The inscription on his memorial stone, "Love Will Tear Us Apart", was chosen by Deborah Curtis, and is a reference to the Joy Division song. I asked her, 'What do you think of the new album.' She goes, 'I'm terrified.' I said, 'What are you terrified of?' She replies, 'Don't you understand? He means it.' And I go, 'No, he doesn't mean it it's art.' And guess what, he fucking meant it." Ĭurtis was cremated, and his ashes were buried in Macclesfield Cemetery. Tony Wilson speaking about the death said, "I'd been warned on a train to London two weeks earlier by Annik. Many rumours surround the possible reasons for his suicide, with his poor health and failed marriage most often suggested. In the early hours of Sunday, May 18 1980, in his kitchen after having viewed Werner Herzog's film Stroszek and listening to Iggy Pop's The Idiot, Curtis hanged himself. The recording of this performance can be found on the compilation album Still. The last song Curtis performed on stage was "Digital". After Curtis died, Sumner inherited the guitar, and it was used in several early New Order songs, such as "Everything's Gone Green".Ĭurtis's last live performance was on at Birmingham University, a show that included Joy Division's first and last performance of the song Ceremony, later recorded by New Order and released as their first single. At first Curtis played Sumner's Shergold Masquerader, but in September 1979 he acquired his own guitar, a Vox Phantom Special VI (often described incorrectly as a Teardrop or ordinary Phantom model) which had many built-in effects which were exploited both live and in the studio by Martin Hannett. Joy Division had its recorded style developed by producer Martin Hannett, with some of their most innovative work being created in Strawberry Studios in Stockport (owned by Manchester act 10cc) and Cargo Recording Studios Rochdale in 1979, a studio which was developed from John Peel investing money into the music business in Rochdale.Īlthough predominantly a vocalist, Curtis also played guitar on a handful of tracks (usually when Bernard Sumner was playing synthesizer "Incubation" was a rare case where both played guitar). He sang in a bass-baritone voice, in contrast to his speaking voice, which was higher pitched. He once commented in an interview that he wrote about "the different ways different people can cope with certain problems, how they might or might not adapt". Many of Curtis' writings were filled with imagery of emotional isolation, death, alienation, and urban degeneration. The resemblance was such that audience members were sometimes uncertain if Curtis was dancing or having a seizure there were several incidents where he collapsed and had to be helped off stage. While performing for Joy Division, Curtis became known for his quiet and awkward demeanor, as well as a unique dancing style reminiscent of the epileptic seizures he experienced, sometimes even on stage. This myth first emerged in 2002 from Wilson himself in the run up to the release of 24 Hour Party People, where the scene is also portrayed.) The name "Joy Division" stemmed from the sexual slavery wing of a Nazi concentration camp in the 1955 novel The House of Dolls.Īfter starting up Factory Records with Alan Erasmus, Tony Wilson "signed" the band to his label (although no contracts were ever signed, despite the apocryphal tale of Wilson signing a contract in his own blood. Initially, the band was called Warsaw before changing its name to Joy Division in 1978, due to conflicts with the name of another band, Warsaw Pakt. The three of them recruited and sacked a succession of drummers before settling on Stephen Morris as their final member. Sumner and Hook mentioned to him they were trying to form a band and he immediately put himself forward as a vocalist and lyricist. He eventually met two young musicians, Bernard Sumner and Peter Hook. In 1976, Curtis convinced himself his destiny was as a performer. Curtis had a lover, Belgian journalist Annik Honoré, whom he met after a concert in an interview. They had one child, Natalie (born 16 April 1979). Ballard, and Joseph Conrad (the song titles "Interzone", "Atrocity Exhibition", and "Colony" coming from the three authors, respectively), and by the musicians David Bowie and Iggy Pop.Ĭurtis married his girlfriend Deborah Woodruff, in 1975, while they both were still teenagers. He was influenced by the writers William Burroughs, J. Curtis served as a civil servant in Manchester and later in Macclesfield. As he grew older, his ambitions and hopes became focused on a pursuit of art and literature, eventually culminating in music. Although awarded a scholarship to attend the The King's School, Macclesfield at the age of 11, Curtis never pursued academic success. He grew up in the Hurdsfield area of Macclesfield and from a young age he exhibited talent as a poet. Curtis was born in the Memorial Hospital, Old Trafford, Manchester, in 1956.