Fans share this clip of Terry Hall talking about mental health
Fans are sharing a clip of terry room talk about mental health as a result of the specials death of the leader
The singer died on December 18. at the age of 63 years. In a statement announcing his death, his bandmates described him as “a wonderful friend, brother, and one of the most brilliant singer-songwriters and lyricists this country has produced.”
As fans reminisce about the ska icon, a clip from a 2019 interview with BBC 6 Music’s Mary-Anne Hobbs has started making the rounds online. In the two-minute snippet, Hall talks about his experiences with depression and finding joy in the little things.
“I didn’t realize I was spending the first 50 years of my life in this bubble called depression and people told me about it, but I had no idea what I was doing,” he said. “And then 10 years ago, I had to come to attention because of an incident and I found a doctor, and she’s been with me for 10 years and she took me out of this bubble and said, ‘You have a disease, but we can deal with it. ‘”.
Hall went on to explain how his life had changed since then, saying that “at least the last five years” had been “incredibly bright and appreciating things on a different level, which I never thought I would.” “I eat really simple things, like on the way here, I saw a folding bike and that made my day to be able to fold a bike to that size,” she said. “It’s like origami. But only that level and if I get such a thing every day then I am very happy. So happy.”
He added: “People always say to me: ‘You have a number one record, they gave you this, why don’t you smile?’ I don’t know why I didn’t smile but that folding bike made me smile and there you go. That’s me, I think really.” Listen to the full clip here.
Hall had previously opened up about his struggles with depression and addiction., which began after he was kidnapped by a pedophile ring and sexually assaulted in the ’70s. “I was a little high on valium for about a year and didn’t go to school,” he explained in 2019. “I mean, I suffer from manic depression and I avoided all kinds of meds for a long time, then 10 years ago, I started taking lithium and stuff and I’m still on these meds. And in a way it helps, in a way it helps.”
Writing about the importance of Hall speaking about his experiences in an obituary for the singer, NME‘s Mark Beaumont wrote:: “As heartbreaking as the story was, it was one we needed to hear: that anything can be survived, that there is no insurmountable problem, that it is possible to get rid of any burden. Where so many suffering people struggle for better understanding in the midst of their struggles, Hall spoke like a beacon of light at the end of the tunnel.”
Following the announcement of Hall’s death, his Specials bandmate Horace Panter shared more details about the star’s final days.explaining that the pair and Specials guitarist Lynval Golding had planned to record a reggae album in Los Angeles in early November.
“Terry had the framework for 8 tunes,” Panter wrote on Facebook. “Confidence was high. We were ready to meet Nikolaj. [Larsen, Specials keyboardist] and do magic. This was in September. Terry emails everyone and says that he’s in bed with a stomach bug and he can’t make the first week of pre-production sessions. It’s not a big deal, we can push the whole thing back a week. We must not fly until November 4.”
He went on to say that Hall had not recovered the following week, and that on October 2, Panter received a phone call from the band’s manager informing him that Hall had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, which had spread to his liver.
Since Hall’s death, fans and artists have been paying tribute to the legend. Fans have shared footage from his latest concert with The Specials.weather Damon Albarn posted a musical tribute to the musicianwho collaborated with gorillaz on the 2001 track ‘911’. Meanwhile, Coventry City Football Club, honored the star with a digital billboard at a recent match.