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Get well Gary Louris


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From his facebook...

 

 

Dear Friends,





As some of you may be aware , I have recently been dealing with a serious health issue. At the end of October I made the decision to check myself into treatment for chemical dependency, a disease I have been battling for some time. Although still in the early stages of recovery, I am out in the world again and eager to immerse myself in writing and performing, including making up the tour dates I regretfully, but out of necessity, had to cancel.



Chemical dependency is a lifelong battle, but I am moving one step forward each day in my recovery. I would like to thank everyone who showed their concern or kept me in their prayers. May we all have a great 2013, individually and collectively...and let's hear it for hope!



Sincerely,





Gary L.


 

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Every time I read this kind of admission/post/news story, I can't help it but I do wonder what his drug of choice was.

 

Don't hold it against me...it simply always happens. I wonder at the larger story.

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Gary doesn't look or act like a "hard drugs" guy. I'm goina go with some type of downer. Could be booze...I think that could fall under chemical dependency. Hope he cleans up though. Thats a guy who sings what comes to his mind no matter how revealing, no filter. That takes a lot of balls.

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Gary doesn't look or act like a "hard drugs" guy. I'm goina go with some type of downer. Could be booze...I think that could fall under chemical dependency. Hope he cleans up though. Thats a guy who sings what comes to his mind no matter how revealing, no filter. That takes a lot of balls.

 

Doesn't sound like booze...not normally referred to as 'chemical dependency'. He doesn't look like a meth head or a coke freak. Horse? I'd be surprised. Oxycotin...hillbilly heroin?

 

And I feel really creepy on speculating about it.

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Nothing wrong with speculating about it, guys. I've been in recovery for 24 years, and when we get together, we tell war stories about this stuff ad nauseum. I'm sure ol' Gary has already had many conversations about it, and will have many more in the years to come.

FYI, "chemical dependency" could simply be alcoholism, as that falls under the chemical dependency heading (as opposed to, say, compulsive overeating/anorexia/bulimia or gambling). Oddly enough, there is still a stigma in some people's minds about alcoholism...I remember a girlfriend of mine saying she would rather be an addict than an alcoholic. Very weird...Too bad for her, wanting to be something other than an alcoholic didn't prevent her from being one. :lol

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I wasn't going to bring this up either, but luckily others have.  I couldn't quite figure out why he is being so cagey about what his dependency is.  Needless to say it is his business, but so is his recovery.  I just figure if he is willing to publicize the recovery he could also say what it is he is recovering from, just to tamp down any speculation.

 

LouieB

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I wasn't going to bring this up either, but luckily others have.  I couldn't quite figure out why he is being so cagey about what his dependency is.  Needless to say it is his business, but so is his recovery.  I just figure if he is willing to publicize the recovery he could also say what it is he is recovering from, just to tamp down any speculation.

 

LouieB

 

I guess I share your confusion LB. I don't think I would have posted in this thread or spent one minute more thinking about it if he had come out and said

As some of you may be aware , I have recently been dealing with a serious health issue  herion addiction/acohol dependency/meth addiciton/cocaine problem/oxycotin dependency.

It's really none of our business, but if one publicizes the act of seeking rehab, an honest and inquisitive mind will wonder what the exact problem is/was. If one is going to be open and honest then it is assumed that they will be 'all in' with the info.

If he had gone into rehab quietly, there would be no questions.

Now I feel REALLY creepy. This is my THIRD post about somebody's chemical dependency rehab. But then again, it is low hanging fruit.

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It is only human to be curious about stuff. If someone young dies, I do look to see what it was.  The same is true here.  We didn't go looking to see what Gary's issue was, he brought it up and it was relayed here by someone else.  As a somewhat public figure, who has lots of fans, it helps people process what is going on to know how they should be feeling and what the prognosis is. Creepy, sure, but it is normal to want to know. 

 

Get better Gary!!   But also help us process this news as well.

 

edit- When Jeff went through his rehab, he was very forthcoming about what was up.  That was his decision, but it really did help.  There are always extenuating circumstances to these issues, which any feeling person can relate to.  Who hasn't been dependent on something at some time??  It may not be pills, or alcohol or heroin, but any one of us can fall victim at any time. 

 

LouieB 

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  • 6 months later...

Wanted to share this with anybody who takes an interest in Gary Louris.  I went to see him this evening and he looked and sounded just great.  He talked a little bit about his recovery, saying that he was not very well the last time he had played the venue (Evanston Space, just north of Chicago, a show I attended).  He said that since, he has "straightened himself out", and alluded to the fact that his water bottle in the past would have been filled with something else.  Gary was very very honest, saying that he thought the last Jayhawks album was mediocre and that he got tired of playing the same setlist night after night.  

