(TV) "There are some things you will never understand....She's Lost Control"

[Freesram@aol.com]

*grin*
  Joy Division time. 
 I love it when I get to talk about Ian Curtis, who is one of my heros. The 
fact is, Ian Curtis was one of the greatest, and most intreguing figures of 
modern times. What no-one has yet mentioned is that he was only 23 when he 
hung himself, and it has even been reported that he carved a smile into his 
face, before putting the rope around his neck. I wouldn't be that surprised 
if the performance(s) on the "Punk"-The Video were of "Transmission" or 
"She's Lost Control" from a show I cannot for the life of me remember the 
name of. The first time I saw Joy Division live, on Television (not having 
been lucky enough to have been alive when the band themselves were about) I 
was awestruck. Ian Curtis' performance, epilipsey-fueled or not, remains one 
of the most exciting things I've ever seen. Now, I'll lapse into quoting from 
various sources, to further my argument. (Sorry, I've been writing 16th 
Century English history essays, I'm in that sort of mode tonight):

   "I think it was the drugs (to combat epilepsey) that killed him, I really 
do"-Bernard Sumner

  "He (Ian Curtis) sang from the knife edge with a kind of suave sordid 
middle of the road disconnectedness. He sang suffering with an almost tender 
listlessness. He put this awkward but handsome spin on despair. He crooned 
anguish. He delivered sullen commotion. He expressed his restlesssness and 
soul-sickness with a damaged insouciance. Even when he was charged, and 
brutal, he seem resigned"- Paul Morley

 "At the beginning, Ian Curtis is still, singing as if with infinite 
patience. Then, as the group hit the instrumental break, it's as though a 
switch has been flipped: the stillness suddenly cracks into violent movement. 
The running joke is that he deos the 'dead fly' danceleg and arm spasms of a 
dying insect-but it is nmore controlled than that. As the limbs start flying 
in that semicircular, hypnotic curve you can't take your eyes off him for a 
moment.
  Then you realise: he's trying to get out of his skin, out of all this, 
forever, and he's trying harder than anyone you've ever seen. This is 
extraordinary: most performers keep a reserve while they're onstage: only 
giving a part of themselves away. Ian Curtis is holding nothing back: with 
the musicians behind him every inch of the way, he's jumping off the 
cliff"-Jon Savage

 "It ended up with Ian having fits onstage. In early April we did two gigs in 
one night....at the first gig he started dancing, but didn't stop at the end 
of the song. We were trying to stop the song, and he was dancing faster and 
faster, went into a spin, span into the drums and knocked the kit over. We 
realised he was having a fit, and had to carry him offstage. By the time we 
got him to the dressing-room he'd come out of it, and he just broke down in 
tears. He was so ashamed."-Bernard Sumner
  
  Phew, back to history essays....hope you enjoy this, and it isn't too long,

Ben
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