Touching from a Distance: Ian Curtis and Joy Division
by Deborah Curtis
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Book Summary Information
Author: Deborah CurtisEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2007-10-04
ISBN: 0571239560
Number of pages: 240
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Book Reviews of Touching from a Distance: Ian Curtis and Joy Division
Book Review: I Wish I Could Have Learned More About Ian Curtis
Summary: 3 Stars
TOUCHING FROM A DISTANCE: IAN CURTIS AND JOY DIVISION, written by Ian Curtis' widow Deborah Curtis, inspired the movie CONTROL, explores Manchester, England post-punk singer Ian Curtis' quickly earned fame as lead singer and lyricist for the band Joy Division, and his immaturity and/or mental illness that may have led to his death at 23. He neglected his young wife and his newborn baby. He carried on an affair and traveled with a Belgian woman. He had an epileptic condition, which led to grand mal seizures while he performed. In May 1980, he hanged himself, leaving behind a wife, 1-year-old daughter, and lots of questions, the most important being Why? Deborah Curtis doesn't have an answer. No one does.
I read the book because I was curious about Curtis' writing process, specifically how came up with songs like "Transmission" and "Control." As it turned out, Deborah wasn't included in his private process, and his band mates were too involved in their lives to care, so there wasn't much to learn about it. But I came away with something more interesting than his writing process: my thoughts evoked by this quote from page 121 (paperback 2007).
"The one good thing to come out of Ian's attempted suicide [several months before his death] was that an appointment was made for him to see a psychiatrist at Parkside Hospital. Amazingly, when the day came for Ian's visit to the psychiatrist, we went together. On the way there he told me how unhappy he was in the music business. He said that when "Transmission" and Unknown Pleasures had been released, he had achieved his ambitions. Now there was nothing else left for him to do. All he ever intended was to have one album and one single pressed. His aspirations had never extended to recording "Love Will Tear Us Apart" or Closer. As I drove along, he told me how he wanted to leave Joy Division and join a circus."
Ian Curtis said all he wanted to do was release one album and one single. He didn't intend to record more music, but he did. Why? Did he expect it of himself? Did other people push him? Could he have stopped after just one success? If he'd quit, would he still have been considered an artist, a genius? Did writing past his initial desires deplete him, cause his death? I don't know.
Deborah Curtis' book confirms what is often true about performers: they are someone else while on stage; off stage, they're who they are, complex and undefinable.
Summary of Touching from a Distance: Ian Curtis and Joy Division
This is the only in-depth biographical account of the legendary lead singer of Joy Division, written by his widow. Revered by his peers and idolised by his fans, Ian Curtis left behind a legacy rich in artistic genius. But although mesmerising on stage, in his private life he was introverted and had desperate mood swings. In "Touching from a Distance" his widow pieces together why - despite his impending international fame and young family - Curtis took his own life on 18 May 1980. Regarded as the essential book on the essential icon of the post-punk era, "Touching from a Distance" includes a full set of Curtis' lyrics, discography and gig list.Rock Books
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