 

He was in a mood to play things that HE really responded to and loved, and it showed.  He really put on a fantastic performance, and I would not miss him again if I could possibly avoid it.  His music has meant a lot to me for a lot of years, and it's a joy to see him healthy and eager to do a good show.  His encore included "Angelyne" and a sing-along to "Save It For A Rainy Day" so I for sure left a happy customer.  Wish all the best for Gary.

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Wanted to share this with anybody who takes an interest in Gary Louris.  I went to see him this evening and he looked and sounded just great.  He talked a little bit about his recovery, saying that he was not very well the last time he had played the venue (Evanston Space, just north of Chicago, a show I attended).  He said that since, he has "straightened himself out", and alluded to the fact that his water bottle in the past would have been filled with something else.  Gary was very very honest, saying that he thought the last Jayhawks album was mediocre and that he got tired of playing the same setlist night after night.  

 

He was in a mood to play things that HE really responded to and loved, and it showed.  He really put on a fantastic performance, and I would not miss him again if I could possibly avoid it.  His music has meant a lot to me for a lot of years, and it's a joy to see him healthy and eager to do a good show.  His encore included "Angelyne" and a sing-along to "Save It For A Rainy Day" so I for sure left a happy customer.  Wish all the best for Gary.

Awesome..I saw him a few weeks ago too. I like that he was playing some Sound Of Lies stuff when I saw him. He has also been on a Im not Americana Music kick. He mentioned he wants to cover a PIL album in the future when I saw him.

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Awesome..I saw him a few weeks ago too. I like that he was playing some Sound Of Lies stuff when I saw him. He has also been on a Im not Americana Music kick. He mentioned he wants to cover a PIL album in the future when I saw him.

Really, really good news.

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Awesome..I saw him a few weeks ago too. I like that he was playing some Sound Of Lies stuff when I saw him. He has also been on a Im not Americana Music kick. He mentioned he wants to cover a PIL album in the future when I saw him.

 

Yep, he said he finds it odd that he is associated with "Americana" because he doesn't like much in that genre.  He just finds it boring.  He mentioned also the Big Star tribute show he did in Chicago a few weeks ago, and used the words "train wreck", which not so surprisingly, were the same words I would have used :)  His honesty really struck me yesterday.  

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 Gary was very very honest, saying that he thought the last Jayhawks album was mediocre and that he got tired of playing the same setlist night after night.  

 

He was in a mood to play things that HE really responded to and loved, and it showed.  He really put on a fantastic performance, and I would not miss him again if I could possibly avoid it.  His music has meant a lot to me for a lot of years, and it's a joy to see him healthy and eager to do a good show.  His encore included "Angelyne" and a sing-along to "Save It For A Rainy Day" so I for sure left a happy customer.  Wish all the best for Gary.

I'm glad to hear a Jayhawk acknowledge that the last Jayhawks album was not good. To me, its easily their worst record ever. I attribute that to the presence of Mark Olson, who, to me, has made worse and worse music ever since he left the Jayhawks after Tomorrow The Green Grass. The Jayhawks without him made my favorite Jayhawks music and the reunion shows and albums since Mark and Gary got back together have been terrible, in my view. I hate to say it, because I still love what they did together on Hollywood Town Hall and TTGG, but I hope Gary continues to record and play without Olson. I realize this is an extreme and harsh opinion, and personally I wish Olson nothing but good things, but I hate his music and the way I think he has dragged Gary down musically.

 

I'd love to see Louris live these days, but he's not come out West in a long time. Last time I saw him (on the Vagabonds tour) I had to fly to Chicago after all the West Coast dates got cancelled.

 

I'm glad to hear Gary is healthy and playing music that he likes. Thanks for the show report and glad you lucky Midwest folks are getting chances to hear him play.

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By saying out loud that he doesn't like the last Jayhawks record, I am sure further work with Olsen may not happen. I don't know what their relationship is.  The Jayhawks best years are well behind them and the solo material that both of them make or that they make together can never eclipse those two records.  I always wish these guys well, but perhaps the Jayhawks as a going concern should end.

 

LouieB

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I dunno.  I thought their first go-round of reunion shows (Summer 2009, and Summer 2010, in Minneapolis) were very good.  The problem is that they turned that into a full-blown tour, and the setlists stagnated aside from the stuff from the newest album.  You could tell it went from being a one-off "This is fun, I remember this" to being a full-time endeavor, being "The Reunited Jayhawks" again.

 

If Olson allowed Louris to play more latter-day Jayhawks stuff in the sets, it might be different.  But you have to feel for Louris:  he (and Marc Perlman) kept the Jayhawks up and running without Olson, and put out some music that feel proud of, but they can't really play it when they tour with what most people consider to be the "REAL Jayhawks."  

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I concur with the idea that the Jayhawks should play the stuff Gary did without Mark.  I enjoyed the reunion show I saw a lot. It was nice to see the entire band.  I was less enthralled with the duo show I saw. 

 

LouieB

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