Hi everybody,
Welcome to the “Chris Knox had a stroke and everyone wants to know how he is, how the hell are we gonna keep you all updated all at once” blog.
We’ll try to keep this as up to date as we can – in this first post is a statement we sent out to the media this afternoon. You can leave well wishes in the ‘comments’ section below. We love hearing from you.
Cheese,
Chris’s family and friends
15th June 2009
Media statement from Ward-Knox family
Re: Chris Knox
“We have been overwhelmed by the level of support for Chris from around the world since his stroke. We’d like to express our thanks to everyone who has helped or wished us well in the last few days.
“Like many other families who are currently experiencing a similar change to their lives we are learning a great deal about strokes and their long-term effects. We have learned that it is too early to predict the ramifications of a stroke with any degree of accuracy. However, positive anecdotes have been flooding in which fill us all with hope.
“Chris is not in pain and is responsive to family and friends who are very optimistic and focused on Chris’s well being. He enjoyed his vegetable frittata this morning but I suffered the classic Knox withering look when I mentioned beer.
“As the situation becomes clearer to us we will happily inform those who wish to know.
“We have created a site at chrisknox.blogtown.co.nz for this purpose. We aim to keep this site as current as possible.”
Family contact – Roy Martyn
Dear Chris, Barbara& kids,
you are all in my thoughts. I just know it mon’t be long till I see you wandering down Cockburn Street again Chris and even though it always makes you cringe there are some huge cuddles coming your way sir! I’ve told you a thousand times but here it comes again… thank you for everything… for always taking the time to talk to me or drop me a line, from when I was a snot nosed little know-it-all punk to now that I’m a growen up snotnosed know-it-all punk.
One day we’re gonna knock out a tribute to Buddah Records… 1910 Fruitgum Company, Kasenetz-Katz… all your faves and mine. Take the kids from ‘yummy yummy yummy’ to Tall D’s ‘there’s love, there’s lust, there’s chewy chewy chewy”…
I love you man, you are my hero!
Brendonx
Hi Chris,
Bugger ! What a cruel turn of fate for you. I was so saddened to hear about your setback. No doubt you are being well looked after, and there are obviously such a lot of people out there in the ether and beyond that are rooting for you to make a good and quick recovery. Meantime keep that “big” smile of yours turned on. I’ve been looking at some of the photos taken on our Intrepid Trip to India and I know you were so keen to return there. I hope that day will come soon. Meantime keep your chin up old chap and I send you my very best.
Cheers
David Hearn
To Chris, Barbara & whanau
All our love, thoughts, best vibes and best wishes. Love Karen q Temple & whanau. xxxoooxxx.
To Chris,
Heard about your situation via The Fall website, just wanted to wish you a speedy recovery and to say thanks for Flying Nun Records and the Fall In A Hole album. Get Better Rapid as they say.
all the best from the UK
Jem Squires
Best Wishes to you and your family. After all the great music you have made for us, we are sending all the positive thoughts we can across to you.
Hi Ward-Knox family – thinking of you all and wishing you the best with your recovery chris – Rachel and Guy
We’re stunned and shocked at your news. We wish you all the best with a speedy recovery. Best wishes for all the family and support team. My dad (Max’s) had a stroke at age 50 – lost his voice. Had to learn to speak again but in 6 weeks was back at work. He’s now 82 and can talk the back leg off a horse. As a get well incentive we’ll send you some more Pinot to look forward to – we hope you’ll be able to quaff again soon ! Max & Kate
HI chris..sad to hear about you not being well hope you get better soon.dont know you personally but been to heaps of your gigs over the years and love your music.stay strong.muzza(dunedin).
chris and family, my warmest and dearest wishes to you. i fondly remember the terminus gigs in wellington with toylove. i still havent recovered but loved every minute!! i put my hand up to organise a get well chris concert. much love
Chris so glad to hear that you’re on the mend . . must be those positive vibes coming back at ya !
hi Chris, keep that improvemet going and you will soon be back to as normal as you ever could be, best from the north east valley liberation front, john holtz
Just found this so decided to send you another message. Chris, get better soon. Fly through physio and we hope to see you onstage again and better than ever. Plus here is an incentive to you, next time you are down in Chch come around home to have some of Mum’s doughnuts ha! Those were the days right? Avenal Street has never been the same without us all living there! So to you, Barbara, Leisha and John I say keep your spirits us during this stressful and worrying time. You will all get through this!!
to Mr. Chris Knox, you who has given much from your generous heart so that we
(who are not so privileged to call you their friend, who maybe you’ve never met or only glanced at out of the corner of your eye,
or who you might have said seven sage words to)
have permission to make passion real,
we say hmmm mmmm, ah huh, you’re a fine hero.
