Joy Division Former Members, Curtis Family Criticize eBay Auction of Ian Curtis' Kitchen Table

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Quite unsurprisingly, former members of Joy Division, as well as Ian Curtis' family members, are not pleased that a fan is selling Curtis' old kitchen table on eBay. The auction ends today, and the current bid is £8,200.00.

In a statement to NME, Bernard Sumner and Stephen Morris wrote:

Joy Division original members Bernard Sumner and Stephen Morris would like to lend their voice of support to [Ian's widow] Deborah and [Ian's daughter] Natalie Curtis, who have been caused great distress over media reporting of the sale of the table originally owned by the family, and currently being auctioned on eBay...

Deborah and Natalie would like to point out that the sale of this table has nothing whatsoever to do with them. The table was sold along with the house in 1980 and Natalie has never signed any authentication document. Furthermore, they consider the sale of a personal family item, and the subsequent media reporting, to be distasteful and upsetting.

According to the eBay listing, the table comes with "confirmation of authenticity from Natalie Curtis, Debbie Curtis, Marco from Joy Division Central and Vicky Morgan." Regarding this, the seller of the table, Tel Harrop, told NME he has emails from Deborah and Natalie Curtis, as well as statements from Morgan (the woman who bought Curtis' house) and Marco, an editor at a Joy Division fansite. According to NME, Harrop "acknowledges the emails weren't sent for the express purpose to authenticate the table's sale as a piece of memorabilia."

Harrop also explained to NME why, exactly, he is selling the table in the first place: he's collected so much Joy Division memorabilia over the years, it's caused him to have to put his own musical career on hold. He also is upset with the way the media has covered the story. "I can’t turn the table on the table story," he told NME. "I’m upset the way its gone but I didn’t put it on for the money, I just did it for good intentions."

Watch the video for "Love Will Tear Us Apart":

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