Thanks to one of my co-worker’s expansive collection of Joy Division CDs, I have been listening to a lot of Manchester’s bleakest lately. I’ve had a soft spot for Unknown Pleasures since I was in college but never did get around to acquiring their other material. Now a lot of their earliest songs have been made available, so a pretty complete document of the band has emerged. Joy Division is not a band for everyone, that’s for sure. They are like the soundtrack to a life movie of industrial and moral decay. Since Ian Curtis famously killed himself, the somberness of his lyrics and delivery has an undeniable authenticity. That guy was feeling it. And really Morrissey should have learned an important lesson from Joy Division. If you want us to believe that you are a tortured soul, just go ahead and kill yourself.

Now you might get the idea that me listening to a lot of Joy Division means I’m depressed or something. In fact, quite the opposite is true. I’m in a great mood and many good things are happening. Maybe the ghost of Ian Curtis just wants to make sure I’m keeping it real.