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Ian Curtis
15/06/56 - 18/05/80

I have so much love and respect for Ian Curtis, the vocalist and lyricist for the band Joy Division. His lyrics were amazing, he was a talented poet. He was a victim of epilepsy and known for his unique dancing which some said was connected to epileptic seizures- sometimes experienced onstange, and others said that he simply lost himself in the music. I think it was probably a mix of both. He said that "instead of just singing about something, you can show it as well, if you are totally involved in what you were doing." His writing is filled with darker emotions, death and isolation for example. He sang in a deep bass-barritone voice, sometimes shouting. On May 18 1980, Ian Curtis hanged himself in the kitchen of his home in Macclesfield. He was unhealthy- juggling his musical ambitions with his marriage and young daughter as well as living with the epilepsy. I have recently become interested in his life story rather than just the Joy Division years. I bought the book 'Touching From a Distance", wirtten by Deborah Curtis- his widdow and can't seem to put it down. It's so detailed and reveals an awful lot about Ian. Having died at the extremelly young age of just 23, i'm not expecting to find out an awful lot about his life- but it turns out there is a fair bit out there. I've been reading up on the internet as well, just anything I can. It usually takes a while and some pretty good reasons for me to be able to call someone my idol, but for Ian Curtis it didn't take long. A truly great man. I recommend the book and 'Control' dvd for fans and people of interest in Ians life.

"Confusion in her eyes that says it all. She's lost control. And she's clinging to the nearest passer by. She's lost control. And she gave away the secrets of her past and said 'I've lost control again'. And a voice that told her when and where to act, She said 'I've lost control again'. And she turned around and took me by the hand and said 'I've lost control again'. And how I'll never know just why or understand, she said 'I've lost control again'. And she screamed out kicking on her side and said 'I've lost control again'. And seized up on the floor, I thought she'd die. She said 'I've lost control' "