Why Wilko is Still Alive
The author of Wilko Johnson’s official biography believes one of the main reasons Wilko is still alive is the outpouring of love he’s received since announcing he had terminal cancer.
The former Dr Feelgood guitarist was told by doctors that he’d be dead by October 2013 – but he’s still going strong. He’s just about to release Going Back Home, his album with The Who frontman Roger Daltrey, and is gearing up to open for Status Quo on their final run of Frantic Four shows ahead of playing this year’s Sonisphere festival.
Zoe Howe, who co-wrote Looking Back At Me with the guitarist in 2012, says in the Daily Express: “Well, cancer, you did not realise who you were dealing with, did you? We’re all so thrilled that Wilko is still here that maybe we dare not question why.
“But I have a theory. Since he went public with his diagnosis the tidal wave of love that followed was so powerful, it can only have made a positive difference to his health, whether from the many messages he has received or the sheer force of affection beaming directly to him at shows.
“Also, to be able to do what you love for as long as possible and share that with others is a potent dose of escapism, for both artist and audience. Rock’n’roll can save your soul – but maybe it can stick an umbrella in the spokes of cancer too.”
Wilko played a show in London with Daltrey last week, of which Howe says: “The joy was infectious. The energy with which they performed belied their ages and Wilko’s condition.
“Time is limited and the atmosphere at recent shows is all the more potent, but instead of mawkishness there is gallows humour. The tumour protruding from his pancreas has been jokingly referred to by Johnson as ‘the baby’.
“On stage, Roger held his mic to Wilko’s stomach as the pair roared with laughter. Questions as to why the shaven-headed guitarist shunned chemotherapy are dismissed with the quip: ‘I didn’t want to lose my hair.’
“He is not ‘fighting’ cancer, he’s ignoring it altogether,” says Howe. “And this is no brave face; his response when he first received the news was, as he often says, ‘euphoria’. Suddenly the things that had always irked him seemed, understandably, insignificant. ‘They just don’t matter. Nothing matters,’ he insisted.”
Johnson guests with Status Quo on six dates starting at the end of the month:
Mar 28: London Eventim Apollo
Mar 29: London Eventim Apollo
Mar 31: London Eventim Apollo
Apr 06: Manchester O2 Apollo
Apr 09: Glasgow O2 Academy
Apr 10: Wolverhampton Civic