Jackie Farry
Musicians help industry veteran fight for her life
By Jim Keller
Published: June 25th, 2004 | 3:35pm
With Fuck Cancer benefit concerts and an online raffle that offered prizes ranging from Beastie Boys doll sets to a guitar lesson with Stephen Malkmus, Jackie Farry isn’t taking her cancer diagnosis sitting down. Neither are the Breeders and Karen O, who performed in Los Angeles on April 1, 2004, or J. Mascis, Cat Power, JSBX, and Chavez, who performed in New York on May 11 to raise money for Farry and other cancer victims.
With more than a decade under her belt, Farry has managed tours for many musicians, including the late Elliott Smith and Stereolab, hosted MTV’s Superock in 1994, and created her own eponymous cable access show.
Farry grew up in Synanon, a commune renowned as a cult by the late ’70s, and decided to pursue a career in the music industry when she was 17. “I had no idea how to go about it because I was living under a rock,” Farry explains.
In 1984, she became a receptionist at New York’s Homestead Records (early Dinosaur Jr., Sebadoh, and Daniel Johnston), and after hopping around among labels such as Earache and Epic, Farry began selling merchandise for the Lemonheads and later became their tour manager. “That was a turning point,” Farry says.
In June 2003 — between managing the Datsuns’ U.S. and European tours — Farry was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a rare blood cancer that affects the bone marrow and immune system. “I had a chest X-ray for the third rib I fractured by laughing, crying, or coughing,” Farry recalls. “They said I should get tested for multiple myeloma.” Her regimen began with oral drugs, which proved successful, followed by a near-lethal dose of chemotherapy, which prepared her for the stem cell transplant she received in December 2003.
Though in remission, Farry suffers from “chemo-brain,” a major side effect characterized by memory loss and concentration problems. She also deals with bouts of sickness, which are delayed reactions from the transplant.
Having reached her one-year mark as a cancer survivor on June 19, 2004, Farry knows she couldn’t have persisted if it weren’t for her tremendous support system. “People were bombarding me with kindness that whipped my mental state,” she explains.
Though her main support came from friends and her canine companion Cindy, she says even her family stepped up to the plate. “I’ve never been close with them and they completely came to the party for me.” This tragedy was a wake-up call for Farry, but her battle isn’t over yet.
Note: Farry's online raffle is currently closed.
Issue #35
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