Hi - We're all really upset to hear of Jay Reatard's death. Jay visited Chris last year & they planned a US tour together before Chris had his Stroke. I never meet Jay but received numerous e-mails from him when putting 'Stroke' together - he was always fun, energetic, enthusiastic & a huge supporter of Chris & Chris' music. His version of 'Pull Down The Shades' was the final track to arrive for the NZ version of 'Stroke' & we enjoyed laughing with him over his note that claimed it was 'recorded in a batroom (sic) in Denmark Sweden'.

Barbara, Chris, myself and our friends all offer our condolences to his friends and family.

Roy

Hi All - 'Stroke' has gone gold in NZ! During a BBQ in the fine Auckland summer yesterday we had a wee presentation for Chris where Pete Baker from Rhythm Method records presented Chris with 2 spray painted slabs of vinyl. Some drunken loon in the assemblage yelled 'speech, speech'. Chris did his best to respond.

Chris is ok - he's got a cold at the moment which is making him feel grotty as a grot. The lowered medication does seem to be helping though.

The Nothing will be playing Lane Way music festival on Feb 1st at the Britomart in downtown Auckland. The honorary Nothing member for this outing is the fab Shayne P Carter on guitar. It looks like a great line-up (Daniel Johnston, 3Ds, The Dirty Three) & there are still some tickets left if you're keen to see Chris up & performing again.

All the best folks.

Roy.

Hi All - I'm back. Thanks to Rod for looking after the site. I don't think the turkey farming will fly &, afterall, who would smuggle beers to Chris? Bolivia is a great place though & thanks to Rosita & Rodriguez for the barn.

Chris had another fall, nothing too serious but it took him back to hospital where they checked his blood & found that he had too much of the anti-epilepsy medication in his system. He has been a bit wobbly for a while so it's good to have an explanation. When I saw him he was tired and foggy but hopefully that's the medication adjusting & him recovering from his fall & not a step backwards in his recovery. It's always a bit rough when you see him take another blow.

Someone sent a comment about free downloads of the album - I take your point that it's a pretty low thing to do but there's really nothing we can do about it. But thanks for your concern.

Roy

Hi All - Roy is still away so I'm posting again. I received a postcard from him in the Bolivian country side where he is investigating a possible future career in turkey farming, having grown weary of the big city.

Chris has been in good shape over the last few days. He's been working on an exercise with his right arm that involves holding a tapering tube & twisting it sideways. It's impressive to watch Chris work at this as it's obviously difficult for him to continue for the full 20 minutes required. And obviously it's great to see some controlled motion returning to his arm. Yesterday he popped up from his chair & said 'teeth' to me before ambling away to brush said articles - it was conscious & deliberate, so quite an achievement.

Rod

Hi All - Roy is away on holiday so this is a posting from Mark

"Saw Chris yesterday and he seems back to about where he was before the seizures. He insisted on going for a walk, and I clocked it – 1.5 kilometres around Grey Lynn, on the fairly uneven pavements around West Lynn, with an overal rise and fall of about 12 metres overall (gotta love the iPhone).

When we got back, Chris directed me to bring in the washing and proudly showed off John's and Barbara's efforts in the garden. Dieneke and I were both glad to see Chris being positive, cheerful and taking on more challenges again.

Oh, and there was a Christmas card on the table, looking like a commercial one, but then I said 'Hey, Mary looks like Madeleine Sami.' He raised his eyebrows so I showed it to him, and he said spontaneously 'So it is!'. It's weird because when this happens, it's a pure flashback to the Chris we knew.

Somehow I think these unconscious language connections are a really good thing, as the neurons must be connecting up or something (but what do I know?).
Also, Chris struggles to write words and letters but if you ask him for a number, he writes it"

Rod

Hiya - On Saturday Chris was in good shape - the best I've seen him since the seizures. Moving his medication to the evening has made his days more alert and active. We went for quite a long walk where I received a loud, incredulous 'WHAT!!???' when I told him that Barbara and I had discussed getting him a dog. Later, after we watched a DVD, I had what could almost pass as a quick conversation, where his responses to questions about the movie were rapid enough & obvious enough that deliberate thought wasn't required. Quite good really.

Roy

Hi All - The album has been released digitally in the US by Merge & will be out on CD there on 23rd of Feb. It is the same as the NZ copy with one exception. Jeff Mangum (of Neutral Milk Hotel fame) has recorded 'Sign The Dotted Line' which is included in the US release. We were hampered in NZ by our production deadline coming up to the Xmas period and unfortunately Jeff's track was not ready to be included. You can download Sign The Dottend Line for a buck from Merge.

I haven't seen Chris yet this week but rumor has it that he is a bit brighter eyed & less foggy than on the weekend.

Roy

Howdy - I saw Chris twice over the weekend. He has returned home finally - obviously he is very relieved to get out of the hospital/rehab environment. On Friday he was looking tired but by Sunday he seemed a bit more engaged and as if some of the fog from the seizures was lifting. We watched the Leonard Cohen Isle of Wight DVD & then a Beatle DVD - Chris enjoyed them both but had to take a nap before the Beatle one finished. Thanks to Graham Reid for dropping off said discs.

'Stroke' will be back in shops tomorrow I am told (when the ink will be dry!).

Mr Merkin