Transmission (18/7/13)

Did I tell you about the time that my iPod spoke to me?

Right, background detail; obviously I have everything that I own on my iPod and obviously I own everything that's worth owning and quite a bit that puzzles me as to why I bought it in the first place. I've got a 160GB Classic. I filled it, I bought a second. It's a necessity. Honestly.

And one of the albums that I have on my iPod (iPod number 1 this is) is the soundtrack to the film Control.

Control is the story of Joy Division leader Ian Curtis, the timespan of the band, Curtis' struggles with his failing marriage, his infidelities, his epilepsy and his depression. It ends with his tragic suicide just as the band were on the brink of becoming massive (not that it would have been any less tragic if they weren't)

It's obviously a fairly heavy watch at times but a brilliant film with a real feel for the time that it's set in.

The soundtrack contains the music of Joy Division, their peers and influences; Iggy, Bowie, New Order, The Velvets, John Cooper Clarke etc and also holds little snippets of dialogue from the film itself. One such snippet concerns the band's guitarist 'Barney' (Bernard Sumner of New Order/Electronic) talking to Curtis about the possibility of acupuncture to help control his epilepsy. It lasts for about ten seconds.

Up to speed with the backstory?

Right.

I'm driving to work. The iPod is on the passenger seat. It's powered by a cable from the car's cigarette lighter and has a small ('sending unit' for want of a superior term) which broadcasts to the car's radio on a pre set frequency. I've got the iPod on shuffle as is my wont at this time giving me a endless random stream of my own music; it's basically the best radio station on the planet (with the exception of those 'how come I own THIS?' moments as intimated above) - I'm happy.

I'm driving along the M57, the weather' passable, all's right with the world. A song finishes and the next thing that comes out of my iPod via the radio is this;

"Ian."

"I've got an idea"

Then into the next, completely unrelated song. I'm going at 70(ish, possibly a touch over) I'm not in the frame of mind to rationalise this with any kind of detail.

My iPod spoke to me.

The joys of half the lads born in the NorthWest between 1959 and 1964 being given the same bloody name.