Friday, February 6, 2015

Gong's Daevid Allen Thanks His Fans


Daevid Allen, co-founder of The Soft Machine and most notably of psychedelic/space rock/Canterbury/jazz fusion prog band Gong, has announced on Gong's website that the cancer that afflicted him has returned in force. Allen's doctors have given him at most six months to live.

In the same statement he also announced that he won't be seeking further treatment. Read it in full here:

Hello you Kookaburras,
OK so I have had my PET-CAT scans (which is essentially a full body viewing gallery for cancer specialists, ) and so it is now confirmed that the invading cancer has returned to successfully establish dominant residency in my neck.
The original surgery took much of it out, but the cancer has now recreated itself with renewed vigour while also spreading to my lung.
The cancer is now so well established that I have now been given approximately six months to live.
So My view has Changed:
I am not interested in endless surgical operations and in fact it has come as a relief to know that the end is in sight.
I am a great believer in “The Will of the Way Things Are” and I also believe that the time has come to stop resisting and denying and to surrender to the way it is.
I can only hope that during this journey, I have somehow contributed to the happiness in the lives of a few other fellow humans.
I believe I have done my best to heal, dear friends and that you have been enormously helpful in supporting me through this time.
So Thank you SO much for being there with me, for the Ocean of Love and Now, importantly, Thank you for starting the process of letting go of me, of mourning then transforming and celebrating this death coming up – this is how you can contribute, this would be a great gift from those emotionally and spiritually involved with me.
I love you and will be with you always  
- Daevid xxx -

Allen was born in Australia in 1938. In 1961 he moved to the UK and co-founded The Soft Machine in 1966. After being refused entry back in the UK in 68, he moved to Paris and co-founded Gong, a band with which he has been mostly associated, and in which he has been a member and leader on and off ever since.

Daevid's latest Gong release is 2014's excellent I See You.


No comments:

Post a Comment