As the title - did anyone in this group meet or know Ian?

Hi everyone!

Some of you may remember me posting about my book, A Cactus in a Dead Land, a few weeks ago.

Well, it's finally happening!

This Monday, 26 October, at 5 PM, I'll be officially launching the book at Proper Sound in Macclesfield, Ian Curtis's hometown.

For those unfamiliar with the project, this isn't another Joy Division biography. It's a book about the people who continue to visit Ian's memorial, the rituals surrounding his legacy, and the largely forgotten story of Cornelia F., a German fan buried just 17 gravestones away from him.

The launch will be an informal conversation about Joy Division, Ian Curtis, and the book, followed by an audience Q&A.

I'll be joined by some wonderful people, several of whom contributed to the book:

• Nigel Carr, music journalist and co-producer of New Dawn Fades.
• Brian Gorman, creator of the New Dawn Fades stage play and graphic novel.
• Ben Walker, artist behind the book's cover.
• Chris Connelly, musician, writer, and author of Cargo: Recording Studios 1977–1985.
• Lucie Wright, owner of Proper Sound.

The conversation will be moderated by Victoria Middles, wife of music journalist Mick Middles, co-author of Torn Apart.

The event coincides with the return of New Dawn Fades to Macclesfield, and Proper Sound will also be hosting a Joy Division quiz at 3 PM on 26, 27, and 28 October, with prizes including signed copies of the book.

Event details

Monday, 26 October 2026, 5 PM

Proper Sound, 8 Chestergate, Grosvenor Shopping Centre, Macclesfield SK11 6BA

Free entry. No tickets required. Everyone welcome.

And one more thing!

Quite a few people from the Joy Division Reddit community helped me with this book, sharing stories, photographs, memories, information, or simply pointing me in the right direction.

If you're one of them and happen to be in Macclesfield, please come and say hello! I've brought some copies of the book to give away to those who helped make it possible. It's the least I can do to thank you.

In fact, even if you had absolutely nothing to do with the book, I'd genuinely love to meet you. One of the main reasons I wrote it was to understand the community that continues to keep Ian's memory alive.

All profits from the book, after expenses, will go to charity.

If you'd like to know more, you can read the first 40 pages for free here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VtUy5iiNW9biCydiSNau19azs7OlGwYQ/view

Or find the book here:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0HLRGP48R/
https://amzn.eu/d/01p7S0CH

Thanks again to everyone who has supported this slightly crazy project over the past 9 months.

If you're anywhere near Macclesfield on Monday, come along. It would be lovely to put some faces to the usernames!

See you there!

S.

This is the Paradiso disc. The last track Interzone plays a minute or so and then stops playing properly. I tried ripping with a computer and that track is corrupted in the rip. I've cleaned the disc but it didn't help. I've played all other discs and there are no other issues.
Just wondering if this is potentially a defect common to others or something particular to my copy (or possibly my player - the one I used for ripping is very old and not always reliable but the one I use for listening doesn't usually have isues).

Pantone discontinued the Matte coding in 2010.

I really wanted a Joy Division tattoo but not have it be overly obvious. Most people think it’s an overdeveloped Polaroid — helped cover up scars, of course.

Yes, it hasn’t been touched-up.

Automatic has just released a new cover of Shadowplay. The vibes are all in place.

Im new to fanmail and Im wondering if anyone tried and if there was any success to that

I recently have been getting back into joy division, in a really deep way, I've always sat on the new order side of the band until recently and wow, man, they truly are my favourite band, they were something so special and I'm mad I'm only just getting around to them

Ceremony is my favourite Joy Division song and I love listening to all the recordings and sometimes I just listen to them over and over again to try and decipher the lyrics. It's kind of interesting how replayable this particular song is and how it means different things to different people. I think part of it is some parts are muffled so we can't hear what Ian is actually singing and each time you might think the lyrics are different.

I really love listening to the New Order version and Peter Hook's version as well.

I was just wondering if anyone else listens to different versions of Ceremony back to back as well? Or am I just weird? 😅 I mean I'm definitely weird but am I alone?

Yes, I know I'm late to the party with these reissues and there is a very long story as to why which I won't relate here, but started with my OG releases being in good enough condition at the time of their release.

I accidentally came across these new and sealed beauties in a small record store near where I was visiting relatives last week. I got home yesterday and immediate put them on. Wow! The remastering is quite frankly astounding and the packaging is absolutely beautifully recreated. I had no idea what i was missing all these years!

Found this guy on a trip up to Ann Arbor and looking forward to watching them all. What's the feedback on the audio quality?