I am coming to the end (knock on wood) of my PhD on cultural evolution of image and myth, using the lens of fan communities to examine these ideas. I have moved from being a massive fan myself to a much more academic thinking / analysis mode when it comes to such matters, especially in music. My work has used Ian Curtis of Joy Division as one of the main focuses.

I just put out a self published book which captures a year in the life of a rock shrine- that being Curtis’s gravestone. It visually shows the fauna, trash, tributes and trinkets that people leave throughout the seasons. It also features 5 essays from various Joy Division entities, including the man who buried Curtis’s ashes over 30 years ago.

I say all this to frame: the book has been out on Blurb for less than 24 hours, and I have already received 10 different e-mails from people asking me if I am SURE that his ashes are there in Macclesfield- how do I know? It is as if there is some weird Illuminati scheme that people think has been pulled with the poor guy’s remains. Also, more than 400 people have looked at the book but none have bought- it just makes me think that either 1. I suck, or 2. what I have thought before- people are more interested overall in how the story of Curtis and such figures allows them to tell THEIR own story- a matter different from the ideals of the original icon.

Here is the link for my new book, JOY DEVOTION: A YEAR OF TRASH, TRINKETS AND TRIBUTES at the IAN CURTIS MEMORIAL STONE

Here is the link for upcoming JOY DEVOTION gallery show