EDWYN COLLINS is seriously ill in hospital after suffering a brain haemorrhage (...back in 2005; he's much better now).

Edwyn Collins Remains In Serious Condition

by Paul Cashmere

27 February 2005

Scottish singer Edwyn Collins is fighting for his life after suffering from a brain hemorrhage last weekend (February 20).

One week after Collins was taken to hospital his condition has not improved.

Collins is best known for the 1995 hit single 'A Girl Like You'. Before breaking out as a solo artist he was the lead singer of Scottish band Orange Juice. Orange Juice disbanded in 1984.

He was born in Edinburgh in 1959. He lives in London with his wife Grace who is updating fans at his website.

Collins latest work was as producer for the debut album by Little Barrie.

Edwyn had an emergency operation on Friday 25th Febuary.

He has come through it as well as can be hoped for and is continuing to fight.
Thank you for all the loving thoughts.

As I'm not familiar with the results of brain haemorrhage, I don't know what this means. I only hope he recovers. :-(

Singer Edwyn Collins has undergone emergency brain surgery after suffering a haemorrhage last month.

The 45-year-old Scottish musician's wife Grace Maxwell said the former Orange Juice frontman was recovering and is "as well as can be hoped for".

Collins, who also had success as a solo artist, is in a London hospital while his condition is being stabilised.

Ms Maxwell, also Collins' manager, added in a message posted on his website he was "continuing to fight".

'Loving thoughts'

She also thanked fans and well-wishers for their "loving thoughts", and said she would keep them informed of any developments in the singer's condition.

Collins' biggest hit with Orange Juice was Rip It Up in 1983, which reached number three, and in 1995 he scored a big solo hit with A Girl Like You.

On BBC 6 Music's radio show Roundtable on 18 February, Collins said he had recently been ill.

"I suddenly got a horrible sense of vertigo, the room started spinning around and I started puking up," he said.

But he put it down to food poisoning at the time, adding: "I'm two days into recuperation and I should be fine."

Global hit

Collins was a leading figure on the alternative Scottish scene in the late 1970s and 1980s, forming his first band, Nu-Sonics, aged 17.

They became Orange Juice, who were independent favourites and briefly broke into the mainstream with Rip It Up.

The band Orange Juice

Edwyn Collins' pop path

He pursued a solo career with mixed results until A Girl Like You, at the height of Britpop, which was a top 10 hit in seven countries and reached the top 40 in the US.

In 1999, he created and starred in Channel 4 sitcom West Heath Yard, which featured cameo performances from Jarvis Cocker, Natalie Imbruglia and Alan McGee.

He surfaced again as a guest on Rolf Harris' album after being impressed by the Australian icon's rendition of A Girl Like You.

He had recently turned to producing new bands including Sons and Daughters, The Cribs and Little Barrie.

A compilation of his early songs, The Glasgow School, is due to be released in May.

I didn't know that. Was this good, was it?

Incidentally, I saw you Momus on prime-time TV just last night, discussing parasites and eye damage at some length on a BBC doco. Nasty! (and not the way one would've hoped you'd broaden your antipodean audience!) : (

Best wishes.

Poor Edwyn, I really hope for the best for him.

"Dear All This is the most relaxed I've felt
about giving you news since this all began.
I think we can say that Edwyn is now virtually out of immediate danger.
We are organising his next move, to intensive neuro rehabilitation,
which should happen in the next few weeks at the latest.
This is a tough challenge, but you know he's beaten the odds already
and I fully expect him to go on in his customary stubborn manner.
He is aware of the wonderful support he has received and I'm printing
all the messages out so he can read them when he is able in the near future.
If you wish, you can send cards to him at:
West Heath Studios,
West Heath Yard,
174 Mill Lane,
London, NW6 1TB.

Meanwhile, his doctors are delighted and a bit confounded at his progress. He's Edwyn.
Love to you all Grace"

Latest from his website (good news):

"Dearest All, Thank you for all the continuing messages. I read them all and draw strength from every heartfelt thought. He's such an unsentimental person in every day life I wonder how he will react when he realises what you have all done for him. Meanwhile his progress continues. He breathes for himself, he's eating real food again (as of today), he's communicating and battling for returning mobility. I have complete faith in him. Today is our best day yet. Thanks for everything, Love Grace and William (who is, by the way, a hero.)"

On: Monday, April 18, 2005 12:22:09 AM

Well, Edwyn's surgery went off without incident. He was understandably wiped out for a couple of days. He still has some infection in there which they are doing battle with. His fighting powers against these predatory infections is consistently ridiculously strong but I'm sure you all get it when I say I'm right back in the worry zone. Giving you these updates isn't a bother for me. On the contrary I've come to rely on your messages to get me off to sleep. Hmm. I've a feeling Edwyn might call this attention seeking. By the way, he has been singing these past few days. His tuning needs working on...Love Grace

AND

On: Friday, April 22, 2005 09:04:09 PM

The [Sunday Times] (don't know if it's the Scottish version or nationally) plan to run a story on Sunday about Edwyn and MRSA. I have not spoken to them, will not speak to them and would like to state once more for the record that we owe a serious debt of gratitude to the doctors and nurses and domestic staff of the Royal Free whose skill, professionalism, compassion and kindness have got Edwyn through this ordeal. He continues to improve every day and we hope to be back to the rehab unit before very long. With love to you, his real supporters, Grace

His wife Grace Maxwell wrote on his website that the infection has been "very difficult to get under control".

