This little band from the North....

So I can not deny, I have been a total mess the last two weeks. I had to sell everything I own, leave my job, friends, etc., to come do my PhD here in the UK. I also had to take out an outrageous about of student loans. A big part of leaving everything I knew was a leap of faith. As I go into year two of my three year program, I am having to re-sign up for all of my loans. From my first year, the loans, which paid for my tuition, came to- WAIT FOR IT- $59,000. I have TWO MORE YEARS OF THIS. My boyfriend and best friend at home have been hearing me cry, whine, stress and FREAK OUT about this.
I knew I was getting into insane debt when I came here, but a large part of any leap of faith, of going against the grain, is sometimes just JUMPING, and KNOWING that SOMETHING will catch you on the other side.
One thing that keeps me going as I breath into a paper bag with freaking-out-ness is my google alerts. I have them set so that anything having to do with Joy Division, that be tattoos, tribute bands, the band itself or Ian Curtis, shows up in my google mail. There is a lot of crap, as one can imagine. But sometimes you will get a gem- such as this video below- the Stiff Kittens, a tribute band from Toledo, Ohio. Yes, Toledo, Ohio.
The reach of Joy Division is like the little engine that could- stretching and inspiring and changing lives. I hope I can some how transform all of that insane debt into a similar phenomenia.
Stiff Kittens:

Fantastic tribute band in Israel

The Joy Division world seems to be expanding, in that there are fans in so many fantastic nooks and crannies. Yet the beauty of the internet is that there is the ability to connect on a daily basis.

I have been speaking to Dan Bloch in Israel for several years now. He is a huge JD fan, and recorded two tributes for view to commemorate the 30th anniversary.

There are no embeds but the links before are very much worth checking out.

Shadowplay:

http://e.walla.co.il/?w=/4512/1675855

Decades:

http://e.walla.co.il/?w=//1675867

Amazing poem about Curtis

I started my research to investigate why people are so attracted to fandom (myself in included). The best part has been meeting other people and creating communities of like minded folks, who inspire creativity. One such person is writer Steven Michael Pape. On May 18, 2010, he brought a copy of a poem he wrote to the Curtis Memorial Stone. Yes, a lot of poems suck, and make you have bad flashbacks to some wayward freak who wanted to shag you back in your Uni days. Steven, though, is the guy that Sylvia Plath should have married, in a time / space warp- incredibly glib, melancholy and thoughtful. Here is his piece dedicated to Ian. For more information about Steven, check out his website, link below.
Lost Soul.

In Memory Of Ian Curtis.
(15/7/56-18/5/80)

Through generations your thoughts are read,
As relevant now as when they were said
This lost soul forever remembered,
Never grows old, darkly presented.

The gothic graveyard dreams,
We`re all as real as it seemed
Your illness was overtaking,
Inner world was shaking.

Torn between two worlds,
Portrayed in your poetic flare
Twitch of the stage performer,
The empathy of your stare.

Young men, these haunted sounds
Tormented in their hurt surrounds
Standing in this colony,
Now in this place so lonely.

Losing control, pressure`s too deep,
Forever fallen into everlasting sleep
As your life became a handful,
You`re words remained so powerful.

30th Anniversary May 18th 2010.

© Steven Michael Pape.

Website: http://stevepape.moonfruit.com/

30 years without Ian Curtis- an Anniversary, a Celebration of Life

I arrived in Macclesfield the evening of May 17th- the night, thirty years ago, when Ian Curtis would still have been alive.
It's always strange to think of events in that manner- what would have been going on at this time, if only- as time, like emotion, is one of the few things that can not be held. How different things COULD have been.

I managed to rise for my 8:30am ride to the Crem with Robert. I didn't want to miss any early birds who may be hovering about the Curtis memorial stone, first thing, on the 18th.

I feared that after all of the press, articles, and numerous write ups on it being a big anniversary year, there would not be anyone coming out to pay homage to Curtis- I guess he wouldn't know either way- it would just be my research and lack of people to talk to that would be affected. Yet, if no one but me was to be hanging out with Ian all day long, I would some how feel a wee bit blue for someone that I had now shared almost a year of my precious time and precious money having an intimate scholarly relationship with.

The North of England is marketed and branded as being dreary, black, rainy, grim.

On this day, the sun was radiant. The blue sky seemed endless. I felt as if I could have been home in my beach town of Santa Cruz, California, if I squinted my eyes.

I arrived at the Crematorium, and strolled rather leisurely the now well worn path to the Curtis memorial stone. I felt a strange anticipation. Would anyone come?

Two men were crouched over the stone. One was snapping pictures, while the other, in profile, had a look of contemplation, and was instantly recognizable. My foot falls attracted his attention, and Peter Hook's expression changed from melancholic to warm. He remembered me from an interview I had done with him several months back. I felt flustered, like an intruder. Yet he was very welcoming, taking pictures and really creating the feeling of celebration- celebration of the life of Ian Curtis.

Throughout the day, fans from over 15 different countries came to pay their respects to Curtis. In all, over 150 people visited the memorial stone between the hours of 9am and 9pm (including the 4 hours I spent at the stone on the 19th as well). Some just stood and silently wept (this was strangely on the 19th- a Japanese girl, ipod jammed in her ears, stared at Ian's name, as the water works poured the black eye liner and mascara in cascades down her face); others ran up for a 'quick moment,' placing flowers on the stone, closing their eyes, and quietly walking away.

Most people, however, wanted to sit and talk about Ian Curtis, post-punk, Factory Records, Joy Division. The memorial stone became an impromptu party- folks from a variety of backgrounds, speaking several different languages, of all ages, ethnicities, sexes and nationalities, were exchanging their ideas and experiences- their LIVES- through the lens of these common Northern denominators. It was a celebration of the evolution of the cultural idea of Joy Division- and Curtis.

Here is a culmination- of interviews, pictures and tattoos- of a few of the fans kind enough to share why they journeyed to Macclesfield on the 30th anniversary of Ian Curtis's death. Please feel free to re-post and pass along- and let the evolution continue.

Before you watch:
In some of the pictures, there is a huge art rock poster of the famous Kevin Cummins photograph of Ian. It is a print of the painting done by my new friend, Jayne Cooper. The flyer for her art show where she has the real painting currently on display (and where you can snap up a limited edition print for yourself) is here:


Also, another new friend, Steven Michael Pape, has his third book of poetry out this year. He wrote a poem just for Ian, which he brought to the anniversary. Here is a copy of it:


For more information about Steven, please visit his website, http://stevepape.moonfruit.com/

Click and paste on links below to view Celebration of a Legend

(sorry the YouTube is being very wacky)

Part 1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3makqFu3ok


Part 2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eq-_bsEIZtM