You sure do make fine music sounds, clever and sweet words and be staunchly family and funny/wise.
Who you are and how you are makes a difference to the world, to our world.
From you we get that it’s ok, nay, important to be and say and do who we are.
And to take care of everyone.
So many of us are talking of you and sending the warmest thoughts your way every day,
and giving thanks for being in our lives.
Thank you for being in my and my families’ lives, we treasure you
and wish you the absolute best for your continued getting wellerness.
I want also to wish you grace, and say
take whatever time you need to
to do this thing for yourself and your family.
Be assured that all that you have
given/done/thought up/played/created/ made so far
will keep us going sweetly for quite a while yet.
Don’t worry, we’ll hang around until you’re ready for more.
I am very fortunate to know your John who also has a lovely generous heart.
One day he turned around and casually
told me again all we need to know.
he simply said “it’s all about love.”
And to you John, I hope our big hugs and loving thoughts are getting through those thick hospital walls to you
if there’s anything we/I can do, just let us know. Anything.
And those of you who did the blog thing…thank you so, so much
xk
Hi Chris, please get well soon. You’re such an inspiration to us all that you’ve gotta get well. I spoke to you, once, at a Tall Dwarfs concert at the Kings Arms, years ago, and we just raved about the good music being played and the audience ambience.
Like you said “I’m lying in a hospital room
The air is dripping with impending doom
Now all these faces looking down at me
Readying me for surgery
They’re all saying it’ll all be sweet
I’ll be back on my feet in about a week
But I don’t hear a single word they say
My mind is several million miles away…”
Sown up, So fine, … ,
Hi Barb and Chris and whanau
Happy Birthday Barb – I’d forgotten, with so much happening, that you were a fellow Gemini. No wonder you’re such a wonder.
This blog is a great idea. Thanks for the updates Roy. It’s a nice way for us to keep in touch without pestering you with texts. I know you and Chris are surrounded by loving friends – that’s got to make this easier. It sure makes you think how awful it must be for people who haven’t got the literally hundreds and hundreds of staunch friends and wonderful family like you do to take care of them.
Lots of love and I’ll see you in July
Jen xxx
PS I went fishing in Ohope on my way home but can safely report to Chris that no fish were harmed by me spending 4 hours basking in the sun, unwinding great hoiks of knotted nylon and patiently taking hooks out of my clothes and thumbs.
Just wanted to say hi.
I hope you, your family and all those close are doing ok. We wish you the best on your road to recovery.
Rohan Isabel & Ester
Hi, Chris.
James Greig here. One of the Melbourne members of Into The Void and former Flying Nun office boy (in my young, young youth).
I’ve met you a couple of times, briefly, over the last 3 decades. The time I remember the most:
Flying Nun were in residence in Gloucester St. As usual, I went there after high school, to stuff records into sleeves and make coffee for Bruce. You were in the back stair-well, with a brown paper package in your hands. No one was home.
“Do you have a key?” you arksed?
“Nope”.
17 year-old boys feel bad enough about themselves as it is, without having to stand next to fuckin’ Chris Knox in a stair-well for 45 minutes, or 20 seconds in real time, until Roger came and saved me.
We went inside. You held up the brown package, like King Arthur held the sword.
“I went to Ballintynes (sp?). I’ve never had BLUE cords before.” you said, grinning. I nodded, excused myself and went to the other room, to count Big Black records.
That story sucks, I know, but it’s in my head. The thing is, you’ve been in my life, in one way or another, for about 27 years.
