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Ian Curtis
From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist
Ian Curtis was born on 15 July 1956 in Stretford and grew up in Macclesfield, near Manchester. He was a boy who loved reading, with a talent for poetry and an interest in philosophy and literature. Musically, Jim Morrison and David Bowie were his examples. After school he worked in a record shop and later as a civil servant.
Music and breakthrough
In July 1976 he saw the Sex Pistols play in Manchester. There he met Bernard Sumner and Peter Hook, who wanted to start a band. Curtis offered himself as singer and lyricist, and in 1977 the drummer Stephen Morris joined. The band was first called Warsaw, after a Bowie song, and then Joy Division. Tony Wilson signed the group to his label Factory Records. Joy Division made two albums: Unknown Pleasures (1979) and Closer (1980). From the end of 1978 Curtis suffered from severe epilepsy, and he was troubled by depression. His jerky way of dancing on stage recalled his seizures. On 18 May 1980, just before the first American tour and before the release of Closer, he took his own life.
Influence
The three other members continued as New Order. Despite the short career, Joy Division's influence was great. It was one of the first post-punk bands to put atmosphere and expression ahead of anger and energy. In doing so the group pointed ahead to the melancholy alternative music of the 1980s, from The Cure and U2 to later bands such as Interpol and Editors. In 2026 Curtis was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Joy Division.
Listening
In School of Rock
The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.
- Mixtape 4: When Rock Was Still PopNL Reader
- Mixtape 7: The 1980sNL Reader
- Magazine: Unknown PleasuresNL Magazine
- Magazine: The Man Who Sees MusiciansNL Magazine
Mentioned in other articles
- Postpunk Genre
After the death of Ian Curtis in 1980, Joy Division carried on as New Order.
- Unknown Pleasures Album
He recorded Ian Curtis's vocals in Insight over a telephone line to give them distance.