Joy Division, "Transmission"

Late Monday night I happened across Control, a biopic about Ian Curtis, the lead singer of Joy Division. I only watched the first hour, but was very impressed; it’s a high quality movie.

I knew very little about Joy Division or Curtis, so during the movie I did a little Wikipedia and YouTube research. Though not all of their stuff appeals to me, Joy Division embody the post-punk/new wave sound that emerged in the late-‘70s, which tickles both my musical preference and interest in everything ‘70s. Sadly, Joy Division is probably more famous for the circumstances surrounding Curtis’ suicide. Suffering from severe depression and the health affects of epilepsy, Curtis hung himself in the early hours of May 18, 1980 (the same day of the Mount St. Helen’s eruption) after watching Werner Herzog’s film Stroszek on BBC2 and listening to Iggy Pop’s album The Idiot.

Anyway, enjoy “Transmission.” The man at the very beginning and end, reading his poetry in what looks like a shopping center, is John Cooper Clarke, who appears as himself in Control. Clarke often performed as the opening act for bands like Joy Division and the Sex Pistols. Can you say, “heroin”?