I am certain that everything Bob Dylan does is very humorous to Bob Dylan. The Victoria’s Secret Ad? Playing the keyboard at concerts? Those are knee-slappers for old Bobby D. Take a gander at this recent blog post where Bob clears the air about what really happened with China. Hilarious! The ending is my favorite part:
“Everybody knows by now that there’s a gazillion books on me either out or coming out in the near future. So I’m encouraging anybody who’s ever met me, heard me or even seen me, to get in on the action and scribble their own book. You never know, somebody might have a great book in them.”
What!?!? LOL, Bob! You are a comedian through and through.
About a month ago, we all at Decemberists HQ got hit with some pretty hard news. Jenny Conlee, our since-the-very-beginning accordion and keyboard player and all-around rad person was diagnosed with breast cancer. If you or anyone in your world has been handed a similar diagnosis, you know what a bolt-out-of-the-blue this news can be.
The good news is that Jenny caught it early. And while the prognosis is very, very good for a full recovery, tackling the disease will mean some intensive treatment for our Jenny as well as a lot of important recovery time.
So I’m writing this to say that, weighing our options, and with Jenny’s fervent blessings, we’ve decided to go forward with our scheduled tour dates this spring and summer.
What we know now: Jenny will very likely miss all nine of our concerts in May and June. We’re all hoping that her recovery will be such that she’ll be able to get back on board as soon as possible.
And now, a note from Jenny:
Hello to Everyone,
I am very sorry to say that I will be missing a few shows coming up as I go through treatment for breast cancer. It has been great to be on tour these past few weeks. The band and crew are like family to me and have been incredibly supportive and understanding. To be making music with everyone and seeing the fans has helped me to feel more positive and keep my mind off of my diagnosis. But, alas, as the tour winds down, it is time for me to get back to reality. I will try to get into surgery as soon as I can after we return from this leg of the tour so I can begin my recovery. There are still a few unknowns out there concerning my cancer, but I am thinking positive and hope to be back on the road soon. Thanks for all of your support! See you soon!
Lots of love,
Jenny
Thanks for everyone’s understanding during this crazy time.
Gerard Smith, bassist for Brooklyn rock band TV on The Radio, passed away yesterday (4/20/2011) at the age of 34 due to complications from Lung Cancer. The band released a statement: “We are very sad to announce the death of our beloved friend and band mate, Gerard Smith, following a courageous fight against lung cancer. Gerard passed away the morning of April 20th, 2011. We will miss him terribly.”
This shocking and sad news comes only about a month after it was announced that Smith had been diagnosed. TVOTR seemed positive about his recovery. The band noted at the time that Smith’s had seen “dramatic results” and with his “legendarily willful disposition … it might just be cancer that has the problem.”
TV on The Radio just released their latest album, Nine Types of Light on 4/12.
Below is the video for “Will Do”:
British author Nick Hornby (High Fidelity, About a Boy, 31 Songs/Songbook) and piano man Ben Folds have teamed up on the album Lonely Island, due out September 28.
It will be available as a special edition LP with short stories by Hornby (and was recorded with vinyl in mind as the preferred method to enjoy it), as well as standard edition LP, CD, or as a download.
Check out the video for “Things You Think”, also featuring Pomplamoose.
