Mick Middles - Torn Apart: The Life of Ian Curtis

Joy Division was the finest live band I have ever seen, and I have seen a fair few: Led Zeppelin, The Who, The Stooges, Grateful Dead, The Rolling Stones, Metallica and many more. That might seem like an outrageous claim for a short lived band from Macclesfield and Salford whose legacy barely stretched beyond two albums and whose image would forever be encapsulated in monochrome images of them huddled together in the Stockport snow.

But there is one reason, and only one, why I will always regard Joy Division as the finest. No disrespect to Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook and Steve Morris gargantuan figures to a man but the reason is very simple: Ian Curtis. I close my eyes every now and again and I see him; and I see a beam of light and a big open heart of emotion and some kind of pain, a howling from that sound. Genesis P-Orridge, catching sight of Joy Division for the first time at Hemel Hempstead Pavilion, noted that Curtis seemed separated from the others by a bolt of lightening. It sounds fantastical but I saw it also.

I hovered around Joy Division for a while and always found Ian Curtis disarmingly courteous. It was difficult to square the man on stage with the man eating pies in the pub. Something remarkable happened here.

When the chance came to work with Lindsay, who was much closer to the characters involved than I was, it just felt like a gift. I had read every word on Joy Division and had written a few of them myself but I never really got close to what it was that happened back then. Not until now.

The roots of this book stretch back about five years, to a time when an enduring and productive friendship formed from a series of interviews between the co-authors. So my thanks to Lindsay for special times and tofu. Throughout this period, a vague notion of a book changed shape and form a number of times before being seized upon by Chris Charlesworth, who hurtled us both in the same direction.

There are a number of people I need to thank, notably Steve Burke, Kevin Cummins, Steve Diggle, Michael Eastwood, Mike Finney, Paul Hanley, Alan Hempsall, Chris Hewitt, Clinton Heylin, Jake Kennedy, Dave McCullough, Joe Matera, Mike Nicholls, Martin ONeill, David Quantick, Martin Ryan, Peter Saville, Richard Searling, Chris Seivey, Colin Sharp, David Sultan (for the discography and gig listing) and Ian Wood. In memory of Derek Brandwood and Rob Gretton.

Mick Middles, January 2006.

Researching and co-writing this book turned out to be quite a journey. When I first embarked on it, I had no real idea of the direction it would take. Actually, thats not strictly true. I was sure I did know but, as it turned out, some of the people I had assumed would talk to me refused, and those I had thought would remain silent either because, as in the case of Annik Honor, they hadnt spoken about Ian for 25 years, or because, as in the case of Ians mum, sister Carole and Aunt Barbara, I had never met and had no way of finding recounted their memories in ways I could never have imagined.

The greatest pleasure of the journey was travelling with companions like these and having the opportunity to reawaken long lost or barely established friendships with many faces from my past. At some point along the way, I realised that the book had a life of its own and I began to see myself more as some kind of transmitter than a biographer. I like to think that the spirit of that life came from Ian. The most extraordinary thing for me about being involved with this book has been getting to know Ian so well. That was the best surprise and a genuine pleasure.

I would like to offer enormous thanks to all the people I interviewed who brought this book to life: Larry Cassidy, Carole Curtis, Doreen Curtis, Bob Dickinson, Alan Erasmus, David Holmes, Annik Honor, Pete Johnson, Jeremy Kerr, Barbara Lloyd, Terry Mason, Paul Morley, Genesis P- Orridge, Mark Reeder, Vini Reilly, Tosh Ryan, Pete Shelley, Tony Wilson, Alan Wise and Kevin Wood. Also Martin Hannett for his invaluable contribution.

I cant thank Annik enough for sharing her story and her private letters. Her great dignity and the tender love that she and his family have for Ian is a wonderful tribute to him. Terry Mason provided a tremendous amount of detail about life with the band and made me laugh every time we met. He reminded me of how much fun there was in Ians life. When I first met Ians mum she said that she was unhappy that her sons life was so often described as tragic. It wasnt, she emphasised. He had a very happy life and there were many good times. Just because it was cut short doesnt negate that. He was always joking, she said.

A special word of thanks to Mick Middles for his support and encouragement which proved invaluable to my work on this book. Sincere thanks also to Chris Charlesworth for his help and editorial input, for giving space when it was needed and for grabbing hold of the helm when the ship was steering towards the rocks.

Sadly, no matter how many films are made and books are written about Ian, nothing can bring him back but we sincerely dedicate this book to his precious memory.

Lindsay Reade, January 2006.

They (Ians family) count more than anyone else, more than Debbie, me or the group. To lose a child is just the worst that can happen to one. His mums life must have been broken. Unlike Debbie or myself whose life carried on, even if it remains a wound. I know it has influenced my whole life because it made me lose lots of confidence and frightened to hurt anyone or be hurt. There is always a price to pay. But it has also made me a more sensitive and careful person. Annik Honor

I an Kevin Curtis was born into a close, loving, respectable, working-class family on St Swithins Day July 15 in 1956. This is the day when legend has it that if it rains it will continue to do so for the next 40 days, or if it is fine then the sun will shine for a similar period. His mother remembers that it didnt rain. The place of birth was Basford House, a cottage hospital in Old Trafford that was popular among local pregnant mothers, especially the Peter Pan ward with its large stained glass windows and images of author J. M. Barries most famous creation, the boy who never grew up. The baby weighed in at 9lb 4oz, above average, but there were no birthing problems.