Lost control: Ian Curtis - biography and reasons for suicide

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:55

Ian Curtis is the lead singer of the famous post-punk band Joy Division, a poet and a cult figure in the history of rock music. Throughout his short life, the musician suffered from depression and epileptic seizures, which eventually led to suicide. What was the life of this unfortunate but talented man, who became a symbol of a whole decade?

Biography

Ian Curtis was born July 15, 1956 in Manchester (UK). From early childhood, he was fond of poetry and literature, he tried to write poetry himself and at the age of 11 he received a scholarship to enter the Royal School in Maxfield. However, Ian did not take advantage of this opportunity and preferred to continue his independent study of literature, art and music. Little Ian in the photo in the article looks so far serene, unaware of what life has in store for him.

From the age of 12, the young man became seriously interested in music, especially the work of Jim Morrison and David Bowie, who greatly influenced his future destiny. Being from a poor familyworkers, Curtis could not afford to buy records, so he often stole them from stores. Of the writers, he was most interested in William Burroughs, whom the guy would often quote in his songs in the future.

Joy Division

In 1976, Ian Curtis with school friends - Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook and Terry Mason created the Joy Division group - this is how the brothel for the Nazis was called in the novel "Doll House" by K. Zetnik, which means "Joy Division" ". The name is ironic - there was much less joy in the texts of Joy Division than in any other, even the most bleak rock band. And in combination with the low, unemotional voice of Curtis, the songs drove the listeners into a kind of depressive trance, which was very relevant for its time. Because the group quickly became popular.

Epilepsy

The hallmark of all Joy Division performances was the unusual dances of the soloist - Ian Curtis twitched and writhed, as if in an epileptic fit, and the audience especially liked it.

The young man really suffered from epileptic seizures from early childhood, however, he was very shy about this, not understanding what was happening to him. It is worth noting that neither bandmates nor close friends knew about this disease. What was taken as dancing were the beginnings of seizures, which Ian diligently suppressed during the concert.

However, it was not possible to hide the illness forever - during the first English tour in 1978, a seizure happenedafter one of the concerts. The doctors who examined Ian diagnosed epilepsy. Of course, he was forbidden to perform, but Curtis was not going to stop the concerts.

"Ian desperately wanted to do things he shouldn't. He wanted to perform, pushing himself to the limit, and this provoked illness. Spotlights caused seizures. He wanted to tour, but he was tired. It was impossible to drink and stay up late, but he was young and wanted just such a life," recalled Peter Hook.

Soon what everyone was so afraid of began - seizures began to happen right on stage. Ian suddenly fell unconscious, twitching terribly, foaming at the mouth, and the rest of the band threw their instruments and urgently dragged him backstage.

Depression and death

The last months of his life, Ian Curtis was in a terrible depression. He was worried about seizures, did not want to let the group down, but it was beyond his strength to quit creativity. The situation was aggravated by family relations - from the age of 19, the young man was married to his school friend Deborah. The marriage was unhappy.

During a European tour, Ian met Belgian journalist Anik Honore and fell in love with her. Their relationship remained platonic, however, even this seemed to Ian a betrayal - he was terribly tormented by remorse. In the same year, their daughter Natalie was born with Deborah, and the musician did not dare to think about leaving his wife with a newborn child.

May 18, 1980, age 23, IanCurtis, leader of the Joy Division, hanged himself with a clothesline in the kitchen of his home. At the time of his suicide, he was listening to Iggy Pop's The Idiot - the record was still playing on the turntable when Deborah Curtis discovered her husband's body.

The English music press reacted to the death of the musician with great sympathy and many touching opinions about the musician. Curtis, as a man of book culture, was understandable and close to them, his texts and the construction of words were real poetry. Sounds Magazine:

Curtis possessed an immutable enchanted secret. Ian magically weaved words, set phrases and whole scripts in the purest silver, which were remembered and made sense. His death was poetically beautiful.

Control

In 2007, Anton Corbijn's biographical film "Control" was released, telling about the last years of Ian Curtis' life. The role of the musician was played by British actor Sam Riley.

The film was shot in black and white, which enhances the depressing effect of the narrative and better conveys the spirit of the time in which the action unfolds. The film is based on the memoirs of a widow, so the shift of the plot from creativity to personal life is obvious in it. Ian's failed betrayal with Anik Honoré is also shown from the point of view of Deborah Curtis. Ian is shown to be a very subtle, vulnerable and intelligent person - as he was according to the recollections of loved ones.

In general, the film was shot with great respect for the musician, and after its release, interest in the work of Joy Division grew againand Curtis personality.