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Sunday, July 27, 2008

This past week I saw the movie Control, which is a biopic about the life of Ian Curtis, based on the book Touching From A Distance by his widowed wife Deborah, who also helped produce the film.  I must say, it was a dark look into the short life of Ian Curtis and Joy Division that was extremely unsettling.  I’ve always felt guilty listening to Joy Division; the lyrics are essentially the increasingly demented thoughts of a man losing control, on the verge of suicide.  To have listened to Joy Division before Curtis’ death is different than listening to it now, knowing that not long after most of these songs were recorded, Curtis hanged himself in his own home.

While the movie is a little depressing because it accentuates that feeling of guilt, but it’s also a very good watch in its own right.  The film was directed by Anton Corbijn, who is famous for his work with the art direction of bands like Depeche Mode and U2, as well as for directing a number of music videos.  As such, the film is very artistic, shot entirely in black and white, and with each shot carefully planned to highlight to varying degrees the isolation of its main character, Curtis.  An experienced concert photographer, Corbijn also excels at the recreation of Joy Division’s live shows, both the good ones and the bad, which saw audience members hurling beer bottles at the band while they waited for Curtis to work up the nerve to come out on stage, still recovering from his first attempted suicide.

With as many people as I see sporting shirts with the cover to Unknown Pleasures on them, it’s sometimes hard to imagine how the band has gained the popularity it has with the release of only two albums, and barely 3 years of existence.  The band’s second album, Closer, was even released after Curtis’ death. Not to be cynical or anything, but it seems dying is the ultimate publicity stunt; nothing gets you the kind of attention that hanging yourself in your own home (or being found dead in a New York City apartment) does.

Now that’s not to say Curtis intentionally hanged himself to intentionally promote his music, I just find it unfortunate that the ultimate act of desperation and isolation can be a huge factor in one’s commercial success. I think the movie separates the two well, showing Curtis’ increasing detachment from the world, as well as his embracement of music. And as I said, I would highly recommend it to anyone who considers themselves a fan, or even a casual listener, of Joy Division. It seems unfitting for anyone to enjoy their music while remaining ignorant to the fatal consequences it reflected in its lead singer’s life.

With that in mind, enjoy these two Joy Division tracks, and then go check out Control.

:Joy Division - Transmission: - Off the 1979 album Unknown Pleasures

:Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart:
- Off the 1980 album Closer

Of course, you can’t talk about Joy Division without mentioning New Order.  Before Curtis’ death, the band had agreed that if any of them ever left Joy Division, they’d no longer play under the same name.  Honoring that commitment, the band reformed as New Order, with Bernard Sumner taking over the role of vocalist.  New Order went on to be quite successful, despite their critical inseparability with Joy Division.  Here’s everyone’s favorite New Order song:

:New Order - Age Of Consent:

Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for next week, when I promise I’ll have a longer post with more insights, owing to me hopefully being done with our big website redesign, and fully recovered from a recent illness that’s been plaguing me, as it were.  Until then, enjoy new music from John this week.

John Michael Cassetta keeps his own blog, Big Diction, and writes for the local website Austin Sound.  Comments, complaints, and solicitations may be directed here.

- John Michael Cassetta -



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