Obituary: Roland S. Howard

obituary

Rowland S. Howard loses his battle with liver cancer

On 30 December 2009, Rowland S. Howard lost his battle with liver cancer and died at Austin Hospital in Melbourne. He was 50 years old. Howard’s signature distorted chords were often on display in the punk outfit The Boys Next Door and its evolution The Birthday Party fronted by charismatic singer Nick Cave. Drugs and creative control divided the band in 1983. The fierce devotion fans had for The Birthday Party parlayed into a devoted cult following for Crime and the City Solution, and These Immortal Souls. The lanky guitarist packed a powerfully morose reverb. His blues and jazz base could be found on numerous collaborations with Lydia Lunch, Nikki Sudden, Thurston Moore, The Gun Club’s Jeffrey Lee Pierce and Henry Rollins. Teenage Snuff Film was the 1999 independently released solo album fans and critics had been waiting for but it would be another ten years before Howard would attempt another release. Once again personal tragedies and drug dependence left Howard unable to focus and wounded the self effacing artist. During the 2000s, he ended his marriage, lost his mother and by his own account got to the point where he didn’t want to wake up in the morning. Battling the side effects of hep C medication which caused severe depression, Howard stopped writing songs and playing guitar. Things slowly began to turn around as he accepted offers to work. In 2009, Howard released Pop Crimes featuring Birthday Party bandmate Mick Harvey on drums and would realise the success that escaped him for so many years. Tragically, his health continued to be in decline. Several dates were cancelled due to illness and the guitarist was on a waiting list for a liver transplant. The St Kilda’s Prince Bandroom show in October would be Howard’s last public performance. “Sometimes people are ready to go because they have been sick for a long time, but Rowland really wanted to live. Things were going well for him outside of his health and he wanted to take advantage of that and he was very disappointed that he wasn’t well enough to do so.” said Harvey. In a prepared statement issued on his website, Nick Cave called Rowland “Australia’s most unique, gifted and uncompromising guitarist. He was also a good friend. This is very sad news. Howard will be missed by many.” “Rowland was extremely sensitive, wonderfully humorous, beautifully unique,” said Lydia Lunch, New York singer, poet, writer, and actress, in response to news of his death. “His magical presence and haunting music lives on. Celebrate his genius! A true visionary. Masterful. Poetic. Sublime.” • Abridged from http://tinyurl.com/ygywmvj (1 Jan 2010).