Aspies For Freedom

"THE VINES RETURN DESPITE NICHOLLS' BRAIN DISORDER

Australian rockers THE VINES have rubbished reports their group disbanded last year after frontman CRAIG NICHOLLS was diagnosed with debilitating brain disorder Aspergers Syndrome.

Nicholls' assault and malicious damage charges were dropped in November (04) when it was revealed his erratic behaviour was a result of the condition, which causes the sufferer to exhibit autistic-like behaviour and struggle with communication and social skills.

But despite Nicholls' problem, and his mental breakdown onstage at Sydney's Annandale Hotel last year (04), the band's drummer HAMISH ROSSER insists Nicholls is helping them make a third album.

Rosser explains, "The next album will almost definitely be made in Australia, which might rule out ROB SCHNAPF (as producer) because he has a wife and two young kids which he won't want to be separated from for very long and we probably can't afford to fly them out here and put them up.

"As you'd expect from a Vines album there'll be a diverse range of songs. They range from the spacey ballad style of GOING GOING GONE through to the balls out rockers that we all love and some in between. The new album will probably all be composed by Craig."

WHY do they have to insist on calling it a "brain disorder"? There were lots of fans on the main message forum "grieving" because they thought he was dying!  :shock:

LOL! Where can I see those messages?

I think it was here: http://thevines.forumsunlimited.com/inde...owtopic=48

And sorry, they called it a brain DISEASE, which makes the responses more understandable, although "brain disorder" still sounds like it is progressive rather than developmental.

I loved this comment: "that's why craig said he cant drive. in the mtv article it says AS suffers have poor motor skills"

And the response: "By 'motor skills' I'm pretty sure they are talking about muscle movement."

:lol:

When I posted I put this part in bold "debilitating brain disorder Aspergers Syndrome." as I just couldn't believe they would make such an overdramatic statement.
I really worry about a young person who has just received a dx and sees something like that.

Well debilitating is not that bad a term and its one I would probably agree with some of the time (otherwise there would be no need for help)

Yeah but without more information, it is up to the reader to imagine what is meant with "debilitating". I mean of course the symptoms and resulting problems can be difficult but most people seem to think "crippling" or "incapacitating" when they read "debilitating", so it does make it sound more like a crippling, progressive disease than a developmental condition.

I thought that debilitating was something like a brain tumour that would put you in intensive care :shock:

Not really.

Take OCD for example - when thats at the point where you cant leave the house or have to take a long time to leave the house then its debilitating.

That is true - it's just when it is put in connection with "brain disorder" (or even worse - "brain disease") that it sounds more like something progressive, i.e. Alzheimers or Parkinsons.

On a site there was a forum thread about the Vines and it seemed that some fans thought he was so ill he would die. :roll: