release shots of Ian smiling, so on the rare occasion I captured a hint of a smile I cursed my bad luck at wasting a frame."[2]

Many of the songs Curtis wrote were filled with images of emotional pain, death, violence, alienation and urban degeneration. These recurring subjects led Curtis's wife, Deborah, to believe he was singing about his own life. Curtis once commented in an interview that he wrote about "the different ways different people can cope with certain problems and how they can adapt." He sang in a bass-baritone voice, in contrast to his speaking voice, which was higher pitched. Curtis also took an interest in the Hohner Melodica, an instrument which was allegedly introduced to him by Tony Wilson's wife Lindsay Reade towards the end of Curtis's life (although Curtis's love of dub reggae artist Augustus Pablo almost certainly played a significant part in his flirtation with the instrument, which only appeared on two Joy Division songs, Closer's closer "Decades" and future New Order B-side "In A Lonely Place"). Curtis's use of the Melodica would later prompt Bernard Sumner to use the instrument with New Order. Joy Division had its recorded style developed by producer Martin Hannett, with some of their most innovative work being created in Strawberry Studios in Stockport (owned by Manchester act 10cc) and Cargo Recording Studios Rochdale in 1979, a studio which was developed from John Peel investing money into the music business in Rochdale.

Although predominantly a vocalist, Curtis also played guitar on a handful of tracks (usually when Bernard Sumner was playing synthesizer, or in the case of "Incubation", where both played guitar). At first Curtis played Sumner's Shergold Masquerader, but in September 1979 he acquired his own guitar, a Vox Phantom Special VI (often described incorrectly as a Teardrop or ordinary Phantom model) which had many built-in effects which were exploited both live and in the studio by Martin Hannett. After Curtis died, Bernard Sumner inherited the guitar, and it was used in several early New Order songs, such as Everything's Gone Green.

Curtis was influenced by the writers William Burroughs, J. G. Ballard, and Joseph Conrad (the song titles "Interzone", "Atrocity Exhibition", and "Colony" coming from the three authors, respectively), and by the singers Iggy Pop and David Bowie.

Death

Curtis's last live performance was on May 2, 1980 at Birmingham University, a show that included Joy Division's first and last performance of the song "Ceremony", later recorded by New Order and released as their first single. The last song Curtis performed on stage was "Digital". The recording of this performance can be found on the compilation album Still.

The effects of his epilepsy and personal problems, such as an impending divorce from his wife due to his infidelity, may have contributed to Curtis's suicide by hanging at the age of 23. According to the book Touching from a Distance, Curtis had taken an overdose of his epilepsy medication and ended up in hospital just over a month before his death. The book states that Bernard Sumner took him to a cemetery after he had left hospital to show him where he would have ended up had the overdose killed him. In the early hours of Sunday May 18th, in his kitchen having earlier seen Werner Herzog's movie Stroszek and listened to Iggy Pop's The Idiot, Curtis hanged himself.

It has since been ruled that the death was accidental, and a rumour about why the 2007 film Control (about Ian) being delayed was because he committed suicide.

Curtis was cremated and his ashes were buried in Macclesfield Cemetery.[3] The inscription on his memorial stone, "Love Will Tear Us Apart", was chosen by Deborah Curtis, and is a reference to Joy Division's best-known song.

Legacy

The remaining members of Joy Division formed New Order following Curtis's death. The band had agreed to not go on as Joy Division if one of the members were to leave, for whatever reason. Their first album Movement featured a song called I.C.B., which stands for Ian Curtis Buried.

Psychic TV, a band led by performance artist and former Throbbing Gristle lead singer, Genesis P-Orridge wrote a song about Curtis, I.C. Water. It was released as a single in 1990 and was also featured on the group's album Towards Thee Infinite Beat. The single featured Curtis on the cover and samples a recording of him discussing The Velvet Underground in a pub.

