Philip Chevron takes medical leave from The Pogues

[philipchevron]

best of luck Philip, take oine step at the toime; the woirst stuff ois behoind ye noiw, but surely foir full recoivery, as befoire everythoing started, oit takes moire toime; take care and keep rockoing

thank you Oirish, thanks all.

[meowhouse]

I was surprised and admiring that you had been playing as many dates this spring as you did! The people in Australia will miss you but there's always next year to try again. Better for you to get totally back to normal and then start with the full regular schedule again. Plus you'll make someone very happy to get the opportunity to fill in a bit for you. That's good for the soul, his and yours.

[Carlos Cantabria]

from Philip Chevron

to the many anonymous members of the Church of the Blind Carbon Copy


Friends -

Many of you - most of you - will have received the whingeing mass mailouts I sent out twice last year to y'all, when I was struck down with Cancer of the Throat and Neck and in no position to keep in touch with you all individually. As I made no bones about the fact then that the treatment - 7 doses of Chemotherapy and 35 of Radiotherapy - was a living hell of sorts, I will not attempt to disguise my joy that I have recently been declared "disease-free". There are follow-up biopsies in progress to assess risks in other parts of my body, and I have yet to fully reclaim the art of swallowing and eating, and I do still get tired easily but, in the overall context, this has to be considered very good news.

I never did actually make it to the full Seven Chemos. After the Sixth, I lost 90% of hearing in my left ear (the right ear is already, of course, deaf, as most of you know), at which point, the Chemo was abruptly withdrawn. "New thinking in the USA", my oncologist's registrar explained, " indicates that Five Chemo sessions are sufficient for your condition." Gee, thanks, Doc! Deafen me first, why dontcha? About the worst thing that can happen to a Musician is to lose his or her hearing and this development was devastating. Nobody offered me any hope whatsoever that my hearing would return, least of all the Oncology Team and its attendant Eye Nose Ear Throat specialists. I underwent intensive audiology tests in both Dublin and Nottingham and in both cases was told to put recovery out of my mind. And so it was, after a month of exceptional unhappiness, I spent 4000 Euros (£3000/$6000) on a state-of-the-art Digital Hearing Aid and embarked upon a period in which I struggled to lead as regular a life as the twin handicaps of deafness and the after-effects of Chemo and Radio therapies allowed.

But one day, about three months in, just as I was beginning to accept that the rest of my life as a musician, as a man, would be compromised by this, and started in on the inspirational Evelyn Glennie autobiography, the hearing just returned. Gradually at first, and then almost fully, which is where it has stayed ever since. None of my doctors sought the reason for this reversal and neither, to be honest, did I. We were all so relieved that we just didn't bother looking the gift horse in the mouth.

And so, thanks in great part to the TLC ministrations of my dear mother, who is still supervising my convalescence back home in Dublin, I have been slowly but certainly coming out of the fog. Although I have not worked with either The Pogues or The Radiators From Space since March 2007, I did actually manage to put together a 5-CD Pogues box set (rarities, demos, outtakes, that kinda thing) which will be released in April and which, I am convinced, is the hardest work I ever did with The Pogues; and I also oversaw the release in Europe/UK of the Radiators' third album Trouble Pilgrim which, I now realise, I had somehow managed to make (in 2006) when I was already sick. Now, as 2008 kicks off, I am determined to work again with both bands this year. In addition, I have had at least two serious theatrical/musical commissions which I am very much looking forward to.

You folks have been universally kind and helpful and understanding all this time and I love you for it. I will always remember the support, moral and practical, I received from so many of you.

Thanks

Lots of love

Philip C

After I moved (from Cantabria to the Spanish "Costa Blanca") several months ago, I've been so busy with move, work, and struggling against banks (you all know about the global recession) that I haven't found the time to sit before my computer and calmly read and write something on the fora. It seems to be that fortunately from now on it will be more feasible.

I'm glad to see Philip's recovery, I was frightened as I read about your loss of hearing, finally I was glad to see you are cancer-free and also that you've recovered so well from cancer and also from your loss of hearing.

Congratulations and best of luck, Phil.

Carlos.

[CraigBatty]

Fantastic to hear of the progress of your recovery, Phillip, especially about your hearing.

[Behan]

Any chance Phil, that in the near future you will be "fully" recovered so you can travel more, or is this just one of those things that you have to live with (the tiredness, etc)? Perhaps one day at a time for now.

[philipchevron]

Any chance Phil, that in the near future you will be "fully" recovered so you can travel more, or is this just one of those things that you have to live with (the tiredness, etc)? Perhaps one day at a time for now.

One year into my treatment/recovery, I am not really much closer to answering this question to my own satisfaction, much less anyone else's. There are days of the most enormous optimism when I genuinely feel I can do or achieve almost anything in the immediate future and there are days when I am swiftly and decisively disabused of such hubris. And the trouble is, both sensations feel equally real when they are happening, which makes a happy medium very difficult to achieve or even aspire to. Recently, this has caused me to eagerly agree to some things that I have subsequently had to withdraw from, which is always painful and upsetting. The hardest part is learning that a "good" day represents progress only and should never be mistaken for imminent recovery, but all this screams against every instinct I have to just get on with it.