I’m a nurse now, here in Melbourne. Before I left NZ, I worked in a brain injury rehab unit in Christchurch. I won’t say I know what you’re going through, but I kind of know what you’re going through.
I’m thinking about you daily, Chris.
All the best, always,
Love James xxx
Hey Chris I was shocked to hear about your stroke, I am hope you have a speedy recovery and that physio gets you back on track to making music, cartoons and general media activities
“A word of encouragement during a failure is worth more than an hour of praise after success”
Cheers Peter
Chris is like a boomerang – he gives and he receives in equal measure.
Chris is like a tuning fork that sets us to rights.
An everyman – we all see something of ourselves in Chris.
Get well and come back to us – there’s a boy!
Cecil Feeney
Hi Chris and family.
We’ve been fans from the very beginning and have lived in lots of countries (in between living in Wellington), and have always taken you with us, spreading the word of the magnificence of Chris Knox!! We’ve told many stories of the wild gigs we’ve enjoyed each time you’ve come to Wellie for a visit
We currently live in Singapore, and are very saddened to hear what’s happened to you. We think about you lots and have been playing your CD’s heaps in the hope that it will help somehow????? It’s great to have this website so we can stay tuned for how your wonderful recovery is coming along – THANKS to all concerned in this department.
The best we can do is wish you a full recovery and look forward to the next album…..
Speedy recovery and lots of love from Julie and Gareth
Hi Chris,
May White light and warm thoughts envelope you and whanau,
Love,
Donna Savage and co xx
Chris and Barbara…
get well chris … there is so much love out there for U cobber
a veritable avalanche of good will
Trevor R
Hi Chris I wish you the best of luck in your recovey. I have been a fan since seeing you play in scafieland in the 80’s. As I aged I ended up looking so alike to you that my boss started calling me Chris Knox even more so after seeing you on TV travelling through India. The resemblence has ended now as I have become fatter. Be patient and be strong
Kind regards Rob
Hoping that no news is good news, but would be good to hear how things are progressing with Chris. Any chance of an update on the blog?
Hi Chris,
Sending you our love and wishing you a steady recovery.
Chris – your achievements as a master musician, artist, family man & all round good guy are abundantly evident in the flood of heartfelt messages of love and strength conveyed in this blog. Clearly you have touched many with your generous spirit and energy for people. I first met you in person during an Orientation gig in Auckland in the early 1990s. Your warmth and support for a fellow artist combined with your intelligent banter, humility and humour made that walk in the park a valuable experience for me which I have not forgotten. Have spotted you at various gigs since and recently bumped into you in Cuba St Wellington. As others have said, you encapsulate the kind of kiwi bloke most of us would hope we are known for – creative, funny, sharp, compassionate, caring, outspoken, courageous, inspiring… etc etc.
To you and your family as you continue on this next stage of your journey, I am sending you huge aroha and respect (also from numerous others of my own friends and family)… may your recovery bring you to new levels of joy and understanding… you are our tallest dwarf, a true kiwi icon and great man. We will all be following this blog and daily sending you our love. All the best.
Fergus Aitken
Hey Richard (#324), the blog IS being updated- click on his name at the very top of this page to redirect you to the latest entry.
And just another “hello” and best wishes from Jonathan in San Francisco. Checking in everyday, just so you know, so- thanks Rob for taking the time to keep all of us informed.
Love you, Chris!
Hiya Rascal
Thinking of you and Barbara lots in recent times and can only hope that through all of this that Roy is still getting lots of gyp from you.
Hugs and squeezes
Kathryn B
Thinking of you Chris! all the best.
Sending you lots of positive energy Chris! Get better soon. You’re an oldy but a goody and a legend in Kiwi music history.
Hi Chris, wishing you a speedy recovery!!!!!
the guys from Jealous Itch.
Cheers Barbara and family.
Here’s an interesting link about music and stroke recovery
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8112247.stm
Arthur
Kia ora Chris and family,
Kia ora Chris and family
Thinking of you with much love and support. My Mum had a similar stroke to yours (later entitled a “Lucky Strike”!) and made a full recovery with much music and word therapy. There sure are a helluva lot of people out here who have every conviction that that very fine brain of yours will ensure likewise. Our one conversatin enabled me to express my gratitude for — amongst all the other gifts you’ve bequeathed us— my weekly Friday night date with something called “The Vault”– I believe we discussed film noir and women in impossibly architectural hats. All the best for YOUR recovery Mr Knox and tautoko for those around you. Me nga mihi aroha.
