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Thread: George Kooymans (Golden Earring) seriously ill

  1. #1

    George Kooymans (Golden Earring) seriously ill

    Today I heard the news George Kooymans is seriously ill and can't play anymore.
    Together with Rinus Gerritsen, he started the Golden Earrings, which later transformed into Golden Earring.

  2. #2
    That's very sad, I pray he recovers. One of my favorite bands. I got to see them briefly in the late 70s opening for Aerosmith. I only caught the very end of Radar Love as my friends were late picking me up. Just that few minutes completely blew Aerosmith off the stage.

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    Member thedunno's Avatar
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    He was/is really the creative force of Golden Earring. So many good songs came from his hand, also for other bands.

    I saw him live two years back (with 'Vreemde Kostgangers') and he looked in fine shape.

    I hope he recovers but the newsitem does suspect its very serious.

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    Sorry to hear it. Surely one of the main bearers of "thinking man's hard rock" in Europe for nearly six decades, and Kooymans' restrained yet highly effective tone was always a central part of it. I have a special penchant for his acoustic rhythm guitar-work in the band. A perfect backing for the often sarcastically ironic but thoroughly layered lyrics of Hay's.

    Let's hope he rides through it safely.
    "Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
    "[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM

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    Member thedunno's Avatar
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    Just read in the news. He is diagnozed with ALS.

    Bad. Very bad.

  6. #6
    Yes, I just read it as well. Terrible news. Very sad.

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    Member FrippWire's Avatar
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    I'm saddened to find out about this. In high school my best friend's favorite bands were Golden Earring and The Pretty Things. We saw Golden Earring open for Rush in Detroit. He went for Golden Earring, I went for Rush. He told me to pay close attention to Golden Earring's drummer since my friend thought he was better than Neil Peart. May the medical community do all they can for George.

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    Sad to hear--- Golden Earring was great the times I saw them perform---gonna have to dig out their Live album

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    Really sad news. Not too many other bands have had a stable lineup that lasted over 50 years. It's also a shame Golden Earring didn't become as well known worldwide as their hard rock peers in the 70s. What a fantastic run of albums. I'm sad GE are pulling the plug, but I understand why. Hoping for all the best for George.

  11. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by Rael View Post
    Really sad news. Not too many other bands have had a stable lineup that lasted over 50 years. It's also a shame Golden Earring didn't become as well known worldwide as their hard rock peers in the 70s. What a fantastic run of albums. I'm sad GE are pulling the plug, but I understand why. Hoping for all the best for George.
    I can understand why they pull the plug as well. George Kooymans and Rinus Gerritsen started the group in 1961, so they were part of all line-ups.
    I hope some day there will be some kind of tribute-concert as a kind of farewell, with the remaining members that are able to play and guests on guitar. And perhaps also some other guest that have played with the group in the past, like Robert-Jan Stips and Bertus Borgers.

    I hope all the best for George as well. Weird thing I've never been a great fan of Golden Earring, but this news touches me more than sad news about foreign musicians, who have played on albums I own.

  12. #12
    That's Mr. to you, Sir!! Trane's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rael View Post
    Really sad news. Not too many other bands have had a stable lineup that lasted over 50 years. It's also a shame Golden Earring didn't become as well known worldwide as their hard rock peers in the 70s. What a fantastic run of albums. I'm sad GE are pulling the plug, but I understand why. Hoping for all the best for George.
    Yeah, from 8MH until their first double-live was indeed a good run (Not big on Together, To The Hilt nd . Don't really care for the rest of their discography (80's until now... or their 60's pop stuff)

    Yup 60 years is enough, IMHO. I can totally understand they'd stop, but maybe a lore fitting exit should be in the cards, iMHO.
    Only more stable line-up were trios: Rush and ZZ Top.

    Quote Originally Posted by Rarebird View Post
    I can understand why they pull the plug as well. George Kooymans and Rinus Gerritsen started the group in 1961, so they were part of all line-ups.
    I hope some day there will be some kind of tribute-concert as a kind of farewell, with the remaining members that are able to play and guests on guitar. And perhaps also some other guest that have played with the group in the past, like Robert-Jan Stips and Bertus Borgers.

    I hope all the best for George as well. Weird thing I've never been a great fan of Golden Earring, but this news touches me more than sad news about foreign musicians, who have played on albums I own.
    Yeah, this doesn't leave me cold as well. Real fondness for Rinus, JoJo and Barry.... and Cesar.



    is Borgers the guy that replaced Cesar when he left for a few years? You forgot Eelco Gelling, BTW.
    Last edited by Trane; 02-06-2021 at 06:26 AM.
    my music collection increased tenfolds when I switched from drug-addicts to complete nutcases.

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by Trane View Post
    Yeah, from 8MH until their first double-live was indeed a good run (Not big on Together, To The Hilt nd . Don't really care for the rest of their discography (80's until now... or their 60's pop stuff)

    Yup 60 years is enough, IMHO. I can totally understand they'd stop, but maybe a lore fitting exit should be in the cards, iMHO.
    Only more stable line-up were trios: Rush and ZZ Top.



