this shrine was originally dedicated to joy division, but i've decided to change it to solely ian curtis; to me, he was joy division. so this shrine is meant to dedicate his memory, his life, and his legacy.
i've always loved joy division for their claustrophobic and intense sound, which paired well with ian curtis' lyrics due to their subject matter; his thought-provoking tales of shame, loneliness, and depression were unparalleled at the time and are today. although ian curtis claimed some of his lyrics weren't personal, they still were quite relevant to what was going on in his life. he hid his demons away in what he wrote, but would not admit it. the tragedies in his life and his struggles with epilepsy eventually took its toll and ian curtis ended his own life at the age of 23, less than two months shy of his 24th birthday.
a lot of the media portrayed ian curtis as a tortured soul, but to me he was simply a man with an intense love for writing and creating worlds, even if they were often self-reflective narratives. there was more to his story than his struggles and that should be discussed more. he had a genius mind and a poet's heart, he wasn't just ~the musician with epilepsy that wrote a song about his failing marriage ("love will tear us apart")~. ian curtis was one-of-a-kind and his death was a great loss that still affects music and the world to this day.
my biggest reason for wanting to create this shrine is because of how ian curtis has changed my life. i know, it sounds corny; but it's true! i listen to his music and it feels like someone understands how i feel. ian curtis experienced emotions intensely and you can feel that in his music, and it's something i resonate deeply with. it's a spiritual connection and makes the hollow hole in my soul feel full for once. i'm not sure how to explain it, if i even could. though i'm not sure what happens once our lives on earth end, i hope wherever ian curtis is, he is at peace.
below is a video of joy division performing live on something else. it's interesting to see their live performances because ian curtis would dance and sing so enigmatically on stage. watching them live is quite a visceral experience.
here are some of my favorite joy division songs! i think these are especially powerful, but all of their songs are. these specifically affect me in a rather profound way.
"reality is only a term, based on values and well-worn principles, whereas the dream goes on forever."
ian curtis 
this shrine was originally dedicated to joy division, but i've decided to change it to solely ian curtis; to me, he was joy division. so this shrine is meant to dedicate his memory, his life, and his legacy.