World Famous Comics: Touching from a Distance: Ian Curtis and Joy Division
Touching from a Distance: Ian Curtis and Joy Division
By: Deborah Curtis Publisher: Faber & Faber Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Faber & Faber Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 240 Publication Date: October 04, 2007 Release Date: October 04, 2007
The only in-depth biographical accoutn of the lead singer of Joy Division, written by his widow.Revered by his peers -- Bono described his voice as "holy" -- and idolized by his fans, Ian Curtis left behind a legacy rich in artistic genius. He was a mesmerizing performer on stange, yet also introverted and prone to mode swings. Engimantic to the last, Ian Curtis died by his own hand on 18 May 1980.Touching from a Distance describes Curtis's life from his early teenage years to his premature death on the eve of Joy Division's first American tour. It tells how, with a wife, child and impending international fame, he was seduced by the glory of an early grave. What were the reasons for his fascination with death? Were his dark, brooding lyrics an artistic exorcism? In Touching from a Distance Curtis's widow, Deborah, explains the drama of his life and the tragedy of his death.Includes discography, gig list and a full set of Curtis's lyrics, some of which appear in print for the first time.
The immensely sad, yet incomplete tale of Debbie and Ian Curtis I am going through another Joy Division phase, primarily after seeing the Anton Corbijn-directed Ian Curtis bio-pic "Control" not long ago. I relistenend to most of Joy Division's music, a favorite band of mine, and I was curious to read this 1995 book, which was one of the main sources/influences for the movie (Debbie Curtis served as consultant to the movie).
"Touching From a Distance: Ian Curtis and Joy Division" (212 pages) brings the events of Ian Curtis and Joy Division from the perspective of Deborah Curtis, Ian's wife. It is an insightful, yet very sad book to read. Debbie and Ian met at a very young age, and married young. Ian clearly was a very troubled person, despite the never-ending love and support from Debbie. Ian eventually started an affair with Annik, a Belgian woman stationed at the Belgian Embassy in London (and apparently nicknamed the "Belgian Boiler" by the other band members for her temper). Ian's dealing with his epilepsy became a further troubling element. Writes Debbie towards the latter stages of his life: "It was allowed to become an expected part of Joy Division's act and the more sick be became, the more the band's popularity grew." But in the end, it became clear that Ian was bent on self-destruction. Observes Debbie: "Truly, as his own judge and goaler, he had engineered his own hell and planned his own downfall. The people around him were merely minor characters in his play." As to Ian's fascination with rock stars dying at a young age (in particular Jim Morrison), Debbie observes "All he needed was the excuse to follow his idols into immortality and being part of Joy Division gave him the tools to build the heart-rending reasons".
I still feel that the whole Ian Curtis story hasn't been explored, either by the movie or by this book, and for that to happen we really need to hear Annik's side of the tory. Not sure that will ever happen. This book comes with the complete lyrics of all Joy Division songs, and additional lyrics that were never recorded, as well as a complete gig list of the band and discography. This book is a MUST for any Joy Division, period.
Touching from a Distance book I received what I ordered, on time & in good condition. However, it was mailed to my billing address and not the shipping address I indicated. As this was a surprise gift for my boyfriend, I was disappointed that it did not ship to the correct address.
Surprisingly Refreshing Biography from the Widow This book reveals a lot of personal moments between Deborah and Ian Curtis' courtship leading to their marriage as Joy Division developed. Deborah Curtis writes this biography in an eloquent, bitter-free chronological manner, with witty, emotionally poise undertones. The first person writing style is more personal and less historically tedious than a typical biography. Overall, a very good read if you are curious about the man behind the music.
"We Were Strangers... " Indeed When I was a suicidal teenager, my favorite band was Joy Division. There was something so soothing about singing along to lyrics like, "Directionless, so plain to see / A loaded gun won't set you free / So you say" or "Existence, well what does it matter?". In fact, my entire teenage experience could be summed up by a couple of Ian Curtis verses:
"Oh, how I realized how I wanted time Put into perspective, tried so hard to find Just for one moment thought I'd found my way Destiny unfolded, I watched it slip away"
"Now that I've realized how it's all gone wrong Gotta find some therapy, this treatment takes too long Deep in the heart of where sympathy held sway Gotta find my destiny before it gets too late"
Luckily, I was able to find my destiny... er, is that was this is?... before it got too late. Ian Curtis was not as fortunate; he hung himself on May 18, 1980. That's a date that I know from memory; Ian's suicide was a signalpost of my youth. I knew somewhere in the back of my mind that it was probably not a good idea to worship a suicide, but I couldn't help myself. My doomed romanticism was at its most sharply tuned during those dark days in the 1980's and I spent my days cloistered in my room listening to Joy Division, reading Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton, and writing my own gloomy (and piss-poor) poetry. It wasn't much of a life, but it was a living...
I've weathered a lot of rugged emotional terrain since those teenage years, and although the specific schoolyard scenarios that tormented me back in those days are now a distant memory, the painful emotions that accompanied them still ring true. However, one thing has definitely changed in my medicated mind: I'm not particularly impressed by suicide any longer. I am far more likely to feel sympathy for the loved ones left behind and forever scarred by the suicide than I am for the desperate individual who committed the act. I look back on my own nearly-successful suicide attempt with more embarrassment than pride these days, and I'm not nearly as likely to show off my abundant scars as I used to be 10 years ago. Is this what they call "maturity" ... or am I just a boring old Comtesse? Who can say?
So, it is with this changed perspective that I read "Touching From A Distance: Ian Curtis and Joy Division" by Ian Curtis' widow Deborah. I'm not sure what I was expecting from this book, but I thought I would get some understanding of how Curtis' family and friends could just stand by and seemingly do nothing while his obvious suicidal tendencies went fatally unchecked. The book doesn't really answer that question - except to reinforce just how isolated Curtis had become in his final days, and how estranged he was from his family. If you believe Deborah's account, Ian was almost zombie-like during his last few months, as the strain of his personal problems (a broken marriage, a doomed love affair, and increasingly uncontrollable epilepsy) became unbearable. After reading this book, I understand why Curtis killed himself, and in some ways, I can't say that I blame him.
The book also presents Curtis as a very unlikeable personality. He is cold, controlling, uncaring, and indifferent towards his wife. I have to take that presentation with a grain of salt, since a lot of it smacks of 'Embittered Ex' syndrome. Deborah doesn't seem to have the slightest understanding of her husband, and doesn't offer any explanation of his motivations or his artistry. They don't communicate, don't seem to have anything in common, and they don't really seem to like each other either. It's a pretty depressing read, but not for obvious reasons.
There is one additional thing that I cannot forgive Deborah Curtis for - and that's refusing to publish Ian's suicide note in the book. She makes reference to it as being "deeply personal" - and I suppose this is her excuse for not printing it. But she sure had no problem in exploiting her personal life with Ian when writing this book! Yes, I know I'm being voyeuristic, but I can't help myself - I want to read the note! I want to know what his last thoughts were as he approached his "last fatal hour". Instead I'm left with continued frustration.
My next read on this subject will be Mick Middles' book "Torn Apart" which presents the perspective of Curtis' girlfriend Annik Honoré. It's supposed to be much more enlightening than anything his wife could offer. I certainly hope so!
Excellent Read.... Excellent book.... also in excellent condition.. will get more books from here more...
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