    Yeah, this doesn't leave me cold as well. Real fondness for Rinus, JoJo and Barry.... and Cesar.



    is Borgers the guy that replaced Cesar when jhe left for a few years. You forgot Eelco Gelling, BTW.
    Bertus Borgers has played saxophone with them. I knew I forgot Eelco Gelling, couldn't remember his name and don't know if he is alive. Wel, he seems to be.

  14. #14
    Member thedunno's Avatar
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    I was never a big fan of the earrings too but growing up in the Nerherlands they became inevitably part of the soundtrack of my youth.

    I remember really liking the 'when the lady smiles' video and feeling somehow 'proud' that it was banned in the US. Good song, brilliant video. Barry Hay as dirty old man in the Rotterdam subway :-)

    https://youtu.be/XHIM83lc0bk

  15. #15
    That's Mr. to you, Sir!! Trane's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by thedunno View Post
    I was never a big fan of the earrings too but growing up in the Nerherlands they became inevitably part of the soundtrack of my youth.

    I remember really liking the 'when the lady smiles' video and feeling somehow 'proud' that it was banned in the US. Good song, brilliant video. Barry Hay as dirty old man in the Rotterdam subway :-)

    A couple of weeks ago, I was driving to work and Radar Love was playing on the radio. When I arrived on our campus in the middle of the dunes, as I opened the window to show my badge to the guards and receive the facemask, the song was just saying "No More Speed I'm Almost There" and we both chuckled and giggled like teenagers.

    Wow, that clip is about as long as Twilight Zone clip is, but unlike TZ, it never got on MTV or MuchMusic. I mean only Miiiiiichael was allowed to make clips that long and receive regular airplay.

    BTW, Barry Hay's first solo album Parrot was quite good, as well. Not sure I remember GK's JoJo, though.
    my music collection increased tenfolds when I switched from drug-addicts to complete nutcases.

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    Member thedunno's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Trane View Post

    Wow, that clip is about as long as Twilight Zone clip is, but unlike TZ, it never got on MTV or MuchMusic.
    .
    No, the clip was initially banned from all main stations. It was directed by Dick Maas and 'political correctness' was never his thing. I personally think it is a very funny clip. A censored version was made but I do not believe it got popular.

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    Member Munster's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by thedunno View Post
    I was never a big fan of the earrings too but growing up in the Nerherlands they became inevitably part of the soundtrack of my youth.
    I was in a busy bar in The Hague late at night. Golden Earring’s Radar Love came on the bar’s sound system and all conversation died down. Everyone was nodding in time to the beat and then, in unison to the two words ‘radar love’, every man/woman in the bar joined in, before resuming their silent nodding. It was very weird, like a scene out of some Coen Brothers movie. Just as every Brit seems to know the chorus to A Yellow Submarine, every Dutch person seemed to identify with Radar Love.
    We walked arm in arm with madness, and every little breeze whispered of the secret love we had for our disease

  18. #18
    ^ I'm surprised bars are even open. Here in Oslo all public commercial consumption of alcohol has been closed since early November. A few restaurants keep going but they aren't serving any drink. Consequently people stay at home and drink instead, posting grotesque stuff On Da Enternit.

    Understandably, both beers and Golden Earring are institutions in Dutch culture. Long live!
    "Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
    "[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM

  19. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by Scrotum Scissor View Post
    ^ I'm surprised bars are even open. Here in Oslo all public commercial consumption of alcohol has been closed since early November. A few restaurants keep going but they aren't serving any drink. Consequently people stay at home and drink instead, posting grotesque stuff On Da Enternit.

    Understandably, both beers and Golden Earring are institutions in Dutch culture. Long live!
    I suppose that would have been some time ago, because all bars and restaurants are closed for quite some time.

  20. #20
    Member Munster's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Scrotum Scissor View Post
    ^ I'm surprised bars are even open.
    No, this incident in the bar occurred a few years ago, sadly, when the world was a different place altogether. Another song I have since learnt is popular with the Dutch and not particularly well known elsewhere is, oddly, Chi Coltrane’s Go Like Elijah. This is a clip from a 2010 Dutch TV show where she performs the song, which apparently spent a month at number one in the Dutch charts at some point.



    I have also included the more restrained original, recorded in 1972.

    Last edited by Munster; 02-06-2021 at 11:03 AM.
    We walked arm in arm with madness, and every little breeze whispered of the secret love we had for our disease

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    Sad news. Radar Love is one of those songs that is just an eternal classic. Twilight Zone was their other US hit, and I thought that was pretty awesome at the time, too.

  23. #23
    That's Mr. to you, Sir!! Trane's Avatar
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    Mmmhhh!!!!... Wasn't really aware of the different accidents and health problems that plagued the band.
    Basically I lost track of most of what they did after NEWS... and the Naked Truth and Buccanneers flew under my radar. Will have to check out that stuff, thouigh I doubt I'll find the 69-77 vibe in there.
    my music collection increased tenfolds when I switched from drug-addicts to complete nutcases.

  24. #24
    On March 11 George Kooymans celebrates his birthday and everyone is asked to play Radar love at 5.15 PM.

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