Deborah Curtis wrote Touching from a Distance, published in 1995, a biographical account of their marriage, detailing in part his infidelity, particularly with Belgian journalist Annik Honore. Authors Mick Middles and Linsay Reade released the book Torn Apart: The Life Of Ian Curtis in 2006. This biography takes a more intimate look at Ian Curtis and includes photographs from personal family albums and excerpts from Curtis's letters to Annik Honore during his affair with her.

In relation to this, the Belgian indie magazine Side-Line has now published an interview online with Annick Honoré originally made in 2005 in which she tells for the first time about her view on the upcoming film.[4]

In late 2004-early 2005, plans were made for an Ian Curtis biopic. The film, called Control, is based on material from Touching from a Distance. Popular rock photographer Anton Corbijn (perhaps best known for the videos he directed for Depeche Mode and U2) directed while Deborah Curtis and former Factory Records head Anthony Wilson are executive producers. Relatively unknown actor Sam Riley, the lead singer of band 10000 Things, portrays Curtis, while Samantha Morton plays his wife, Deborah. The film debuted at the Cannes Film Festival on May 17, 2007 to great acclaim, taking three awards at the Director's Fortnight.

Artist Glenn Brown has produced two paintings, Exercise One (for Ian Curtis) (1995) and Dark Angel (for Ian Curtis) (2002), inspired by the singer and appropriating the paintings of Chris Foss.

A wall on Wallace Street in Wellington, New Zealand had the words 'Ian Curtis Lives' written on it shortly after the singer's death. The message is repainted whenever it is painted over, and another wall on the same street now bears the legend 'Ian Curtis R.I.P. Walk In Silence' along with the dates '1960 - 1981 (sic)'. The original wall has been defaced, and currently reads 'Ian Stuart R.I.P.' Both are referred to as 'The Ian Curtis Wall'.

U2 released the song "A Day Without Me", about Curtis's suicide, as the lead single from their 1980 debut album Boy. An oft-repeated anecdote by Tony Wilson is that when U2 visited Factory Records, U2 frontman Bono said when Curtis was alive he was the best frontman in rock and he himself was only number two; Bono pledged to take Curtis's place.

The Durutti Column, friends of Joy Division and Curtis in particular released two songs in response to Curtis's suicide ("Sleep Will Come" with vocals from A Certain Ratio's Jez Kerr, and "The Missing Boy", appearing on their second LP, LC.)

Thursday released a song titled "Ian Curtis" on their debut album Waiting.

Ian Curtis was also mentioned in Coronation Street.

In July 2005 Joseph Arthur released Our Shadows Will Remain containing the song 'Leave us Alone' which is considered to be about Ian Curtis due to comments made by Arthur at a live performance when he introduced the song as 'Joy Division'.

Film

Further reading

  • Middles, Mick/Reade, Lindsay (2006). Torn Apart: The Life Of Ian Curtis. Omnibus Press. ISBN 1-84449-826-3.
  • Curtis, Deborah (1995). Touching from a Distance - Ian Curtis and Joy Division. Faber and Faber Limited. ISBN 0-571-17445-0.
  • Heylin, Clinton & Wood, Craig (1988). Joy Division: Form (and Substance). Sound Pub. ISBN 1-871407-00-1.
  • Middles, Mick (1996). From Joy Division to New Order Virgin Books. ISBN 0-7535-0638-6.
  • Edge, Brian (1984). Pleasues and Wayward Distractions Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-1439-7
  • Johnson, Mark (1984). An Ideal For Living. An History of Joy Division Proteus Books. ISBN 0-7119-1065-0

References

  1. ^ "Joy Division Central" (HTTP). Retrieved 2007-07-07.
  2. ^ Cummins, Kevin, "Closer to the Birth of a Music Legend," The Observer, August 8, 2007, p. 12.
  3. ^ "Find a Grave" (HTTP). Retrieved 2007-07-06.
  4. ^ Annick Honoré interview
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