Wilko Johnson diagnosed with termianl cancer

[Neo]

Wilko Johnson was the guitarist with Dr Feelgood the seminal 70's British Blues band.
He's determined to play on until the end, and says being given 10 months to live has stopped him being depressed..
yup well that's Wilko, irreverent as always.

BBC News - Wilko Johnson: 'Terminal cancer has made me feel alive'

I actually feel sad about the news, Wilko is a real hero of mine because of his blend of inspired ability and fuck you attitude. Joe Strummer, another of my hero's sadly departed, learned about stage presence from watching Wilko and Dr Feelgood on the London circuit, as did most of the late '70s punk bands that they inspired.




I know nobody really looks at these vids, but they're worth a skim, nobody would ever say Wilko was the most technical player, but his character has earned him a place in Rock n Roll history.

[slackula]

I actually feel sad about the news, Wilko is a real hero of mine because of his blend of inspired ability and fuck you attitude.

Indeed, very sad news. Johnson is a very cool guy and my Feelgood compilation CD is one of only two that never comes out of my car CD player. The other is Ian Dury.

His quotes in the BBC link are awesome.

Anyway, here's a vid from '75 where Wilko looks blitzed out of his skull on something and still delivers the goods:

[taxexile]

I used to be a regular at dingwalls in camden town, and the torrington in north finchley, watching dr.feelgood and the kilburns in those sweaty holes remain my best rock and roll memories.

Saw johnstone interviewed recently for the punk brittania bbc series, well worth downloading btw, and also feel saddened by this news. A real person who has never strayed far from his roots.