Entertainment For Lively Minds
Rowland S Howard dies
Posted by Futurenoir on 30 December 2009 - 8:51pm.
The influential Birthday Party guitarist has died from liver cancer at just 50 years old.
http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/content_display/industry/e3i4045046a22fd3...
I'm not sure what makes me more sad; the fact that this brilliant musician has died at such a young age, or that I had to spend considerable time trawling the internet to confirm what a friend in the states had emailed to me as speculation. Nothing on the NME site and nothing on any major news sites. This guy was the same age as Jacko, and was a hell of a lot more significant in my musical upbringing.
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ditto
well said. Damn shame.
I agree - a sad loss
A good website for info on the world of rock & roll (and the sadly over-active Grim Reaper) is Next Big Thing : http://nextbigthing.blogspot.com/ they had the news this morning.
My memory of him
is stick thin, jet black hair and a cig permanently stuck in his mouth! I was fortunate to see The Birthday Party in 80/81 in Manchester, and it was probably one of the most chaotic, frightening gigs i've been to,but utterly intoxicating....sad news
He played at the
ATP event in Australia a couple of months back that Nick Cave curated. Think Mick harvey was in the band that backed him which was just before he left the Bad Seeds
more here
http://www.theage.com.au/national/rowland-howard-hangs-up-his-guitar-for...
(nicked from popbitch) as was this:
featuring a very young Nick Cave
my first night and his last concert
just 50 years old.
i saw my first rowland howard concert a couple of months ago and as it turns out it was his last.
His songs were excellent and the excoriating guitar disinctive .Mick Harvey was on drums having coaxed Rowland into making this new album. But it was also a sad sight. He had trouble remembering the lyrics to even his most recent and excellent album pop crimes , and could only manage a 45 minute set before staggering off absolutely spent.
he cancelled another gig recently and was due to suppot the yeah yeahs specifically at their request but cancelled as he was hospitalised and ,as it transpires dying.
He died of liver cancer ,had been on a list awaiting a transplant for a long timebut a long term heroin addiction cruelled his career also .
Here is a review of his last concert
http://www.theaureview.com/melbourne/rowland-s-howard-prince-bandroom-29...
Here is an obituary of sorts from the Melbourne Age
http://www.theage.com.au/national/rowland-howard-hangs-up-his-guitar-for...
Its'new year's eve , it is 40 celsius ,a raging hot north wind - bushfire weather. to quote the late cdavid Mccomb of the Triffids- too hot to move to hot to think .
His guitar was like a bushfire
I will drink a beer in his honour. I think pop crimes should be in the word sampler.
BP live version of "Loose"
(on "Drunk on the Pope's Blood")
Possibly the wildest, purest rock'n'roll committed to record: I still marvel at that flailing guitar.
rowland's funeral
http://www.theage.com.au/lifestyle/people/farewell-for-ridiculous-singul...