Transplant For A Legend

Every country has those 2-3 artists that build it’s core, that define and stay in the hearts of people no matter what.

We have such artists, and I do speak here about rock music, because this is closer to my heart than anything else. I can’t speak about theater or dance. I speak about guitars and rock music.

More than 20 years ago, while the communist party was 100% in everything around, there were a few rock bands that led the way, despite the fact that communist party leaders tried to bury them and their music. Long hair? Leather? No way…

One of these few bands is IRIS and Cristi Minculescu, the lead singer, is, I’d say, the most emblematic figure of Romanian rock music. And I do understand the meaning of these words…

The band is now more than 30 years “old”, more than 30 years of constant activity producing hit after hit, for one generation after another, going from the hard rock of 30 years ago to reinvented music that follow the time we’re living in.

Cristi Minculescu is 50 years old, as far as I know, and since a long time suffering from a chronic disease. Everybody knew it and, since 15 years, everybody could see it, since his belly kept on getting larger and larger, giving room for rumors like him having cirrhosis due to his previous wild rock life.

These last days, after a concert, Cristi started to not feel well, he went to a local hospital and then he was sent to Germany for more investigations. During a press conference doctors said he suffers from a chronic disease inherited from his father, and not cirrhosis, illness that manifests itself by producing cysts in the liver. A transplant of liver is mandatory for him and his wife, they say, will be the donor.

I am not like their biggest fan or something, I even remember telling my friends how bad Miculescu sings low notes, since his whole life he was used to scream, joking that even I can sing better some songs (joking, given my voice), but one way or another, their music marked my own musical path and no matter how many rock singers started to appear over night, none can even touch Cristi Minculescu’s stardom.

Cristi Minculescu doesn’t have the best voice around, in a classical way, he was a self made rock singer, as far as I know (and you can even tell it from his voice) , learning to sing in a period where you can barely manage to get a recording of an occidental band, so examples were too few to relate to, but one way or another he manages to transmit so much emotion in his singing that marked the life of  a lot of generations…

His vocal range allowed him to sing Zeppelin, Purple, Priest, which put him right from the start in the position of a very solicited lead singer at that moment and the life he dedicated to rock music proved he truly belongs on stage, given all the hits he and IRIS composed over time.

Now he’s in Germany, IRIS canceled their shows on the next period, waiting for a positive answer from doctors.

I can only say “get well, Cristi and come back on stage! We’re all waiting for you!”

Later edit: seems he is back in Romania, his wife will give him a part of her liver and he will be scheduled for the operation soon. Canceled shows were “un-canceled” for the moment.

Good to know!

Here are a few songs from IRIS, maybe you won’t get the words, but at least, the very fact you know IRIS exists, due to these videos, wherever you may be, makes me feel better.

Trenul fara nas (I don’t know the English word for the last word, but it’s the guy that checks tickets in the train. So it’s something like the Train without ticket master. OK, smile and tell me the word for it)

OK, you know this one, We wish you well, Coverdale. It’s in Romanian this time, IRIS and Felicia Filip, a famous Romanian soprano.

Ultimul mic dejun al lui Bon (Last breakfast of Bon Scott, as far as I know they appreciate a lot ACDC and Coverdale, see above). This song is from 96, I’ve been to the show when they released this album, they totally reinvented themselves on that album.

OK, and now one that you will also know, Lady in black, next to Uriah Heep, rerecorded. They teamed for a while here, for some recordings, this video and a few shows.

For those reasons here and for thousands others, I think I will go to the next concert IRIS will play around here, even if I have already been at quite a few. By the way, the guy is from the same city as I am. What do you know?!

By the way, how about a bit of Zeppelin, just for fun? I now realize, writing this, that IRIS is the only professional band in Romania not afraid to play covers and tribute songs on TV. No other band does it, you know…too important probably for covers? IRIS put up a whole Zeppelin show, as far as I know, Queen, Thin Lizzy, ACDC, etc…

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