Hello Chris and family – it is good to keep up with news of you. Hope it is not too gloomy to learn that Willy de Ville (Mink de Ville) has pancreatic cancer. Chris has real hope of rehab and recovery.Has he tried doing a painting by numbers? It might be harder than you think! a nice painting of kittens for Aunty Dot in the rest home perhaps?- Arohanui Joy
Errata
Yoicks. Am taking the liberty of editing my previous comment— sent off in haste but now feel that it simply will not do do offer salutory tales of the redemptive powers of the word to a hierophant and make errors! All the best, Chris and co—day by day and each day better.
Thinking of you with much love and support. My Mum had a similar stroke to yours (later entitled a “Lucky Strike”!) and made a full recovery with much music and word therapy. There sure are a helluva lot of people out here who have every conviction that that very fine brain of yours will ensue likewise. Our one conversation enabled me to express my gratitude for — amongst all the other gifts you’ve bequeathed us— my weekly Friday night date with something called “The Vault”– I believe we discussed film noir and women in impossibly architectural hats. All the best for YOUR recovery Mr Knox and tautoko for those around you. You’re a national treasure! Me nga mihi aroha.
Greetings Chris and family, I am sending my loving thoughts and best wishes to Chris for a speedy recovery, and a big “thanks” to all the loving friends and family supporting him at this time. Chris, you have been an inspiration to me since I first heard Toy Love when I was 16 years old and I have followed your career with great interest, admiration and respect my whole adult life, you are truly an icon of NZ music and I hope it won’t be too long till you are making music again! Much love, Fiona McEwen
Ahoy there Chris! Peter Needham here, over in Australia. I heard the news a couple of days ago and got in touch with Arthur B, who gave me a few details and told me about this blog. You have an impressive number of well-wishers out there and I am one of them. This is to wish you the very best for a complete recovery, as speedily as possible. I’ll get in touch when I next get over to Auckland (which should be in two or three months time) and we can meet up again then, perhaps with Arthur too, as last time. This blog is a good idea – quite an invention. What will they think of next? The 21st century may have some redeeming features after all. I’ll have a look at the chrisknox.blogtown.co.nz site too, when it’s up and running. All the best to you and, in the old phrase, get well soon.
Peter
P.S. I happened to hear an Irish banjo band in a local hostelry the other day and I recalled our evening in that pub when we were visiting Ireland, when a banjo band was belting out numbers. Plunkety-plunkety-plunkety-plunkety (etc) From what I remember of the evening, you weren’t particularly impressed with banjo bands in general and that one in particular. You may well have been right!
eek alors!hope things are getting better every day!I saw toy love in the early eighties(i think!)@ the awapuni hotel in palmerston north,you slithered onto stage with a stocking over your head singing ‘hey big spender’there was a lady in your band & her parents were in the crowd watching, that much i remember! any howz, keep the faith. The Lone Groover.
Hello Chris – I just spent the day watching New Artland footage of you and marveling at your audacious talent and cheeky quips. You really are a bloody national treasure! It’s been my great pleasure to meet a true renaissance man like yourself and I’ve no doubt that indomitable spirit of yours will see you through thick and thin – as it always has.
Your in my thoughts Chris and in my heart – Kim
Hi there, just to wish too to Chris a speedy & complete recovery, he is such a great artist and lots of people in France do love him & his silly and brilliant recordings – See you soon – Gauthier from Lille, France
Hi Chris, Met you on 15th May at Akld intl airport where I waited for you to get off our flight from Christchurch to have my photo taken with you. You seemed quite chuffed that I had asked but I was the one who was chuffed and boasted about it to my friends and family. I had seen you perform 21 years earlier in a club in Quay St where you started to perform a song you had written that afternoon but couldn’t quite remember how it went. Was a great gig. Trust things are feeling a little the same at the moment. It will come back to you. All the best in your recovery. Kim
Dear Chris! It is so cheering to read how you are progressing day by day. I am zooming in again today to give you and yours our very best wishes and to do a – sorry I’ll play that again – number on what I wrote before. You may remember the evening the drums were playing at ********** Street and I had a battle with my camera trying to take a photograph of you. Well the same thing has happened again and this is more like what I was trying to say.
