Hi All - After pouring all manner of dodgy chemicals into myself over the last week my illness finally seems to be receding.

Thanks for your blog comments. Yes it is a hard time for Chris at the moment - he is still struggling with adjustments to the anti-epilepsy medication. As the dose increases he becomes more sedated and grotty feeling but lowering it tends to allow seizures, so a fine balance is being sought & poor Chris just has to weather the results. It may be quite a few more weeks until things improve - but we are expecting it to get better for him eventually & for his quality of life to improve. Still, he was in good spirits by & large on Sunday night & enjoyed pizza and a glass of Pinot Gris before heading off to the lounge to watch 'They Shoot Horses, Don't They?'.

Yes the gig at Poisson Rouge was fantastic. Such an amazing gesture from all concerned. When I arrived at the venue I went down some side steps into the green room where the artists were hanging out - as I descended I heard 'Those Great Big Puppy Eyes' coming through the stage doors from the venue itself. Mike Wolf was DJing and played Chris's music through all the change overs. Barbara had had a cartoon of Chris' put on tea towels as gifts for everyone that helped out so I was running around handing them out and thanking everyone for participating - so many great people! The venue was a large room with a DJ both at the rear & a bar along the back. There was also a bar behind the main venue bar in a quiet area where the T-shirts designed by Jad Fair were on sale  - I grabbed a bunch for friends but was too slow to get any XL ones so I missed out (time to lose weight maybe). Gareth was selling pies & there were posters designed by Christine on sale too - all proceeds to Chris.

Unfortunately I missed quite a few of the performances as I spent lots of time backstage talking to people who were curious about Chris. But I saw Jeff play -  of course the YouTube clips are a tiny faint glimmer of a really great & special musical moment. The noise from the audience when he came out to play was incredible - I think it's the only time at a gig when I've had to block my ears in pain. I think it's entirely fair to say people were ecstatic - I believe some were crying (!). I have a strong memory of Kyp Malone and a woman (girlfriend?) embracing joyfully and jumping up & down. Jeff took a while to set-up - he had two mics about 4 feet away as his voice is so powerful. When he started with 'Oh Comely' the audience started singing along but kept their volume low so they were like a roomful of reverential backing singers, careful not to drown out Jeff himself. Jeff was so intense in his delivery it was gorgeous. No photos were allowed but I couldn't help snapping a couple after checking with promoter Ben if it was ok. Jeff performed then left the stage and the audience went wild (as we in the biz say) & after a few minutes he came back for an encore of 'Engine'. There is a review by a proper reviewer at Music Mix if you want more. Jeff is a sweet guy and seemed to really enjoy himself.

There was much concern over Chris' well-being and some people noted that the evening seemed to be more about Jeff than Chris, and, although Ira from Yo La Tengo talked about Chris' impact on his life to the audience, I guess it is a fair criticism. On the other hand Chris hasn't really pursued fame and it's in-keeping with Chris' approach that for many people in the audience the night was a lowkey introduction to him & his work - as Barbara said to me once, people 'come to' Chris' music in their own time.

All the best.

Hi All - I'm back, but struck down with a travellers bug of disturbing proportions so I will write a more indepth post later.

The Poisson Rouge gig for Chris was fantastic & the artists that played were all incredibly sweet. Everyone was well looked after backstage with great food & beers. Ben Goldberg & the team at Ba Da Bing records did a superb job of looking after all the artists and organising a very successful event.

Of course the highlight was Jeff Mangum's performance which had, what felt like, the whole venue singing along with him! I've asked Hayden to put some clips of Jeff playing into the Knox Box for ya.

Thanks heaps to the NY blog readers who came up & introduced themselves - great to meet you guys & thanks again for reading!

Soon.

Hi All - Sorry I haven't posted for a while but things have been pretty quiet for a while as Chris is still feeling pretty rough from his medication. I am off to NYC for the gig (YIPPIE .....ahem). Will try & do a couple posts from the US.

All the best.

Hi All - Chris has really been struggling with adjustments to his medications over the weekend. In my last blog I said he was getting steadier but unfortunately that momentary upswing has stopped & Chris has been getting pretty severe fatigue.

Hi - I watched The Bad Seed (1956) with Chris on Tuesday night - oddly, for a film buff, I had never seen it. Good film (but a bit of a naff ending really) - and ok, Patty McCormack is great as the homicidal seed, but Henry Jones as the gurning and flame-destined Leroy really steals the show & surely influences countless indie movie potraits of weirdos.

Chris is working for about an hour a day on a piece of speech software that Shayne sourced from Australia- it is impressive to watch his focus & determination as he repeats the words spoken to him by the computer. He's also continuing with his arm exercises & on the weekend we went on a long walk where Chris surprised me with his stamina.

Chris seems to be getting steadier on his meds & greatly enjoyed the appearance of his mud-besotted first born after said son discovered a freshly dug ditch in the yard the hard way. I must admit to mild mirth myself.

The Mountain Goats' show last week was fantastic. As I watched John Darnielle perform I thought 'isn't it great to watch human beings being amazing' - and that thought has stuck with me since.

All the best.

PS Thanks for your kind words Jonathan, & Barry I'll check with CK about Metropolis.

Hi All - Unfortunately Chris & The Nothing will not be playing with The Mountain Goats on Thursday. There have been a series of adjustments made to Chris' anti-epilepsy medication and we're still not at a point where Chris' energy levels are reliable. We're really dissappointed to be cancelling but it's the best thing to do under the circumstances.

Roy

Hi All - Thanks for letting me know that there are still people reading the blog! Went over to Chris' yesterday to find him & Shayne (P. Carter) listening to, and enjoying, your CD Barry. Then Chris & I settled in to watch Steamboat Bill, Jr. I didn't know CK was such a Keaton fan - I haven't heard him laugh like that since the stroke (oh well, maybe a few times at myself & some of his other friends).

There are some comments expressing dissappointment at not being able to get to the New York show. I understand your frustration, but we're thrilled & grateful that Ben in the US organised the show and has taken care of everything - it's hard work to get a good line-up of acts willing to play for free and available at the same place & time. So there are no further plans for more shows at the moment. But who knows what wonders may emerge from Knoxland?

Maul the Beast,

Rod

Hi All - Big news! There's going to be a benefit show for Chris at Le Poisson Rouge bar in New York on Thursday May 6. The amazing Ben Goldberg from Badabing Records has been quietly organising the show for the last few months.

Artists playing are Yo La Tengo, Kyp Malone (TV On The Radio), Claudia Gonson (The Magnetic Fields), The Clean, Portastatic, Dimmer & comedian John Mulaney & Sharon Van Etten. An extra special treat is the appearance of Jeff Mangum (of Neutral Milk Hotel fame) who will do a very short acoustic set.

Ben has organised the event so that, other than a small amount set aside to cover running costs, all proceeds will go to Chris. All the artists are performing for free & Ben is organising the show out of the kindness of his big ol' heart.

Tickets go on sale at kickstarter.com on Tues (US time) for US$75.

I had a practise with Chris & the Nothing on Friday for the upcoming Mountain Goats show at the Kings Arms in Auckland. Chris is looking good & has grown a beard to compete with Rod & Ray's fuzzy visages. He got a bit tired during the practise but there were a couple of new tunes (written by him & Shayne) that sounded very close to words. It was great to be bassing away & to look up and see Chris gleefully singing away giving me that big smile.

Best

Roy

PS Daniel I sent you an e-mail saying that's fine but send us a copy. Did you get it? Your address looks a bit odd & I haven't heard back from you.