James: What makes you think that because someone signed their post “a h” that it was necessarily Annik? (I realize you have the e-mail address, but that can be faked)

As for Annik herself, a little bit of research would have shown that she was a promoter (Google for “Annik” “Plan K”) and was instrumental in establishing Factory Benelux and Les Disques du Crepuscle, the latter of which she was a co-founder. Hardly a “groupie” (despite the movie’s portrayal — and even then, she was introduced as a journalist).

You tried to compare Ian to Kurt, and I think the comparison is odious. Kurt was openly disdainful of his Rock super-stardom, whereas there is nothing similar in Ian’s story to suggest the same level of aversion — and I speak as someone who has been a JD fanatic since I first bought “FAC 2 — A Factory Sample” new back in 1978. Nirvana were orders of magnitude more well-known and popular when Kurt killed himself than JD ever was — Kurt had a lot more fame to be disdainful of than Ian ever did, that’s for sure. The only (tenuous) connection between Kurt and Ian, in my eyes, is that they were both sensitive souls (with young daughters) that found themselves unable to cope with their lives, and took the only way out they could.

I wasn’t really much of a Joy Division fan before the film but I’ve been on iTunes purchasing a bunch of Joy Division’s music. So yeah, it worked for me too.

As for Ian, I really felt that he was uncomfortable with the fame he achieved. Maybe “disdainful” seems a strong word but he was definitely ambivalent. Everything had changed and he’d “lost control” as he put it.

Please remember that I’m only judging the film and not your actual life, of which I know little. Do you think the film was a truthful portrayal, considering that it was based largely on the remembrances of Ian’s wife?