Snow Patrol’s Gary Lightbody opens up about his dad’s struggle with dementia and says he’s sure he’ll get it too
SNOW Patrol rocker Gary Lightbody has told how he fears he could be getting dementia – after forgetting the lyrics to his songs while on stage.
The singer-songwriter is worried he could fall victim to the illness after it robbed his father Jack, who is in an advanced stage of the condition, of his memories.
Now Gary has begun a regime of daily brain exercises in a bid to delay the potential effects of the disease, which can be hereditary.
The 43-year-old — best know for the songs Run and Chasing Cars — said: “My dad has dementia and I’ve always had memory problems. That’s been a lifetime problem.
“I’m sure that it will run to me and that’s why I’m trying to get on top of it in my forties, rather than leave it any later.
“Hopefully I’ve got a few years yet before that affects me. Memory is close to my heart and on my mind. I’ve been trying to do memory exercises.
“The past few days I’ve been learning all the UN countries in the world and their capitals. I set myself little tasks like that.
“I hope at some point that will connect tissue when I’m on stage. Something disconnects me from the lyrics when I’m there.
“When I ask myself what the next line is on stage, I immediately forget it. I wrote them and I’ve sung them hundreds of times but the slight uncertainty f***s me up every time.”
Snow Patrol are set to release their latest album, Reworked, featuring reimagined versions of some of their biggest hits, on November 1.
The band will then embark on the 13-date Reworked UK tour that includes shows in London, Dublin, Belfast and Edinburgh.
They are also to be honoured with a Legend Award in Belfast on November 7, where they will perform. For those dates, Gary will have an autocue in case he forgets lyrics.
Bravely addressing his struggles, he explained: “I’ll have the lyrics in front of me on a screen, as many people do, or else a lot of our shows would be instrumental, which is not exactly what we’re known for.
“I figure it’s better to have them there in case I forget.
Six ways to keep your memory up to speed
EXPERTS believe that people in the early stages of dementia can use a range of mental exercises to keep their brains engaged.
- Doing crosswords and sudoku on a daily basis both help to keep the brain active and are easily accessible in newspapers or activity books.
- Learning a new language or taking up an instrument encourages the brain to learn new words, phrases and motions.
- Reading challenging books or writing a book can have a similar effect and help the brain to retain more words.
- Playing trivia and memory games can also stimulate memory in those trying to stave off dementia, or just help keep their brain in shape.
- Doing jigsaws and other puzzles can increase motor neuron activity, while regularly solving puzzles or playing games could also help with daily tasks such as getting dressed.
- Learning a new physical skill such as tai chi, pottery or painting can help keep the mind firing.
The Alzheimer’s Society said: “Some studies have found cognitive training can improve aspects of memory and thinking.
“So far, no studies have shown that brain training prevents dementia.”
“I don’t tend to look down at them that much but I just feel it’s better to have it there in case I have a complete brain freeze.”
Jack was diagnosed in 2015 and lives at home in Bangor, Northern Ireland, with wife Linda. Gary added: “My dad is now in an advanced stage of dementia.
“There’s a song on our album Wildness called Soon, which is about him and what he’s going through.”
The lyrics include the lines: “Soon you’ll not remember anything/But then some day neither will I/Tomorrow though is nothing to fear/Because father it’s always today.”
Gary continued: “It’s him I’m worried about these days, and my mum as well, because he is not 100 per cent sure what’s going on.
“My mum is extremely aware of what’s going on and it’s heartbreaking, because she is with him every day.”
The hard-working family gave a lot so that their son could make a success of his life — not that he knew it at the time.
Gary said: “My dad is retired. He worked for the civil service. My mum worked three jobs at a time to put me through private school.
“I went to a good school and most of the kids were from wealthy parents. I saw some bank statements when my mum was clearing out recently and there was an awful lot of red in them in those days.
“I didn’t realise how tight they had it. That kind of dedication is something I’m so grateful for.
“They never let on they were so broke. Now I try to give them money to help them. It just sits in the bank. They won’t touch it, which is typical of that generation.”
Gary, from Bangor, formed the band Shrug at Dundee University in 1994 with pals Mark McClelland and Michael Morrison.
They became Snow Patrol and shot to fame with 2003 album Final Straw, which contained anthemic hit Run.
Their next album, 2006’s Eyes Open, topped the charts and its hit single Chasing Cars became the most-played song on UK radio of the 21st Century.
It also featured on TV medical drama Grey’s Anatomy. Further hit albums A Hundred Million Suns and Fallen Empires followed.
Gary said: “Run was written at a time when we didn’t have anything.
Learn a new skill to spark the brain
By Dr Carol Cooper, Sun GP
DEMENTIA is a cruel disease. It tends to affect older people and there are about 200 different forms.
Alzheimer’s is the most common type, followed by vascular dementia.
The condition can run in the family, such as Huntington’s disease, but most cases are not inherited. Vascular dementia is often linked with high blood pressure, obesity and smoking.
Research suggests our brains evolve different ways of working in the second half of life. We rely more on what is in front us instead of memory.
Forgetting song lyrics isn’t necessarily a sign of the disease. There is no sure prevention, but keeping active physically and mentally can reduce the risk, as does healthy eating and keeping to a normal weight.
Learning a new language or musical instrument will also stimulate the mind.
“I was living in the West End of Glasgow. I was sitting in our crappy flat which had no hot water and no electricity and thinking of a better life for me, my friends and family.
“That was the song that changed everything for us, the song that changed our lives for ever. A lot of the songs were written in Scotland because our formative years were there.
“It’s something we still cherish and hold dear. It’s something that runs deep in us.”
Despite his health issues, Gary is looking forward to the tour. He says the group will avoid songs in the set from their earliest albums, but for a special reason.
Gary explained: “For anybody wondering why there aren’t any songs from the first two albums, we’re going to be doing something special with some of those. I haven’t forgotten them.
“For this latest album we picked all the biggest hits, all the songs that were singles, all the songs people were most familiar with.
“We thought reworking those would have the most impact because people know them best.”
More than 850,000 people currently live with dementia in the UK. While age is the biggest risk factor, at least 42,000 victims under the age of 65 are currently living with the condition early-onset dementia.
Only a small percentage of dementia cases are hereditary. Gary is hopeful scientists will soon be able to find a cure for dementia-related diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
The singer, speaking from Los Angeles where he is working on the soundtrack to a new television series, said: “I was at Dundee University a couple of years ago for the graduation.
“At lunch I was sitting beside a scientist who is working on a cure for Alzheimer’s.
“He told me they are 15 years away from a big breakthrough. I’ve read that in other places too. Maybe within our lifetime there could be big advances in it, and I hope there are.
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“Unfortunately for people who are already suffering, like my dad and millions of others around the world, it’s going to come too late.
“It’s a horrible disease and insidious. It takes your memories from you, it takes your life, takes the people that you love and love you from you.
“They fade away from your memory. It’s a horrible thing.”
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