THE frontman of Scottish alternative rock band Del Amitri has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s.
During an interview with BBC Radio 4’s Tremelo programme Justin Currie, the band’s Glaswegian founding member and main songwriter, said he had been diagnosed after suspecting something was wrong when he had difficulty holding his guitar plectrum.
"When you are doing something you know really well,” he said.
“Like riding a bike or something and you suddenly can't do it properly anymore- you think you're going mad.
"I was spending the whole time on tour, when I was still playing the guitar on this song, just thinking about where the plectrum was between my fingers, and when you start thinking about things like that then all the other stuff just starts falling apart."
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The 59-year-old also spoke of how long it took for him to receive an official diagnosis despite being told by his GP that they suspected he had the condition.
A doctor told Currie that while he could have a brain scan it would take up to a year before he would receive the diagnosis of Parkinson’s – a progressive neurological disorder which can cause tremors, memory loss and impact movement.
He said: "So you are saying I have Parkinson's but you can't confirm the diagnosis for a year?
“How do you know?"
The doctor then told Currie to relax his arms by his side. As he did so his right hand trembled at his hip, leading the GP to suspect he had Parkinson’s.
A year later, Currie was officially diagnosed.
"As lead singer and song writing leader steadiness has been my strongest suit,” he said.
"I might be a mediocrity, but I'm always there and reliable. Now I'm somewhere else, distracted and flaky.
"Sometimes you have to second guess the phrasing of a rhythm, something that would normally come naturally.
"The other things that has been hard is getting up to notes, because you just lose a bit of control over your muscles.
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“Things I used to use my diaphragm to hit, I now have to do in the throat."
Del Amitri rose to prominent in the 80s and 90s with hits such as Nothing Ever Happens and Roll To Me.
They reformed in 2014 following a 12-year hiatus. Next month, they are due to embark on a European tour supporting Simple Minds.
In the summer they will also headline the HebCelt festival on Lewis.
The full interview will be broadcast on BBC Radio 4's Tremelo programme on March 10.
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