His musical style helped establish the early years of Dr. Wilko also went on to record a farewell album with Roger Daltrey 'Going back home' which was released in March 2014. However his love of music saw him continue on to play and appear in unannounced live sets and informal gigs in his home-town. He was given only nine or ten months to live back in January 2013 when being diagnosed with Pancreatic cancer, he chose not to receive any chemotherapy and instead announced he would be embarking on a farewell tour playing what was supposed to be his final show on the 22nd March 2013. The guitarist now managed by Alan Mcgee spoke about his recent illness on the night and declared publicly that he is now Cancer-Free following an 11-hour operation earlier this year to remove the tumour. The real celebration and highlight of the night saw Guitarist Wilko Johnson receiving a standing ovation whilst picking up 'The Icon Award'. Inspiration Award' was given to the Scottish Rock band Simple Minds and The Charlatans received 'The Hero Award' which they dedicated to former band members Rob Collins, who died in 1996, and Jon Brookes, who died last year. The award for 'Classic Album' went to Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, 'The It’s just three chords, you can call it what you want.The ceremony took place last night in central London awarding some of the best acts of the British music scene whilst also paying tribute to some legends of the industry. So we were sort of progenitors of punk, but not really ‘new’ anything. We started playing in pubs in 1973 and 74 and had a huge impact om especially, young men, who were forming bands themselves including the Sex Pistols and the Clash. Here’s Wilko Johnson’s definitive ruling on the matter: “ The term ‘pub rock’ describes a venue, not really a type of music. Many people got in touch to say that wasn't right and that Dr Feelgood was really a ‘pub rock’ band, a British music movement which pre-dates ‘new wave’ by about five years. When this reporter broke the story of Mr Chan ‘curing’ Wilko Johnson’s cancer in late 2013, I described Dr Feelgood as a ‘new wave’ band. Book tickets at £34 on The Town Hall website. Wilko Johnson and his band, supported by one of music’s great eccentrics John Otway, are at Cheltenham Town on Thursday, February 24. “When we were in the studio I just started playing it, and the producer said ’What’s that?’ With the band playing on it, it really did sound good, not miserable at all, really upbeat.” READ MORE: BrewDog set to open in Cheltenham next week I wasn’t writing it to record or perform, I just wrote it. I was sitting at home, the day was drawing to a close, and it’s about trying to ease a troubled mind. “There’s a single off the new album, Marijuana, which I wrote during the time I was expecting to die. Wilko Johnson's new album, Blow Your Mind (Image: Wilko Johnson) Mr Chan has realised that had Wilko truly had the cancer he’d been diagnosed with, he would not have been able to keep working as he did, so read up, examined him and persuaded him to see another specialist. Then, later on in the year, he knocked on my door in Southend and advised me to go and speak to the people at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, where they found they could cure it. Wilko said: “I’d met Charlie at a festival in the summer, and we spoke about the cancer and that was it. READ MORE: People condemn ‘sick and twisted’ woman for leaving note on carīut Mr Chan, a specialist cancer surgeon, and huge music fan, realised that Wilko had a different form of cancer - pancreatic neuroendocrine tumour - which was treatable, and went to visit the musician in Southend to tell him. He continued working but expected to have about 10 to 12 months to live. Wilko, who shot to fame as the amazingly kinetic (and slightly manic-looking) guitar player for Dr Feelgood in the 1970s had been diagnosed with incurable pancreatic cancer in late 2012. Were it not for the intervention of Cheltenham cancer specialist Charlie Chan, Wilko would probably not be alive today to play at the Town Hall later this month. And it’s a place that can say played its part in keeping him alive. One of British rock and roll’s greatest guitarists and characters Wilko Johnson is coming to Cheltenham.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |