Joy Division

Joy Division are the perennial cult post-punk band. Author/TV broadcaster Paul Morley is the man who knew Joy Division best - he was the only journalist permitted to view Curtis’ corpse, was present when Curtis suffered his near fatal epileptic seizure following a London concert in April 1980, and wrote extensively and evocatively of the ‘mood, atmosphere and ephemeral terror’ that enveloped this unique group and their doomed front man. These are his complete writings on Joy Division, both contemporary and retrospective. As he says, ‘The more that time moves on, the more I have to say about them.’ In addition to collecting all Morley’s classic works about the band from the late 1970s/early 1980s, this unique book includes his eloquent Ian Curtis obituary and his hindsight pieces on the significance of the group, framed by an extensive retrospective essay. Contemporary elements include Morley’s critique of the films 24 Hour Party People - which told the story of the band’s record label, Factory - and Control , a new movie recounting the brief life of Ian Curtis, for which the author visited the set during production. Most movingly, Morley includes the original text that grew into his literary work, nothing, which parallels the suicide of Curtis with that of his own father. He also evokes the zeitgeist and the ‘psycho-geography’ of Manchester, which combined to produce the most uniquely intense rock group ever.