Bonehead reflects on "tough year" battling tonsil cancer

9 May 2023, 12:12 | Updated: 9 May 2023, 18:19

Bonehead reflects on tonsil cancer battle

The former Oasis rhythm guitarist opened up about his cancer battle last year during his special Radio X show, Bonehead's Bank Holiday.

Listen back to Bonehead's Bank Holiday on Global Player now.

Paul 'Bonehead' Arthurs has opened up about his battle with tonsil cancer in 2022 and revealed it was a "tough, tough year".

The former Oasis rhythm guitarist co-hosted Bonehead's Bank Holiday on Radio X on Monday 8th May, where he gave fans an update on his health and told stories from across the band's career.

Last September, the Manchester legend confirmed he was was cancer-free and asked by Radio X's Toby Tarrant how he's feeling now, the Champagne Supernova rocker said: "Yeah I got the all clear, I finished treatment.

"I was diagnosed last year sort of March with tonsil cancer, so it was tough, a tough year to say the least, but finished treatment on June 24th, three months after that I got the all-clear.

"I’m under the care of the Christie Hospital, which is the cancer hospital up in Manchester. For the next five years I’m under their care, which is the best care."

The rocker also revealed that though he's "98% back to fitness" there are some things that he'll never get back, but he's grateful to be alive.

"I’m being looked after," he added. "I’m being monitored, it has gone, and I’m getting back, I’m about 98% back to fitness. There’s a few things that I’ll never get back to normal, but you know so what? There’s things that you can live with. It was a tough tough year."

Listen back to Bonehead's Bank Holiday on Global Player now.

Bonehead also revealed that he would take part in an Oasis reunion because of the younger generation of fans, who weren't even born when the band first formed.

"Never say never, I would say," the musician said. "Realistically? I don't know. Liam's got his solo career. As has Noel. I don't know, you're asking the wrong person. But I'd love to see it."

He mused: "Some days you wake up and think Nah, there's no need for it. It's been done. But when I'm on stage with Liam Gallagher as a solo artist, and I come out and we play Rock 'N' Roll Star and the place erupts. People are bouncing higher and harder than they did at some of the gigs back in the day."

"I look at that first ten rows when I'm playing an arena with Liam, and they're like 16 or 17 years of age," he went on. "These people weren't even born until well into Oasis' career.

"So if there was a reunion, wouldn't it be worth it for them? To come and witness that band? In that sense it would be worth just one gig next year for those kids at the front, who are jumping and bouncing at Liam's gigs."

Bonehead on whether he'd take part in an Oasis reunion

The two-hour special, which took place this Bank Holiday Monday (8th May) from 9am - 11am, came about after the guitarist reacted to Live Forever being crowned Radio X's Best of British 2023 during Easter's Bank Holiday Monday.

Needless to say, the rocker thought the fittingly titled Oasis track Bonehead’s Bank Holiday was absolutely robbed and he demanded a recount, which led to him co-hosting his own show for Radio X!

"I still stand by my thoughts on that," he told Toby Tarrant when reflecting on his tweet. "It's a fix, right? I want steward's enquiry. There must be a a sort of version of VAR in radio.

"It got me, because I love listening to the [Best of British] Top 100 and it got me how many Oasis songs are in it. I genuinely love it. And it was getting to the Top 10 and I thought, 'You know what? The winner's gonna be Bonehead's Bank Holiday. It really is!"

Recalling how he eagerly awaited the results of the countdown all day only to find the eponymous song was indeed not on the chart, he added: " [I was] devastated. It ruined me day! I thought. I'm gonna have to tweet you."

The show also saw the Manchester legend also recount stories from the band's heyday, including the biggest fight he remembers between Liam and Noel and the time they tormented John Squire about his phobia of cucumbers.

Plus he confirmed what his favourite Oasis song is of all time as well as his top Liam Gallagher solo track and discussed whether they'd accept a knighthood.

Listen back to Bonehead's Bank Holiday here:

Listen back to Bonehead's Bank Holiday on Global Player now.