Musician Justin Currie reflects on the impact of Parkinson’s on his work as a performer.

Songwriter Justin Currie reflects on the impact of a recent Parkinson’s diagnosis, and the effects of the disease on his work as a performer.

As the front man in Glasgow band Del Amitri, Currie came to fame in 1990 when the group’s Nothing Ever Happens reached number 11 in the UK singles chart. The song – a comment on political inertia and social apathy amidst the inequality of late ’80s British society – is one that Currie performs regularly, though the tremors he now experiences in his right hand make playing the guitar part an impossibility.

Bringing together extracts from his written journal with backstage scenes, conversations with friends, and interview material, this radio portrait – in which Currie speaks at length publicly for the first time about how the illness is affecting him, physically and cognitively – was recorded over a weekend of rehearsals and gigs in Glasgow in January, 2024.

Produced by Phil Smith
A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 4

Photo credit: Seán Purser

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More: BBC Radio 4 – Tremolo