Posted by Peter Manzi on 3/5/2009, 20:20:32
70.100.143.40
I learned of Joy Divison via a more current band, the Editors. I heard the Editor's latest CD playing in a store in Cambridge- Massachusetts (Harvard Square). I bought it. I read about them in Rolling Stone and then Googled them and several reviews mentioned their indebtedness to Joy Division. I read about Joy Division and ordered the CD from Amazon.com.
It is quite moving in a primal sort of way, but also very sad, especially if one reads about the tortured life of Ian Curtis. The themes of death, suffering, and alienation are very pronounced in Closer. Curtis suffered from poorly managed epilepsy- and today there are much better medications available for controlling seizures and related mood swings. However, drinking alcohol and taking other drugs is probably the worse thing a person can do for managing epilepsy, and given his age, cultural background and the music scene, there was plenty (too much) of that to be had.
Alhtough comparisons may be seen as unfair, I prefer the music of the Editors to Joy Division- it is somber yet positive and optimistic, and the guitar and mandolin work give it more of a folkie feel to it, like REM. Thanks for reading this post.
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