Chris is like a boomerang – he gives and he receives in equal measure.
His Gatsby smile sets us to rights.
Get well Chris and come back to us.
Note: On page 54 of my Penguin paperback edition of The Great Gatsby is Scott Fitzgerald’s description of Gatsby’s smile. “It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of reassurance in it, that you may come across three or four times in life. It faced – or seemed to face – the whole eternal world for an instant, and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favour. It understood you just so far as wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself, and assured you that it had precisely the impression of you that, at your best, you hoped to convey.”
Cecil Feeney.
Checking in from a frozen city. I hope that “get well song” wasnt too disturbing. Marty said it would probably make you worse! That did cross my mind. As I said to Allison, I think it was as much therapy for myself than anything, But seriously, I do believe in the message maaaaaan. And now Im wondering why oh why I chose Nothings Gonna Happen. Its like trying to better Like a Rolling Stone, eer, the kiwi Like A Rolling Stone that is…. Ive got a backing track ready…..now just to sing the verses……ooooh….argggh….Sam Hunt is in town and we both send our love and thoughts. Would love to see you, but Im kindve broke and busy…..same old story…..Glad to hear youre slowly “coming back”……all my love to you and the whanau……..xodk
Kia Ora Chris, just thinking why there has been no news of your recovery? But good to hear of Allison and Martins updates. You know we are all waiting to see you kick ass again, hey no pressure, right! Gently as she goes on your rocky road ahead, but you as the fearless fighter that I know, will be bouncing back hard out.
Like David, I send my best from the frozen and tonight earth moved city of Dunedin
AROHA
ROZ
Hey, I hear there is a CD of your songs in the making. We go into the studio tomorrow, and I’ve always wanted to play “All My Hollowness to You” off 3 songs. If that’s not already taken, or even if it is, we’ll give it a go, Graeme Humphries will be playing and can help make sure we get it right, you trust him, right? Silly and brilliant; well put; but occasionally heartfelt too, for which much thanks. I’ve just watched a video of Edwyn Collins on stage again, he had a big stroke a few years ago and is touring again now, and has been producing for the past year or two.
Hi to you Chris and your family
I have just watched the news tonight (21st July) and found out that you have had a stroke. I am sorry I do not know you although now that I have seen the news item I know your music.
My husband (John) had a stroke with the same effects as you, he had it three years ago when he was 50, he is a builder and with no use of the right hand side the hammer stayed in the pouch. His speech has been affected same as yours but three years down the track that is improving all the time. He has accepted the stroke and has just got more determined to get through it. He was a great sportsman and the way he used to train for each game of pitching at softball has come out in his rehabilitation. Sure he gets very frustated that his day is the same day after day and he does sometimes feels that he has been dealt a jail sentence but as his progress becomes greater and greater he feels more and more determined to get better.
I would imagine that you being young will have the same determination as my husband and if you have days where you feel down then please try to rise above it as I can assure you that each day, week, month will get better. Everyone who has a stroke has a different story to tell and it would be great to tell you of John’s journey so that you can see it can be all goood but that would take a long time, we have found it is great to hear other peoples stories so that you can take bits out of it for your own recovery, anyway on that note lots and lots of good wishes are sent your way from our family (myself, John and our daughter) who are thinking of you and your family.
ello guv
wot the fuks a pakotai-a pakeha looking for help?
This geezer does need help- is it yo late for yrs truly to do BADGER- fer yer tribute rekid?-I need the chord shapes and lyrics man!It’s really hard livin in an empty Marshall cabinet in the back of a transit van-I’m transitory man!
Hope yr cool an breathin n recoverin,
the lone groover needs help.
Help that man-the Wild Ones.
We wanna be frre to ride and get high!
peace and lurve
Transom(check out the Floyd playing live to the Moon landing in 69-it rules man!they should never have kicked Syd out man!