Collins, who had hits with Rip It Up and A Girl Like You, required further surgery to remove infected scar tissue.

'Enduring gratitude'

Mrs Maxwell also said: "I'm hopeful that we've turned a corner. Edwyn continues to feel quite well in himself."

It emerged that Collins has been suffering with the so-called "superbug" for some weeks.

A piece of bone which was replaced at the beginning of April had to be removed again after an infection was detected.

Collins (right) burst onto the music scene with his band Orange Juice

The former frontman of Scottish pop group Orange Juice had left the north London hospital to be treated at a rehabilitation centre, but returned a day later.

A statement from the Royal Free Hospital said: "Grace and the family would like to restate their enduring gratitude to staff for the lifesaving care they have given to Edwyn."

It added that "he continues to improve under the watchful eye of the medical team".

Collins was taken to hospital on 20 February, several days after complaining of vertigo and vomiting.

The Edinburgh-born singer-songwriter then had emergency surgery after suffering a second haemorrhage.

Noted: The Cons slogan "A brighter Britain" like they were promising better weather.

Anyhow I digress.

The MRSA problem has been known about for a very long time. It predates

Actually, I shall leave it there.

Being dirty is one of the very least of Reading hospitals' problems when compared with the absolutely breathtaking incompetence of some it's medical staff, the even more breathtaking arrogance of some of it's Consultants and the pathetically toothless, spineless, feeble ineffectuality of it's Complaints Department and procedures.

Believe me, you really don't want to get me started on all this right now.

A&E could do better.

Neurology negligent and incompetent.

Not that he's bothered of course - he's evidently still far more interested in manipulating his statistics by repeatedly taking her off his waiting list as a supposedly "succesful" case; and sending her back via her GP right to the back of his 4-month waiting list again; than he is in trying to find a diagnosis, a course of treatment or even any pain relief for the constant pain she's been in as a result of the auto-immune disorder (almost certainly triggered by the stroke - another text book classic of course) that's been making her body's natural defence systems go into overdrive and start attacking and destroying perfectly good body tissue and internal organs for the whole of the last 11 months.

And people wonder why I can get just the teensy weensiest bit grumpy sometimes....

Operating theatre 'Birth Crew' really truly excellent. Just the aftercare, or lack of it, was a bit disappointing. No slur on the overworked staff, you understand. Well, only a bit of a slur.

I thought Reading hospital would be good, you know.

Attempts to get an appointment for a hip scan have proved furitless too, so we have to go to Ascot instead.

I have never been to Ascot, so that's OK.

Sorry to hear about that, Stewart. Good luck. I picked up some How To Complain leaflets, but it seemed like a waste of time. Our problems were very minor though.

It's reached the point where the Compliants Co-Ordinator, her assiastant and the Head of The Patient Advice and Liaison Service all recognise both of our voices the moment we come on the 'phone.

All very friendly, all very sympathetic, all very helpful-sounding - and all ultimately about as much actual use as a chocolate teapot and an ashtray on a motorbike.

.. and when he awoke .... ?

Likewise his peer Marc Almond, those post punk stars are made of strong stuff.

As most of you know, Edwyn suffered a brain haemorrhage in February of this
year. Following neurosurgery and a long stay in hospital, he came in August,
where he continues his daily fight for recovery.

This fight is on many fronts, but his progress is such that today finds him
back at work in his studio for the first time. He is continuing to mix his
new album with the wonderful assistance of Sebastian Lewsley, his right hand
man and sparring partner for the last 12 years. They take up today where
they left off in February.

A day to remember.

I lieu of a proper Edwyn Collins general discussion topic, I am upping this one to extol the brilliant all-over-the-place-ness of his 1997 weird pop mini-masterpiece I'm Not Following You.

He sandwiches so much into fifty-five minutes, it's great.

Yeah it is his best non-Orange Juice album imo. Quite close to Texas Fever in its execution. Brilliant production - experimental in the best way: guitars going off all over the place, flashes of feedback or weird noises coming in but its all about the great songs (great anti-britpop song in there too). Don't really like Mark E. Smith's song but otherwise it's really, really good.

ah thanks for the bump, will check.

Also, I love that it was basically his follow-up to 'A Girl Like You.' Such open defiance of even remotely caring about continuing with that momentum.

He casually declares his independence or openly dismisses the idea of being marketed alongside the other bands of the time in maybe half the songs here! Very amusingly worded too! haha.

Doing your own thing and not caring about money or success is the theme of the album.

maybe my favorite thing he ever did?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULZtVYBCL08

"means to an end" (1990)

from the album hellbent on compromise♥︎

i'm honestly slightly aghast at how much no one seems to care/know about this song. <800 listsners and <2000 scrobbles on last.fm, not on streaming, and <1000 views on youtube. i just happened on a used cd copy years ago by complete chance and that's the first track. the rest of the album is kind of a standard jangly 1990 alterna-thing. none of it retains that same eerie atmosphere as on "means to an end." the song was co-written with paul quinn (who goes way back w/ec). anyway, what a tune.

kind of has a leonard cohen thing going on