Ian Curtis's Gravestone Has Been Stolen

BBC reports: *The gravestone of former Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis has been stolen from a Cheshire cemetery. Curtis was 23 when he hanged himself in the kitchen of his Macclesfield home in May 1980, shortly before the band was due to go on tour in the US. Cheshire Police said his memorial stone was taken from where he is buried in Macclesfield Cemetery. Officers are appealing for anyone with information on its whereabouts to contact them. Detectives said the stone, which has the inscription "Ian Curtis 18 - 5 - 80" and the words "Love Will Tear Us Apart" was taken sometime between Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning.* Read more here.

MP3: Joy Division - Transmission

'Control' Wins Big At Brit Film Indies

NME reports: *'Control', Anton Corbijn's film about Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis, has won five awards at the British Independent Film Awards, including Best British Independent Film and Best Director. The ceremony, held at London's Roundhouse, saw former NME photographer Corbijn awarded Best Director and Best Debut Director. Sam Riley, who portrayed Curtis in 'Control', received the Most Promising Newcomer award. Toby Kebbell, who played Joy Division's manager Rob Gretton, took home the gong for Best Performance By A Supporting Actor Or Actress In A British Independent Film. The winners were chosen by a panel of filmmakers, actors and members of the film industry.*

MP3: Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart (via Colon)

New Order Records New Instrumentals For 'Control'

"Exit", "Hypnosis" and "Get Out" are all brand new instrumentals recorded by New Order (before their split) for the upcoming Ian Curtis-based film, Control. The soundtrack, which is out in the UK on 10/1, does not have a U.S. release date, thus far. However, the Anton Corbjin-directed flic will make its way towards American theaters on October 10th. Can't wait!

Control track listing:

New Order - Exit
The Velvet Underground - What Goes On
The Killers - Shadowplay
Buzzcocks - Boredom (live)
Joy Division - Dead Souls
Supersister - She Was Naked
Iggy Pop - Sister Midnight
Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart
Sex Pistols - Problems (live)
New Order - Hypnosis
David Bowie - Drive-In Saturday
John Cooper Clarke - Evidently Chickentown
Roxy Music - 2HB
Joy Division - Transmission (cast version)
Kraftwerk - Autobahn
Joy Division - Atmosphere
David Bowie - Warszawa
New Order - Get Out

MP3: Joy Division - Disorder

Peter Hook Responds To 'Control'

The former Joy Division & New Order member speaks to XFM about his reaction to the Ian Curtis-based, critically revered biopic, Control:

"I really enjoyed it... But it was like having your heart stamped on. The weirdest thing was at the end, when it really hurt and everybody started clapping. It would've been nice to have a dignified silence.

"You're sat there thinking "Fuck me I lived that!" It was like being dissected. And then I went to take a piss and Ian and Bernard Sumner were next to me... well the actors that played them and I was like that... 'Aaaaah!'. That was surreal.

"The way I always like to look at it is that you can judge how good a film is by how many people go to take a piss during it, and only two people went for a piss - Bernard and a 70-year-old woman."

MP3: Joy Division - Ceremony

Ian Curtis Movie Gets Title, Loses Jude Law

Straight from Bitchfork:

Sure to excite (or enrage) many a disaffected, morose fan, filming for Control, the long-awaited movie about Joy Division's late frontman, Ian Curtis, began this week. Directed by veteran music video director and photographer Anton Corbijn, the film focuses on the tumultuous last years of Curtis' life before he committed suicide in 1980, at the age of 23 and shortly before the band was to depart for its first American tour.

Control deals with Curtis' romantic conflicts with his wife, Deborah, and his mistress, Annik Honore, his increasingly debilitating epileptic seizures, and his performances with Joy Division. Filming will take place in the English towns of Nottingham and Macclesfield (where Curtis lived and is now buried). The film will be released in the UK by Momentum Pictures sometime in 2007.

The film is based upon and expands on the 1995 book Touching From a Distance written by Curtis' widow as a personal account of her life with the singer. Deborah Curtis serves as a co-producer on the film as well, along with Factory Records founder Tony Wilson. Matt Greenhalgh wrote the script for Control, talking to those closest to Curtis, including Honore, who previously remained silent on her relationship with him.

Sam Riley, who played Mark E. Smith in 24 Hour Party People, stars as Curtis, Academy Award-nominated actress Samantha Morton plays Deborah Curtis, Alexandra Maria Lara is Honore, James Anthony Pearson is Joy Division/New Order guitarist Bernard Sumner, Joe Anderson is bassist Peter Hook, Harry Treadaway is drummer Stephen Morris, Toby Kebbell is Factory Records partner and Joy Division manager Rob Gretton, and Craig Parkinson is Wilson.

Longtime fan Corbijn has his own history with Joy Division. In 1979, he moved from Holland to the UK to photograph the band, resulting in this now-familiar image. He directed the posthumous video for "Atmosphere" in 1998. In a press release, Corbijn said, "If I only ever make one movie, CONTROL would have to be that. I simply feel that as Joy Division and Ian Curtis played a big part in my life, I cannot think of a better combination of subject and director."

But what's a film like this without a killer soundtrack? Not to worry, that will be more than taken care of. The soundtrack will include original tracks recorded by Warsaw (the band's previous incarnation before becoming Joy Division) and Joy Division from the late 1970s and early 80s. New Order will compose the score for the film. Other featured acts on the soundtrack are David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Roxy Music, Lou Reed, and the Buzzcocks.