Ivan Julian is in remission, returned to the stage, playing NYC again soon

Ivan Julian of legendary punk band Richard Hell & the Voidoids has sadly been battling cancer, and last year tons of incredible artists came together to play tribute/benefit shows to him in NYC. He returned to the stage to play The Bell House in October, and he’s been in remission since then too. Billboard caught up with him around then and posted an extensive update on his situation. Here’s an excerpt:

In early October, songwriter-guitarist Ivan Julian did something that he hadn’t done in quite awhile: He stepped onstage and played some music. The crowd at the Bell House in Brooklyn was a little grayer, a little less hard-living than the ones he had played for in the past, back when he was an East Village punk, playing with Richard Hell & The Voidoids. But they didn’t look much worse for wear.

…Today, the good news continues. “I’m officially in remission,” says Julian. “They have nuked the cancer out of me.” But for the foreseeable future, as Julian’s doctors monitor his health, his expenses continue. His GoFundMe page remains active, and his team recently launched an online auction of items donated ­during the City Winery benefit shows: Bob Gruen ­photographs, signed ­guitars, lyric sheets and tour itineraries from Julian’s archives.

There are also T-shirts declaring “I Am Ivan” — a ­message ­resonant for any fan who donated a few bucks to Julian’s ­campaign, and for any musician who sees a bit of themselves in Julian’s ­situation. “Ivan is going to get great again and be able to make his records again, but he’s also going to be a piece of the puzzle for a lot of musicians out there,” says Tremulis. “He’s like a sponsor for other musicians at this point. Now Ivan can help a lot of other people, and I know he wants to.”

Read more here. You can donate to Ivan’s GoFundMe here.

Ivan will next play NYC on April 19 at Union Pool with power pop vet Tommy Keene. Tickets for that show are on sale now.