Ian & Debbie Curtis Handwritten & Signed Letters (UK)

Description: Item Description A collection of correspondence between Ian Curtis and a childhood friend of Ian's named Oliver and a later exchange of letters between Ian's wife, Debbie Curtis, and Oliver. Consists of the items listed below. A sheet of paper on which Ian Curtis has written a letter to a childhood friend in blue ballpoint pen. The letter reads: ‘Dear Oliver, Sorry I haven’t written earlier but nothing much has been happening up here so I haven’t all that much to tell you. There’s a new club opened in Manchester called ‘XJ6’ where we’ve been going quite recently. It attracts the same sort of people who go to Samantha’s etc and was quite good for a while, though I’m getting a bit bored with it now. We went to see Mick Ronson and Ian Hunter at the Free Trade Hall a few weeks ago and they were quite good, and of course Lou was, too, he even did some of his old songs. I haven’t bought many LPs recently, in fact, I’ve only bought two, Lou Reed Live’ and Bruce Springsteen’s second album, I haven’t even heard the new Bowie LP yet. Anway [sic], the Night Porter has finally come to Manchester and I’m hoping to see it sometime this week. There aren’t really that many good films on in Manchester at the moment most of them seem to have been running for weeks. By the way we managed to get to see ‘Flesh for Frankenstein’ and I took the glasses home with me, so now by adjusting the television and making it a bit blurred I can watch ‘Coronation Street’ in 3D. Anyway it’s great to hear from you and I hope everythings all right in London. Debbie sends her love and hopes everythings fine. Maybe we’ll be able to get down for a weekend sometime. Like I said it’s great to hear from you, give our love to Helen. I hope she’s keeping well, and I hope you write again and keep in touch. Anyway ‘Heres Lookin at You, Kid!’ Best wishes Ian’ The double-sided letter comes in the original mailing envelope which is postmarked the 21st April 1975. This was before Joy Division had formed and only a few months before Ian and Debbie got married. Ian was, presumably, working as a civil servant at this time although his employment dates have never been confirmed. The envelope measures 15.2cm x 8.9cm (6 inches x 3.5 inches). The letter measures 16.5cm x 20.3cm (6.5 inches x 8 inches). It has previously been folded leaving horizontal creases. The condition is very good plus. A typed letter on Cottage Recording, Macclesfield letterhead written and signed by Debbie Curtis, Ian Curtis’ widow. The letter is dated the 20th June 1990 and reads: ‘Dear Oliver, I suppose you will be very surprised to hear from me after all these years. Kelvin Briggs agreed to find your address for me so that I could get in touch. There have been three books written about Joy Division in the last ten years. All of them were written by people who didn’t know Ian. In order to put the record straight and achieve some personal satisfaction I have decided to write my own book. Of course there is a great deal of research involved before I can really get started. One of the people I would really like to interview is you. I do hope you wouldn’t mind arranging to meet me and spend some time answering a few questions and talking about old times. I will come down to London if you wish as it may be some time before you visit Macclesfield again. Please give me a call and let me know if you have any suggestions. You can call or fax me on the above number. I hope you hear from you soon. Love Debbie’ The letter measures 21.2cm x 30cm (8.3 inches x 11.8 inches). It has previously been folded leaving horizontal creases. There is creasing and a small tear to the top edge. The condition is very good. A two page letter which was written by Debbie Curtis, Ian Curtis’ widow in blue ink. The letter is dated the 31st November 1992 and reads: ‘Dear Oliver, I know it must seem ages since I came to London and interviewed you, but I’m please to say that the book is just almost finished. Before I find a publisher I would like to just check a few things out with you. It was lovely to see you again and to have the excuse to talk about Ian. I think we should have done it sooner. The tape was quite entertaining and I was able to confirm some things I wasn’t sure about. When writing about Ian’s escapades I included you in the story. What I want to know is if you mind being named or if you would prefer me to just use your Christian name. If the book is published I want to be careful not to upset anyone who was kind enough to talk to me. Also, the time you both had your stomachs pumped Ian told me that you both gave different excuses. Ian apparently said he did it to see what would happen and you said you wanted to kill yourself. The irony of this being that you had to see a psychiatrist and Ian didn’t. Did he make this up? And if not would you rather I left you out of it? The book isn’t a huge volume as Ian’s life was so short and I only knew him for eight years. It’s surprising how many people thought they knew him and they didn’t really know him at all. Did you hear about Factory going into receivership? It’s a shame. I felt really sad when they told me but they never ran it in a very business-like way. I have to write to Helen now as she insisted I check any quotes with her before I use them. I hope life is treating you well down there. Please let me know how you feel about the points I mentioned. Love Debbie x’ The letter comes with the original envelope which is postmarked the 18th January 1993. The envelope measures 22cm x 11cm (8.6 inches x 4.3 inches). The letter measures 15.2cm x 20.1cm (6 inches x 7.9 inches). It has previously been folded leaving horizontal creases. The condition is very good plus. Provenance: the letters were sent by Ian and Debbie to a schoolfriend who has provided a letter of authenticity which reads: 'I went to Kings School Macclesfield with Ian Curtis in the late 1960s and 1970s and we became close friends. We spent our spare time playing records in Ian's bedroom at his parents' flat in Huddersfield, or hanging round Sparrow park sniffing Dab-it-off, a dry cleaning fluid you could buy and soak onto a handkerchief with head-spinning effects. I grew close to Debbie as well when she started going out with Ian and then married him. Ian was expelled from Kings after he and I had our stomachs pumped at Macclesfield Infirmary after we'd overdosed on Largactil, a strong antipsychotic drug used to treat anxiety. We had stolen it from an old people's home during a school trip. I was allowed to return to school after two months' suspension. My parents were teachers and I suspect they pulled some strings. Ian's dad was a policeman. So Ian was kicked out and went to work in a record shop. We kept in touch for a while and he wrote to me in the summer of 1975 while I was living in London, aged 19. Ian was living at 35 Belgrave Road, New Moston. Debbie Curtis wrote to me in the summer of 1990 as she prepared her book "Touching From a Distance". We met up and two years later she wrote again at length to check some stories before publication.' Shipping Details Please note during the week and where possible we ship items on the same day as receipt of payment. If payment is made on a Saturday or Sunday we ship on Monday. We combine shipping on multiple items at a discounted rate. The first item is charged at the normal rate. In order to combine shipping items must be placed in the eBay basket/cart and ordered at the same time. We cannot refund shipping charges if multiple items are ordered separately. Our Grading System Explained Mint = As new. Near Mint = Almost like new with one or two very minor flaws. Excellent = Minor wear yet looks attractive and is perfectly usable . Very Good = Some wear and tear but overall presentable and usable. Good = Apparent wear and tear but with obvious deterioration of the condition. Poor = Extremely worn. A plus or minus after the grading indicates that the condition is marginally higher or lower than the stated grade.

Price: 6900 GBP

Location: Chorley

End Time: 2024-09-23T15:32:35.000Z

Shipping Cost: 46.13 GBP