Duran Duran bassist John Taylor today announced that he tested positive for the new coronavirus three weeks ago, and has since recovered from a mild case of COVID-19, an illness he described in a social media post as feeling like a “turbo-charged flu.” Read Taylor’s full statement right here.
Peter Murphy released a statement Friday saying he has fully recovered from his recent heart attack, and thanking the doctors who got him “up and running again” and credited his tour manager and assistant with being “directly instrumental in saving my life.” Full details right here.
Pat Fish, the founder and mainstay of cult U.K. indie-pop act The Jazz Butcher, is recovering from medical treatment for an undisclosed malady, leading friends to launch a crowdfunding campaign to help raise money to cover expenses during recuperation. Full details on how to contribute right here.
Drummer Andy Anderson, who joined The Cure after Lol Tolhurst moved to keyboards and played on the band’s 1984 album The Top, revealed on Facebook this week that he has Stage 4 cancer, a terminal diagnosis that there is “no way of returning back from.” Read his full statement here.
Famed producer Trevor Horn’s residential studio in the Los Angeles hills — a six-bedroom home and state-of-the-art recording facility above Bel Air — is among the hundreds of structures lost in the devastating wildfires currently tearing across Southern California. Horn has vowed to rebuild the facility.
Scott McCaughey, leader of the Young Fresh Fellows and the Minus 5, and who spent 17 years as a touring guitarist and multi-instrumentalist for R.E.M., suffered a stroke while on a tour of the West Coast with Alejandro Escovedo, his wife announced today. He is in stable condition, but a long recovery is expected.
We here at Slicing Up Eyeballs HQ are, admittedly, not fans of sport, but were nevertheless duly impressed to see the jumbotron operator at a Washington Wizards basketball game this past week throw the camera onto local fan Guy Picciotto, an icon of D.C.’s post-hardcore scene after his pivotal role in both Rites of Spring and Fugazi.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds today revealed that Conway Savage, who plays piano and organ, and provides backing vocals, has been absent from this year’s Bad Seeds tour because he underwent surgery that was “largely a success” for a recently diagnosed brain tumor. Read the full statement from the band.
Police in Athens, Ga., this week arrested a former contractor accused of stealing $20,000 in audio gear from the 40 Watt Club, a burglary that had drawn offers of more than $15,000 in rewards from members of R.E.M., Camper Van Beethoven and others. The gear has been recovered, police said.
The legendary 40 Watt Club in Athens, Ga. — an early home base for college-rock mainstays R.E.M., The B-52s, Pylon, Love Tractor, Guadalcanal Diary and more — was burglarized Friday, with dozens of pieces of equipment stolen related to the venue’s PA system. Members of R.E.M. and Cracker have offered rewards.
Musicians and fans from around the world are standing in solidarity today with the people of Manchester, site of an Islamic State-claimed suicide bombing that killed at least 22 fans leaving an Ariana Grande arena concert last night. We’ve rounded up reactions from Johnny Marr, Peter Hook, Alison Moyet, Pet Shop Boys and more.
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