Former Beatle George Harrison has undergone lung cancer surgery
''The operation was successful and George has made an excellent
recovery. He is in the best of spirits and on top form -- the most
relaxed and free since the attack on him in 1999,'' the lawyers'
statement said. The statement said Harrison had a growth removed from
his lung and the lawyers later told the British news agency Press
Association that it had been cancerous.
In 1999, Harrison suffered a punctured lung when he was stabbed by a
man who broke into his home in Henley-on-Thames, west of London. A
34-year-old man, Michael Abram, was acquitted by reason of insanity
and confined to a mental hospital.
Referring to the star's rereleased album, the statement continued:
''Although All Things Must Pass Away, George has no plans right now
and is still Living In The Material World, and wishes everyone all
the very best, God Bless and not to worry.''
A cancer specialist commented Thursday that surgical removal of a
cancerous tumor in the lung -- as opposed to radiation treatment or
chemotherapy -- suggested it was small and isolated.
''He had surgery, so the hope is that it was detected early and is
cured,'' said Dr. Ronald Blum, director of the cancer center at Beth
Israel Medical Center in New York.
Harrison, 58, had surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., to
remove a cancerous growth from one of his lungs, according to the
lawyers.
The lawyers did not say when the surgery occurred. They said in a
statement issued Thursday that the operation went according to plan
and that Harrison was relaxing in Tuscany, Italy.
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Sting's plane skids off runway
FLORENCE, Italy (AP) - A small jet carrying the British
singer-songwriter Sting skidded off the runway at Florence's airport
Monday night, but the Grammy-winning musician walked away unhurt,
Italian news reports said. Sting, a friend and two pilots were aboard
the Cessna Citation 5 when it went off the runway and through some
safety netting before coming to a stop on a grassy knoll, the ANSA
news agency said. The cause of the accident was under investigation.
Sting walked off the plane and drove with his friend to his home in
nearby Figline Valdarno, ANSA said.
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McCartney Versus McDonald's
One Beatle is sticking to his vegan ways through and through. Paul
McCartney is reportedly not a big fan of the Big Mac, and after
learning that McDonald's is a major sponsor of a radio station the
star is scheduled to appear on in England, he has threatened to
cancel his visit. Remaining true to the activist within, McCartney
has demanded that the station lose its partnership with McDonald's or
else he won't follow through with his planned guest spot. Looks like
Paul won't take any bull, especially when it comes to beef!
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Paul McCartney launches Web site
May Day was a special one for fans of Paul McCartney. On Tuesday, the
former Beatle launched his own Web site, www.PaulMcCartney.com, based
on the well-received interactive site TheBeatles.com and focusing
mainly on his career with his next band, Wings. The move is not
surprising since McCartney next week releases "Wingspan," a two-disc
anthology from those years. A two-hour documentary airs May 11 on
ABC, as well.
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Julian Lennon contributes to McCartney tribute
John Lennon's eldest son, Julian, will contribute a track to the to
Linda McCartney tribute album. According to his Web site,
JulianLennon.com, Lennon recorded Paul McCartney's "Blackbird" from
the Beatles' 1968 "White Album" for the effort. Proceeds from album
will go to the U.S. charity Woman Against Cancer.
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Steely Dan members to receive doctorates
Steely Dan mainstays Walter Becker and Donald Fagen will soon be able
to answer to the title "Doctor Wu." The duo will receive honorary
Doctor of Music degrees from Boston's Berklee College of Music on May
12. For Fagen, this will be something of a homecoming, as the
singer-keyboardist actually attended Berklee for a short time in 1966
before moving on to Bard College, where he first met Becker. In
addition, the school's students will pay tribute to Becker and Fagen
at the Berklee Performance Center the night before, when they hold a
concert that will feature cover versions of many Steely Dan songs.
The concert will be available for online viewing at www.berklee.edu.
***************************************************************************
Gabriel, Plant to appear at WOMAD USA
NEW YORK - Robert Plant, the Neville Brothers, Steel Pulse and Peter
Gabriel are among artists who will perform at the World of Music,
Arts and Dance U.S. Festival, set for July 27-29 in Seattle. In
total, the lineup will feature 40 acts from 22 countries;
international artists will include France's Lo'Jo, Tibet's Yungchen
Llamo and Senegal's Youssou N'Dour. WOMAD founder Gabriel will appear
as a guest vocalist with Afro Celt Sound System. Tickets go on sale
Friday, priced at $65 for the entire fest or $25 per day.
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Hendrix Redhouse Tour stops in N.Y.
Fans of Jimi Hendrix will want to visit the Redhouse Tour, the
traveling Hendrix museum that will make a pit stop at the Virgin
Megastore in New York's Times Square on Tuesday in conjunction with
that day's release of "Voodoo Child: The Jimi Hendrix Collection."
This marks the first time the Redhouse Tour will be in New York, and
making a rare appearance on the tour will be special guests Billy Cox
(Hendrix's bass player from Band of Gypsies), Eddie Kramer (Hendrix's
original studio engineer and producer) and Jimi's sister Janie
Hendrix, all of whom will meet fans and sign autographs. The
traveling interactive museum - all housed in a giant, psychedelic,
53-foot long 18-wheeler big rig - includes a presentation of
Hendrix's musical legacy as well as a collection of personal
memorabilia, such as guitars, stage outfits, drawings and handwritten
song drafts.
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THE AUSTIN MUSIC SCENE
Through the Lens of BURTON WILSON (1965-1994) with Jack Ortman
Review by David Gross
What do Muddy Waters, Earl Scruggs, Jerry Jeff Walker, and Mose
Allison have in common? Or Guy Clark, Fats Domino, Roy Buchanan, and
Janis Joplin? The answer lies in the pages of photographs taken by
veteran photographer Burton Wilson of Austin.
The Austin Music Scene (1965-1994) is a collection of more than two
hundred black and white photos of the American music scene made by
Burton from 1965 to 1994. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of
Design, Burton took photography classes at the University of Texas
under the tutelage of internationally known photographer Russell Lee.
Burton became house photographer of the famed Austin concert hall,
the Armadillo World Headquarters, and many of his photos are being
published for the first time in this wonderful book.
Where else can you see Jerry Garcia and Phil Lesh from the Grateful
Dead jamming with Doug Sahm and Leon Russell? Burton Wilson was
there at the Armadillo World Headquarters for a free Thanksgiving Jam
in 1972.
Early shots of Bruce Springsteen, Boz Scaggs, Big Mama Thornton, Bill
Monroe, Dr. John, Willie Nelson, Steve Miller, ZZ Top, and Frank
Zappa, among many others, share the pages of this book.
Jack Ortman graciously weaves on-the-money text descriptions
throughout the book, making the photos come to life. You'll have a
good sense of the emerging and maturing Austin music scene, with
additional photos from the Matrix in San Francisco as well.
From Cheech and Chong to Gram Parsons, this book will take you back
to Threadgill's where you can almost taste their classic
chicken-fried steak!
The book is available now for only $24.95 and can be ordered directly
through the publisher (with free shipping!) by sending an email to:
sales@eakinpress.com
For a preview, visit eakinpress.com
Source: 2001 Punmaster's MusicWire punmaster.com |
