RIP Ian Curtis and My Drama

Sure, when you’re with friends, you say your favorite Joy Division song is “Transmission” or “Dead Souls.” For the real snobs out there, I recommend dwelling on the pre-New Order live version of “Ceremony,” the one where you get to hear it as it was meant to be heard, with Ian Curtis’s voice.

But let’s face it: After a long day of playing grown-up, nothing beats pouring a lager and wallowing in nostalgia for your romantic-tragic aspirations of your youth. When that time comes, there is only one song that really hits the spot: “Love Will Tear Us Apart.”

Personally speaking, I have a job and a mortgage and am generally more interested these days in weeding my garden than getting involved in complex erotic entanglements. But you’re never too old for popping on some oversized headphones and staring morosely into space while imagining you still have the energy for such dramatics. Plus, no matter how many times you hear this song, its beauty always sneaks up on you and breaks your heart all over again.

And you get to look at Ian’s lovely face on this picture disc while you do it.