34 Years After Ian Curtis' Death, Joy Division Have Joined Twitter to Sell Shit

That's right: nigh on three and a half decades since Joy Division's demise, the Salford post-punks have signed up to Twitter. Normally we would joke about this signalling a possible new album being on the way, but we're worried Peter Hook might think we're being serious and take us up on the offer.

Yes, 34 years following Ian Curtis' death, Joy Division are using a social network non-existent during their frontman's lifetime on a technicological machine that wasn't even invented during his tenure either. And what for? To sell things with his long cold corpse on, of course. Presumably stuff like tote bags, fake nails, Disney-themed merch or, aptly enough, iPhone cases.

Now, we don't mean for this to be a dated rant about selling out. It's not like Joy Division are some underground group. Be real, I inherited my first Unknown Pleasures CD off my dad! In a world where rappers soundtrack audiobooks, albums come with sponsorship deals and alt bands perform on Made In Chelsea, being "underground" is a pretty redundant concept. However, what does irk us slightly, however, is a legacy being needlessly juiced for a quick couple of bucks. Have we not learned anything from the short, ad-filled Twitter-vomit Morrissey's social media guy recently inflicted upon us in his name?

Sure, we're not expecting food pics, #OOTDs or selfies from the grave, but in a world where music is increasingly being forced down our throats, do we really need to keep turning bands into brands? And if that's already happened, can we at least be a bit more dignified about it? Even Hook isn't pleased about it, and he's the type to trade in his own grandmother for short change and pieces of lint. Curtis' surviving bandmates recently condemned an Ebay seller for trying to shift his old kitchen table but are okay with selling off his diaries. Where do we draw the line?

The main take away from all of this is that if you're a famous musician - shit, anyone who's done anything barely worthwhile in their life - make sure you update your will this very second, lest your likeness becomes a literal free-for-all. After all, you can take our money, but you can't fuck with our digital afterlife.

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