Everyone's recovery from Cancer, if they are fortunate enough to have one, is an individual story and there's not really that much one can learn from previous patients, who have had their own quirks, foibles and stubbornesses. If I were to put an educated guess on what is characterising mine (my recovery), it is that I got through the chemotherapy relatively unscathed (once going deaf turned out to be a temporary, 12-week blip) but that it is since taking a very long time expelling itself from my ssytem. Chemo drugs are hugely aggressive, as they have to be, but cunning too. You don't always know for sure when they're still active.

Travel is not in itself a problem, and I have, for example, been to New York a few times in the past year, outside of Pogues business, and have flitted regularly between Dublin, Nottingham and London on medical and personal business. Travel with a gig at the other end within a few hours is, however, hugely problematic, as there is not enough time for my body to rest and recover. Where the economics of a set of Pogues dates does not allow this extra time, myself, the others in the band and our management have to put our heads together and figure out if this is something my brilliant deputy, James Walbourne, might do instead. For me, an unhappy personal Pogues trek (as the recent Festival shows were in France, Scotland and Ireland) is worse than no trek at all because the mitigating factor, the 60 or 90 minutes I spend on stage doing what I love doing, cannot be relied upon to save the day if I am having to pump in energy from non-existent emergency resources. And that just adds up to misery for me and concern to the other Pogues.

Day at a time? Well, I've yet to hear a better formula.

[Jon]

Phil, as far as gigging goes (and not from the 'selfish' view point of a fan) could you not alternate shows, which might give you time to travel and rest before going onstage, or maybe alternate countries with James?

Many years back I worked with Clic / Radio Lollipop and can empathise with the 'healing' process and the need for life to return to normal, and now having something to look forward to can (with children especially) have a really positive mental effect. I guess the flip-side is that these 'treats' have to become limited so as they don't become the norm.

I think that's what I wanted to say...

[Kevaki]

Glad to hear of your recovery ; I had surgery and radiation and know that 'side effects' are not just words on a bloody page ! As for the hearing , hang in there mate . I mean it didn't stop Ludwig Van B. now did it ? All the best.

[dave 81]

Thanks for the update Philip. I honestly wish I had an inspirational reply, but unfortunately sir, I don't.
"Day at a time," is realistically, the only blueprint we know.

Hope things are well.

X

[runjohnnyrun]

Very pleased to hear that there's progress Mr. C. May it continue.

This fucking disease has been too prominent in my life lately. It took my dad a little while ago. It wasn't necessarily unexpected as Dad didn't live the healthiest of lifestyles, but it's so hard to see somebody so full of life so quickly diminished. There was relatively little time between his diagnosis and the end, which I think I'm thankful for.

Then, just yesterday, my daughter told me that a friend of hers was diagnosed with cancer. Apparently it's very aggressive. She's only sixteen years old. It's not right. And it's certainly not fair.

So, the news that somebody is moving ahead in the battle is very welcome indeed. Keep it coming.

[bart1888]

I'm new to this forum Philip and just want to pass on my best wishes to you.

I'm a trained nurse of many years and appreciate the great pain, worry and suffering some people have to go through in life at times.

I didn't manage to make T in The Park (although after hearing how good it was I wish I had) but on the (ONE!!! ) BBC clip it was GREAT to see you back on stage where you belong.

I haven't missed a Glasgow gig since my first one at the Barras in 1987 and I hope to see you and the band for years to come at the Carling or wherever you decide to share your talents' with us.

Take care.

[newfiepeter]

We are all behind you Phil! Look after yourself first though. Everyone in this room wants you back up on the stage doing what you were put on this earth to do but take it slowly. Once you are back to fighting strength again you will be blasting out Turkish Song of the Damned like you had never left! Your music shall temporarily live on with us while you are on the road to recovery!

NewfiePete

[Clash Cadillac]

Maybe it has been asked on another thread but I am curious if you are planning to be present for the Christmas shows this year? I hope your feeling better lately...

[Heather]

Maybe it has been asked on another thread but I am curious if you are planning to be present for the Christmas shows this year? I hope your feeling better lately...

Clash, I'm pretty sure that Philip said on some thread somewhere that he didn't know, but I can't find it anywhere.

Anyway, Phil, hi, while I'm here I just thought I'd let you know that I still think about what you've been through every day and I'm still praying for a full recovery for you (in my own little way).

Please do keep us informed from time to time if there are any improvements or not as the case may be.

Look forward to seeing you perform again one day.

[philipchevron]

Maybe it has been asked on another thread but I am curious if you are planning to be present for the Christmas shows this year? I hope your feeling better lately...

Clash, I'm pretty sure that Philip said on some thread somewhere that he didn't know, but I can't find it anywhere.

Anyway, Phil, hi, while I'm here I just thought I'd let you know that I still think about what you've been through every day and I'm still praying for a full recovery for you (in my own little way).

Please do keep us informed from time to time if there are any improvements or not as the case may be.

Look forward to seeing you perform again one day.

It is, at the moment, my intention to do the December dates, and I see no real reason at the moment why I should not. I have discovered that recovery from Cancer is just an unending sequence of sharp learning curves but, as with anything, one gets better at negotiating them as time goes on and experience grows.

On the other hand, I also have a bit of a history of acute ups and downs, so I'm taking nothing for granted.

Joan Rivers, appearing on BBC Radio 4's "Woman's Hour" earlier this week, quoted Winston Churchill. "When you find yourself in hell", Winnie is supposed to have said, "walk faster".