IanCurtis.org - Ian Curtis and Joy Division Fans Club

SHORT BIOGRAPHY

Ian Kevin Curtis lived most of his life in Macclesfield, where he attended King's School. He is notable as the singer and lyricist with the band Joy Division, which he helped form in 1977 in Manchester
He developed a unique spastic dancing style, which mirrored the epileptic fits he experienced late in life – so much so that at times audience members were unsure whether he was dancing or having a seizure. He also possessed an eerie baritone voice, which he used to great effect in the songs Joy Division created
He was diagnosed with epilepsy in early 1979 and was put on many different combinations of medications to help control his fits. As well as suffering from epilepsy, his life was plagued by depression. His extramarital relationship with Annik Honoré affected his marriage, already under stress from his lengthy absences on tour. Lyrics for the song Love will tear us apart reflected this situation
He committed suicide by hanging himself in his kitchen one day before Joy Division were to embark on their first American tour. His death led to the creation of New Order by Joy Division's remaining members
Ian Curtis was cremated and buried in Macclesfield, with the inscription on his memorial stone reading, "Love Will Tear Us Apart." The epitaph, chosen by his widow Deborah Curtis, is a reference to Joy Division's best-known song
In 1995, Faber And Faber published Touching from a distance, Deborah Curtis's biographical account of their marriage, in part detailing his infidelity
In late 2004/early 2005, there have been plans for a Ian Curtis biopic. The film, tentatively entitled Control, will be based on material from Touching from a distance. Popular rock photographer Anton Corbijn will direct while Deborah Curtis and former Factory Records head Tony Wilson are executive producers

	EDUCATION
	Trinity Square – Hurdsfield (UK)
	Hurdsfield Junior School – Hurdsfield (UK)
	King's School – Macclesfield (UK)
	St-John's College – Manchester (UK): only for a couple of weeks

	PREVIOUS JOBS
	Job in the pop department at Rare Records – Manchester (UK)
	Butter Lane antique market – Macclesfield (UK)
	Ministry of Defence (civil servant) – Cheadle Hulme, Manchester (UK)
	Manpower Services Commission – Sunley Building, Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester (UK)
	Job Centre (Employment Exchange) (assistant disablement resettlement officer) – Macclesfield (UK)

	INSTRUMENT
	Vocals (main)
	Guitar (on Atmosphere \| Incubation \| I remember nothing \| Love will tear us apart): Vox Phantom VI Special Amplification: Vox UD 30, through Vox Cabinet with 2x 12-inch Marshall speakers
	Keyboard: ARP Omni-2 Effects: Melos (echo unit) \| MXR Graphic (six-band equalizer) \| Chorus Flanger

	INTERESTS
	Music David Bowie: The Man Who Sold The World (1971) \| Low (1977) Kraftwerk: Trans Europe Express (1977) Augustus Pablo Public Image Limited: Metal Box (1979) Lou Reed: Berlin (1973)
	Literature James Graham Ballard: Atrocity Exhibition \| Terminal Beach \| Crash \| High Rise William S. Burroughs: Apo-33 \| Naked Lunch \| The Soft Machine \| The Third Mind \| Wild Boys Karol Cetinsky (Ka'tzetnik 135633): House Of Dolls Aleister Crowley: The Book Of Thoth Fedor Mikhaïlovitch Dostoïevsky Nikolaï Vassilievitch Gogol: Dead Souls Hermann Hesse (= Emil Sinclair) Józef Konrad Korzeniowski (= Joseph Conrad): Heart Of Darkness Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche Jean-Paul Sartre Oscar Wilde: The Happy Prince
	History Second World War: Rudolf Hess Ladybird History books

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	IAN CURTIS
	Full name: Ian Kevin Curtis Birth: Sunday 15 July 1956. Memorial Hospital – Old Trafford, Manchester (UK) Death: Sunday 18 May 1980. 77 Barton Street – Macclesfield (UK)

	FAMILY
	Father: Kevin Curtis Mother: Doreen Curtis Sister: Carole Curtis

	RELATED LINKS
	Deborah Curtis \| Natalie Curtis \| Annik Honoré