NORTHERN LIGHTS #3 (cassette) NL3 1981

This 1981 cassette zine featured an 11th October 1979 Richard Boon interview with Ian Curtis in the Castle Pub Oldham Street Manchester. See scans below for more info.

The interview was later released on the semi-legal Ian Curtis Interview 7" and 12" picture discs. It also appears on the Under Review DVD - with subtitles.

Thanks to Simon Dell for all the cassette images

How we know the date of the interview:

It's probably Thursday 11th October 1979. The interview starts off pretty clear with little background noise, however as the pub starts to fill up the TV is turned on and the programme is Blankety Blank - a Thursday night BBC TV quiz show.

The BFI film & TV database gives broadcast dates for Blankety Blank as the 4th, 11th ,18th and 25th October 1979. This was a busy month for Joy Division and the only clear Thursday was the 11th as the rest were filled by gigs; 4th (Newcastle) 18th (Bangor) + 25th (Bradford).

The Castle in the 1970s:

Image Courtesy of Manchester City Council, Archives and Local Studies

Inside the Castle 1998:

(c) Smabs Sputzer at flickr
See also Pubs OF Manchester - Past and Present

The room in the Castle that had a TV was the Snug. As you went into the pub all the bars were to the left..first the main bar then the snug bar ( thats was the bit with the TV in it) finally the games bit with pool table etc - Smabs Sputzer