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Wilko Johnson Was Reluctant To Hear Life-Saving Advice


. (Classic Rock) The man who saved Wilko Johnson's life nearly couldn't pass on his urgent message to the musician because bouncers wouldn't let him backstage. And even once he'd made his way through, the former Dr Feelgood guitarist told him he didn't want to listen.

But the efforts of photographer and doctor Charlie Chan paid off, and Johnson last year underwent a pioneering procedure that cured him of terminal cancer.

The story is told in upcoming documentary The Ecstasy Of Wilko Johnson, created by Julien Temple, who also made Feelgood movie Oil City Confidential.

Temple tells Fox: "He was living vividly in the moment. He accepted his fate in a very inspiring way and kept on playing. He didn't want to poison his last 10 months.

"After about 18 months a photographer in the pit at one of his concerts, who had a medical background, said, 'This guy's got too much energy - what's going on?'

"It's a typical rock'n'roll thing. He tried to get backstage and couldn't. He was blocked, but forced his way thought and said, 'Wilko, you've got to listen.' Wilko was saying, 'No, I've accepted everything. I'm beyond worrying about this.' The guy had to really insist." Read more here.

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Copyright Classic Rock Magazine- Excerpted here with permission.

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