Ian Curtis' home being turned into Joy Division museum

Ian Curtis’ home in the Manchester suburb of Macclesfield, where he lived with wife Deborah till his suicide in 1980, is being turned into a Joy Division museum. Back in February, a group of Joy Division fans started a crowdfunding campaign to buy the house, but they failed to reach their goal. In stepped an angel investor, Hadar Goldman, who secured the home even after it had been sold to someone else, paying an extra £75,000 on top of the sale price:

“But it was not only to help,” says Goldman, a Curtis fan himself. “It was also, I imagine, for my personal ego. Some people would pay for a Rembrandt painting; for me, Joy Division is the modern Rembrandt.”

Goldman accepts that the house is not a piece of art in itself, but says that it possesses a “raw energy” that he can now harness for good. He wants it to act not only as a Joy Division museum, but also as a digital hub to support musicians and other artists across the world.

It’s something that’s caused a bit of conflict among the former members of Joy Division. Peter Hook is supportive of the idea, arguing that Manchester bands don’t get enough credit for their achievements. But Bernard Sumner says he’s worried the house could become a “monument to suicide”, given that Curtis hanged himself in the kitchen. Goldman says he hopes he can change the latter’s mind. – [The Guardian]

The papers are still being signed, so no other details have emerged yet.