George Kooymans seriously ill

Basvarken · February 05, 2021, 01:32:33 AM

George Kooymans, founding member of Golden Earring is seriously ill. He won't be able to perform again.
Even though I'm not a fan, it's still a shock.
He and bass player Rinus Gerritsen have been playing together for sixty years.

https://netherlandsnewslive.com/golden-earring-guitarist-george-kooymans-seriously-ill-show/80504/

westen44 · February 05, 2021, 08:49:12 AM

Sorry to hear that. I'm glad I got to see Golden Earring in 2013 near Rotterdam. At the time, I didn't realize that would be my one and only chance. I think George might be hard to replace maybe even more because of vocals than his guitar playing. Some of those songs wouldn't sound the same without his high vocal range and distinctive style. Frank Carillo who has played with Golden Earring a lot might be able to fill in on guitar. But it wouldn't be the same and he lives in the U.S. anyway. I'm really not sure if you can actually have Golden Earring without George Kooymans. I hope the illness isn't as serious as it sounds, but it probably is.

Basvarken · February 05, 2021, 09:40:09 AM

Later today the word got out he has ALS. Which is a progressive disease.
George says he won't be able to play anymore. The band will not continue without him.

uwe · February 05, 2021, 09:44:46 AM

That's terrible, sounds like Alzheimer or Parkinson.

Golden Earring - to the eternal amusement of Rob - are very dear to my heart. It's the kind of professional band I would have liked to be in. And George was of course their musical director.

Whether they continue or not should best be decided by him.

westen44 · February 05, 2021, 03:13:25 PM

I'm not sure how much this news will be seriously noted, especially in places like the U.S. where many people still think Golden Earring only did two songs. In fact, they did 25 albums and as a fan, of course, I have all of them.

I hope George Kooymans can do as well as Stephen Hawking did with ALS. He lived far beyond what they said he would. I hope for the best for GK.

uwe · February 05, 2021, 09:39:11 PM

That's a(nother) horrible disease. One of my classmates died from it at a comparatively young age (in his early 40ies), his still young children had to see him wither away.

Dave W · February 05, 2021, 10:40:07 PM

Sad news. It's an awful disease. It took Kim Shattuck of The Muffs at age 56 in October of 2019. Reading about her decline and what she went through was sad beyond words.

ajkula66 · February 05, 2021, 11:35:33 PM

Quote from: Dave W on February 05, 2021, 10:40:07 PM
Sad news. It's an awful disease.

Yep. Killed "Dangerous" Dan Toler of the Allman Brothers Band as well, slowly and miserably. Meanwhile, Jason Becker - albeit completely physically disabled - is still around after 25 years of dealing with it.

One of those things that I wouldn't wish upon anyone.

The best of luck to Mr. Kooymans, I enjoyed Golden Earring a lot in my younger years.

uwe · February 06, 2021, 07:47:05 AM

Jason Becker's will to live is a friggin' miracle. He even brought out a solo album recently - of course he couldn't play on it, but he wrote it.

Dave W · February 07, 2021, 12:06:06 AM

Kim Shattuck's ALS story

westen44 · February 07, 2021, 09:00:35 AM

Quote from: Dave W on February 07, 2021, 12:06:06 AM
Kim Shattuck's ALS story

Very sad.

westen44 · February 08, 2021, 02:34:50 PM

I think it shows class the way Golden Earring is deciding to not try to go on without one of their members. It's all for one and one for all.

Some favorite Golden Earring songs--

Everyday's Torture
Back Home
She Flies On Strange Wings
Candy's Going Bad
Radar Love
Vanilla Queen
Kill Me (Ce Soir)
Holy Holy Life
Roxanne
Cell-29
Long Blond Animal
Baby Dynamite
Lost and Found
Twilight Zone
When the Lady Smiles
Jane Jane
Distant Love
My Killer, My Shadow
Making Love to Yourself
Going to the Run
Bloody Buccaneers
In a Bad Mood
One Night Without You
Bad News to Fall in Love
Identical
Little Time Bomb
This Love
Stratosphere
Over the Cliff into the Deep Deep Blue
Flowers in the Mud
Avenue of Broken Dreams

Chris P. · February 28, 2021, 03:18:14 AM

Sad news but a great list of songs. My favourite isn't even in it: Bombay

westen44 · February 28, 2021, 09:27:44 AM

Quote from: Chris P. on February 28, 2021, 03:18:14 AM
Sad news but a great list of songs. My favourite isn't even in it: Bombay

"Bombay" could easily be on there. It's number 8, for instance, on this particular list. That list I made was made spontaneously. It isn't something I deliberated on all that much. There are many others that could be on there, IMO. Since I posted that, I've run across several reviews of Golden Earring songs which are songs that almost seem random. But everyone has their own taste and there is nothing wrong with that at all.

https://rateyourmusic.com/release/comp/golden-earring/golden-earring-greatest-hits/

westen44 · March 05, 2021, 10:38:48 AM

Bill Curbishley talks about Golden Earring.