It could be horrendous, but as you point out he lost his wife to this awful disease so he will know what he is doing.Īs an East End boy, trips to Canvey Island were frequent back in the day, quite often in cars that didn't belong to us (oh dear oh dear), but I ha the pleasure of seeing the original Feelgoods several times. The elation I experienced when I was actually going to die is all fading from me like a dream – and I’m back to the old misery – but I’ve still got the panic onstage!ĭon’t You Leave Me Here by Wilko Johnson is out now.He is very brave to go without the treatment. But one side of my returning “thing” is I started getting the misery again. On life after cancer…and dealing with depression “Where do I get my energy from onstage? It’s sheer panic!” And I started remembering and I started thinking “Those Bastards!” They were wrong, and I was right! It’s all in the book!” “In this book I had to think what really happened. On the argument that led to the split of Dr Feelgood
But is it the same? I took a friend from France to Canvey and we went into the Monaco for a drink and he said “It’s weird”, so it’s still got it!” You used to get this mist like dry ice, but now it’s all built up. There’d be all these bungalows along the road.
“When I was growing up it was more or less rural, people living in caravans and things like that. On living with a death sentence – and then discovering the cancer could be treated: The tumour was big, it would have burst and that would have been it.īut what Southend general told me was true: I was going to die if an operation wasn’t done. So if Charlie Chan hadn’t popped up yes I would have died. Mr Huguet later told me he saw my scans done at Southend General and in three seconds he knew what it was and that it wasn’t inoperable. I’m sitting there thinking “Is this guy telling me I might live?” “Yeah, he is”. To be confronted by Mr Huguet and he was telling me I was going to live was strange. I didn’t want to worry about false hopes, second opinions or miracle cures. “Yes we can operate on this”.īeing condemned to death I absolutely accepted was I was going to die and there was no hope. He had a look at me and told me he wanted me to go to Addenbrooke’s hospital in Cambridge to meet his old Oxford university friend Emmanuel Huguet. When I was diagnosed at Southend General hospital they told me quite definitely this condition was inoperable. (Later that year) Charlie thought there was something strange because by that time I should have been dead or very very seriously ill. I was talking to this photographer (Charlie Chan) at the Cornbury Festival and it turned out not only was he a photographer he was also a cancer surgeon. On the fan who fought his way backstage and subsequently saved his life You ain’t got nothing to prove and because everyone knows…you squeeze the maximum out of it! I went to Japan to say goodbye to all my chums there, do a couple of gigs and everyone knew I was dying, and wow! You can’t go wrong! They were fantastic gigs. On playing gigs when everyone knows you are dying By the time I got home I was ecstatic and that feeling lasted several months.įrom the moment the guy said to me you’ve got cancer everything changes. I walked out of the hospital on a beautiful winters day and looked at the trees and thought “I’m alive, I’m alive!”.
He has lived a full life, so here are some pearls of wisdom from Wilko Johnson himself from last night’s launch: After a further referral to a specialist cancer doctor, Wilko discovered his life could be saved after all. Whilst playing a farewell tour, he was approached by a fan called Charlie Chan who was a photographer and also happened to be a cancer surgeon (I know, you couldn’t make it up). In a cruel twist of fate in January 2013 he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. In latter years Wilko has enjoyed a career revival sparked by a Julien Temple documentary. The former Dr Feelgood guitarist has written about his extraordinary life: chart topping success, the argument that led to the break up of the band, his time with Ian Dury and of being the only person to be able to keep up with – and nearly have a fight with – Lemmy. Wilko Johnson was at Rough Trade East last night in conversation with author Zoë Howe to discuss his new book “Don’t You Leave Me Here”. Wilko Johnson Cheerfully Discusses Death, Depression, Cancer….and Canvey Islandīy Every Record Tells A Story on J Home › Rock Music › Wilko Johnson Cheerfully Discusses Death, Depression, Cancer….and Canvey Island