Editing Ian Curtis (section)

==Personal life==
===Relationships===
Curtis's widow, Deborah, has claimed that in October 1979, Curtis began conducting an affair with the Belgian [[Annik Honoré]], who had been working at the Belgian embassy in London before becoming a journalist and music promoter.<ref name="guardian">{{Cite news |last=Barton |first=Laura |title=I was just besotted |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2005/apr/11/popandrock.joydivision |newspaper=The Guardian |date=11 April 2005 |access-date=14 September 2016}}</ref> They had first met at a gig held in [[Brussels]] that month.<ref>Curtis, Deborah (1995). p. 96.</ref><ref name="Uncut">{{cite news |last=Pinnock |first=Tom |url=http://www.uncut.co.uk/features/joy-division-we-didnt-know-ian-curtis-was-approaching-his-breaking-point-70344/3 |title=Joy Division: "We didn't know Ian Curtis was approaching his breaking point." |work=[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]] |date=21 August 2015 |access-date=23 September 2017}}</ref> Curtis was consumed with guilt over this affair due to being married<ref>{{cite web| url= https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/celebrity-deaths-that-changed-music-history-gone-too-soon-w492394/ian-curtis-w492401| title= Celebrity Deaths that Changed Music History: Gone Too Soon| date= 4 August 2017| author= Brittany Spanos| website= rollingstone.com| access-date= 7 November 2017}}</ref> and the father of their baby daughter, but at the same time still yearning to be with Honoré.<ref name="Bernard Sumner">{{cite news |last=Sumner |first=Bernard |author-link=Bernard Sumner |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/joy-divisions-bernard-sumner-remembering-the-dangerous-path-fellow-bandmate-ian-curtis-was-walking-a6741791.html |title=Joy Division's Bernard Sumner Remembering the Dangerous Path Fellow Bandmate Ian Curtis was Walking |work=The Independent |date=20 November 2015 |access-date=20 July 2017}}</ref> On one occasion in 1980, Curtis asked Bernard Sumner to make a decision on his behalf as to whether he should remain with his wife or form a deeper relationship with Honoré; Sumner refused.<ref name="ReferenceA">Curtis, Deborah (1995). ch. 13.</ref> Honoré claimed in a 2010 interview that although she and Curtis had spent extensive periods together, their relationship had been [[Platonic love|platonic]]. Deborah Curtis has maintained that it was a sexual and romantic affair.<ref>{{cite web|author=Joy Division |url=http://joydivision-neworder.blogspot.com/2011/02/ian-curtis-and-annik-honore-dazzling.html |work=Joy Division Bootlegs|title= Ian Curtis and Annik Honoré – the Dazzling History of Joy Division|date=1 February 2011 |access-date=2 January 2012}}</ref> His bandmates recollected later that Curtis's friendship with Honoré led him to distance himself and become somewhat "lofty" with them.<ref name="Uncut"/> This distance prompted occasional pranks at Curtis's and Honoré's expense. He became a [[Vegetarianism|vegetarian]], likely at Honoré's behest since he was known to have consumed meat when not in her presence.<ref name="Uncut"/>

===Epilepsy===
Curtis began having [[epileptic seizures]] in late 1978; he was officially diagnosed with the condition on 23 January the following year,<ref>''Unknown Pleasures: Inside Joy Division'' {{ISBN|978-1-84983-360-8}} p. 209.</ref>{{refn|group=n|Curtis may have had epilepsy for several years prior to his diagnosis. His wife later recollected that, following his official diagnosis, he confided in her that, as early as 1972, he had experienced floating sensations as if he had taken drugs when he had not. On other occasions in the early- and mid-1970s, he would have to be supported from venues and premises if disturbed by artificial lights.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283262617 |title=Ian Curtis: Punk Rock, Epilepsy, and Suicide |date=10 December 2015 |access-date=14 August 2017}}</ref>}} with his particular case being described by doctors as so severe, his "life would [be] ruled to [[obsolescence]] by his severe epilepsy"<ref name="ReferenceC">''Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures'' {{ISBN|978-0-82641-549-3}} p. 88</ref> without the various strong dosages of medications he was prescribed. Having joined the [[Epilepsy Action|British Epilepsy Association]], Curtis was initially open to discuss his condition with anyone who inquired, although he soon became withdrawn and reluctant to discuss any issue regarding his condition beyond the most mundane and necessary aspects.<ref>Curtis, Deborah (1995). p. 72.</ref> On each occasion it became apparent a particular prescribed medication failed to control Curtis's seizures, his doctor would prescribe a different [[anticonvulsant]] and his wife noted his being "full of renewed enthusiasm" that this particular formulation would help him bring his seizures under control.<ref>Curtis, Deborah (1995). p. 76.</ref>

Throughout 1979 and 1980, Curtis's condition gradually worsened amid the pressure of performances and touring,<ref name="Savage" /> with his seizures becoming more frequent and more intense.<ref>''Unknown Pleasures: Inside Joy Division'' {{ISBN|978-1-84983-360-8}}. p. 244.</ref> Following his diagnosis, Curtis continued to drink, smoke and maintain an irregular sleeping pattern – against the advice given to those with the condition.<ref name="ReferenceC"/> The medications Curtis was prescribed for his condition produced numerous [[side effect]]s, including extreme [[mood swing]]s.<ref name="Savage" /><ref>[http://www.joydiv.org/iancurtis.htm ''joydiv.org'']</ref> This change in personality was also observed by Curtis's wife, family and in-laws, who noted how taciturn he had become in his wife's company.<ref name="ch11">Curtis, Deborah (1995). ch. 11, p. 2.</ref> Following the birth of his daughter in April 1979, because of the severity of his medical condition, Curtis was seldom able to hold his baby daughter in case he compromised her safety.<ref name="ch11"/>
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| quote = "He saw [Joy Division] going on without him. He felt very removed from it. With the epilepsy, he just knew he couldn't carry on with the performances. He'd sort of hit a pinnacle with ''Closer'', and he knew he couldn't go on."
| source = —Lindsay Reade, on Curtis's brief period of recuperation at her rural [[Bury, Greater Manchester|Bury]] household shortly before his suicide in May 1980.<ref name="Uncut"/>
| width = 35em
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At the time of the recording of the band's second album, Curtis's condition was particularly severe, with him enduring a weekly average of two [[generalised tonic-clonic seizure#Phases|tonic-clonic seizures]].<ref>[https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mia_Tuft/publication/283262617_Ian_Curtis_Punk_rock_epilepsy_and_suicide/links/56408ccc08aef2be8e04e7d6/Ian-Curtis-Punk-rock-epilepsy-and-suicide.pdf ''researchgate.net'']</ref> On one occasion during these recordings, Curtis's bandmates became concerned when they noted he had been absent from the recording studio for two hours.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.newsweek.com/ian-curtis-remembered-joy-division-and-his-loved-ones-their-own-words-461113 |title=Ian Curtis remembered by Joy Division and loved ones in their own words |date=18 May 2016 |work=Newsweek |access-date=28 February 2018 |language=en}}</ref> The band's bassist, Peter Hook, discovered Curtis [[Unconsciousness|unconscious]] on the floor of the studio's toilets, having hit his head on a sink following a seizure.<ref name="Guardian" >{{cite news |last=Hook |first=Peter |author-link=Peter Hook |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/jun/14/joy-division-ian-curtis-suicide |title=Joy Division's Ian Curtis Commits Suicide |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=25 June 2017 |date=14 June 2011}}</ref> Despite instances such as this, Hook stated that, largely through ignorance of the condition, he, Sumner and Morris did not know how to help. Nonetheless, Hook was adamant that Curtis never wanted to upset or concern his bandmates, and would "tell [us] what [we] wanted to hear" if they expressed any concern as to his condition.<ref name="Guardian" /> In one incident, at a concert held before almost 3,000 people at [[Rainbow Theatre|the Rainbow]] in [[Finsbury Park]] in April 1980, the [[lighting technician]]s at the venue – contrary to instructions given to them by Rob Gretton prior to the gig – switched on [[strobe light]]s midway through Joy Division's performance, causing Curtis to almost immediately stagger backwards and collapse against Stephen Morris's drum kit in the throes of an evident [[Photosensitive epilepsy|photosensitive seizure]]. He had to be carried offstage to the band's dressing room to recuperate.<ref name="Tonino Cagnucci">{{cite web| url= https://disordertc.wordpress.com/tag/torn-apart-the-life-of-ian-curtis/| title= Disorder and Other Unknown Pleasures| date= 4 April 2015| author= Tonino Cagnucci| access-date= 2 August 2017}}</ref>

When Curtis had recovered from this first seizure, he was adamant the band travel to [[West Hampstead]] to honour their commitment to perform their second gig of the evening at this location, although some 25 minutes into this second gig, Curtis's "dancing started to lose its rhythmic sense and change into something else entirely" before he collapsed to the floor and experienced the most violent seizure he had endured to date.<ref name="Tonino Cagnucci"/>

===Stage performances===
Curtis's onstage dancing was often reminiscent of the seizures he experienced<ref>Curtis, p. 114.</ref> and has been termed by some to be his "epilepsy dance".<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.gigwise.com/news/107004/ian-curtis-joy-division-dancing-tribute-anniversary-of-death| title= Explore the Strange, Wonderful Dancing of Joy Division's Ian Curtis| date= 18 May 2016| author=Alexandra Pollard| website= Gigwise.com| access-date= 25 September 2017}}</ref> Throughout Joy Division's live performances in 1979 and 1980, Curtis collapsed several times while performing and had to be carried off stage.<ref>Curtis, p. 113.</ref> To minimise any possibility of Curtis having epileptic seizures, flashing lights were prohibited at Joy Division gigs; despite these measures, Bernard Sumner later stated that certain percussion effects would cause Curtis to have a seizure.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Lester |first=Paul |date=November 2007 |title=Torn Apart: The Legend of Joy Division |magazine=[[Record Collector]]}}</ref> In April 1980,<ref name="p126">Curtis, Deborah (1995). p. 126.</ref> Terry Mason was appointed as a minder to ensure Curtis took his prescribed medications, avoided alcohol consumption and got sufficient sleep.<ref name="p126"/>

