Joy Division's Ian Curtis' Gravestone Stolen

The gravestone of Joy Division's Ian Curtis has reportedly been stolen from the singer's burial spot at the Macclesfield Cemetery in the U.K. Detectives say the gravestone was snatched sometime between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. "There is no CCTV in the area and there are no apparent leads as to who is responsible for the theft," a police spokesman said. The gravestone was inscribed with the words "Ian Curtis 18-5-80" and "Love Will Tear Us Apart," the title of Joy Division's biggest hit. Detectives are asking that anyone with information about the theft to contact them. Ian Curtis committed suicide in May 1980, right before the band was due to come to the U.S. for a tour.

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Song Stories

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana | 1991

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," named after a brand of deodorant marketed to girls, was Kurt Cobain's attempt to "write the ultimate pop song," he said, using the soft-loud dynamic of his favorite band, the Pixies. Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," the song’s producer, Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In 'Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice." Sadly, by the time of Nirvana's last U.S. tour, in late '93, Cobain was tortured by the obligation to play "Teen Spirit" every night. "There are many other songs that I have written that are as good, if not better," he claimed.

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