|
At the age of 11 Ian won a scholarship to the King's School in Macclesfield. Although he was reasonably successful at school, Ian had little interest in academic advancement, and his ambition was to get a job in the music industry. His love of music had developed from an early age, his teenage heroes including David Bowie, Iggy Pop and the Velvet Underground. The first step on his musical career was a job at Rare Records, a shop in Manchester city center. This helped to expand his musical interests. Ian Curtis had met Deborah Woodruffe while they were both still at school in Macclesfield. They were married on 23rd August 1975, at St Thomas's church in Henbury, a few miles west of Macclesfield. Ian and Deborah lived first in Hulme and then in Chadderton, and in May 1977 moved into 77 Barton Street in Macclesfield. Their life together is described in detail in Deborah's book Touching From A Distance. Their only child, daughter Natalie, was born on 16th April 1979. Seeing the Sex Pistols perform in Manchester in 1976 had convinced Ian that he too could make it on stage. Ian had made abortive attempts to form a band with his friends in Macclesfield. His break came when he got to know Bernard Sumner and Peter Hook, who were trying to do the same in Salford but lacked a singer. When Ian contacted them to enquire about the vacancy, they were happy to join forces with him. As well as being Joy Division's vocalist, Ian Curtis also wrote the song lyrics. Lyrically he was inspired by, among others, W S Burroughs, J G Ballard and David Bowie. Many of Joy Division's songs were written in the house in Barton Street, and Ian had a stock of notebooks into which he jotted ideas as they came to him. Many people assume that his lyrics must reflect his own feelings and problems, but perhaps they just reflect his talent for writing a meaningful song. Ian's first (and last) "proper" job was as a civil servant for the Manpower Services Commission, initially in Manchester and later in Macclesfield. His job required him to work closely with disabled people . He tried to juggle a full-time job with his life in the band until his musical commitments became too great for him to manage both. While working in Manchester, Ian was a frequent visitor to the nearby office of the RCA record company. It was mainly Ian's persistency which led to Joy Division being given a contract to record their first album, although this was never officially released. Ian is also famous for haranguing Granada TV's Tony Wilson in order to get Joy Division an appearance on his TV show. Ian had a volatile personality, and could show different sides at different times and with different people. He could sometimes be angry and spiteful, but more often was easy-going and generous. Although his health, his career and his personal life all brought many pressures, Ian is usually recalled by those who knew him as a fun-loving person, albeit a slightly eccentric one, with a good sense of humor. In January 1979 Ian was diagnosed as epileptic. Although his fits varied in frequency and intensity, epilepsy was an ever-present concern from then on. Not only did Ian have to take regular medication, which seemed to make his mood swings more extreme, but fits could be brought on by strobe lighting in some of the clubs. His frenetic stage style mirrored the epileptic fits he suffered. Ian's experience of epilepsy in himself and others inspired him to write She's Lost Control. Ian was also a heavy smoker, possibly another sign of the stress he was under. The pressures of working in a touring band played havoc with Ian's health and his marriage. A number of Joy Division concerts were curtailed or cancelled when Ian was taken ill. Once he was hospitalized for a few days following an epileptic fit. His involvement with a Belgian girl named Annik Honoré further undermined his already fragile relationship with his wife Deborah. After Ian gave up his full-time job, he and Deborah had little money, so Deborah was forced to work herself despite having a baby to look after. In the early hours of May 18th 1980, two months before his 24th birthday, Ian Curtis committed suicide at his home in Macclesfield. Shortly before the end of Ian's life, his wife Deborah had started divorce proceedings and Ian was no longer living at the family home. In April 1980 Ian was admitted to hospital after taking an overdose of his epilepsy medication. As in many such cases, it is not clear whether this was a genuine suicide attempt or simply a plea for help. What is clear is that by the last month of his life Ian found that the pressures on him were greater than ever, not least because of the need to prepare for the band's first American tour. On Saturday May 17th, Ian cancelled arrangements to meet friends and returned to his home in Barton Street. Deborah was working behind the bar at a local disco, and had left Natalie with her parents while she was at work. While she was out Ian watched Stroszek, a film by Werner Herzog. When Deborah returned, she and Ian talked for a while, then Ian persuaded her to stay the night at her parents' house. Alone again in the house, Ian listened to Iggy Pop and wrote a long letter to his estranged wife. In the early hours of Sunday morning he hanged himself in the kitchen using the rope from a clothes airer. His body was found by Deborah when she returned later the same day. Many theories have been advanced to explain Ian's suicide, but none of these can be proved. It has been claimed that Ian had a morbid desire to emulate those of his heroes who had died young. The most likely reason was depression, but no-one can agree about whether he was depressed by his epilepsy, by the effects of the drugs he was taking to control it, by the break-up of his marriage, or by worries about the forthcoming American tour. People who were with him shortly before his death give conflicting accounts of his state of mind. Some were left with the impression that he was dreading the American tour and the traveling involved. Others say that he was looking forward to the tour with excitement. A third view, advanced by Deborah Curtis, is that the prospect of touring did not worry him because he knew that he would not be going! Although no-one can agree on whether Ian's suicide was long planned or an impulsive decision, most people do agree that his illness and drug regime affected his judgment. A few days after his death, Ian's body was cremated at Macclesfield Crematorium. Deborah Curtis had the words Love Will Tear Us Apart inscribed on Ian's memorial stone. With the benefit of hindsight, some warnings of the eventual outcome can be found in Ian's behavior and in some of his writing. Unfortunately Ian had a secretive nature, and was good at concealing his feelings from others. He even managed to conceal his epilepsy until he actually had a fit. He certainly managed to conceal any suicidal tendencies from those around him, so the true reason for his death will remain obscure. Perhaps it is better not to speculate and to let Ian Curtis rest in peace. |
Ian
Kevin Curtis was born in Manchester on the 15th July 1956, the son
of Kevin and Doreen Curtis. The Curtis family then lived at Hurdsfield,
just outside Macclesfield, where Ian attended the local primary school.
Later the family moved to a flat at Victoria Park, near Macclesfield
town center, which was Ian's home until 1973.
