Saturday, April 17, 2021

A tribute to the Golden Earring (and fighting ALS)

They are the cause of thousands of speeding tickets. They were the second Dutch band to make it into the Billboard top 100. They inspired thousands upon thousands to pick up an instrument and start playing rock 'n roll. Their most famous song was voted Best Driving Song. They have been friends ever since the band was formed and played in the original line-up for over fifty years. They promised eachother to keep on playing until one of them became incapable of performing. They are legends. They are The Golden Earring.

Sadly they were forced to quit when George Kooymans, one of the founders, was diagnosed with ALS in February 2021. On his birthday, March 15, the song they are most famous for - 'Radar Love' - was played throughout The Netherlands at precisely 17:15. It blared from home stereos, from bars and cars, played on the MP3-players from known politicians and people could enjoy renditions of the song, being played from bell towers.

A moving tribute, bringing tears to bandmembers, relatives, friends and fans from all over the world alike.

Not just to 'old rockers' but younger people too. People whose parents weren't born when Radar Love came to see the light and livened up tens of thousands of car-, bus, and motor-rides, unwillingly moving feet, causing people to forget about their wordly problems for a few moments. And not caring about getting a speeding ticket.

The band will be missed but left us with some of the greatest rock tunes ever. Find their songs on Youtube and Spotify, buy their albums, enjoy their music. Here's Radar Love, more than once:

Drummer Cesar Zuiderwijk emotional at bell tower:
The Radar Love drumsolo, as he played it in 2015:

A young German Beatles fan paying tribute in her own way:
Colleagues have always honoured and respected the perhaps
oldest band, still playing in the original line-up,
at least until February 2021:

There are whispered rumours a tribute concert will be organized, as soon as Corona-wise possible,
with friends and guitarists from other bands playing instead of George Kooymans. 

Here a little clip on the guy:

Three years ago he played 'Just a little bit of piece in my heart':


Of course he's not dead yet and there's no one who wants him to die. Who knows if ALS can ever be cured. But chances are slim for George and people like him as at the moment people who are diagnosed with ALS (also MND or Lou Gehrig's Disease) seldom live more than five years after being diagnosed.


If you wish to help fund research, here's a donation-link to ALS The Netherlands. If you don't reside in The Netherlands, I'm sure there's an ALS foundation in your country. The Ice Bucket Challenge was a very succesful way to create awareness for this awful disease (one by one all your muscles give in, including the muscles that allow you to breathe) but the fight against it, is long from over.


Want to read (more of) my short stories? My author page: Terrence Weijnschenk at Amazon

1 comment:

Thato Amelia said...

My first symptoms of ALS occurred in 2014, but was diagnosed in 2016. I had severe symptoms ranging from shortness of breath, balance problems, couldn't walk without a walker or a power chair, i had difficulty swallowing and fatigue. I was given medications which helped but only for a short burst of time, then I decided to try alternative measures and began on ALS Formula treatment from Tree of Life Health clinic. It has made a tremendous difference for me (Visit w w w. treeoflifeherbalclinic .com ). I had improved walking balance, increased appetite, muscle strength, improved eyesight and others. ]