Regarding the [[choreography]] of Curtis's stage performances, [[Greil Marcus]] in ''The History of Rock 'n' Roll in Ten Songs'' quotes [[Jon Savage]] from ''[[Melody Maker]]'': "Ian's mesmeric style mirrored the ever more frequent epileptic spasms that Deborah Curtis had to cope with at home."<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Savage |first=Jon |title=Joy Division: 'Unknown Pleasures |journal=[[Melody Maker]] |date=21 July 1979}}</ref> Marcus remarked that Curtis's performance "might also have been a matter of intentionally replicating fits, re-enacting them, using them as a form of energy and a form of music."<ref>{{Cite book|title = The History of Rock 'n' Roll in Ten Songs|url = https://archive.org/details/historyofrocknro0000marc|url-access = registration|last = Marcus|first = Greil |publisher = [[Yale University Press]]|year = 2014|location = New Heaven & London|pages = [https://archive.org/details/historyofrocknro0000marc/page/44 44]}}</ref> In addition to his epilepsy dance, Curtis was known for other on-stage moves such as pulling wooden tiles off the stage and throwing them into the audience. Peter Hook recalled, “He [Curtis] dropped a pint pot on the stage, it smashed, and he rolled around in the broken glass, cutting a ten-inch gash in his thigh.”<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Butcher |first=Simon |date=August 17, 2012 |title=10 Things You Never Knew About… Ian Curtis |url=https://www.clashmusic.com/features/10-things-you-never-knew-about-ian-curtis/ |access-date=December 8, 2023 |website=[[Clash (magazine)|Clash]]}}</ref>

Along with his stage performances, Curtis was known for his fashion on the stage particularly for his “crumpled shirts, tailored trousers, leather shoes”.<ref>{{Cite web |last=AnotherMan |date=2019-08-12 |title=The Subversive Normality of Ian Curtis' Style |url=https://www.anothermanmag.com/style-grooming/10919/ian-curtis-joy-division-lead-singer-frontman-style-fashion |access-date=2025-05-08 |website=AnotherMan |language=en}}</ref>

Curtis's final live performance with Joy Division was on 2 May 1980 at the High Hall of the [[University of Birmingham]] and included Joy Division's first and only performance of "[[Ceremony (New Order song)|Ceremony]]", later recorded by [[New Order (band)|New Order]] and released as their debut single. The final song Curtis performed on stage with Joy Division prior to his death was "[[Digital (Joy Division song)|Digital]]".{{refn|group=n|The recording of this performance was later included on the 1981 [[compilation album]] ''[[Still (Joy Division album)|Still]]''.<ref>[http://www.joydiv.org/c020580.htm Joy Division Concert: 2 May 1980] Joy Division Central</ref>}}

===Depression and initial suicide attempt===
Following Curtis's first definite [[suicide attempt]] on 6 April 1980, Tony Wilson and his partner, Lindsay – expressing deep concerns as to Joy Division's intense touring schedule being detrimental to Curtis's physical and mental well-being<ref>''Mr Manchester and the Factory Girl: The Story of Tony and Lindsay Wilson'' {{ISBN|978-0-859-65875-1}} ch. 22</ref> – invited him to recuperate at their cottage in [[Charlesworth, Derbyshire|Charlesworth]] in [[Derbyshire]]. While there, he is known to have written several letters to Honoré, proclaiming his love for her as he recuperated.<ref name="Uncut"/>{{refn|group=n|This first definite suicide attempt was an overdose of [[barbiturate]]s. After he had consumed these tablets, and having written an initial [[suicide note]], (which Rob Gretton later disallowed Deborah Curtis to actually view),<ref>Curtis, Deborah (1995). pp. 115-116.</ref> he informed his wife what he had done, and she in turn phoned an ambulance. Curtis later stated that he had phoned his wife because he feared he had not consumed enough tablets for the attempt to be successful, and that he would be left with brain damage. Before this instance, he did once slash his wrists while drunk, although his bandmates remain unconvinced this attempt was serious.}}

By early 1980, Curtis's marriage to Deborah was floundering, as she had commenced divorce proceedings after he had failed to cease all contact with Honoré.<ref name="guardian"/><ref>''Suicide Movies: Social Patterns 1900-2009'' {{ISBN|978-1-616-76390-9}} p. 227</ref>{{refn|group=n|Deborah Curtis and her daughter had moved into her parents' home in early 1980.<ref name="ReferenceB"/>}} Curtis enjoyed solitude, but had never been mentally equipped for living alone.<ref>Curtis, Deborah (1995). p. 125.</ref> He was having difficulty balancing his family obligations with his musical ambitions and his health was gradually worsening as a result of his epilepsy, thus increasing his dependency upon others.<ref name="guardian"/> On the evening before his death, Curtis informed Bernard Sumner of his insistence upon seeing his wife that evening.<ref>Curtis, Deborah (1995). p. 128.</ref> He had also made plans to rendezvous with his bandmates at [[Manchester Airport]] the following day, before their departure for America.<ref name="Bernard Sumner"/>